The Giant Shadow in the Mist

Wano Country, Flower Capital Port, early morning.

The colossal warship Void rested quietly at the dock, its sails all billowing, and the Sea Wind Dial beneath the hull trembled gently, emitting a low hum.

Kaido strode aboard the ship carrying a whole crate of smoked meat, followed closely by Bullet carrying two crates of ammunition in one hand. King activated his Float- Float-Float Fruit, and buckets of fresh water floated into the air towards the cabin; Moria was too lazy to move, letting the shadowy figure drag the miscellaneous items slowly into the air. Inazuma squatted by the ship's side, carefully inspecting the barrel of the Sea King Cannon. Kuma leaned against the side of the ship, silently gazing at the sea. Huijin stood beside King, the bandages that had been wrapped around him for years gone, revealing the unique features of the Lunarian clearly in the morning light.

At the dock, Ginny held a supply ledger in one hand, an orange dangling from her mouth, and wore a new coat that Zephyr had brought from Hachinosu.

"Is everything packed?" she asked without looking up.

Inazuma poked his head out of the cabin. "Everything's ready! A hundred tons of fresh water, enough rations for two months, fifty boxes of ammunition—everything's there."

"Keep a close eye on the Freeze Dial, Kaido. Don't sneak a bite."

The words had barely left his mouth when Kaido, who was squatting inside the cabin gnawing on meat, was caught red-handed. He scratched his head, nonchalantly saying, "I was just checking the goods first."

"After you've finished inspecting, bring the last box up."

Kaido swallowed the chunk of meat in a few bites, hoisted the box, and jumped onto the deck.

Zephyr remained alone at the dock, arms crossed. He was to stay and guard Hachinosu, and also keep an eye on Caesar's crew.

"Wano Country will be left to the Drunkard and his group to guard, while Ashura Doji will keep watch over Kuri. If anything happens on the road, just use the Den Den Mushi to contact each other; there's no need to turn back. Communication is sufficient."

Lin Yuan, carrying a water cup, walked out of the city. He glanced at the fully equipped large ship, then looked at Zephyr.

"Instructor, I'm entrusting Hachinosu to you."

"Don't worry, nothing will go wrong. It's you guys who should be careful not to get into trouble outside."

Lin Yuan leaped to the bow of the ship and ordered in a deep voice, "Cast the moorings and set sail."

Kaido pulled the heavy mooring lines, and the Void slowly sailed away from the port. The Sea Wind Dial spun at full speed, the sails were filled with the sea breeze, and the ship sailed steadily into the open ocean.

Ginny continued checking the accounts in the ledger, casually waved her hand, and shouted on the sea breeze towards the large ship, "You all better stay alive, or there'll be no one to collect your bodies if something happens!"

"Oh ho ho, you won't die!" Kaido shouted back.

We traveled until Noon, when the sea was clear and the sky was blue.

Ginny nestled in a folding chair on the deck, her fingertips clutching the slightly trembling Vivre Card. The card always pointed southeast, but the rhythm of the trembling was inconsistent, and she gradually frowned.

"Lin Yuan, something's wrong."

Lin Yuan walked over. "What's wrong?"

"The giant elephant kept moving, but the fluctuations in this Vivre Card were completely irregular. It didn't seem to be walking normally; rather, it seemed to be moving and stopping intermittently, clearly being interfered with by something."

Kaido, scoffed, "Could it be that the big guy is too hungry to walk?"

"A giant elephant that has lived for thousands of years wouldn't be so fragile." Ginny put away the Vivre Card. "We'll understand when we get there."

In the afternoon, a thick fog suddenly rose from the sea.

A thick white fog obscured the sky, reducing visibility to just a few dozen meters. Even Jin, standing on the lookout tower, could only make out a small patch of the surrounding sea.

"This fog is strange; it's not recorded on the weather map at all." Ginny's eyes gleamed purple Glint-Glint Fruit activated the Star-Star Fruit at full power, trying to penetrate the thick fog, but her expression grew increasingly grave. "The seabed markings are chaotic; there's more than one giant elephant footprint, and several crisscrossing grooves, as if several giant elephants had passed through here."

