Crash-
Vast slabs of rock shattered by the violent impact came crashing down like a waterfall.
As the boulders fell away, a secret buried deep within the mountain for centuries finally saw daylight again.
It was a ship, a ship so enormous it took one's breath away.
Rather than floating on the sea of clouds, it was secured firmly inside the mountain by countless thick vines and sturdy supports.
Its hull had sleek, ancient lines, clad in an unusual wood that remained smooth and lustrous despite the passing years. Its figurehead was a majestic angel spreading its wings and pointing toward the sky.
Most striking were the densely packed, intricately engineered giant propeller assemblies embedded along both sides and beneath the hull.
There were also several enormous square crystals that glowed faintly like sapphires. A sense of immense yet restrained power radiated from the sleeping vessel.
At some point, Kirishima had appeared at the edge of the collapsed mountainside.
With Yamato resting on his shoulder, he looked down at the behemoth below and, for once, raised an eyebrow.
"The Ark Maxim?" he murmured, fragments of memory surfacing.
Enel's ultimate vessel, a creation of the ancient lunar civilization, a flying ark... powered by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
A trace of genuine, undisguised fondness appeared in Kirishima's eyes.
This thing... could fly! No worrying about ocean currents, terrain, or any navy warships chasing it down and cutting it off!
That alone made it worth far more than that pile of gold that was only good for decoration! Honestly, he wanted it.
Kirishima landed lightly on the Ark Maxim's deck, which was as broad as a plaza.
His footsteps echoed through the empty vessel. He walked over to the human-shaped crater and pried Enel out of the rock face as though picking off a