Aska and the Vampire Fruit

New World, Sleeping Ancient Town.

A howling gale drove seawater against the black reefs along the coast, the thunderous roar echoing through the air.

A massive floating chunk of earth descended slowly toward the shore, like a god's chariot. It silently pierced the low-hanging clouds.

Adams was the first to set foot on the land, his towering frame steady as a mountain.

"This is the place."

His deep voice cut through the wind.

Robin and Stussy landed lightly beside him. Robin's gaze habitually swept over the crumbling remains of the ancient buildings, trying to decipher the history buried by time.

Stussy, meanwhile, smiled sweetly as she tidied her windblown blond hair. Yet her eyes held their usual scrutiny and wariness.

Half a month ago, the results of Adams's test of the women's neural reflex talents had been less than ideal. Aside from Monet, who had provided a faint surprise, the rest were all utterly mediocre. Even that surprise fell far short of his expectations.

Before long, he would need to take three people to fight the World Pirates. After all, according to the intelligence he had received, the opposing side currently had only three executives.

Thus, he had decided to bring Stussy to obtain the Vampire Fruit he had long since set his sights on. As for Robin, it was because obtaining the fruit required someone capable of understanding ancient writing.

The three of them followed a forest path deeper into the island. The farther they went, the stranger the atmosphere became. The branches of the ancient trees twisted as though silently screaming.

Before long, an ancient temple came into view.

The temple stood amid wild grass and ruins, carrying an air of stubborn old age.

Its architectural style caused a trace of barely perceptible surprise to flash through Adams's