This was a massive island, no smaller in area than the desert kingdom of Alabasta in the first half of the Grand Line.
He set foot on the island.
Before Ochoku lay a densely vegetated primeval forest. Every tree stood dozens of meters tall, and there were even towering trees over a hundred meters high, resembling the landmark skyscrapers of a city.
Weeds grew thickly between the trees, almost reaching a man's height.
Ochoku gazed into the distance. Lush greenery filled his view, while mountains blocked his line of sight, allowing him to glimpse only a corner of the island.
"What the hell happened that made Silver Axe leave the ship, abandoning me, John, and Ares?" He was deeply worried that something might have happened to Silver Axe and the people aboard the ship.
If it hadn't been something extremely important, they would definitely have stayed on the sea and waited for him to return.
Ochoku drew his greatsword.
He swung it repeatedly at the grass before him. A flash of silver-white light flickered, and the weeds in front of him were severed at the waist, even more neatly than if they had been cut by a lawn mower.
Following the path he had carved, Ochoku stepped into the forest.
He continued forward. One or two hours passed, yet Ochoku still saw no trace of human activity, making him wonder, "Could I have come to the wrong place? Could Silver Axe and the others never have come to this island?"
"It would be great if I had a Den Den Mushi, but they're all on the ship..."
Earlier, when they had gone into the sea, they had left the Den Den Mushis aboard the ship to prevent them from dying under the pressure and lack of oxygen underwater.
He hadn't