Zunesha
Marineford Roy's residence
After the meal, the table was still filled with the smell of food and the aroma of laughter.
Airin gently put down her chopsticks and bowl, then suddenly turned her head and looked Roy up and down carefully.
"Yiyi Yi," she said gently, yet with a mother's keen insight, "As I mentioned before, do you... have someone you like?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire table fell silent.
"Puff--!"
Luffy was the first to burst out laughing, almost choking on his tea.
Ace burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "Haha! Bro, you actually get asked something like that!"
Nami smiled secretly, while Nojiko pretended to cough.
Usopp's eyes lit up. "Roy, you wouldn't have secretly gotten a girlfriend already, would you?"
Sanji, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his face alternating between pale and flushed, muttered, "Damn it, even Roy's got people asking about his love life now..."
Even the usually composed Luo rarely smiled, saying, "Roy, you have to answer this kind of question directly."
Roy paused for a moment, his ears turning slightly red, and coughed lightly, trying to change the subject:
"Ahem... Are you full? Would you like some more dishes?"
Airin narrowed her eyes, as if she saw right through her. "Hmph, trying to fool me again."
Rock threw his head back and laughed, then raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp. "Haha! Never mind, today is a good day for family reunion."
"We're relieved to see you young people making such a ruckus!"
Laughter rang out again, filling the house with a warm and relaxed atmosphere.
At this moment, it seemed as if war and intrigue were far away, as if the world had truly found peace.
However, while Roy's family was enjoying their time together, the Mokomo Dukedom of Zou received an uninvited guest under the cover of night.
Thick sea fog churned, and a massive, black ship silently approached the enormous elephant-like body.
The bow of the ship was pitch black, like the mouth of a beast, casting a sense of oppression over the night sky.
On the deck stood a burly man with a full beard, his laughter sinister, as if it could tear through the darkness.
"Hahaha... I knew it! There's something here that's attracting me..."
--Marshall D. Teach
On the high seas today, the navy's prestige has reached its zenith.
With the fall of the Four Emperors, the Pirate force collapsed, and very few people went to sea to become Pirates.
With the navy's large-scale sweep, the sea area gradually stabilized;
With the vigorous promotion of the Water 7, the Sea Train was opened, trade routes were unblocked, and trade and people's livelihoods experienced unprecedented development.
The people's livelihood has been greatly improved, and those who once took risks because they "couldn't afford to eat" no longer need to make a living as Pirates.
Nowadays, those who can go to sea and raise their flags are mostly criminals who have nowhere else to turn.
However, almost the moment they hoisted the Pirate flag, they would be discovered and swiftly annihilated by the Navy.
But Teach chose a different path.
He did not fly the skull and crossbones flag, but instead went to sea under the guise of an "adventure group".
The "Blackbeard Adventure Group" uses the guise of plundering Pirates and eradicating underground criminal organizations to secretly accumulate resources and recruit desperados.
His laughter was cunning, but his heart was colder than anyone else's.
Even stranger, ever since he swallowed the Gum-Gum Fruit, some inexplicable power seemed to Awakening within him.
It was as if a faint whisper was guiding him day and night.
--And this force brought him to the Mokomo Dukedom.
The massive, black ship slowly approached the slowly walking elephant. Sea fog churned, and the atmosphere under the night was oppressive and eerie.
On the bow of the ship, the core members of the Blackbeard Adventure Group gathered, their gazes fixed on the behemoth before them.
Lafitte twirled his cane slightly, a dangerous glint in his eyes, a sinister smile playing on his lips, "Heh heh heh... Is this the legendary 'Zunesha'? Truly unbelievable."
Van Oka raised his sniper scope and peered inside. "Huge... bigger than any target I've ever seen."
Jesus Burgess's Adam's apple bobbed, his muscles bulged, and he growled incredulously, "Such a monster actually exists in this world?! This is insane!"
Doc Q coughed weakly twice, his thin figure swaying in the night wind, but he couldn't help but laugh out loud:
"Hehehe... it's just like a mythical beast from legends... cough cough..."
Teach, standing at the very front, had his black cloak Hunting Roar.
He looked up at the colossal elephant that blotted out the sky, a strange sense of familiarity flashing in his eyes.
"Hahaha... For some reason, I have a strange sense of familiarity with it? What's going on?"
However, high up where no one noticed, Zunesha's ancient eyes slowly opened.
His gaze pierced through the thick fog and landed on Teach.
A rare tremor surged in the heart of the Zunesha.
"This aura is so similar to 'His'... yet the compatibility is so poor?!"
"Just what kind of being is this guy?"
Zunesha at Teach, his eyes revealing a deep unease.
The people on the ship were completely unaware of this.
Jesus Burgess couldn't help but scratch his head and shout, "Captain! Didn't you say there was something you were looking for up there? But it's so high, how are we going to get up there? These elephant feet are higher than the sky!"
Teach paused slightly, looking up at the seemingly endless elephant's back, and muttered to himself, "Yes... I just felt I had to come here..."
He slowly walked forward, wanting to see more clearly.
Right now--
Boom!!
The sea suddenly exploded, with raging waves like thunder, deafeningly loud!
A massive, Knock Up Stream, powerful enough to tear the sky and sea apart, erupted directly beneath the giant ship!
The entire ship was lifted up instantly, shooting straight into the sky like an arrow!
"What?!!"
"Is it going to crash?!"
The crew members were in a frenzy, and the deck was in complete chaos.
Lafitte hurriedly spread his wings to steady himself, while Jesus Burgess clung tightly to the railing in terror, and Doc Q was even thrown out and almost fell off the deck.
The Zunesha, watching from above, was unusually shocked. "This is impossible... There shouldn't be any Knock Up Stream in this sea area!!"
The giant ship was tossed into the air at an altitude of 10,000 meters by the roaring ocean currents, then suddenly lost its support and plummeted downwards!
Teach, however, stood at the bow, arms outstretched, laughing wildly as if embracing his fate:
"Thief--ha--ha--ha!! I knew it!! I could get up here!!"
In an instant, the power of the Swamp-Swamp Fruit within him suddenly erupted!
The black swamp expanded rapidly from the bottom of the ship, like a giant hand supporting the entire vessel.
"Boom--!"
The giant ship crashed heavily onto the elephant's back, but was cushioned at the last moment by the dark swamp and remained unharmed.
On the deck, everyone collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Immediately, they all looked at their captain, their eyes filled with fervor and awe.
Even fate is paving the way for the captain!
"That's our captain!!"
"Teach!! Teach!!"
Teach laughed loudly, his laughter echoing through the night sky, while Zunesha remained lost in thought, his eyes growing increasingly heavy.
"This aura... is it calamity, or... a new future?"
--The Blackbeard Adventure Group has completely stepped onto Zunesha's back.