The sea rumbled. It did not wave. It vibrated.
The Thousand Sunny sailed through a thick bank of white fog. The water beneath the hull sloshed back and forth rhythmically.
Luffy sat on the lion figurehead. He leaned forward, peering into the mist.
A shadow fell over the ship.
It was not a cloud. It blocked the sun entirely. The air grew cold.
The Thousand Sunny broke through the fog.
Luffy tipped his head back. His straw hat fell off his head and bounced against his back, caught by the string. He kept tilting his head back. He looked higher. And higher.
His jaw dropped open.
Behind Luffy, the crew walked out onto the grassy deck.
Zoro stopped walking. He dropped his hand from his sword hilt. Sanji stopped lighting his cigaratte. The cigeratte slipped from his fingers and fell on the deck. Nami lowered her spyglass. Usopp fell to his knees.
Ben walked out of the lower cabins. He stood next to Robin.
Ben knew what to expect. He had read the manga and watched the anime. He knew the lore. But seeing the ink on a page did not compare to standing in the shadow of the reality.
Before them stood Zunesha.
It was an elephant. But the word failed to describe the scale. Its legs looked like towering tree trunks that pierced the ocean and reached into the heavens. The water barely reached its knees. Its grey skin folded and creased, forming canyons and cliffs. Clouds drifted around its midsection. The top of the elephant remained hidden behind the sky itself.
It walked.
BOOM.
A massive leg lifted from the sea and plunged back down. The impact sent a tsunami rolling outward. The Thousand Sunny rode the wave, bobbing like a cork.
"It... it is an animal," Chopper whispered. He hid behind Zoro's leg. "It is a living animal."
"So big," Luffy breathed. Stars formed in his eyes. "Can I eat it?"
"NO!" Usopp and Nami screamed simultaneously, hitting Luffy on the back of his head.
"Do not anger the island-sized elephant!" Usopp wailed, grabbing his own cheeks. "It will step on us! It won't even notice us! We are ants! Less than ants!"
Law walked onto the deck. He looked up at the elephant. He pulled his hat down. "Zou. The Phantom Island. My crew is up there."
Kin'emon and Kanjuro stood near the railing. They stared up in awe. Momonosuke hid behind Kin'emon's robes, trembling.
"We must reach the top," Kin'emon said. He swallowed hard. "Our friend Raizo waits for us."
Kanjuro stepped forward. He reached behind his back and pulled out a massive, ink-stained brush.
"Do not worry, my friends!" Kanjuro declared confidently. "I shall provide our transport! I will draw a mighty climbing dragon! It will carry us up the leg!"
He dipped his brush into an ink pot. He raised the brush toward the deck.
Nami stepped forward. She kicked Kanjuro in the shin.
"Ow!" Kanjuro hopped on one foot. "Why did you strike me, navigator?!"
"Because your drawings look like they are in pain," Nami said flatly. "And I am not riding a melting dragon up a ten-thousand-mile leg. Put the brush away."
Nami turned toward the center mast.
"Sunny!" Nami called out.
"Yes, Aunt Nami!" Sunny saluted.
"Bring out the thrusters," Nami ordered. "We are flying up."
Kanjuro stopped hopping. Kin'emon blinked. "Flying? A ship cannot fly."
Sunny grinned. "Watch this, samurai!"
Sunny snapped his fingers.
The Thousand Sunny shuddered. The wooden panels on the port and starboard sides slid open. Four massive, metallic thruster engines extended outward on hydraulic arms. They locked into place with heavy steel clicks.
"Thrusters engaged!" Sunny announced. "Targeting the top of the elephant! Hang on!"
Blue flames erupted from the four engines.
The water beneath the ship boiled. The Thousand Sunny lifted off the ocean. It hovered for a second, balancing its weight. Then, the thrusters flared brighter.
The ship shot straight up.
It flew parallel to the elephant's massive front leg.
The wind whipped across the deck. Luffy laughed, holding his hat. Usopp clung to the railing, screaming. Kin'emon and Kanjuro fell flat on their faces, terrified by the sensation of flight.
They climbed higher. They passed a flock of giant birds. They passed the cloud layer. The air grew thinner. The temperature dropped.
They flew for several minutes. The sheer height defied reason.
Finally, the ship cleared the elephant's massive back.
The deck leveled out. The thrusters rotated, pushing the ship forward instead of upward.
"Approaching the island!" Sunny called out.
The crew rushed to the bow. They leaned over the railing. They expected to see a vibrant, thriving civilization. They expected lush forests, ancient cities, and animal people.
They saw ruin.
