Beneath a vast, azure sky, a massive pirate ship advanced at an incredibly slow pace. A gentle, pleasant breeze blew across its deck, where a group of people was energetically hosting a barbecue.
"Can I have some?" Cracker, curled up in a corner, listened to his stomach grumble and shamelessly asked the nearby Baby 5.
"Of course you can!"
Hearing Cracker's request, Baby 5's face flushed a rosy red. She immediately smiled and nodded in reply. Not only that, but she also promptly brought a plate of grilled meat over to Cracker, handing him the entire platter.
And so, Cracker began to feast...
He had certainly chosen the right person to ask; Baby 5 was utterly incapable of refusing anyone.
In stark contrast to Cracker was Jack, the King of the Ship. His stomach was already rumbling like thunder, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. He could only turn his head away stubbornly.
Ryuuto, holding a large piece of grilled meat, watched the scene with a faint smile.
"Captain, we're about to reach Wano Country!" Nami approached, handing Ryuuto a large glass of juice as she spoke with a light laugh.
"This is one bizarre country!" Ryuuto finished the meat in his hand and leaned against the ship's railing. "But it has some interesting people."
"Bizarre?" Nami asked, her curiosity piqued.
"There was once a man who offered up his life for a bet he could never win! He was a brave but naive man..." Ryuuto's voice trailed off as he began to recount the story of Kozuki Oden for everyone.
Instantly, the entire crew gathered around to listen.
"Why was he so stupid?" Burgess scoffed with a hint of disdain. In his view, a man's true responsibility was to defeat his enemies and save his people, not die in humiliation.
Vivi nodded slowly, showing her agreement.
"What an idiot! I can't even figure out how Oden could be so naive!" Jack burst out laughing from the side. Although the man had once filled him with fear, he had ultimately chosen such a pathetic way to die.
A look of smug satisfaction spread across Jack's face.
Just then, a towering structure appeared before them, not far from the Ark Maxim.
"It seems we've arrived at Wano Country," Ryuuto said slowly, gazing at the sight. The island rose six thousand meters, standing alone above the sea, surrounded by massive waterfalls.
It was quite a spectacular view.
"No wonder Wano is a closed country. It's literally locked away!" Nami commented softly, her delicate skin exposed to the air, her small hands resting on her hips as she studied Wano's geography.
"Then how do ordinary people get to Wano?" Vivi asked.
Ryuuto pointed to the giant koi swimming at the base of the waterfall. They were known as the Climbing Koi. By taking advantage of their natural instinct to swim upstream, they could pull ships up the waterfall to the country above.
"Indeed, every nation that achieves a measure of stability possesses unique geographical features that can shield them from foreign invaders," Hancock mused, analyzing Wano's defenses.
Ryuuto then began to slowly adjust the Ark Maxim's altitude to prepare for a smooth landing.
Crackle!
A flash of lightning flickered across the Ark Maxim—
...
Meanwhile, in a corner of Kuri, Queen was organizing a group of his subordinates, forcing them to jump down from the cliffs. Although they were attached to extremely long tethers, their screams echoed through the air.
"Nooo!"
"Somebody save me!"
Three grunts from the Beasts Pirates, each with horns on their head, were shouting frantically.
"Shut up, you bastards! You're so damn noisy!" Queen, standing nearby, forcefully exhaled a smoke ring, clenched his fists, and roared.
"Idiots. I don't know what they were thinking. After investigating for so long, not only have they failed to find the reason for the sea level drop, but they've also let Master Yamato escape!" Ulti, sitting on a rock, sneered at Queen.
"You brat, show some respect!"
Hearing Ulti's words, veins bulged on Queen's forehead, and he became visibly agitated, yet he managed to tolerate her insolence.
This was simply how they interacted.
This whole situation had started about half a month ago. Somehow, news of Wano's dropping sea level had reached Yamato's ears. This prompted her to immediately break out of her confinement.
Having spent all her time reading Oden's logbook, Yamato's mind was consumed with the idea of opening Wano's borders. Hearing about the sea level drop was the final straw; she couldn't hold back and charged right out.
And that led to the current scene.
Yamato had jumped from Kuri armed with countless explosives. She intended to use them to blast apart the massive cliffs that isolated Wano, allowing the country to reappear on the world stage.
This plan had thrown Queen into a panic. He was not only worried that Yamato might actually succeed in destroying the cliffs but was also concerned for her safety. He had immediately dispatched his men to capture the rebellious Yamato.
"Lord Queen, we didn't see Master Yamato!" one of the pirate grunts reported as he was pulled back up to Kuri. He shook his head at Queen, his face filled with disappointment.
"Dammit, keep looking!"
Queen, already angry, became even more furious. He sent the grunt flying back down with a single kick.
Time passed, second by agonizing second.
As Queen waited with an anxious expression—
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from below the sea. The ground trembled, and a colossal spout of seawater shot hundreds of meters into the air.
And then... it rained down directly onto Queen and Ulti.
"That's the fifth time!" Ulti grumbled, completely drenched but not significantly weakened. After all, the effect of seawater on Devil Fruit users was largely dependent on their strength.
"Worororo..."
A laugh echoed from below the sea, and a figure with horns on her head, wearing a sleeveless, midriff-baring kimono, burst out of the water.
She was even wearing handcuffs.
"Master Yamato, don't run!"
Right behind Yamato were five pirate grunts, desperately leaping towards her in an attempt to capture her.
But with a single nimble leap, Yamato evaded their pursuit, arrogantly landing on Queen's back before vaulting into the distance and disappearing.
