The sea stretched endless and bright under the New World's cruel sun. Gulls circled above the Oro Jackson, crying into the wind, while the Roger Pirates moved about with their usual restless energy.
They had two Road Poneglyphs already — from Elbaf and from Wano — their rubbings stored carefully in Rayleigh's hands. Only two remained.
And one of them, according to Oden, was hidden in a place that few men had ever seen.
The Oro Jackson carved through the waves, her sails swollen with pride, her deck alive with chatter and laughter.
Yet beneath the laughter, a strange tension hummed — something deeper. Something calling.
Roger stood at the helm, wind tugging at his crimson coat, grinning as the horizon rippled ahead. "So this Zou… how do we even find an island that moves?"
Cat Viper, lounging on a coil of rope, puffed his chest out. "Leave it to us! Zou's on the back of a giant elephant that's been walking for a thousand years!"
Buggy's eyes bulged. "A thousand years!? No wonder no one's ever charted it!"
Shanks chuckled, elbowing him. "Guess that means it's still moving, huh?"
Dogstorm crossed his arms, dignified as ever. "We can't just follow the waves. Zou has no fixed location. But—"
He pulled something from his cloak — a small, glowing vivre card, gently fluttering toward the east.
"This will lead us home."
Ada leaned closer, studying the faint ember glow of the paper. "A vivre card tied to someone from Zou… fitting."
Roger's grin widened. "Perfect! All we've gotta do is chase it — and not die along the way!"
"Easier said than done, Captain!" Gaban called from the rigging.
The crew laughed, sails unfurling as they changed course.
Crocus muttered under his breath, checking the compass. "I swear, this crew's luck is the only thing keeping us alive…"
——————
Days passed as the vivre card tugged them deeper into uncharted waters. The sea grew stranger — clouds darkened, and the waves began to roll unnaturally, almost rhythmic.
Then — a shadow appeared over the horizon.
"Captain!" Shanks shouted from the crow's nest. "Something's moving ahead!"
"Land ahead!"
Shanks' voice broke through the sea wind, and everyone rushed to the railings.
Before them rose something colossal — so massive the horizon itself bent around it.
A moving shadow. A creature walking through the sea.
The crew ran to the deck.
The sea turned silver beneath the shadow of a colossal figure walking through the ocean — an elephant, taller than mountains, older than memory.
Each step sent tremors through the sea, waves cresting in rhythm with its heartbeat.
Rayleigh's glasses almost slipped from his eyes. "That's… Zou?"
Buggy fell to his knees, trembling. "We're all gonna die!"
Oden's eyes went wide. "That… that's not an island…"
Buggy's jaw dropped. "That's a monster!"
Ada said nothing, staring upward — her eyes tracing the wrinkled, moss-covered legs, the waterfalls spilling from its sides like tears.
She could feel something deep, ancient, alive.
The enormous elephant, its legs like mountains, its body towering into the clouds, lumbered forward with impossible grace. Rain misted around its colossal frame as sunlight glinted off its ancient hide.
Roger's grin split wide, the kind that made the crew brace instinctively.
"GAHAHAHAHA! That's no monster, that's an adventure!"
Rayleigh stepped beside her, eyes narrowing. "That thing's been walking for centuries. Maybe longer."
Crocus exhaled a puff of smoke. "Zou… a place untouched by maps."
Ada's hand drifted toward her chest. That heartbeat again. Faint… but familiar.
The Oro Jackson rose with the tide as they drew near the elephant's immense leg. Waves crashed like thunder against its skin, and the crew stared in disbelief at the massive rope ladders hanging down from above.
Gaban whistled low. "People actually live up there?"
Roger laughed. "Then let's go meet 'em!"
He raised his sword to the sky. "Men! Set the ropes — we're climbing that thing!"
——————-
The climb was brutal. Even with ropes and anchors, the waves slammed against them, and the air thinned as they rose higher. But the Roger Pirates were no strangers to madness.
At last, the rope ladders gave way to soft moss and light.
When they finally reached the top, the crew stood in stunned silence.
Before them stretched forests of moss-covered trees, waterfalls cascading off the elephant's sides, and a sprawling village carved from the living earth itself.
