The Marine warship had only drawn near the strange island formed around a volcano when the young Marines on deck sensed a primitive aura emanating from the dense forest.
Along the shore, dense canopies blocked out the sky. Sunlight could only filter through the leaves, leaving behind scattered, faint patches of light.
The air was filled with the fragrant scent of trees. Though the warship had only docked by the shore, that scent overpowered the salty dampness of the sea and rushed toward them.
Though the sun was blazing overhead, the Marines could feel waves of cool, eerie chill.
This stretch of forest extended for several thousand meters, with no end in sight. Only at the foot of the volcano in the center of the island did the forest begin to thin out.
The ancient trees in the forest came in all sorts of shapes. At a glance, Tsugikuni Yoriichi could not recognize even a single type of plant among them.
Yoriichi had dabbled in botany. Before heading to the Boin Archipelago to train, he had crammed hard in that area and knew at least a little about common plants.
Although the knowledge he had memorized had proved useless after arriving at the Boin Archipelago, Tsugikuni Yoriichi was hardly a complete novice when it came to plants.
Yet this island and the forest before them were filled with unfamiliar vegetation.
That allowed Tsugikuni Yoriichi to confirm something.
Up to this point, neither the Marines nor the World Government had likely ever set foot on this island. Otherwise, there was no way the Marine's secret botanical records would contain no mention of it at all.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi was extremely confident in his memory. Calling it photographic would not be an exaggeration.
"Admiral."
"Are we... are we going ashore?"
Ferland stood beside