The grunts missed their target, landing with a thud on the ground.
"Master Yamato, you've gone too far!" Ulti's face darkened with rage. She roared, tucked her hands behind her back, and took off in a berserk sprint after Yamato.
As Ulti ran, her body began to transform. Her hands became sharp claws, a long tail sprouted from her back, and her skin turned a mottled blue-green. Most strikingly, a massive, domed skull formed over her head.
This was Ulti's Beast Form.
As the user of the Ancient Zoan, Pachycephalosaurus Model, Ulti possessed an incredibly hard skull, her proudest weapon. Sometimes, when she was feeling particularly wild, she would even chase Queen around trying to headbutt him.
"It's useless, Ulti! As Oden, I must open Wano's borders!" Yamato called back, sensing the dangerous aura closing in from behind as she bounded across the landscape.
Behind her, every one of Ulti's steps shattered the ground. Hearing Yamato's words only made her face darken further. In an instant, black lightning crackled around her head as she waited for the perfect moment to deliver a decisive blow.
While Ulti and Yamato were busy with their chase, Queen stroked his long braid, looking completely exasperated. The pirate grunts behind him were trembling, terrified of becoming the target of his anger.
Not far from where Queen stood, the sea level had dropped by two thousand meters, revealing a bottomless chasm.
This was a change that had occurred in Wano ever since Fish-Man Island had risen to the surface. The cliffs surrounding Wano had fractured, causing seawater to continuously drain out. Over time, this had created the current scene.
Queen had been investigating here all this time but had yet to find the cause.
He simply couldn't believe that these mountain-like cliffs could have actually broken.
Boom!
Suddenly, another roar came from the depths of the sea. The massive waterfall surrounding Wano began to surge violently, unleashing a furious torrent that poured into the chasm.
A curtain of mist rose, obscuring the entire sky.
Thud!
At that very moment, Ryuuto began to pilot the Ark Maxim down toward Wano.
"What's going on?"
Ryuuto watched as the sudden surge of mist completely blocked his vision. To prevent the Ark Maxim from short-circuiting, he swung his arm, forming a massive lightning shield around the vessel.
"Everyone, be careful!" Nami shouted, gripping the helm and doing her best to keep the ship steady.
As Ryuuto had expected, as the Ark Maxim entered the airspace above Wano, the water erupting from the giant waterfall slammed into the ship.
The colossal Ark Maxim began to shake violently.
A tremendous sound echoed.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"Why is it flying?!"
"Run, it's coming down!"
"No... don't!"
In Kuri, Queen and his subordinates stared in horror at the Ark Maxim descending upon them, letting out cries of panic.
But the ship was enormous, and they had noticed it far too late.
There was no escape.
Crash!
With a series of impacts, the lightning shield Ryuuto had formed around the Ark Maxim dissipated. The massive pirate ship finally landed with a rough jolt in Kuri.
Directly on top of Queen and his men.
They were completely flattened.
"Phew... we've finally landed safely. The terrain in Wano is really treacherous. Who knew there'd be a giant tidal wave shooting up into the sky!" Vivi said, clutching the ship's railing, visibly relieved to have made it through.
"But... did any of you hear something just now?" Nami thought she had heard something and asked the others.
"I think so..."
"But there's no one around here!" Burgess replied before leaping onto the top of the cabin to scan the surroundings.
He saw a desolate, ruined landscape. The earth was parched, without a speck of green, creating a deeply oppressive atmosphere.
"Whatever, must have been hearing things," Burgess said, shaking his head to clear the random thoughts. He then leaped from the ship onto the soil of Kuri.
"Old Crocus, the Ark Maxim is in your hands!"
"Alright, let's head out!" Ryuuto called out his instructions, then grabbed Jack and Cracker and jumped off the ship.
Thump!
With a muffled sound, Ryuuto landed on the ground. To his right, Jack set foot on Wano's soil once more, his eyes immediately turning red.
'I... Jack's life is bitter! Truly, truly bitter!' Jack thought to himself, wiping a tear from his eye.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A few more muffled thuds followed as Hancock, Nami, and the others also jumped down. The crew was now ready to begin their journey through Wano.
Wait...
"Jean Bart, go back to the ship and grab as much food as you can," Ryuuto said, suddenly stopping and giving orders to the man beside him.
"Yes, Captain!" Jean Bart responded with a shout before turning into a blur and rushing back onto the Ark Maxim.
When Ryuuto's group set off again, a massive pack of food was strapped to Jean Bart's back.
Crocus stood on the deck of the Ark Maxim, quietly watching Ryuuto and the others depart. Once they were out of sight, he folded the newspaper in his hand, put it away, and began to pilot the ship back into the sky.
Crackle!
A flash of lightning shot out as the Ark Maxim's systems sparked to life. The propellers began to spin, and the great vessel activated once more, slowly ascending to an altitude of ten thousand meters.
As the Ark Maxim rose, it revealed several dozen human-shaped craters in the ground below.
"Emm..."
From one of the spherical craters, a figure in striped overalls slowly spat out a mouthful of dirt and opened his eyes.
"What was that about?!"
"Dammit, where did that pirate ship go?"
Queen struggled out of the crater, rubbing his sore head as he angrily scanned his surroundings. It was clear he was looking for the culprit who had slammed him into the ground.
But he was destined for disappointment.
By now, the Ark Maxim was likely ten thousand meters up, completely hidden by the thick layer of clouds. There was nothing for Queen to find.
"Cough..."
The other pirate grunts on the ground also began to slowly crawl out of their craters.
...