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On the island of Zou, Kurau city teems with life of the late sun. It is about to turn dusk, where the sun is put to rest, and the Ruler of Dawn and Dusk makes her appearance once again.
When Carrot was first given prestige to the throne, she became vehemently against it. Her lack of leadership experience hindered her greatly. And really, she didn't want this responsibility. But her people would not let her go, clinging to the late samurai's words that once ruled and chose her, and they loudly chose the same in kind.
The people of the dukedom, reasoning with Carrot in closed doors, came to a conclusion. The Rulers of the Day and Night shall continue to exist, under the older and more experienced individuals that Carrot would choose. Wanda of the Day and Shishillian of the Night would rise, Carrot's mentors, and a new role was born. She would become Dawn and Dusk, and set into the changes with her crew in intention to grow and protect her kingdom.
With this, she became stronger. Both Wanda and Shishillian trained her in the arts of battle and leading. From the day, she communed and planned with both her collaborators and people, communication growing stronger from the practice. From the night, she gained a harder grasp of electricity and a larger control of the nightly beast inside which was Sulong form. Self study gave a basic grasp of Haki, practiced from her times fighting with pirates and samurai. Her senses sharpened, exceeding past those of dog and bird minks. She became the lookout of Zou, their necessary protector. She became an idol, and given her pedestal of a champion that the once leading samurai pledged their trust to, that would keep Zou safe.
Three years passed by in an instant.
Miles and miles away, pirates, with their hands on Zou's vivre card, encroach on the moving vessel of an island. Carrot watches from the top of the gate that guards the island on Zuniesha’s back. Her eyes were on the horizon where a ship was located, face set in a stern gaze.
The gate, once destroyed by the calamity of Jack the Drought along with the city, was fixed with precision. The Minks were a community, and they built and built to improve on the previous work from the time the pirates helped to patch it. It was restructured with strong concrete brick of a yellowish color, and the border was now mechanized overall, not just the gate, but built in tracking and weapons as well. The two bells, in practicality, did not change. Manually, they must be rung in case of raid or visitation.
At her back, the city also flourished in new ways. Expansion had occurred into the forest that flanks the sides, and both an apartment-like house and large banquet room was made to house the many that visit the city. Trees became more incorporated into the infrastructure. A town hall and town house was created. She could see Zou slightly shift more to a democratic society. New plants and animals would show up, brought by the escapades by crews that minks would create and set out, just to come back with more variety of life. It became more popular to set out on one's own, ever since the minks participated in Wano's war. Population was growing steadly because of it.
She didn't want to set out without them, though.
Zou overall was not the only one to grow. Carrot did too. Her hair went from the yellow short bob to a longer, shoulder length style. She wore a cape of white fluff, clasped with a green bow lined with gold, over an orange somewhat sundress, with a green and gold haramaki setting on her waist. It helped hold her satchel on the side, which kept her weaponry gauntlets. Her boots, brown combat heels lined with glistened gold. She screamed the royalty of the dukedom, now.
She's older. She’s 18.
Yet the monsters that they are- the emperors, the Straw Hats- still plagued her mind. What journey would it be without them? It wouldn't be the same.
What would they think now, with her thoughts plagued like this? She thinks Luffy would laugh and point, calling her an idiot, maybe... How have they changed?
Would it even BE them that's on the horizon?
Maybe they would take her? To finally take her to see Pedro's promise flourished?
Carrot shook her head.
Luffy wouldn't come back. Nor would Sanji. Not even Choniki. They wouldn't come back, at least, for her.
Maybe to visit, they would! She thought.
The day the Strawhats packed, before leaving Wano, Carrot witnessed. She watched from the shadowy sidelines, just as she was- in the beginning -before. When she and the Straw Hats were strangers, and she hid just to attack.
Luffy listened as Yamato exclaimed joyfully, that as Wano's guardian spirit and protector, Wano needed Oden right now. Someone to train Lord Mononuske in the arts of wild battle and talk. Someone to lift the spirits as a protector for the people, and the daimyo themselves. Who better than the giant wolf of a man- Oden's admirer in everything- that Yamato is? She was happy Yamato found joy in the title- that he chose it himself- instead of being thrust upon him from the dark pits. One day, Yamato said, he'll get to sea somehow. Carrot thinks that it was laced with something else behind it. Like he said; Come back for me, and I will accompany with fervor.