The Thousand Sunny glided over the edge of the elephant's back.
A thick, heavy cloud of purple and green gas covered the entire landscape. The ancient stone buildings lay in piles of rubble. Massive claw marks gouged the stone walls. The giant trees were snapped in half. The rivers ran black with sludge.
Silence hung over the island. It was the heavy, suffocating silence of a graveyard.
"What happened here?" Robin whispered. She gripped the wooden railing tightly.
"Poison," Ben stated. He stood next to her. He looked at the thick green fog rolling across the ruined city.
"Sunny," Ben commanded. "Activate the shield. Now. Close all external vents."
"On it, Papa!" Sunny shouted.
A shimmering, transparent blue dome erupted from the center mast. It expanded instantly, enclosing the entire ship in an energy shield. The air filters inside the ship kicked into overdrive, humming loudly to scrub any gas that had already leaked inside.
The crew coughed slightly as the filters worked. The air inside the dome quickly turned crisp and clean.
They looked out through the blue energy shield. The poison gas pressed against the outside of the dome, hissing as it touched the energy field.
Kin'emon grabbed his sword hilt. "The city... the Mokomo Dukedom. It is destroyed. Raizo... where is Raizo?!"
Law gripped the railing. His knuckles turned white. He stared into the green fog. His eyes darted back and forth, searching the ruins.
"Bepo," Law muttered. "Shachi. Penguin."
Near the tangerine trees, the heavy Seastone cage rattled.
Caesar Clown pressed his face against the bars. He looked out through the blue shield. He saw the green gas. He saw the destruction.
A wide, twisted smile spread across his pale face.
"Shurorororo!" Caesar laughed.
The sound cut through the silence on the deck.
Caesar rubbed his hands together. "Magnificent! It worked perfectly! The spread, the density, the lethality! It seems Jack actually used my masterpiece! Koro! The ultimate poison gas weapon! I am a genius!"
The entire crew stopped moving.
They slowly turned their heads. They looked at the cage.
Luffy's face lost all its joy. His eyes shadowed over.
Zoro rested his hand on Sandai Kitetsu. Sanji pulled his cigarette from his mouth and crushed it under his heel. Franky's robotic eyes glowed an angry red.
Caesar stopped laughing. He noticed the silence. He noticed the stares.
He realized his mistake. He had slipped his tongue. He had boasted about mass murder in front of the people who hated him most.
"Wait," Caesar stammered. He backed away from the bars. "I... I just meant..."
Sanji blurred. He appeared in front of the cage. He kicked the Seastone bars with a flaming foot. The impact rattled the entire cage and threw Caesar backward onto his spine.
"You made this?" Sanji growled. His voice lacked any warmth.
"Yes," Caesar squeaked from the floor of his cage. "I created it for Kaido's forces! But I didn't deploy it here! Jack did!"
Chopper ran forward. He pressed his hooves against the bars. Tears filled his eyes.
"There are people out there!" Chopper yelled. "Whole families! Children! Do you have an antidote?!"
Caesar sat up. He regained a fraction of his arrogance. He crossed his arms.
"Of course I have an antidote," Caesar sneered. "I am a scientist. I create the cure to sell it for a higher price. But I don't have it on me."
"Then do something about the gas!" Chopper demanded.
Caesar scoffed. "Why should I? They are just animal freaks. Let them rot. Besides, I am a prisoner. I don't take orders from pets."
Law walked forward.
He didn't yell. He didn't run. He walked slowly.
He reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a small, fleshy block wrapped in a clear, gelatinous cube. It beat rhythmically.
Caesar's heart.
Caesar froze. All color drained from his face.
Law held the heart in his right hand. He looked at Caesar. Law's eyes held the cold, empty promise of a graveyard.
Law squeezed his hand.
Caesar screamed. It was a raw, tearing sound. He clutched his own chest, falling to his knees inside the cage. He gasped for air, his eyes rolling back in agony.
Law relaxed his grip slightly.
"My crew is on this island," Law stated. His voice was a whisper, but it carried across the deck. "If a single one of them dies because of your gas, I will slowly squeeze this heart until it bursts like a rotten grape. Do you understand me?"
"Yes! Yes!" Caesar wheezed, coughing up saliva. "I'll do it! I'll clear the gas! Just stop squeezing!"
Caesar grabbed the Seastone bars. He looked at Ben.
"But I can't do it in here!" Caesar yelled. "The Seastone drains my energy! I need my Devil Fruit powers to manipulate the gas!"
Ben stepped forward.
Ben could analyze the gas. He could formulate an antidote. But all of that took time. Caesar was the fastest option.
