The sea breathed beneath the hull in long, heavy sighs.

Massive waves rolled under the ship like dark hills, lifting the enormous vessel before letting it settle again with the groan of timber and rope. Salt clung to the air thick enough to taste. Every gust of wind carried the sharp scent of brine, damp wood, old maps, and the faint smokiness drifting from the galley below deck where Sato and Todoroki had spent the morning arguing over soup seasoning.

The ship itself towered against the open ocean.

A three-masted beast of dark polished wood and deep emerald sails, painted along the side with a symbol recognized in countless ports — not with fear, but relief. A winged sword wrapped in curling waves.

The *Plus Ultra.*

Pirates, yes.

But not the kind parents warned children about in whispers.

They escorted vulnerable merchant ships through dangerous waters. They destroyed trafficking routes. They stole from tyrants hoarding medicine and returned supplies to starving islands. More than once, Midoriya and his crew had sailed directly into naval cannonfire just to evacuate civilians trapped between wars that had nothing to do with them.

Which was exactly what All Might had once done.

And now his ship belonged to Midoriya.

Izuku Midoriya stood near the helm with one gloved hand gripping the polished railing, green coat snapping violently behind him in the sea wind. Gold embroidery curled around the cuffs and shoulders of his captain's coat, though years of wear had dulled parts of it. Freckles dusted his cheeks beneath the harsh sunlight, curls of green hair shifting with every gust.

He still wasn’t used to standing where All Might once stood.

Even after all these years.

“Raise anchor!” he called.

His voice carried sharply over the crashing waves.

“On it, Captain!” Kaminari shouted from above.

High overhead, dangling halfway across the rigging with absolutely no regard for his own safety, Kaminari flashed a grin while electricity sparked faintly around his fingers. Beside him, Sero swung effortlessly between ropes to help loosen the sails while Tokoyami stood perched near the crow’s nest like some ominous sea omen, Dark Shadow stretching across the mast to help pull heavier lines.

“Starboard ropes secured!” Iida announced with military precision.

“Port side ready!” Uraraka yelled from the opposite deck while using her quirk sparingly to help lift heavier supply crates into storage below.

Bakugo slammed a barrel into place near the cannons hard enough to crack wood.

“Hurry the hell up before the tide changes!”

“You yell every single time we leave port,” Kirishima laughed, helping Ashido secure cargo nets nearby.

“That’s because you idiots move like dying turtles!”

“Language,” Yaoyorozu sighed while checking inventory records beside Jiro, who had one earphone jack plugged against the deck listening for structural strain in the hull below.

Todoroki emerged from below deck carrying steaming bowls balanced effortlessly in one hand.

“The soup is done.”

“The *what* is done?” Bakugo snapped.

“The soup.”

“We’re sailing.”

“Yes.”

“...Why the did you make soup while we were leaving?”

Todoroki blinked once. “People get hungry.”

Midoriya couldn’t help it.

He laughed.

It wasn’t loud. Wasn’t grand like All Might’s booming laughter used to be. But it was warm enough that several crew members glanced toward him automatically.

There it is, Kirishima mouthed dramatically toward Kaminari.

Captain’s smiling again.

Midoriya shook his head, adjusting the glove around his hand before stepping toward the helm as the sails finally unfurled overhead with a thunderous SNAP.

Wind caught immediately.

The *Plus Ultra* surged forward.

The harbor island behind them slowly began shrinking into the horizon.

And for a little while...

Things felt peaceful.

---

Hours later, the ocean had turned darker.

Cloud shadows drifted over the water in slow-moving patches while the afternoon sun burned gold across the waves. The crew had settled into routine. Some scrubbed deck planks. Hagakure and Ashido played some kind of cheating card game near the mast. Ojiro assisted Koda with feeding the seabirds that occasionally landed along the rails.

Midoriya stood near the bow with a spyglass raised to his eye.

Watching. Always watching.

Pirate flags. Naval ships. Storm formations. Distress signals.

Anything.

The sea could turn cruel in seconds. Aizawa had drilled that lesson into them mercilessly.

Midoriya adjusted the lens slightly—

Then froze.

Something drifted far ahead.

“...Wait.”

His posture changed instantly, “Hard right!” he shouted. The entire crew reacted at once.

“What is it?” Iida barked.

“Object ahead — no, someone’s on it!”

Midoriya lowered the spyglass again, pulse jumping violently.

A raft—Barely even a raft, if he was being completely honest.

Just shattered wood lashed together with fraying rope.

And laying across it—

You.

Motionless.

Clothes torn apart by salt and weather. Skin bruised. Lips dry. Entire body barely moving with the rocking tide.

For one horrible second, Midoriya thought he was too late.

“Closer!” he ordered sharply.

The ship turned.

Waves crashed harder against the hull as the *Plus Ultra* maneuvered alongside the tiny raft.

“Rope!” Midoriya shouted.

Sero already had one ready.

Midoriya grabbed it immediately and tied it around his waist.

“Captain—” Iida started.

“I’ve got them.”

And before anyone could argue—

Midoriya jumped.

The rope snapped taut as he descended fast alongside the ship, boots slamming briefly against the wood before he reached low enough to catch hold of the raft.

Up close...

You looked worse.

Sea water soaked through your ragged clothes. Small cuts lined your arms. Your breathing was weak and uneven.

