In a certain sea area of the New World, a giant elephant was walking on the surface of the sea. Its pace was not fast, yet each step of it spanned several kilometers. On its massive back lay a city, and its thick, long legs were immersed in the sea. Even Sea Kings keep their distance from this colossal beast.
The unique joints of its legs grant it the ability to roam freely on the sea. Its scientific name is Naitamie-Norida elephant, although there likely isn’t another of its kind anywhere else in the world.
The clouds in the sky parted as the leader of the Millennial Dragons appeared here. After three days of non-stop flight since departing from Wano Country, it followed the direction of the Vivre Card to finally locate Zunesha.
For the Millennial Dragons, it is nothing. Their flying endurance is exceptional, and on particular days, they even had to return to their land of birth from all corners of the world.
During this process, they often travel long distances without stopping, flying for as long as ten days or half a month at times.
Zunesha’s height exceeds twenty thousand meters, and even with most of its body submerged beneath the sea’s surface, its back can reach into the clouds.
With each step it takes, Mokomo Dukedom on its back traverses through the cloud layers. This is why Kurau City at the heart of Mokomo Dukedom is also referred to as Cloud City.
“Zeraora! We’ve arrived!”
The Millennial Dragon’s flight speed was not slow. The constant rush of wind make it impossible to hear anything without shouting loudly.
“I see it!”
Giving a pat to the Millennial Dragon beneath them, Zeraora pointed ahead to Zou Island. Seeing the destination, the Millennial Dragon accelerated and dived straight down.
However, in the next moment, it swiftly ascended once more as a massive water current descended from the sky. It came close to being swept inside, water splashing upon its body. Strangely, Setsuna felt a comforting sensation because of this.
“Blessing rain… haven’t felt this in a while.”
Saying these words, Setsuna tossed a fish to the Millennial Dragon. These fish are carried over by the blessing rain. Zunesha, without fail, would punctually release seawater onto the Mokomo Dukedom on its back each day, and the various types of fish within it serve as a crucial food source for Zou Island.
This is why the eruption rain is called blessing rain.
Due to this characteristic, the plants on Zou Island have evolved into unique forms. They are salt-tolerant, with leaves positioned at higher points. There are even special plants capable of filtering freshwater, which have evolved to adapt to the conditions of this place.
Including the long-legged crocodiles, all these creatures emerged through a long process of evolution.
After the blessing rain, the leader of the Millennial Dragons seized the opportunity to descend, capturing the attention of Zou Island’s inhabitants.
“What a massive bird! What kind of bird can fly so high?”
“There seems to be someone on its back.”
Many people leaned out of their windows to gaze at the sky. Thanks to the blessing rain, Mokomo Dukedom boasts of excellent drainage facility. Most residents stay indoors during Zunesha’s rainfall.
Although the Mokomo Dukedom has trained warriors, it remains relatively unguarded against external threats. Zunesha’s mobile existence causes the Mokomo Dukedom’s location to be variable, and it’s almost impossible for outsiders to climb up Zunesha.
It’s only when the Millennial Dragon was about to land that people noticed its presence.
Minks leads a much more easy and comfortable life than even the Fish-Men. Many who have never left Zou Island don’t comprehend the concept of enemies. So, seeing the descending Millennial Dragon, they didn’t retreat; instead, they gathered around.
As the Millennial Dragon put down its wings, Setsuna slipped down from its back.
“Yo-ho! Everyone, I’m back!”
The Minks below fall into a brief silence, only to erupt into chatter a moment later.
“Are you…Setsuna?”
“It’s her, she looks just like when she was little! She’s really back, and she brought someone with her.”
“Where are Hachi and Rin? Go get them quickly.”
The group of Minks became lively. Mokomo Dukedom has a circular layout, with a diameter of just ten kilometers and a population of around twenty thousand. In such a small community, everyone tends to know each other.
Once someone recognized Setsuna, who left Zou Island more than nine years ago, the atmosphere became lively.
Setsuna exchanged greetings with everyone, but soon she shivered suddenly.
“Setsuna, come over here!”
She heard a very familiar voice. In her eagerness to return home, she had forgotten one thing – she had left home secretly. What happens when a child who left home nine years ago encounters her parents?
The one who angrily shouted her name was a dog Mink with a fur coat that’s black and white. It also has a pair of black eye markings.
It looked like a Husky, and her father, Hachi.
Mink’s breeding method is similar to the Fish-Men’s, in that the gene type of offspring is random. However, the randomness is not as vast as the Fish-Men. It’s certainly determined by the genes from the mother or father’s side.
Two canine Minks won’t give birth to a horse Mink.
“Um, Zeraora, wait here for me for a moment. I’ll be right back, remember not to wander around.”
Saying this, she tossed the package to him and began her escape.
“Wait! Dad, please let me explain!”
“You stop right there! You ran away without a word years ago. Do you know how worried we were? Ah!”
This way, the two engaged in a chase on Zou Island. However, after nine years of training with the Beasts Pirates, Setsuna’s strength had far surpassed her father. No matter how hard he tried, Hachi couldn’t catch Setsuna, only trailing behind in a “helpless rage.”
Setsuna couldn’t retaliate and didn’t want to get beaten up either, so she just kept running. Her father showcased his endurance, maintaining the chase even if he couldn’t catch her. He showed no intention of giving up.
As Setsuna was caught in the “pursuit,” a group of Minks gathered around Zeraora.
“You’re quite handsome. You’re a Mink from overseas, right? What’s your name?”
“What’s your relationship with Setsuna? Have you been together all these years?”
Within the Mink tribe, many are naturally outgoing. Seeing him return with Setsuna, they hardly displayed any wariness. One by one, they all crowded around, bombarding him with questions. Some even greeted him with “Garchu~”, leaving him momentarily bewildered.
“Hey! Give Zeraora some space. Dad, stop chasing me, you can’t catch me!”
“You stop, and I won’t chase you!”
“If you don’t chase, I’ll stop!”
For the father-daughter duo, there was little they could do to assist Zeraora at the moment. However, someone came to his rescue. Similar to Setsuna, it was a Wolf Mink, yet it wasn’t a white wolf but rather a yellow Mongolian wolf, a subspecies of the gray wolf.
“Make way, can’t you see this child is shy?”
If someone else had said this, it might not have worked, but she is different. She is Rin, Setsuna’s mother. Although she had rescued Zeraora from the “ambush”, Zeraora felt his situation might have become even more perilous.
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