Trace stared at the pale screen, his eyes locked on "Tanjiro Kamado's Special Rice Ball." He squinted, deciphering the letters where every line screamed one word: "Ortho!"
"Even if I'm dead—nailed to my coffin—I'll rise in my grave and declare: 'May all lovers in the world ultimately become siblings!'"
He shut off the screen, still clutching the "Special Rice Ball," utterly at a loss for what the thing was supposed to do—alongside that bizarre Bamboo Muzzle he'd fished up earlier!
"This [Fishing] skill is seriously broken!"
He tossed the Rice Ball into his belt pouch. No matter how weird its effect, it still served as food—far more practical than relying on a reindeer's rations. Still… it counted as an E-rank bait?! Just thinking about it sent a spike of regret through him.
He calmed himself and stood up, pushing off from the boulder.
With the Tenacity trait, the heaviness in his legs had vanished.
"Okay—breathe in… breathe out…"
He tested Beast Breathing again and was thrilled to feel its strain dramatically reduced—with the power boost noticeably stronger.
"As my body matures, Beast Breathing really is unlocking even more—shouldn't be long before I unlock the full catalog: Total Concentration Breathing, Constant… and maybe all Nine Forms!"
Energized, he sprinted up to the peak of the stone summit to survey the surrounding area.
Thanks to Heightened Hearing, Trace could now detect even the subtlest sounds within fifty meters—giving him a renewed sense of control, even if it was just in his head.
He lifted his head—and was jarred by a crack of distant thunder.
"Strangely peaceful skies… almost too quiet."
He glanced up, detected nothing unusual, and climbed faster.
Minutes later, he arrived at the summit. He pulled out his brass spyglass and began scanning.
First on his radar: Smoker and the recruits had cleared the town and were now combing it in pairs, fully alert to potential threats after the explosion.
"Well, you take your time, Marines."
Then he shifted the glass toward the hills near his summit.
There—just beyond the smaller peaks—lay a hidden cave entrance.
"A godsend temporary base!"
He dropped the spyglass and veered downhill toward the concealed cave.
His original plan—using the rocky summit as cover—was fine, but the cave was by far more livable: sheltered, hidden, and defensible.
About half an hour later, Trace reached the cave opening, but tension gripped him as he noticed something off—not natural at all.
Signs of human activity littered the entrance.
"Everyone on the island turned into zombies… so any living creature in here would've bolted by now—unless there's someone left behind."
He felt his pulse quicken but pushed open his hammer.
Immediately, he triggered Beast Breathing: Spatial Awareness.
Invisible shockwaves spread from around his feet, probing inside the cave.
"No living movement... Wait! Something deep inside—two small beings still alive?!"
He frowned, gripped his hammer tighter, and crept forward.
The cave interior was unmistakably manmade—it was a bio-lab. Shelves lined the walls, holding large transparent containers filled with pale-green liquid, preserved grotesque organs. Classic mad scientist territory.
With a click, he switched on his flashlight.
Where others might scream or turn away, Trace merely shook his head.
"Just as I thought! This isn't just a zombie plague island... it's Gecko Moria's shadow-Devil Fruit domain!"
"These zombies are not mindless—they're Puppet-Zombies. Totally different beasts."
"These lab setups confirm it: some bio-scientist, probably a virus-Type Devil Fruit user, is responsible. That's why Admiral Zephyr showed up!"
His deductions were swift and precise.
"One mystery remains… why is Kaido here? Why leave Wano for this island?"
Walking deeper, he reached the locked cell hinted at earlier.
Under his flashlight's beam, two emaciated children lay inside—a bleak scene of despair.
One was a small girl with dried, straw-colored hair and two white horns like ossified extensions. Her eyes—rose-tinted—shone with fear and wariness. Her mouth had terrifying slashes at each corner, revealing rows of sharp white teeth.
"Horned girl…"
The other lay barely conscious—an androgynous small child with finer horns sprouting from the skull. Horrifically, much of their left skull had been cut away, revealing pale bone connected to the horns. In the dim light, the skull gleamed a sickly green.
"Half-Brain Boy…"
Trace felt like he'd been teleported into a horror film.
Yet even in this horror, the pieces clicked into place:
These two children were obviously Kaido's future Flying Six—
The horned girl, Ulti?
And the small half-brain boy, Page One?
He realized the reason Kaido had sailed all the way from Wano to this island.
Trace understood now: Kaido did not come here for science.
He came for family.
His children had been abducted, bioengineered—and this madman's lab endangered their lives.
That's why Kaido broke his usual isolation and launched into battle—to rescue them.
Trace clenched his hammer.
He may not be strong enough to face a Yonko, but he could help—
By saving those two children.
He whispered into the darkness:
"Don't worry... I'll get you out of here."