Ben raised his hand. He waved it casually.
The heavy Seastone lock on the cage clicked open. The heavy chains binding Caesar's wrists snapped open and fell to the floor.
Caesar rubbed his wrists. He stood up. Gas began to leak from his coat as his Logia powers returned.
"You better not try to run," Zoro warned, drawing two inches of steel.
"I can't fly faster than you can cut," Caesar grumbled.
Ben looked at Sunny. "Drop the shield. Everyone, hold your breath. Do not breathe until he finishes."
The crew nodded. They took deep breaths and held them.
"Dropping shield!" Sunny announced.
The blue dome flickered and vanished.
The thick, green poison gas immediately rushed toward the ship, swirling over the deck.
Caesar stepped forward. He raised both hands. He drew upon the power of the Gas-Gas Fruit.
"Roko!" Caesar shouted.
He generated a massive cloud of neutralizing gas from his own body. He pushed it outward.
The counter-gas met the poison.
The reaction was immediate. The thick green fog touching the ship dissolved. The air turned clear. The heavy, suffocating smell vanished.
Caesar pushed harder. He flew up into the air above the ship. He acted like a massive vacuum and a chemical neutralizer simultaneously.
He pulled the poison gas from the immediate vicinity. The green fog rolled backward, clearing a massive circle around the Thousand Sunny.
It took one minute to clear the docking area.
"You can breathe here," Caesar called down.
The crew exhaled and gasped for fresh air.
"Keep going," Ben ordered. "Clear the whole island."
Caesar grumbled. He flew higher. He expanded his range. He pulled the gas from the ruined buildings. He pulled the gas from the crushed forests. He pulled the gas from the deep ravines.
The process took ten full minutes.
Slowly, the true extent of the damage revealed itself. The ancient city of Kurou was leveled. The giant trees were stripped of their leaves.
The final wisps of green gas vanished into Caesar's hands. The air over Zou became clear.
Caesar dropped back down to the deck. He panted, exhausted from using his power on such a massive scale.
"There," Caesar wheezed. "It's gone. The poison is neutralized."
Ben snapped his fingers.
The Seastone shackles flew off the deck. They snapped back onto Caesar's wrists. The iron door of the cage slammed shut and locked itself.
"Hey!" Caesar yelled, falling back onto his rear. "I just helped you!"
Ben ignored him. He looked at the ruined city.
"The gas is gone," Ben announced to the crew. "But the people are still injured. They inhaled the poison for days. They fought a battle. They are dying."
Ben turned to Luffy.
"Luffy. Zoro. Sanji. Dorry. Brogy. Omio. Kashi. Brook. Ussop. Franky. Law." Ben listed the names rapidly. "Search the ruins. Move the rubble. Find the survivors. Bring them to the central courtyard. Bring everyone to one place."
Luffy nodded. His face was deadly serious. "Got it."
Ben looked at Merry.
"Merry," Ben commanded. "Bring out the Iron Legion. Have them assist the search and rescue. They can lift the heavy debris."
Merry saluted. "On it, Papa!"
Merry raised her hand. The deck of the Thousand Sunny opened.
Fifty Iron Legion drones flew out of the hold. They looked like sleek, silver suits of armor. They hovered in the air, their repulsor thrusters glowing blue.
"Scan for life signs," Merry ordered the drones. "Help the crew move the rubble. Carry the injured to the center."
The Iron Legion scattered, flying over the ruined city.
The crew jumped off the ship. They hit the stone ground and ran in different directions.
The rescue operation began.
It was grueling, heartbreaking work.
Zoro ran through a collapsed residential district. He heard a faint groan under a massive pile of stone blocks. He drew Shusui and Sandai Kitetsu. He didn't use massive slashes. He used precise, controlled cuts. He sliced the heavy stones into small, manageable pieces, careful not to crush the people underneath. He found a bear mink and two rabbit minks. They were covered in blood and coughing up black fluid. Zoro picked them up, carrying them over his shoulders, and ran toward the courtyard.
Sanji found a collapsed watchtower. He heard whimpering. He kicked the heavy steel support beams, bending them backward to open a path. He found a group of dog minks trapped inside. He gently picked up the children, handing them to the adults, and escorted them out.
Luffy stretched his arms across wide gaps in the ruined bridges. He acted as a human lifeline. He grabbed wounded monkey minks and fox minks, pulling them gently across the chasms and carrying them in his arms.
The 4 Giants walked through the main street. She crossed her arms. They worked together, lifting heavy wooden beams and gently taking unconscious bodies out of the wreckage.
