"You... you must be joking, what kind of monster is this..."
The Merry was ice-sealed by Yamato, causing Luffy and others to move slower as they emerged. By the time they caught up, they saw navy ships being demolished row by row on the ice surface.
Usually, they would avoid navy ships, even the weaker ones, as most pirates choose to flee. Only a minority dare to confront the navy directly.
But now, someone before them was casually destroying an entire fleet.
"Luffy, have you really thought this through?"
Looking at the sight before them, Zoro couldn't help asking.
Previously, the strongest person they had seen was Hawkeye. In terms of sheer strength, he was at the pinnacle, a title known by swordsmen worldwide for the greatest Sword Master.
However, Hawkeye's display wasn't as exaggerated as Ulti and Page One. He'd hardly bother with Krieg except for entertainment.
In these circumstances, outsiders naturally could not comprehend the terrifying strength of Hawkeye.
Slicing a pirate ship can't compare to destroying an entire fleet.
Luffy had clearly stated his goal was to become the Pirate King, but to achieve this, he must overcome these towering figures before him.
"Yeah, I've thought it through, long time ago. I've decided, from now on, I'll eat six meals a day."
"Are you out of your mind? What does that have to do with eating?"
As the ship's cook, Sanji was already troubled by Luffy's appetite. Hearing Luffy randomly adding another meal made Sanji suspect they might all starve on the ship.
"Because only by eating full can I continue to grow stronger."
"Nami-chan, hurry up and buy a fridge with a lock, or we'll starve on the sea."
"The fridge isn't important; the question is, do we really have to defeat such monsters? Can't we just bypass them..."
"Yeah, yeah, actually, I have a disease where fighting stronger foes will kill me. I think bypassing them is the best way. With Nami's navigation skills, we surely can."
As the weaker pair on the ship, they had a strong aversion to fighting monsters.
"Who knows. But if the goal is to become Pirate King, a battle seems inevitable. By the way, Heracross, do you know who her father is?"
"Heracross [a very strong pirate, hard to explain how strong to you]."
Although part of the first-generation Heracross, they only had general knowledge of the forces around Arceus and lacked detailed intelligence. Even if they knew, Heracross wouldn't tell Luffy much.
Luffy was its important partner, but compared to its creator, there was a fundamental difference. These things are too early for Luffy.
He'll understand these things once he truly reaches that step.
At that moment, calls echoed from the sky as more Thousand-Year Dragons revealed themselves; dragons worldwide were returning to the Dragon Cave.
The weakened Old Dragon rekindled his spirit upon seeing the flying dragons and gazed affectionately at Apisu in front of him.
"Roar..."
"Huh? Old Dragon, you want me on your back?"
"Roar..."
"You're feeling much better? That's great."
Due to the distance, Apisu didn't see what had transpired on the battlefield, only the navy ships being destroyed one by one.
In her worldview, those wanting to capture her and harm Old Dragon were not good people, so she didn't mind.
Old Dragon always told her that returning to the Dragon Cave would cure him, so seeing him revitalized made her happy.
At this moment, she didn't understand the concept of a final burst of energy.
Using his last bit of strength, Old Dragon took Apisu high into the sky, spiraling with other Thousand-Year Dragons.
On the ice surface, the ice layer created by Yamato suddenly shook, revealing a giant shadow under the ice, a whole island rising from the sea.
The ice shattered, revealing the Dragon Cave with its peculiar stones after millennia.
"So the island's been underwater all along. No wonder it couldn't be found for so long."
Standing on a part of the island, Yamato watched the spectacle, snapped a picture with her Rotom Phone, and updated her status.
The island was filled with rocks shaped like Thousand-Year Dragons, but they weren't actual rocks. They were the legendary Dragon Bones, left behind after dragons had passed away on the island.
...
As dragons gathered over the millennia, they began conversing, and Ferren's group inquired about the Plates as promised decades ago.
Their findings were quite bewildering.
Due to their longevity, the queries traced back centuries.
[I seem to have seen such stones fall from the sky, but they were taken by humans with black wings. Where they went is unknown, but I recall the egg fell on red soil.]
[Hmm... I seem to have seen it once — fly west for thirty days then north for over twenty days back then, the meteor fell there.]
[I recall it similarly; the specific location should be... around there, better make a note.]
[My information matches Old Dragon's, no new updates, but watch out for the ones in white clothes. They attacked my kin. You all are strong, handling so many human ships.]
As various messages were shared, the dragons entered a phase of praising among peers, their experiences or appearances; given the millennial reunion, there's no point in discord.
Ferren indeed consolidated some information of value, yet it required substantial attempts to transform it into actionable intelligence.
Aside from their habitats and the Dragon Cave, the dragons showed little interest in other islands, unlike Ferren's tribe coexisting with humans, adopting human island names.
They memorized islands by their own travel distances, and Ferren's relayed points increased the markers on Yamato's map, some proved prior Plate discoveries.
This confirmed the viability of the information but also indicated substantial future effort to explore them all.
As other dragons communicated, Old Dragon placed Apisu on the ground and sought a smooth surface, then lay down listlessly...