After two full days of sailing, the Voyager finally came to a steady halt along the edge of a continent sealed entirely beneath ice. Jagged cliffs of frozen white rose ten meters above the surface of the sea, their sheer faces gleaming like glass, as if carved by the blade of a god.
Felina gazed upward in wonder. "How strange… the air isn't even cold, and the ocean around us hasn't frozen. Yet the whole land is locked beneath ice."
Eli Winters, however, was less surprised. He remembered watching the anime back in his old world how Aokiji and Akainu's battle had raged for ten days, transforming an island into a realm of fire and ice. Compared to that, an entire continent frozen solid didn't seem all that impossible.
"Let's get up there," Eli said calmly.
A ten-meter wall of ice was hardly an obstacle for them. With ease, Eli led the group to the top. Simon stayed behind on the Voyager, watching the ship. Eli had left a spatial marker aboard; if anything went wrong, Simon only needed to trigger it, and Eli could return instantly.
Big Pan looked around the frozen landscape, his curiosity bubbling over. "Boss, about that treasure you mentioned… what exactly are we looking for?"
Eli chuckled. "Ever heard of Chinjao of the Happo Navy?"
Everyone shook their heads. "Nope."
"Not surprising," Eli said. "He rose to fame long before we were born. Chinjao, also known as 'Chinjao the Drill,' was the twelfth leader of the Happo Navy, the official pirate force of the Flower Kingdom. Their leader was called the pillar essentially their commander. Chinjao mastered all three types of Haki, including Conqueror's Haki. In his prime, his bounty was five hundred million berries."
The group gasped. "Five hundred million?!"
Felina tilted her head. "But what does he have to do with this treasure?"
"Patience," Eli grinned. "Chinjao used to stash his loot inside a massive ice mountain hidden on this very continent. The ice wasn't ordinary it was crystalline, nearly indestructible. Only his drill-shaped head could pierce it. That's how he earned his title, 'Chinjao the Drill.' He trained his skull with ironhead techniques until it became a weapon sharper than steel."
Eli's expression darkened slightly as he continued. "Sixteen years ago, he fought a legendary battle with Vice Admiral Garp. One punch from Garp dented Chinjao's drill-shaped head. After that, Chinjao lost the ability to break the ice. His treasure has been locked away ever since. And that, my friends, is what we're here to find."
Felina frowned. "If he couldn't break it, how can you?"
Big Pan puffed out his chest. "Are you dumb, sis? Don't you remember? Our boss has the Space-Space Fruit! He can slip inside the ice and pull the treasure out like it's nothing!"
Eli laughed. "Exactly. As long as we find it, retrieving it won't be hard."
The frozen continent was larger than it first appeared. Even Eli's Observation Haki couldn't cover the entire area. They decided to split into two teams Big Pan and Dottay headed left, while Eli took Felina and Fiona to the right.
Eli wasn't in any rush. He treated the search more like a stroll, a chance to explore. And the icy land wasn't lifeless. Strange creatures roamed here, animals that had adapted to the frigid environment. At one point, Eli scooped up a creature no bigger than his palm a fluffy, snowball-like animal with tiny eyes and wiry muscles beneath its fur. Its front claws gleamed like polished steel, razor-sharp. When he set it down, the little creature darted across the ice faster than expected.
Beneath the frozen ground, other life stirred rodent-like beasts, their sleek bodies burrowing through tunnels just beneath the surface. Life, Eli mused, always found a way. Evolution had molded them to survive even in a place like this.
After nearly half an hour, Eli found himself growing restless. The endless expanse of white was monotonous, with no hint of color to break it up. With a sly grin, he opened his system shop and spent thirty prosperity points to purchase three pairs of skates. He'd never skated in his previous life, but with his current body, learning would be effortless.
He handed two pairs to Felina and Fiona, showing them how to strap them on. The sisters, long accustomed to Eli producing bizarre items out of nowhere, weren't surprised. Instead, their eyes lit with curiosity as they experimented.
Eli fitted his own pair and launched himself across the ice. Sure enough, his enhanced balance and coordination let him master the movement in minutes. Soon he was gliding smoothly, darting across the frozen plain with childlike delight. At times, he grabbed the sisters by the hands, dragging them along in exhilarating bursts of speed. Felina shrieked in terror, threatening revenge between laughs and curses.
