"What's happening now?" Toki clearly sensed the tremors too. "Could an even larger beast have appeared!? But just how massive would it have to be to make the entire abyss tremble!?"
Michael froze, then looked up.
His Observation Haki erupted violently, instantly piercing the heavens and encompassing everything within dozens of kilometers.
And within his perception, there now stood a truly colossal beast, towering into the clouds.
The unconscious land beasts nearby weren't even fit to lick its feet...
This was Zunesha, the elephant condemned to walk eternally while carrying Zou on its back.
And at this very moment, Zunesha was peering down into the abyss from the distant edges.
Given the height of Zunesha, seeing the bottom of the abyss was no simple feat.
Zunesha itself stood over thirty thousand meters tall. Even with its feet planted on the seabed, its body still towered more than ten thousand meters above the ocean's surface.
And that wasn't even accounting for the abyss itself, which plunged even deeper…
Perched on the tip of Zunesha's trunk was a man Michael recognized all too well.
"Come on, let's head up first."
Without hesitation, Michael reached out, hoisted his daughter onto his shoulder, then grabbed Rocks before launching himself into the sky like a cannonball.
Though carrying two people, it was hardly a burden for Michael in his current state.
His speed was only slightly reduced.
But to everyone else, he was still moving at an unimaginable pace.
Even Rocks, who had seen his fair share of monsters, couldn't help but think to himself…
This Michael was undoubtedly the greatest freak of nature to ever exist.
...
"What? Zunesha, what did you say? A Devil Fruit tree? What the hell is that?"
Joy Boy lay lazily on the upturned tip of Zunesha's trunk, looking thoroughly bored.
His question, conveyed through the Voice of All Things, was answered by Zunesha.
In an instant, he sprang up like a carp leaping out of water.
"A whole tree of Devil Fruits?!" Joy Boy was stunned. "That's a thing?!"
Before he could exchange another word with Zunesha, a figure carrying two others appeared behind him.
"Joy Boy… weren't you supposed to talk to Zunesha and keep trying to recruit the Mink Tribe? Why are you slacking off here?"
The newcomer was none other than Michael.
After setting Toki and Rocks down on Zunesha's trunk, Michael approached Joy Boy.
"Give me a break!" Joy Boy pointed at his own nose, laughing helplessly. "I take one little break, and you bust me… But you're just in time. Forget about the Mink Tribe—Zunesha won't agree to let them fight against the Ancient Kingdom."
"Honestly, that's not surprising," Michael said, entirely unfazed. "Which is exactly why I left this task to you."
"...That sounds like you're just trying to keep an unreliable guy busy."
"Glad you're self-aware," Michael rolled his eyes. "I only considered the Mink Tribe for their decent combat abilities… but now, we're no longer short on firepower."
"Huh? So the manpower shortage we've been stressing over is just… solved? Are you dreaming?"
"Dreaming? Honestly, even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined being this well-off."
Michael smirked, then recounted everything he had seen and heard at the bottom of the abyss.
Joy Boy grew more and more bewildered as he listened, until he suddenly jumped up and declared to Zunesha.
"Alright, just let the Mink Tribe keep thriving on your back…"
The look Zunesha gave Joy Boy… was as if it were staring at the biggest idiot in the world.
Soon, the Voice of All Things carried a deep, rumbling voice to both Joy Boy and Michael.
"Dumbass…"
"Holy shit! With those thick eyebrows and big eyes, you actually know how to swear?!" Joy Boy instantly jumped up.
"If I don't teach you how to spell Joy Boy properly, you won't understand why flowers are so red!"
"Alright... could you use that brand-new brain of yours for a second?" Michael rolled his eyes. "This island isn't on Zunesha's eternal path... Have you ever wondered why Zunesha brought you here?"
Joy Boy froze.
He wasn't actually stupid, and he quickly grasped what Michael was implying.
"So, even though Zunesha didn't want the Minks to take risks, it still brought me to this place with the Devil Fruit tree?"
"You're not completely hopeless."
While Michael was mocking Joy Boy, Rocks gazed at him from afar.
His eyes... were filled with excitement and emotion.
"So this is the legendary... Sun God, Drums of Liberation, Joy Boy..."
"The first pirate... in history!"
Rocks' muttering naturally didn't escape Joy Boy, who had already reached the level of an Emperor.
"What the hell? I know about the Sun God and Drums of Liberation—ever since I settled in Elbaf, they've called me that... But pirate? What the hell is that?"
"Uh, you don't need to look into that," Michael rolled his eyes again. "Even with your lack of common sense, anything with the word 'thief' in it can't be good, right?"
Joy Boy paused, then nodded silently in agreement.
Seeing this, Rocks didn't say anything more.
Even for someone like Rocks, once the strongest, meeting Joy Boy was as thrilling as meeting an ancestor...
Wait, no—what do you mean "as thrilling as meeting an ancestor"?
He literally was Rocks' ancestor!
...
"Michael, Joy Boy, and Toki have all gone near Wano?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Very well, you may leave now."
Imu, busy handling state affairs and revolutionary army business, waved her hand dismissively, signaling her attendants to withdraw.
She then stood up and gazed out through her chamber.
The bright night sky was dotted with countless stars.
But she had no time to admire the view now.
The world's situation had reached a stalemate.
Neither the revolutionary army nor the Great Kingdom had a way to break the deadlock.
For the revolutionary army—a force that needed constant momentum and couldn't afford stagnation—this apparent stability was actually extremely disadvantageous.
For Imu to turn the tide, a completely new force needed to join the revolutionary army.
"Michael, I wonder if you can resolve this dilemma this time?"
"If you can bring me a new army, I'd even be willing to marry you!"
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