The Red Tears sailed onward, gradually approaching the giant tree.
As they drew closer, this wondrous country finally came into clearer view.
At Yamato's urging, Sephiroth and the others gathered on the Red Tears' upper open-air deck.
From this distance, they could see Elbaf's "entirety" with their own eyes.
The Sky-Piercing Giant Tree linked sea and sky, its roots resting on an immense island covered in glaciers. Its two tiers of canopy pierced the clouds.
Castles and villages dotted the middle canopy. Rainbows crisscrossed its enormous branches, with island clouds scattered throughout. Streams of sea cloud flowed from around both tiers of canopy, forming several gigantic, stepped waterfalls that cascaded from the heavens.
An enormous sword, large enough to connect the clouds to the sea, stood embedded at an angle beside the World Tree. Its hilt reached the tree's uppermost crown, its blade pierced the middle canopy and extended down to the bottom, and its tip sank deep into the glacier.
This was Elbaf, the "world's strongest nation"-a country straight out of myth.
"Sephi... I..."
On the open-air deck, Hancock nestled against Sephiroth as she admired the scenery. It reminded her of their honeymoon the previous year.
Before she could finish, a burst of wild howling erupted nearby.
"Awe-some!!! Up there! Look! Look! That giant sword!!!"
Yamato bounced around the deck, utterly beside herself with excitement.
Hancock puffed out her adorable cheeks. Sephiroth's expression turned into (-w-), and he pulled her a little closer.
Yamato did not care whether Sephiroth responded. She even gripped the railing, leaned her head out, and shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Elbaf-I'm-Ya-ma-to! I'm-here!"
Since leaving Wano Country and becoming one of Sephiroth's "crew," she had traveled across more than half the world.
She had seen famous cities such as Water 7, Spring Queen