"Isn't the rumor that there's only one Zou giant elephant?" Kaido threw away the bone in his hand, looking surprised.

"It's hard to say for sure; perhaps it's a remnant from ancient times..."

Before the words were finished, the sound of ship horns came from all directions in the thick fog.

Lin Yuan instantly activated his Spatial Perception, his tone sharpening. "Everyone on alert! A large number of ships are approaching, but they're not the navy."

"Oh ho ho, they actually delivered themselves to my doorstep?" Kaido slung his Iron Club over his shoulder, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

Bullet cracked his knuckles and said coldly, "Don't try to steal my opponent."

A black pirate ship emerged from the fog on the left, its sails bearing the insignia of a skull and a crossed scimitar— the Scimitar Pirates. A one-eyed, muscular man stood at the bow, gripping a black-patterned scimitar, its dark red markings resembling dried blood. This man was none other than Captain "Scimitar" Diyazi, with a bounty of 320 million Beli.

Diyazi surveyed the massive Void, his gaze initially filled with greed, but quickly shifted to wariness upon recognizing the ship's flag. He was all too familiar with that flag bearing the half-open door.

"So it's Captain Lin Yuan." Diyazi deliberately softened his tone. "We were just fishing here, with no ill intentions."

"Fishing?" Kaido poked his head out, grinning mockingly. "That knife in your hand, you call that fishing gear?"

Diyazi's smile froze instantly.

Just then, Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, full of helplessness. "There are nearly twenty ships in the fog, all belonging to the Scimitar Pirates. These guys aren't fishermen at all; they're slave traders from the Underworld, specializing in capturing and selling the Mink Tribe of Zou. A single warrior can fetch fifty million Beli."

"I see." Bullet raised an eyebrow.

Lin Yuan looked at Diyazi in the fog. "How long have you been lying in wait here?"

"It's been half a month," Diyazi replied frankly. "We're waiting for Zou to appear. According to the information, the giant elephant will stop in this area in three days, at which point we'll land on the island and capture him."

"Capture the Mink Tribe as cargo?" Kaido exerted force with his foot, slamming his Iron Club heavily onto the deck.

Diyazi's expression changed, and he quickly tried to win him over. "Captain Lin Yuan, how about we join forces? We'll give you 30% of the profits from whoever we capture!"

These words thoroughly enraged Kaido. Without a word, he leaped into the sea, landing firmly on the surface. With each step, the seawater sank significantly, his Iron Club trailing behind him, leaving long wakes as he walked step by step toward the enemy's flagship.

"Say it again, you want to treat the Mink Tribe as merchandise?"

"Kaido! We have twenty ships and three thousand men, don't be so presumptuous!" Diyazi shouted sternly.

"Three thousand men?" Kaido laughed loudly, "Oh ho ho, not even enough for me to warm up."

He leaped into the air and brought his Iron Club down with all his might. With a deafening crash, the bow of the enemy ship shattered on the spot, and the hull tilted violently. Diyazi hurriedly stuck his scimitar into the deck, barely managing to steady himself.

"Open fire!"

In an instant, dozens of cannons roared in unison, firing a dense barrage of shells at the Void. Jin raised his hand and activated his ability, freezing all the shells in mid-air. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the shells returned to their original paths.

A series of explosions rang out in the thick fog, and flames erupted everywhere.

Bullet leaped onto a nearby pirate ship and unleashed a barrage of powerful punches. One punch shattered the bow, the second broke the hull, and the third snapped the entire ship in two.

The Kuma stood on the ship's side, slapping out with both hands, unleashing Air Cannon that hit their mark every time, striking one pirate ship after another.

Moria unleashed a sky full of dark shadows, like countless tentacles wrapping around the three warships. The shadows tightened continuously, and the wooden hulls creaked under the strain.

"Leave one boat alive, and some people for questioning," Inazuma, who was twirling scissors nearby, advised.

Moria slightly reduced his strength, releasing one of the wobbly ships.

In a short time, seventeen out of twenty pirate ships sank, the remaining three were engulfed in flames, and three thousand pirates were killed, wounded, or fled in disarray.

