The Shadow Fox and Origin have already sailed into the Windless Zone, propelled slowly across the sea by external power, while the Seastone embedded in their hulls ensures that the Sea Kings below completely ignore them.
Saul didn't find it strange; passing through the Windless Zone always involves some likelihood, and with a bit of luck, not encountering Sea Kings isn't unusual.
Although Vegapunk discovered that embedding Seastone can avoid Sea Kings, Saul was unaware of the technological details.
It's common among Vice Admirals of the Giant Race. There are a few in other minority races, but those who join the Navy are primarily from the Giant Race, and they're selected mainly for their strength.
Sengoku intended to explain to Kuzan but said very little to Saul, which marked the distinction.
Additionally, Seastone remains a rather scarce resource externally. The World Government has yet to establish stable trade channels with Kaidou, relying instead on black market purchases.
He neither refused to trade nor stated his desires, much like ordering at a restaurant, where everything seemed fine until the meal was ordered, only for him to decline it, leading the CP0 team leader to almost lose his hair from frustration.
Meanwhile, on the Shadow Fox, a few scholars were stealthily observing Elizabeth, in her original form.
"This is... a Snake Monster Lizard, right?"
"Yes, it's a Snake Monster Lizard, a species thought extinct over a hundred years ago, yet there's one alive here."
These were two historians studying ancient creatures. In this world, extinction is defined by disappearance from most sea regions. Unique environments like Ancient Island are not rare, where some unique species are commonplace.
The isolated island environment results in peculiar evolutionary patterns in animals.
Despite having the ability of the Inteleon, Elizabeth sometimes enjoyed sunning herself in her original form, and was then discovered by a few scholars observing her from the corners, prompting her to revert to her Inteleon form.
"What are you doing?"
"It talks... wonderful! Could you share what your living habits are like as a Snake Monster Lizard, and what it feels like to run across the water?"
The fact that Elizabeth could transform and speak didn't alarm them; instead, it fueled intense curiosity. For someone studying ancient creatures, encountering a living, talking ancient species was a godsend.
When Olga later arrived, she found the scholars serving Elizabeth tea and water.
"What are you... doing?"
"They're... doing it voluntarily..."
There are quite a few Ancient Islands along the Grand Line, but not as many in the Four Seas. In the New World, battling dinosaurs isn't unheard of, but in the Four Seas, people mostly study dinosaur fossils.
They're scholars, not warriors. Meeting Elizabeth, who provided them valuable insights, turned them into eager sycophants.
Listening to Elizabeth's explanation, Olga realized why the World Government would approach these scholars; they were audacious to a fault.
Meanwhile, Yamato had also made a new friend—Nico Robin.
Robin was much more mature than her peers, being born earlier, so she was over two years older than Yamato.
One was feared and resented by peers since childhood, the other naturally friendly and almost socially inept, so it's not surprising that the two became close.
Though there were many children in Wano Kuni, neither Kaidou nor Arceus intended for her to grow alongside them. Her only peers were Maria and Jack, barely enough for a Mahjong table.
Of course, adding a Chansey changed things.
"Your horns... are they real?"
"Of course they're real; is that strange?"
"Doesn't anyone fear you?"
At first, she thought Yamato's horns were merely a headpiece or hairpin, but surprisingly, they were real.
"Fear? Impossible, everyone's very friendly."
It wasn't so much friendliness as it was awe, thanks to not having lost her parents. At two, Nico Olvia began exploring Poneglyphs and left her with relatives.
Initially, things were fine, but over time, they viewed her as a burden. Ohara's ordinary residents couldn't grasp the scholars' ideals.
Children tend to exclude; someone too tall, too thin, or too weak is marginalized if they're different, like Robin, who ate the Flower-Flower Fruit, and without adults to stand up for her, the situation only worsened.
But Yamato was different. With both Kaidou and Arceus on Ghost Island, it was safe, though Kaidou, when sober, was harsh with Yamato.
However, his parenting didn't allow any pirate to dare target the captain's daughter.
The return to Ghost Island was not as rushed as before. After about a month, the Origin and Shadow Fox returned to the sea near Wano Kuni.
Via the Hidden Port, the two ships appeared again in the Inner Sea of Wano Kuni, while a massive shadow loomed from the far sky, with Kaidou in Dragon Form encircled by flame clouds. He had forcibly towed a Little Sky Island back.
"Is that... a dragon?!"
"Not a dragon. These ships belong to the Hundred Beasts Pirates, and that is the captain, 'Hundred Beasts' Kaidou, now a major pirate in the New World."
Watching Kaidou above, Saul explained his identity to the scholars. They excelled in historical topics, but not so with unrelated ones.
"Is that cloud behind him... a cloud?"
"Not clouds, it's a Sky Island. That Sky Island will be your future abode. Surely you've heard of Sky Islands?"
The scholars exchanged perplexed looks, ultimately turning to Clover, since the topic of Sky Islands was beyond their research scope, and Clover, as the director of the Tree of Omniscience Library, was the most knowledgeable.
"I've seen some descriptions of Sky Islands in literature, but seeing it firsthand, let alone witnessing someone towing a Sky Island…"
Saul was less shocked; hauling islands was legendary among the Giant Race, harking back to the 400-year-old tale of Continent-Puller Oars.
An Ancient Giant, much larger than average giants, Demon Oars, who dragged desired countries or islands back to his territory.
He died attacking the Ice and Snow Country, frozen in the frigid waters without clothing.
"Olga, arrange accommodation for these scholars and the big guy."
"Understood, rest assured."
Then Arceus departed. The Sky Island was now secured, but how and where to establish it needed thorough planning....