But alive.

Thank God.

“Hey,” Midoriya said quickly, crouching beside you as the raft rocked dangerously beneath both your weight. “Hey, can you hear me?”

Your eyes barely opened.

Just enough to see flashes of green.

Voices echoed overhead.

“Hurry up!”

“Easy— EASY!”

“The current’s shifting!”

Midoriya carefully reached for you like you might break apart in his hands.

“You’re okay,” he said immediately. “You’re okay, we’ve got you.”

Your body barely reacted when he lifted you.

Too exhausted and way too cold.

The second Midoriya secured you against his chest, the crew above immediately began hauling the rope upward.

Sea spray crashed against him repeatedly during the ascent. Wind whipped violently through his hair. The ship creaked overhead.

Then finally—

Hands grabbed him.

Kirishima and Shoji hauled both of you safely onto deck.

“Holy crap...” Kaminari muttered quietly.

You looked devastatingly fragile beneath the sunlight.

Uraraka immediately knelt beside you. “They’re freezing.”

Todoroki was already lowering the temperature around one hand carefully to cool a clean cloth without shocking your body.

Yaoyorozu produced blankets instantly.

“Move,” Bakugo ordered gruffly, shoving several people aside. “Give them air.”

Your eyes fluttered weakly, voices blurred together around you.

“...survived alone out there...”

“...that raft should’ve sunk...”

“...strong as hell...”

“...they’re still breathing...”

“...pretty, too...”

“...Kaminari!”

“What?! They are!”

Midoriya adjusted the blanket around your shoulders carefully, expression tight with worry.

“You’re safe now,” he said softly.

And sometime shortly after that—

Everything went dark.

---

The room smelled faintly of cedarwood, old paper, salt air, and something warm underneath it all.

Tea, maybe.

Your eyes opened slowly.

The ceiling above swayed gently with the motion of the ship.

For several seconds, disorientation wrapped around you heavily. The mattress beneath your body was softer than anything you’d felt in what seemed like forever. Thick blankets covered you completely.

Then your gaze wandered.

Photographs.

Everywhere.

Pinned against walls. Stacked beside shelves. Hanging near maps.

Most showed the same group of people.

Older now, but unmistakably close.

Laughing with arms slung around each other. Standing proudly on the deck of this very ship. Covered in bruises after battles. Grinning during celebrations.

And appearing in almost every single picture—

A green-haired man with bright eyes.

Sometimes smiling awkwardly, sometimes crying, sometimes even laughing so hard his entire face scrunched up.

But the most noticeable figure in the room was someone else entirely.

A towering blond man.

Broad-shouldered. Bright smile. Strong enough that he almost seemed unreal even through faded photographs.

He appeared constantly.

An arm around the green-haired man’s shoulders. Standing proudly beside the crew and smiling at the camera like sunlight itself.

You had no idea who he was.

But judging by how many pictures remained carefully preserved...

He mattered.

A lot.

The ship rocked gently again.

Voices echoed faintly from above deck.

You slowly pushed yourself upright.

Still sore.. and extremely exhausted.

But alive nonetheless.

After steadying yourself against the wall, you eventually found the door leading out of the private quarters.

Wooden stairs creaked softly beneath your feet as you climbed upward.

Then—

Fresh sea air hit instantly.

Cold wind swept across the deck carrying the sharp scent of ocean spray and rain somewhere far off in the distance. Sails thundered overhead while ropes strained against the mast. Gulls cried somewhere above.

The sea stretched endlessly in every direction.

And near the bow—

Midoriya stood with a spyglass raised to one eye.

His coat whipped violently behind him while sunlight caught against the gold lining. Focus entirely fixed on the horizon.

Then he lowered the spyglass.

And turned slightly, only to lay his eyes upon the sight of you.

His entire face changed immediately.

“What—?!”

The spyglass nearly slipped from his hand.

“You’re awake?!” Midoriya rushed toward you almost instantly. “Why are you out of bed already?! You should still be resting — your body was severely dehydrated and you had multiple untreated injuries and exposure like that can seriously affect your nervous system and honestly being stranded alone out there is already dangerous enough but on a raft that unstable? In those currents?! If we hadn’t found you when we did—”

He kept going.

Words spilling out rapidly and breathlessly.

“You could’ve drifted into the southern trench waters and there are massive creatures down there and storms this time of year get really violent and your condition—”

“Midoriya.”

Iida appeared beside him with a long suffering sigh.

The captain stopped mid-rant.

Iida adjusted his glasses politely before bowing slightly toward you.

“My apologies. He means well.”

“I do mean well!” Midoriya immediately said.

“Yes,” Iida replied. “But you are panicking at them.”

“I’m not panicking.”

“You absolutely are.”

“I’m being *concerned.*”

“You grabbed both of their shoulders six minutes ago.”

“BECAUSE THEY ALMOST DIED!”

Several nearby crew members snorted loudly.

Even Bakugo looked vaguely entertained from where he cleaned one of the cannons.

Midoriya finally seemed to realize he was hovering far too close and stepped back abruptly, face reddening slightly.

“...Sorry,” he muttered. “I just... you scared us.”

The ocean wind swept through the silence afterward.

Gentler this time.

Midoriya studied you carefully for another second before offering a much softer expression than before.

Then finally—

“Can you tell me your name... and what happened to you out there?”