Chapter 83 - CHAPTER 83: I Got Lost This Time

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After Vivi severed fifteen of Doflamingo's transparent strings in rapid succession, he was flung far from the clouds.

Even the strongest reach their limits—Doflamingo was suspended mid-air with no foothold, and despite all his Haki and mastery of the Ito Ito no Mi, he couldn't fly. Now, nothing could save him.

"Don't let me catch you! I swear, if I catch you, you're dead!" he shouted toward the sky as he plummeted.

Vivi smirked. Do you even know who I am?

Her voice echoed from the fog—muffled, genderless. "You think I, Smoker, would be scared of you? I don't have time today. Next time we meet, I'll kill you. Trash!"

Just as her words faded, there was a heavy splash—POP!—Doflamingo crashed sideways into the sea. As a Devil Fruit user, he was no exception: seawater drained his strength instantly. He choked, the salty tide silencing the curses forming in his mouth in Dressrosa dialect.

Half an hour later, several of his officers finally arrived, frantically pulling their boss from the water.

Fortunately, he had kept in contact through a Den Den Mushi. Otherwise… he might've drowned.

Soaked like a drowned rat, Doflamingo climbed aboard, speechless with rage. He clenched his fists. His Devil Fruit had a distinct aura. From the moment they clashed, he recognized the "smoke" wasn't real—it was the Moku Moku no Mi. He assumed the attacker revealed themselves as Smoker because it was too late to hide it.

There was only one user of the Smoke Fruit in the world. Even if you hadn't spoken, I'd know you. Besides, Smoker had always been hostile toward the Warlords. His interference today wasn't surprising—it fit his brand of justice.

Doflamingo's fury was volcanic. The man who never let a grudge go now bore a near-death humiliation on his shoulders.

"Smoker… Smoker! I'll remember this. Next time we meet… I'll kill you!"

His crew asked for new navigation orders.

Although he wouldn't admit it, the experience of cloud-hopping with threads had left him shaken.

Sailing directly to Wano would risk exposure and complicate Kaido's operations.

After a long pause, he clenched his jaw. "Turn around. We're heading back to Dressrosa!"

Just as Doflamingo vowed vengeance on "Smoker," Vivi was facing her own problems.

Her encounter with him had lasted less than a minute, but that short time completely threw her off course. To cover her tracks, she had fled hastily. And then… she got lost.

Damn Doflamingo. Must be cursed with bad luck.

Not long after their clash, a massive storm swept her up. It hurled her across hundreds of miles. By the time she broke free, she had no idea where she was.

Sea on the left. Sea on the right.

"Seriously?! I just went out to buy some oranges!"

Before, she had traveled on merchant ships and relied on Karoo to guide her when walking alone. Now, she was adrift over the sea with no Huazhou boat, no Eternal Pose, no Den Den Mushi. Everything was with Karoo. She had no idea where she was—but at least she could fly.

"It's a blessing and a curse… It's not my poor sense of direction, okay? Blame Doflamingo and that storm!"

Vivi launched herself toward what she assumed was the "right" direction—flying in as straight a line as possible.

She flew for three days and three nights…

Of course, not continuously. She was fastest at night. During the day, her speed dropped—70% at best, 50% under the noon sun, and it took far more energy.

She could fly with her eyes closed, but that made it even harder to maintain a consistent heading.

On day one, she didn't spot a single island. At one point, she thought the whole world might be underwater. When she finally landed on a small rock between islands and napped for two hours to avoid the midday heat, she realized on the third day that she was likely flying in the wrong direction.

Am I… getting further from Torrance Town?

"I'm starving…"

The chocolate and dried fish she'd packed were just snacks. She hadn't eaten a real meal in three days. Her stomach screamed in protest, aching with hunger. If only she could find an island with people—and sweets.

Zoan-type Devil Fruit users didn't need to act like their animals. Cow-users didn't eat grass, dog-users didn't gnaw bones—and Logia users like her still needed food. She wasn't some monster that fed on fog. Her hunger was real.

"Hey! There's an island! Looks big! Haha—finally, food!"

She flew over a waterfall with a thousand-meter drop. At its crest, she spotted the silhouette of a substantial landmass.

It was daytime—her eyesight wasn't as sharp—but she could tell this wasn't just a rock. There had to be people.

She descended to the beach, materializing from mist back into her solid form.

Exhausted from the long flight and dizzy from hunger, she braced herself, hands on her knees, panting.

"Sister… are you okay?"

Vivi hadn't noticed anyone. Looking up, she spotted a little girl, maybe three or four, peeking nervously from behind a large tree.

The child was too young to speak clearly. Her face was anxious. She didn't know whether to be scared of this stranger or worried she might collapse right there.

Straightening up, Vivi fought to appear composed, hiding her fatigue and empty stomach.

She studied the girl. The patches on her clothes, the scrape on her calf—this wasn't a noble's child.

"Hey there, what's your name? Where's your family? And where am I?"

The girl responded with a child's innocence. "My name's Tama… I don't have a family anymore… But a weird old man picked me up the other day. That's how I came here."

As if to prove she wasn't lying, Tama pointed to the beach nearby. Vivi looked but saw nothing unusual.

Tama placed a finger on her chin and added, "The grandpa said he'd help us fight… but I dunno what he's been doing lately…"

Vivi was momentarily speechless. This "weird grandpa" sounded like her own grandfather, who used to ramble about "growing tea in the mountains"—a famously unreliable man.

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