The Shadow Fox and the Genesis entered the Calm Belt, their external propellers slowly guiding the two ships across the sea. The Seastone on the bottom of the ships caused the Sea Kings lurking beneath to completely ignore them.
Saul doesn’t find it strange; passing through the Calm Belt has always been a matter of luck, and it’s not unusual to not encounter any Sea King with a bit of good luck.
Although Vegapunk has already discovered that Sea Kings can be evaded by embedding Seastone, Saul is not familiar with the technical details.
Most Giant Vice Admirals are like this; though there are several other races, only Giants typically join the Marines, chosen mainly for their combat prowess.
That’s why Sengoku explained some things to Kuzan, but he didn’t say much to Saul. From this, the difference between them was evident.
Moreover, Seastone is still a scarce resource outside. World Government hasn’t established a stable trade route with Kaido yet, so they can only purchase Seastone from the black market.
Kaido neither trades nor states what he wants. It’s like when you’re ordering food at a restaurant, and you say “anything is fine,” but then reject the options presented. Because of this, the captain of the CP0 team was nearly going bald out of frustration.
Meanwhile, on the Shadow Fox, a few scholars were discreetly observing Elizabeth in her main form.
“Isn’t…isn’t that basilisk lizard?”
“Yes, it’s the basilisk lizard, a species that went extinct over a hundred years ago. Who would have thought there would still be one alive?”
These two historians specialize in studying prehistoric creatures, and in this world, the definition of extinction means disappearing from the majority of sea areas. After all, unique environments like Prehistoric Island harbor many distinct species.
The isolated island environment leads to peculiar evolutions among animals.
Though Elizabeth has Inteleon’s ability, sometimes she enjoys basking in the sun in her true form. Upon noticing a few scholars observing her from the corner, she transformed back into her Inteleon appearance.
“What do you want?”
“Your conversational skills are impressive! If you don’t mind, can we ask about the lifestyle habits of basilisk lizards? What does it feel like to run on the water’s surface?”
Being able to transform and speak, Elizabeth doesn’t frighten them. On the contrary, it aroused intense curiosity. For researchers of prehistoric creatures, encountering a living one that can communicate is an incredible opportunity.
So when Olga came over, she saw several scholars serving Elizabeth, catering to her every need.
“What are you all doing?”
“They… volunteered…”
Prehistoric Islands are relatively common on the Grand Line, but there are far fewer in the Four Seas. While encountering dinosaurs in the New World is not uncommon, people in the Four Seas usually limit their studies to dinosaur fossils.
They are scholars, not warriors. However, upon encountering Elizabeth, in order to extract relevant information from it, they transformed into fawning followers
Listening to Elizabeth’s explanation, Olga suddenly felt that it was not surprising at all for the World Government to come knocking on the scholars’ door. After all, they are too daring.
On the other side, Yamato had made a new friend, Nico Robin.
Compared to others her age, Robin is more mature. Being born a bit earlier, she is two years older than Yamato.
One grew up being feared and disliked by peers, while the other is naturally sociable, just a step away from becoming a social butterfly. So, it’s not strange that they have become close.
Though there are many children in Wano Country, both Kaido and Arceus decided not to let Yamato grow up with the others. The only peers she has are Maria and Jack, and they can’t even form a complete table for mahjong.
Of course, with Chansey, it is quite different.
“Are these horns real?”
“Of course, they are. Is that so strange?”
At first, Robin thought Yamato’s horns were just a special hair accessory or hairpin, but it turns out they are real.
“Frightened? Why would anyone be scared? Everyone is very friendly.”
More than being friendly, they are in awe. This is the main difference between having parents or not. When Robin was two years old, Nico Olvia began her exploration of Poneglyphs, leaving her in the care of relatives.
At first, it was okay, but over time, they treated her like a burden. The ordinary residents of Ohara couldn’t comprehend the ideals of these scholars.
Children can be exclusive, and anyone who is too tall, too thin, or too weak, as long as they stand out from the group, can easily face discrimination. For example, someone like Robin, who had eaten the Flower-Flower Fruit, had experienced escalating incidents of discrimination, especially when no adults intervened.
But Yamato is different. Kaido and Arceus are both on Onigashima. Although Kaido is safer when he’s not drunk, he can be quite brutal towards Yamato.
However, him teaching her a lesson and others doing it are two different matters. So, no pirate would dare to target their captain’s daughter.
When returning to Onigashima, they weren’t as rushed as before. Approximately a month passed when the Genesis and the Shadow Fox finally arrived in the waters near Wano Country.
After passing through Mogura Port, the two ships appeared once again in the inland sea of Wano Country. Meanwhile, in the distant sky, a large shadow was approaching Wano Country. Kaido, in his azure dragon form, was surrounded by flame clouds, as he dragged back the small sky island.
“That… Is that a dragon?!”
“No, that’s not a dragon. These two ships belong to the Beasts Pirates, and their captain is Kaido of the Beasts. He’s currently one of the most renowned pirates in the New World.”
Looking at Kaido in the sky, Saul explained his identity to the scholars around him. They are experts in topics related to history but not in unrelated subjects.
“Is that… clouds behind him?”
“No, it’s a Sky Island. That Sky Island will be your new home in the future. Have you heard of Sky Island?”
The scholars looked at each other and finally turned to Clover. Sky Island is not within their field of research, and Clover, as the director of the Tree of Knowledge’s Library, possesses the most comprehensive knowledge in various fields.
“I’ve read about Sky Island in some documents, but this is the first time I’ve seen it, let alone someone dragging it.”
Saul was slightly less surprised. The act of dragging islands has been a legend among Giants for a long time, related to the story of Giant Oars moving countries about four hundred years ago.
Demon Oars, an Ancient Giant much larger than ordinary Giants, used to directly bring back the countries or islands he favored to his territory.
He died because he attacked the Land of Ice without wearing any clothes and eventually froze in the cold sea.
“Olga, set up these scholars and that giant.”
“Understood, you can rest assured.”
Arceus then left the place. The Sky Island has been dragged back, but they need to plan carefully about where to place it.
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