They stood on Zou.
Forests rose like cathedrals, the air rich with the scent of rain. The sound of waterfalls echoed through the endless canopy, and sunlight filtered through like gold dust.
The island moved — a subtle, rhythmic sway that felt like breathing.
Oden exhaled, eyes wide. "So this… this is Zou."
Then, from the treeline — movement. Dozens of figures, fur glinting in the sun, armed and alert.
"Wait—!" Dogstorm stepped forward, raising his hands. "It's us!"
The tension broke instantly. Cheers erupted. Minks of every size and species ran forward, laughter and cries filling the air.
"Inuarashi!"
"Nekomamushi!"
The two Minks were nearly tackled by their kin. The crew burst into laughter as Buggy was swarmed by curious rabbit Minks tugging at his nose.
"Hey—hey! Quit that! It's not detachable!"
Shanks laughed so hard he nearly fell over. "They like your nose, Buggy! Must think it's treasure!"
Rayleigh smiled faintly. "So the legends were true… a living kingdom on the back of a beast."
Ada stood slightly apart, watching the joyful chaos. "It's strange… they feel familiar somehow. The air here carries memory."
Roger glanced at her, eyes soft. "You always say that about the old places."
"They all whisper the same thing," she murmured. "That time itself remembers."
Ada's gaze softened. "A nation on the move… and yet older than most empires."
Roger clapped Oden on the back, laughing. "Ha! Seems your retainers made quite the impression."
Oden grinned. "They're part of Wano's story too."
——————-
They were soon led deep into the forest, where the Poneglyph lay hidden within a hollow carved into a massive whale shaped tree.
Blue sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling across the stone like holy fire.
Later, deep within a mossy cavern, the crew found what they had come for — the red Road Poneglyph, its glow faint beneath the dappled light.
Rayleigh whistled low. "There it is."
Dogstorm and Cat Viper knelt beside it. "This stone has been here since before even our oldest ancestors," Dogstorm said solemnly. "The Kozuki family carved its message. We have guarded it ever since."
Oden's hand trembled as he traced the ancient symbols. "Wano's duty… passed across the sea."
Roger stood before it, expression uncharacteristically calm. "The third red stone."
Rayleigh unfurled his parchment, taking careful rubbings of each line, while Gaban and Crocus secured the edges.
Ada watched them work, her mind echoing with that faint pulse again — deeper this time, like the heartbeat of the earth.
The ancient letters shimmered faintly, as if alive.
Roger stepped forward — quiet now, reverent.
Ada followed close behind, her pulse echoing with that same low hum she'd felt since they neared the island.
The Voice was calling.
As the others stood guard, Ada approached the stone, fingertips brushing its cool surface.
Then — the ground trembled.
It wasn't just movement. It was a sound.
A voice.
Low. Deep. Sad.
Zunesha was speaking.
Ada froze, her heart skipping. The voice felt — clearer, alive, pleading.
"I have walked for a thousand years… for the crime I cannot undo…"
Her knees buckled. Roger caught her before she fell.
"Ada—!"
She shook her head. "Do you hear it?"
Roger blinked. "Hear… what?"
Then his expression changed. He could hear it too.
Oden stepped closer, eyes wide, sweat on his brow. "The voice of the elephant…"
The forest itself seemed to breathe. The air shimmered faintly, vibrating with invisible energy.
Rayleigh and the others looked around in confusion. "What the hell's going on?"
"It's speaking," Ada whispered, voice trembling. "To those who can hear it."
She blinked, dazed. "It's… alive."
Oden stiffened. "You heard it too."
Roger's expression shifted — awe replacing his grin. "You can hear it?"
Ada nodded faintly. "Just like before… but clearer. It's like the world itself is trying to speak."
Oden stepped closer, eyes wide. "A voice without sound. I thought I imagined it back then… in Wano."
Roger grinned faintly. "Heh. Guess it runs in the family, huh?"
The voice faded slowly — like the echo of a dream.
————-
Later That Night
The moon hung over Zou, casting pale light across the trees. The Roger Pirates sat around a great fire, sharing food and laughter, though a strange solemnity lingered beneath.