Diyazi, soaking wet, stood at the wrecked bow of the ship, his hands gripping his sword trembling uncontrollably. Kaido walked up to him, his massive figure completely enveloping him.

"You just said you'd give me 30%?"

Diyazi stammered, his lips trembling, "I won't... Everything is yours..."

"We don't want these." Kaido's eyes were cold and sharp. "Mink Tribe are not commodities to be bought and sold."

A powerful punch landed, Diyazi was knocked unconscious on the spot.

"Bring the prisoner alive onto the ship and interrogate him carefully," Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.

Inside the lower deck, Diyazi was firmly strapped to a chair, blood seeping from the wound on his forehead. He slowly woke up and saw Lin Yuan sitting opposite him.

Who is the buyer behind the acquisition of the Mink Tribe?

"I don't know their specific identities; they've been the middleman," Diyazi replied in a low voice. "The deal is set for three days from now, off the east coast of Zou. They'll send someone to pick up the goods."

Why are you so certain that the giant elephant will stop here?

Diyazi hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "It was a man in a white coat and mask who told me. He gave me the precise coordinates and said this was the 'Elephant Tide' —every few decades, the giant elephants gather here to support their companions. Now only Zou remains, and it will be waiting here, making it the perfect time to capture the Mink Tribe. The man's clothing had the World Government's emblem printed on it."

Ginny's tone suddenly turned serious over the Den Den Mushi: "The coordinates he gave perfectly match the Vivre Card's directions; the situation is true."

Lin Yuan stepped out of the lower deck, where the thick fog had slightly dissipated. Ginny walked quickly over, her expression serious.

"I used my abilities to scout the waters ahead. There are over a dozen groups of pirates entrenched here, all waiting for Zou to arrive. This is no ordinary slave trade; someone is clearly pulling the strings behind the scenes."

"The person behind it all is most likely the World Government, or even one of the Five Elders."

Kaido walked to the ship's side. "Should we continue onward?"

"Go." Lin Yuan's tone was firm. "We absolutely cannot let the giant elephant stop. Once it stops, the Mink Tribe on the island will surely suffer a terrible fate."

Ginny looked puzzled. "But how can we stop it?"

Lin Yuan did not answer, but closed his eyes and activated his Spatial Perception. The power of perception penetrated the thick fog, seawater, and seabed silt, extending all the way to the depths.

"It's not moving in and out, it's hesitating and lingering." He opened his eyes. "It's waiting for its lost companions."

As the words fell, a colossal silhouette, towering to the heavens and standing tall, slowly emerged on the horizon ahead.

Its massive legs, as thick as mountains, pierced the sky from the sea, their tops unseen. The entire Void appeared as a mere speck in the ocean before them.

Everyone on deck was shocked.

"What... what is that?" Moria's voice trembled.

"Zou, an ancient giant elephant that has lived for thousands of years."

Kaido picked up his Iron Club again, his eyes gleaming with interest. "Oh ho ho, finally we've seen your true face."

The colossal elephant raised its massive hooves and stomped them down heavily. Towering waves surged forth, causing the Void to shake violently. Above the clouds, a deep, long roar echoed, like an ancient horn reverberating through heaven and earth.

Ginny's eyes suddenly flashed with purple light as she focused intently on the elephant's back, her expression changing drastically in an instant.

"Lin Yuan! There are ships on the back of the giant elephant! A full ten Marine warships! And a large number of flight personnel in white uniforms and masks!"

Sizzle--

A piercing static suddenly rang out, and the Den Den Mushi completely lost communication.

"Ginny? Can you hear me?" Lin Yuan called out repeatedly, but there was no response.

"The signal is lost." Kaido's smile vanished, replaced by a grave expression.

The thick fog gathered again, and the enormous figure of the elephant appeared and disappeared in the white mist, like an ancient behemoth descending to earth.

Lin Yuan clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on the giant shadow ahead.

"Full speed ahead! Get on Zou before they make a move!"

The Void roared with engines, cutting through the wind and waves, and plunged straight into the depths of the thick fog. The colossal elephant that blotted out the sky was approaching step by step.

End of Chapter 88