The woods behind Luffy's house had always felt safe.
Not because they were guarded or locked away—but because no one ever came here. The trees were dense, the path overgrown, and most people thought the whole patch of land was part of an abandoned drainage zone.
It was the perfect place to train.
For now.
Instincts
Gwen perched in the upper branches of a tree, her hands gripped around the bark like it was part of her. She crouched silently, focusing on controlling her muscles. She could stick, jump, hang—but staying still was harder than expected. Her body wanted to move.
Below her, Luffy paced between trees, muttering numbers to himself as he launched pebbles with different arm tensions, noting how far they flew.
"Seventeen feet, low arc," he muttered, then cringed. "Overshoot."
Another rock bounced off a trunk and landed near Gwen's backpack.
"Careful," Gwen called softly from above.
"You'll live," Luffy replied, stretching his arm upward to catch a falling leaf just because he could.
They both smiled.
For a while, it almost felt normal.
The Flicker
Then it didn't.
Gwen's smile faded.
Her body froze—not by choice. A wave of instinct slammed through her like cold water.
Her spider-sense didn't whisper this time.
It screamed.
"Luffy," she said, her voice sharp and low.
He looked up, and instantly, he felt it too.
Observation Haki flared—not strong or stable, but enough to nudge his mind. A shape. A pressure.
They weren't alone.
The trees were silent now.
No birds. No wind.
And then—
A flicker.
High in the branches to the east. A tiny red light. Just for a second.
Then gone.
Gwen dropped from her perch and landed in a crouch beside Luffy. Her breath came fast.
"You saw it?"
"No," Luffy replied. "But I felt it."
They crept forward together, eyes scanning the canopy.
Then the light returned—hovering. Mechanical. Shifting midair.
"Drone," Gwen whispered.
Black body. Oscorp insignia barely visible on the side. No sound. No wings.
Just quiet, methodical tracking.
Watching.
Recording.
The Chase
Luffy didn't hesitate.
He extended his arm like a whip and launched a rock toward the drone.
It missed—but the motion startled the machine.
It shot upward into the canopy.
Gwen sprang after it, leaping branch to branch like she'd done it for years. Her hands and feet stuck to the bark effortlessly.
"Don't let it get out of range!" she shouted.
Luffy bounded after her on the ground, his legs absorbing every leap with a springy bounce. His arms flexed wide for balance.
The drone weaved between trees, fast and evasive.
But it wasn't perfect.
It clipped a branch—just enough to spin.
Gwen leapt for it, kicking off a tree trunk midair.
She missed.
It zipped away—but something broke off.
Luffy caught the falling piece before it hit the ground.
A small, curved panel.
Black metal.
Etched with O.C. Surveillance Unit – PHASE ECHO.
The Realization
They regrouped near the edge of the clearing.
Luffy stared at the fragment in his hands.
"They were watching," he said.
"They are watching," Gwen corrected. "That wasn't a scout. That was a tracker."
"Do you think it saw everything?"
"Does it matter?"
She kicked the dirt. "We're exposed. This whole area—our safe spot—was a mistake."
Luffy crouched beside her, eyes narrowed.
"We can't train here anymore."
"Can't exist here anymore," Gwen snapped. "Not if Oscorp's drones can wander in and out."
"We'll need something underground," Luffy murmured. "Off-grid. Camouflaged. Hard-wired sensors. Natural cover."
"Like a bunker?"
"Like a field lab."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Luffy. Are you saying we need a base?"
He met her eyes. "Yeah. A real one."
Disagreement
But Gwen was already pacing.
"No. I say we pack everything now. Move everything. Hide. Oscorp knows our faces now."
Luffy shook his head. "If we panic, we make mistakes. If we scatter, we lose the progress we've made."
"You don't get it," Gwen said, voice sharp. "They tagged us. That drone wasn't just watching—it was measuring. What if next time it's not a machine?"
"Then we need to be stronger. Smarter. Ready."
"Ready where? In a treehouse that leaks when it rains?"
Luffy stood. "Then we build somewhere better."
Gwen scowled. "We don't have time to build dreams. We need safety now."
A beat of silence.
Then she turned and grabbed her bag.
"I'm going back," she muttered. "Let me know when you finish drawing blueprints for your imaginary lab."
She vanished into the brush before Luffy could reply.
Left Behind
Luffy stood alone in the clearing.
The forest no longer felt like a sanctuary.
The shadows moved differently now.
The drone might be gone—but its presence had left something behind.
Not fear.
Resolve.
He looked down at the fragment in his hand.
Then toward the hidden ridge they'd once climbed just for fun.
The gears in his head were already turning.
If Oscorp wanted to watch them…
They were going to have to go invisible.
Journal Entry
Back in the treehouse, Gwen sat cross-legged on the floor, still fuming.
She flipped open the Power Journal and scrawled without thinking:
Power Journal: Entry Three
The woods aren't safe.The treehouse isn't safe.
We need somewhere better.Underground. Hidden.A place they'll never see coming.
Luffy wants to build. I want to vanish.Maybe we're both right.
Either way, Oscorp just made this personal.