Pedro, still a cub then, peeked from behind an older warrior's leg, eyes wide with wonder. He gazed at Roger and Oden — at men who seemed larger than life.
Shanks noticed him first and grinned, tossing the boy a skewer of meat. "Here, kid. You look hungry."
Pedro caught it, startled. "T-Thank you, mister!"
Ada chuckled from nearby. "Be careful. Feed him once and he'll follow you forever."
Pedro looked up at her — at the calm, mysterious woman who'd smiled even at the voice of the world. "Are you… travelers?"
Ada's gaze softened. "Something like that."
Shanks poked at the fire. "Captain, that voice earlier… it wasn't just me, right?"
Roger smiled. "You didn't hear the words, did you?"
Shanks shook his head. "Just… the weight of it."
Buggy shivered. "Weight? It felt like my bones were about to cry!"
The crew laughed, easing the tension.
Rayleigh leaned back, sipping sake. "Another Road Poneglyph found. Only one more left."
Roger nodded, quiet for once. "Yeah."
Ada sat apart from the fire, gazing toward the forest. The sound of the elephant's steady steps echoed faintly through the night — the heartbeat of a world that refused to die.
Oden joined her, carrying two cups of sake. "You heard it clearer than either of us, didn't you?"
She accepted the cup, staring into its reflection. "Maybe. Or maybe it just wanted someone to listen."
Oden smiled faintly. "You think the world remembers us?"
Ada shook her head. "No. But it remembers what we become."
For a long moment, they sat in silence, listening to the elephant's steps beneath the earth.
—————-
The Next Morning
As dawn broke, the crew prepared to descend the great elephant. Cat Viper and Dogstorm stood at the forest's edge with Oden.
Dogstorm and Cat Viper, however, stepped forward, kneeling before Oden.
"This is where we part ways Lord Oden," Dogstorm said solemnly.
Oden's expression fell. "What?"
Cat Viper smiled. "The Kozuki and the Minks have always been bound by fate. We'll wait here — until the time comes for your return."
Oden's gaze softened, understanding their unspoken meaning. He placed a hand on their shoulders. "Then guard this place well."
Roger smiled, watching them. "Heh. Seems like everyone's got their own part to play."
Roger then placed a hand on Dogstorm's shoulder. "You've got my thanks, Dogstorm, Cat Viper. We'll carry your story with ours."
Suddenly, a small voice called out from the crowd.
"Wait!"
They turned — it was Pedro, running forward, clutching a handmade sword of bone.
"Take me with you!" he cried. "I want to see the world! I want to see what's out there!"
The Minks gasped, and even Roger blinked in surprise.
Ada smiled faintly. "You've got a brave heart, little one."
Pedro's chin lifted. "I'll be strong! I'll fight for your crew!"
Roger crouched down, resting a big hand on the boy's head. "Listen, kid. Someday, your time will come. But not yet."
Pedro's eyes glistened. "But—"
Roger's grin softened. "The world's too big right now. But one day, the dawn will come — and when it does, you'll have your own ship to chase it."
Pedro stared up at him, then nodded fiercely. "I'll wait. And I'll be ready."
Roger straightened, voice booming. "Good! Then we'll leave the next adventure to you!"
Roger grinned, turning to the others. "All right, men! We've got our next heading!"
The crew erupted in cheers, laughter rising with the morning sun.
As they made their way back toward the Oro Jackson, Ada turned once more toward the forest.
The air was still, yet she could still feel it — the faint echo of the voice that had spoken through the world.
"Those who carry the dawn…"
She closed her eyes, whispering to herself.
"Then we'll find the truth you left behind."
Roger's voice called out from the path ahead. "Oi, Ada! You coming or what?"
She turned, the wind brushing through her hair, and smiled faintly.
"Yeah. Just saying goodbye."
Pedro stood there, watching the ship shrink in the distance, the wind carrying Roger's voice like a promise across the sky.
—————
The Roger Pirates left Zou behind, carrying another piece of the world's forgotten truth — and with it, a voice that would echo long after their sails vanished over the horizon.
For the first time, the Zunesha had spoken — and three souls heard it.
Gol D. Roger.
Kozuki Oden.
Nyx D. Ada.