The sun was shining brightly. In the broad daylight, there were fireworks with even more brilliant light flashing, like blooming silver flowers.
"Stop."
Law gazed at the strange phenomenon in the distant sky.
Upon hearing this, Kuro stopped his forward stride, hovering in mid-air.
"What is that thing?"
"Fireworks?"
Looking at the strange phenomenon in the distance, everyone's expressions became serious.
From afar, it looked like someone had set off a lot of fireworks at once in broad daylight.
But there was no sound, no smoke.
Only fireworks even more eye-catching than the sunlight.
Among everyone, only Coo showed a look of surprise.
Clearly, she knew what the daylight fireworks were.
"Ginhanabi."
Coo's mood became extraordinarily complicated, perhaps because of something she was thinking.
Ginhanabi was a large-scale ancient relic controlled by the Gatekeeper Clan. Its appearance here now was most likely intended for her. The fact that they would go this far also showed how much the clan valued her.
However...
Coo took a deep breath.
She was probably going to disappoint Red Shadow and the others.
"That is Ginhanabi."
Coo's sudden announcement caught everyone off guard.
"Ginhanabi? What is that?"
"Is it a burning tree, silver flowers?" (T/N: The RAW for Ginhanabi means Fire Tree, Silver Flower. But since it sounded strange, I change it to Ginhanabi, which can means Silver Fireworks.)
Bruna looked adorably confused.
"Haha, how could that be."
Shiro chuckled and patted Bruna's head, saying seriously, "The term 'Ginhanabi' sounds like a descriptive phrase. You can't interpret it so literally, you know, Nana-chan."
"Okay, I understand!"
Bruna nodded.
Nearby, Buhara looked down upon seeing this, thinking to himself, 'So it wasn't a burning tree or silver flowers after all.'
Tonpa glanced at Shiro and said airily, "In here, nothing is too strange, right? Maybe it really is a burning tree and silver flowers?"
Shiro shook his head, asserting, "That's impossible. If it really is a burning tree and silver flowers, I'll jump down from here."
Law looked at them, a hint of helplessness in his eyes, then looked at Coo inquisitively.
"That is a large-scale ancient relic controlled by my clan. Although its power and might are not as great as the Humanoids' black disc, it is not far behind," Coo explained.
'Another large-scale relic?'
Law frowned slightly upon hearing this. Coo had not proactively mentioned this matter.
Although the work of recording intelligence information was not yet finished, the possibility that Coo had deliberately concealed it could not be ruled out.
"So, have your clansmen come in this formidable manner to rescue you, or to seek revenge?"
Ging tilted his head to look at Coo, his words carrying sharp barbs.
"If you want to know something, just ask directly. No need to beat around the bush."
Coo shot a glance at Ging, sensing the harshness in his tone.
Ging nodded and said bluntly, "If they came to rescue you, it means they know you're not dead. So the possibility that you are secretly in contact with them cannot be ruled out."
"The reason they know I'm not dead is because the [Book of Truth] provides them with information."
"We can talk about these things later."
Law interrupted their brief exchange, looking at the approaching Ginhanabi.
As the distance closed, everyone finally got a clear look at what Ginhanabi looked like.
After seeing its appearance, everyone looked at Shiro.
Shiro's mouth twitched. With a pained expression, he said, "Y-You all... you're not really going to make me jump down from here, are you? How was I supposed to know there could be such an absurd thing?"
"Be more low-key in the future."
Tonpa said earnestly.
Shiro was speechless. He glanced secretly at Coo, thinking that she was rather unkind for not warning him.
The approaching anomaly truly was a giant burning tree.
Fierce flames burned within its oval, luxuriant crown.
Among the blazing flames within the crown, silver-glowing flowers bloomed amidst the orange-red fire, creating a strong visual contrast.
On the thick, brown trunk were crimson veins like lava cracks, extending all the way to the bottom, where they became tentacle-like roots spreading out.
The burning tree was flying at an angle. On the roots at its base, fierce flames also burned, continuously spewing hot white steam, which seemed to be the power source propelling the tree's flight.
Everyone watched the approaching Ginhanabi, comparing it to the large-scale relics they had seen before.
After much thought, they still felt that the Mountain Ship that had bombed the Ancient Labyrinth City was more reliable. At least it was majestic and imposing, giving one the feeling of dark clouds pressing down.
As for this giant burning tree, they did not know how to describe their current feelings.
The fiercely burning flames were certainly imposing, but they were overshadowed by the silver flowers, as if two different forms of energy were colliding, quite contradictory.
Moreover, they simply could not understand what kind of thoughts ancient humans had when creating this kind of transportation vehicle.
"What should we do? They look very formidable."
Everyone looked at Law, whose expression was calm, then at Coo, who seemed to be thinking about something. They had not forgotten Coo's identity.
At this moment, could she be considered an unstable factor? Fortunately, Coo's heart was under Law's control. Even if the Gatekeeper Clan came driving their large-scale ancient relic, Coo could not cause much trouble.
Coo gazed at Ginhanabi and could not help but sigh. The Gatekeeper Clan's settlement was built in a valley where, deep underground, extreme cold air rose to the surface year-round, making it difficult for living creatures to approach.
The Gatekeeper Clan's settlement was built enveloping Ginhanabi, relying on its heat to withstand the cold air from the depths of the earth and to provide the energy the Gatekeeper Clan needed for survival.
Now, Red Shadow had come controlling Ginhanabi, essentially uprooting their home. Presumably, at this moment, the clan's settlement was in ruins.
"I'll handle this."
Coo stepped forward several paces, coming before the others.
Law was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
With permission granted, Coo immediately rose into the air. The spikes on her ears transformed into a pair of wings, dragging her body through the air.
At the same time, Coo's size was gradually increasing. This way, the Gatekeeper Clan inside Ginhanabi would notice her.
"Is this a good idea?"
Tonpa came to Law's side.
The others also looked at Law.
"Trust is one of the basic conditions for cooperation. I believe she can handle this."
Law's gaze passed over Coo's body and landed on Ginhanabi.
'What a good thing...'
With such a large-scale relic left by ancient humans, the difficulty of exploring the Dark Continent would drop exponentially. Whether it was resisting the threats of the Menders and Humanoids, or breaking through the atmospheric barrier of the World Tree, the importance of large-scale relics went without saying.
'Come to think of it, if this Ginhanabi were stood upright, it would really look a bit like a rocket.'
'If used to reach the top of the World Tree...'
Law's eyes glinted.