On the back of the giant elephant, at the center of the forest, stood a massive tree rising from the land of Zou, towering far above the rest, solitary and imposing.
Its crown was so lush and thick that it spread out like a great umbrella.
But the most remarkable part was its trunk, shaped almost like a colossal whale rising proudly from the earth.
At the base of this great whale-like trunk was a door, not particularly large, but heavy and ancient.
Enel now stood before that very door.
Beside him stood a dog-man.
"It's right in here," came the low voice.
The Duke of Zou, ruler of the nation upon the elephant's back, glanced cautiously at Enel's profile.
No matter how unwilling he felt, he had no choice but to bow before this man.
For the figure before him was a monster in the truest sense.
He was like the incarnation of a thunder god, with every movement radiating destructive power.
If he willed it, this man could reduce the entire Mokomo Dukedom to ash.
The Duke, Inuarashi, knew this with absolute certainty.
To prevent such a fate, he could only lower his head before him.
And now, at this man's demand, the Duke had brought him to the most secret place of the island, a place the Mink Tribe had guarded for eight hundred years.
Enel stepped forward and pushed the heavy door open with ease.
Beyond the door lay a chamber, not especially spacious, but solemn.
And there, at the very center, stood a massive red stone.
"So this is it?"
Enel approached, his usually indifferent eyes glinting with a rare spark of curiosity.
He had seen one of these stones once before on Skypiea, when Ian had shown him.
But unlike that one, this stone was different.
This stone was red.
Enel took out a Den Den Mushi and carefully photographed the inscriptions on the front of the stone.
This was something Ian had asked him to do.
Inuarashi let out a quiet sigh.
He no longer remembered who had entrusted this stone to them, but guarding it had been an unbroken mission passed down for eight hundred years.
And now, that sacred duty had been shattered.
After finishing, Enel gave a slight nod.
It had gone far more smoothly than expected.
Of course, that was only natural—after all, he had done it himself.
"Lord Enel," Seeing the man's satisfied expression, Inuarashi summoned his courage and asked, "Is there… anything else that needs to be done?"
Unease.
His heart was weighed down with unbearable unease.
What would this man do to their country?
What would become of it after this?
Enel tilted his head slightly, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. "Don't ask me about that. Go ask Ian."
A question mark seemed to pop above Duke Inuarashi's head. "Ian? Forgive my ignorance, Lord Enel, but who exactly is this Ian?"
Enel blinked in surprise, then broke into laughter. "Yehahahaha! Interesting! You mean you don't even know who Ian is?"
There weren't many people left on the seas who could say that.
Could it be that Ian was someone truly infamous?
Had he just made a foolish mistake?
Inuarashi suddenly felt cold sweat running down his back.
"There's only one thing you need to understand," Enel snorted, his voice carrying weight. "Even I can't defy that man."
Inuarashi's eyes widened instantly.
If even the absurdly powerful Enel couldn't resist this person, then just what kind of monster was he?
Soon after, in Wano Country…
Ian received a call from Enel.
Through the Transponder Snail, Enel sent back the photos he had taken of the Road Poneglyph.
"So this is the legendary Road Poneglyph?"
Tesoro, who had come to report on the progress of the conscription, looked at the projected image in surprise.
This was his first time seeing one in person.
"Once all four stones are gathered, Laugh Tale's location will be revealed."
Ian smiled. "This makes the second one."
"The second one?"
Tesoro froze for a moment. "Even you, Lord Ian, have only found two so far?"
"There's no need to rush," Ian replied calmly. "I already know exactly where the remaining two stones are."
Find the One Piece and defeat Imu?
It couldn't possibly be that easy.
Even Joy Boy, who once left behind the treasure, had failed.
And now, after eight hundred years of growth, Imu had become even more terrifying.
Ian thought to himself, rather than blindly rushing into the final battle, it would be better to wait for his own awakening.
He was already invincible without awakening—once he did awaken his DF, wouldn't the entire world be swept away before him?
Besides, was there really anyone who could snatch the stones from his hands and reach the treasure before him?
"I see…"
Tesoro nodded lightly.
As expected of Lord Ian—always so confident and composed.
"Enel has done very well. He has already conquered the Mokomo Dukedom, and they've sworn their allegiance to us."
Ian looked at Tesoro and said, "Send a few ships over there. The Mink Tribe is an incredibly strong race—their physical abilities are far beyond those of humans. They're perfect as military recruits."
Since Ian could not hear the Voice of All Things, he had no way of communicating with Zunesha. The great elephant, with its immense strategic value, was completely beyond his control.
The only option was to make use of the Minks to strengthen his forces.
"Yes, understood."
Tesoro nodded respectfully.
The Beast Pirates' large-scale recruitment across the New World was going smoothly.
Everyone knew that the Beast Pirates had now grown into a terrifying force capable of standing on equal footing with the World Government. Naturally, joining under their banner promised a bright future.
Not to mention, the New World was filled with nations unaffiliated with the Government. For the people of those countries, survival alone was difficult enough. For them, the chance to join the Beast Pirates as soldiers was like fruits from heaven.
In short, Ian's army was expanding at a rapid pace.
And not just in numbers—the quality of his recruits was extremely high.
Jinbei was assembling a massive Fish-Man army on Fish-Man Island. Solem and Himir were at the Giant Kingdom, organizing what could truly be called a grand army of giants.
Now, adding the Minks into the mix only strengthened their forces further.
As for the question of loyalty, Ian believed that once the Minks truly came to understand the world, they would know where their choices should lie.
Just after dealing with the matter of Zou, before Ian could even rest, a call came through.
**********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
patreon.com/PirateKing24