The skating made their search faster, though the treasure still remained elusive. Just as Eli began to wonder if he'd misremembered, he felt a sudden tug in his chest his spatial marker had been triggered. Someone was in trouble.
He skated swiftly to Felina and Fiona, who tensed, expecting another prank. But Eli's serious expression stopped them cold. "Big Pan's in trouble. Hold tight we're going now."
Activating his Kamui, Eli whisked them through space, reappearing near the others.
The sound of battle echoed sharply "Boom! Boom! Boom!" Eli's eyes swept the scene. Big Pan and Dottay were locked in combat. Facing Big Pan was a massive figure, over five meters tall, his body squat and heavyset, his back slightly hunched. His face was oddly star-shaped, his right temple marked with a prominent "12." Eli recognized him instantly from the anime this was Chinjao himself, though older and rounder than in his prime.
Dottay, meanwhile, was fighting two teenage boys with unusual features. Eli realized they must be Chinjao's grandsons Sai and Boo, heirs of the Happo Navy.
Around them, nearly two dozen men shouted and cheered for Chinjao, though none rushed into the fight.
"Boss, you're here!" Big Pan shouted with relief. "This old man's crazy he's trying to steal our treasure!"
Chinjao had already noticed Eli's sudden arrival with suspicion, but Big Pan's words sent him into a rage. "Nonsense, you brat! That treasure is mine!"
His attacks grew fiercer. Big Pan, already on the back foot, struggled desperately. Even with Armament Haki reinforcing his weapon, cracks began to spread along his blackwood staff under the force of Chinjao's blows. The old pirate's mastery of both Armament and Conqueror's Haki overwhelmed him.
With a roar, Chinjao leapt high into the air. "Hasshoken! Drill Head!" He descended like a meteor, his flattened skull crashing downward in a devastating strike.
At the last moment, Eli appeared beside Big Pan, seizing him and tossing him aside to safety. Eli's own fist, sheathed in Armament Haki, collided with Chinjao's head.
The impact thundered across the frozen land, splitting the ice beneath Eli's feet like a spiderweb. Chinjao rebounded and landed nearby, glaring. "Who are you, boy?"
Eli straightened and offered a courteous smile. "Greetings, Chinjao. We're just travelers and adventurers. My name is Eli Winters. You may call me Eli."
By now, Dottay had overpowered the two young heirs, leaving them battered on the ground. Chinjao's gaze flickered between them, unease creeping into his eyes. He could sense the strength of these newcomers, especially Eli's elusive ability. To attack recklessly could put his grandsons at risk a risk he couldn't accept.
"You're here for my treasure too, aren't you?" Chinjao growled.
Eli shrugged lightly. "Come now, old man. Weren't those treasures plundered from others in the first place?"
"Hmph. True enough," Chinjao said coldly. "But if you want them, you'll have to defeat me." His Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, a crushing pressure slamming down on the frozen land.
"Stay back!" Eli ordered Felina and the others. His own Conqueror's Haki surged forth, colliding head-on with Chinjao's.
The sisters retreated quickly, vanishing into the distance with Soru. Only Big Pan remained, trembling but refusing to move. His own dormant kingly potential stirred within him, pressed to the surface by the overwhelming clash.
Eli had tried before to awaken Big Pan's Conqueror's Haki, but it hadn't worked. Strangely, Big Pan seemed immune to Eli's pressure. But Chinjao's was different. Slowly, inexorably, Big Pan's spirit ignited.
With a furious roar, Big Pan unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki. Energy burst around him like a storm.
"Boss! I did it! I awakened Conqueror's Haki!" Big Pan shouted in joy.
Eli's smile was genuine. "Well done, Big Pan."
"Leave this to me, Boss I'll fight this old man myself!"
Eli shook his head. "No. You've already achieved what you needed. Now step back. Let me handle him."
Big Pan reluctantly obeyed, retreating with pride gleaming in his eyes.
Chinjao scowled, unsettled at having inadvertently triggered the awakening of another king. "Damn brat… to think I'd end up as a teacher at my age."
He stomped forward, rage blazing in his eyes. "Enough talk! If you want my treasure, you'd better be ready to die for it!"
Eli's grin widened, excitement flickering in his gaze. "Perfect. I've been waiting for a worthy opponent. Let's see if 'Chinjao the Drill' is as strong as the legends claim."
As Chinjao lunged, the frozen continent shuddered, heralding a battle between past and future.
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