Franky used his strength to dig trenches. He lifted entire roofs off collapsed houses, allowing the Iron Legion drones to fly in and extract the survivors.
Law ran through the forest. He used his ROOM to teleport heavy boulders off trapped victims. He scanned the faces of every mink he found, his heart pounding in his chest, searching for his crew.
He found them near a ruined fortress.
Bepo the polar bear mink, Shachi, and Penguin lay on the ground. They were covered in deep cuts. Their breathing was shallow.
"Captain," Bepo whispered, barely opening his eyes.
Law dropped to his knees. He checked Bepo's pulse. "Don't talk. I've got you."
Law created a ROOM. He teleported all three of them directly to the central courtyard.
The rescue took three hours.
The central courtyard of the city filled rapidly.
Hundreds of minks lay on the stone ground. They were dog minks, cat minks, lion minks, and deer minks. They wore torn clothes. They bled from sword cuts and spear thrusts. Their skin was pale from the poison gas. They coughed violently. Some were missing limbs entirely, lost to the brutality of Jack's forces.
Near the center of the crowd lay two massive figures.
One was a giant dog mink. He wore a red suit. His left leg was missing below the knee.
The other was a massive cat mink. He wore a yellow shirt. His left arm was missing entirely.
Duke Inuarashi and Master Nekomamushi. The rulers of Zou. They were both unconscious, their breathing rattling in their chests.
The Iron Legion drones set down the last of the survivors. They stood guard around the perimeter.
Luffy walked into the courtyard. He carried an injured leopard mink on his back. He set him down gently next to the others.
Luffy wiped sweat from his forehead. He looked at the sea of wounded people. He looked at Ben.
"We found everyone," Luffy said quietly.
Ben stood at the edge of the courtyard. He looked at the devastation.
Ben walked to the center of the courtyard. He stood between the unconscious bodies of Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.
Ben raised both hands.
"Gather," Ben whispered.
Golden light erupted from his hands.
It was not a blinding flash. It was a soft, warm, radiant glow. The light spun in the air above Ben's head. It wove itself together like thread.
The light solidified. It formed the shape of a massive, glowing golden fleece.
The Golden Fleece. The ultimate symbol of healing and restoration.
"Argon Coin," Ben commanded.
The Golden Fleece burst outward.
A wave of pure, golden magic washed across the courtyard. It did not act like a shockwave. It acted like a gentle tide. It rolled over the stones. It washed over the hundreds of wounded minks.
The effect was instantaneous.
The magic did not stitch wounds. It rewrote the physical state of the bodies.
A bear mink with a deep sword gash across his chest gasped. The flesh pulled itself together. The muscle reattached. The skin sealed perfectly, leaving no scar.
A rabbit mink coughing up black poison suddenly took a deep, clear breath. The magic eradicated the toxins from her bloodstream completely. Her pale skin returned to its natural color.
Bepo, lying near Law, opened his eyes. The deep cuts on his arms vanished. He sat up, completely energized.
Law stared at the golden light. He knew medical science. He knew Devil Fruit powers. This was neither. This was a miracle.
The magic reached the center of the courtyard. It washed over Duke Inuarashi and Master Nekomamushi.
The golden light pooled at the stumps of their missing limbs.
Bone extended from the severed joints. Muscle wrapped around the bone. Fur sprouted from the muscle.
In seconds, Inuarashi had a new, perfect left leg. Nekomamushi had a new, flawless left arm.
The golden wave reached the edge of the courtyard and dissipated into the air.
The Golden Fleece above Ben's head vanished into sparkling dust.
Ben lowered his hands. He took a slow breath. He felt a slight drain on his mana, but it was manageable.
The courtyard was silent.
Nobody coughed. Nobody groaned in pain.
Slowly, the minks began to sit up. They looked at their hands. They touched their chests. They looked at their friends.
The wounds were gone. The poison was gone. The missing limbs were back.
Luffy grinned. He laughed loudly. "Ben! You fixed them!"
Zoro sheathed his swords. He smiled slightly. Sanji lit a fresh cigarette, shaking his head in amazement.
In the center of the courtyard, the two massive rulers stirred.
Duke Inuarashi opened his eyes. He sat up. He looked down. He saw his left leg. He moved his toes.
Master Nekomamushi groaned. He rolled over. He looked at his left arm. He flexed his claws.
The dog and the cat looked at each other. They looked at the golden dust fading in the air. They looked at the man in the black coat standing between them.
The rulers of Zou were awake.
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A/N: Check put my new fanfic Multiverse: Essence of Gacha