She wanted to say similarly. No, she wanted something completely different. Something that was now. She wanted to grasp Luffy’s hands and say, “Take me with you! I’ll see that his will goes through! I’ll see you to the moon and stars and anywhere!” To be whisked away and see her dreams light up in a blaze.
She didn’t. It’s okay, Carrot thinks, that it stays like this. Maybe it’s for the better, she wonders?
She would follow everything that the Strawhats did; whether through the News Coo, through hacked Den Den Mushi signals, or word of mouth. Anything. She jumped with joy when they crashed Vegapunk’s island and- most probably- saved the day by kidnapping Vegapunk. Chuckled when the marines complained about more islands flying a skull with a straw hat on the signal. Glued her eyes to the page when they reached Elbaf about them tackling giants. Listened to the story of their escapades in Debiru Resortolis from podcasts. Mourned with them when Shanks finally fell. Laughed when Blackbeard fell along with him.
They hollered and had a ginormous party when they reached Laughtale; she thinks it was the only time she truly connected to all the other Minks after Wano, screaming in pride of the Pirates that they loved. It was like she was a musketeer once again, racing across and picking fights with Pedro to see if she could win, just this time!
The Strawhats continue their escapades- she knows- specifically against the World Government to piss some more marines and haughty dragons off. And, primarily, to complete their dreams. Like completing the world map! Or becoming the bravest warrior of the sea! She hasn’t seen the swordsman- Zoro- fight the Hawky guy he was talking about before on Wano- the one that he was trained by (and that he has a persistent grudge against, as well)- in the papers or by the signals. So there were still so many more dreams to complete. She wanted to complete hers too, with them.
On the wall, she glances from her back as the moon rises and the stars prick the night with their sparkle. The sun is now gone, only left with a bit of pinks and purples glowing on the horizon.
She finally sees the ships that she was once sensing on the horizon. She smells the wood and the gunsmoke on the wind. Maybe just gunpowder? She hears the salt splay over and over on the waves as the ship rocks against them- and the laughter and loud rowdiness and music of a crew. It does not smell of cooking, or the grinding of herbs. It does not sing like the scratching of words on paper, or the grunts of training. It does not taste like the flip of a page, or the minor sourness of a white lie. It does not feel like the calmness of an ocean's bottom, or the solidness of a strong building. It does not sing like the snapping of rubber.
A pirate flag waves at her. A skull with a knife, and flaming hair. She remembers the flag of the Kid Pirates, and thinks it’ll be a warm welcome, since she once overheard the right hand- Killer she thinks- speak highly of her people’s medicinal skills. They must be back for some of the ‘run-ragged’ shots. And the parties. (Most definitely, the parties). It crosses her mind to maybe ask about the Straw Hats, since they are allies.
Well, ‘allied’ enough to maybe know!
Carrot giggles to herself, wrapping her hand around the visitation bell and ringing it with a shake. Her group of the Dawn and Dusk- the Preservers- look up from their business, along with the gatewatchers.
Georgian- sand cat- is scribbling on a piece of paper, blueprinting. Bariete- the small monkey- is, not surprisingly, eating another banana. His eyes have also not left the horizon, though Carrot- her senses as keen as they are- got to his job first. (He was totally a little annoyed! Hehe.) Ezekiel- hyena- has been yowling over a humorous comic over the last hour, and jumped in surprise at the ringing bell. More started to raise their heads, eyes locked on many different things: the bell, the horizon, Carrot herself. They start scrambling to prepare, and the island lights up the night sky in its glorious fashion.
Milky- reindeer mink- looks up from her medical equipment. Her training has upgraded her to emergency medical care of the Preservers, as one of the fastest runners of the island. She turns to Carrot, close by on the wall, clearly a little tired. They’ve grown closer, recently. She knows now that the shy and popular Milky was also quite charmed by the Strawhats, and Choniki, in a way not as fleeting as the others. There's still hope that they’ll come back in a way, just so that she can see the crew who saved Zou, Wano, and aided Leader Nekomamushi in battle. It is something they share, and it brings them together closely.
One day she’ll see them again. That day, she’ll request it. Maybe demand. Maybe beg, groveling at their feet like the kid she has always been. Maybe in private, maybe in front of all of Zou, screaming selfishly. She’ll finally tell them to take her to see the world. To see what she and Pedro in soul have missed while she stayed and ruled.
The island lights up with light and noise, and Carrot stays quiet. One day, she thinks.