Chapter 365: The Giant Elephant Piercing the Clouds! Ruins Shrouded in Poison Gas
The violent and matchless thrust of the "Coup de Burst" finally exhausted itself in mid-air.
The Thousand Sunny fell heavily onto the blue sea like a meteor that had lost its power.
The massive impact kicked up a spray of white water like a torrential downpour, and the ship's hull shook violently.
Although everyone on deck was left dazed by the violent jolting, even Zoro couldn't help but rub his sore head from the impact.
But as they helped each other up and looked back at the empty horizon, the long-suppressed group finally erupted into cheers of relief for their narrow escape.
"Great! We finally lost that terrifying fleet of the Four Emperors!"
Usopp collapsed on the lawn, panting heavily.
However, after the brief joy, Nami's duties as the Navigator immediately brought her back to work mode.
She raised her wrist, her eyes fixed on the Log Pose on her watch.
The three needles were spinning wildly like fans out of control, completely losing any fixed direction.
"No, everyone, don't let your guard down."
"The magnetic field in this area is completely haywire. The Log Pose is useless; we've lost our way on the sea."
Hearing this, Luffy and the others, who were still cheering, were suddenly stunned.
At that moment, Law reached into his trench coat and carefully pulled out a piece of paper with rough edges.
It was the Vivre Card belonging to his Navigator, Bepo.
In this sea of chaotic magnetic fields, the Vivre Card seemed to possess a mysterious pull, pointing steadily toward a spot ahead even without a breeze.
Looking in the direction the Vivre Card pointed, an eerie fog that seemed capable of swallowing all light had risen on the distant horizon.
The thick fog was like a grey-white wall, tightly shrouding the world ahead.
"Ahead. Big Sis Nami."
Law glanced at the Vivre Card in his hand and reported to Nami with a certain tone.
Nami nodded and immediately gripped the ship's wheel with both hands.
Under Nami's masterful navigation, the thousand sunny's sails slowly adjusted as it entered the pitch-black, unknown misty sea.
After sailing for an unknown amount of time through the fog so thick it wouldn't disperse, there was nothing else in the world around them but grey-white vapor and the sound of crashing waves.
Just as everyone's patience was about to run out,
The view ahead suddenly cleared, as if the fog were being slowly pulled aside by a pair of invisible hands.
What came into view was a dark grey "high wall" with a rough skin texture, resembling a colossal pillar reaching for the sky.
The surface of this wall was covered in the furrows of time, exuding an ancient and vast aura.
Looking up slowly along this endless "giant pillar," the anticipation on the faces of the Straw Hat crew instantly froze.
Accompanied by the sound of sharp intakes of breath, everyone fell back onto the deck in indescribable shock.
Peering through the layers of heavy clouds, they finally saw the shocking full view of this so-called "island."
It wasn't an island made of rock and soil at all, but an ancient elephant so massive it could blot out the sun—Zunesha!
Its mountain-like body loomed in and out of the mist.
With every step it took, it sent huge waves surging across the sea.
"Wooo—!!!"
As if sensing the approach of strangers, Zunesha raised its thousand-meter-long trunk and let out a long, resonant cry that echoed through the clouds.
The sound was ancient and sorrowful; the massive sound waves rippled across the sea, instantly triggering a small, localized tsunami.
The violent waves pushed the Thousand Sunny, making it rock violently between the crests and troughs, as if it might capsize at any moment.
Luffy gripped the railing with both hands to steady himself and looked up, his eyes instantly turning into two huge, sparkling stars.
The frenzy for unknown adventure instantly set his blood on fire.
He was so excited that he ran across the deck like a whirlwind, pointing at the behemoth above and laughing loudly:
"Ah! Tra-guy didn't lie!"
"An elephant! It really is a super elephant that's lived for a thousand years!"
"This is so cool!!!"
"What kind of fun things are on its back?!"
Looking at the back of the elephant piercing the clouds, Law rubbed his temples with a bit of a headache and sighed helplessly.
"This island... no, the back of this giant elephant is at least ten thousand meters above sea level."
"Conventional landing methods won't work; we need to find..."
Before Law could finish his precise plan, Tatsuya interrupted him with a light laugh:
"Climbing up would be such a waste of time. Everyone, hold onto the gunwale."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tatsuya's eyes narrowed slightly, and he suddenly raised his hands.
Buzz—!
A massive gravitational field instantly expanded outward from him, tightly enveloping the entire thousand sunny along with the surrounding seawater.
Amidst the group's cries of disbelief and amazement, the massive pirate ship rose smoothly from the sea.
"Whoa! It's flying! The ship is flying!"
Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp excitedly leaned over the edge of the gunwale.
They shouted as they watched the sea below grow smaller and smaller, finally turning into a deep blue mirror.
Before long, the Thousand Sunny passed through the last layer of heavy clouds, and the view suddenly opened up.
Under Tatsuya's precise control, the pirate ship landed steadily at the edge of a hidden forest on the elephant's back.
Everyone quickly gathered their equipment and weapons and jumped off the deck with high expectations.
Stepping onto this vibrant and fertile land, they prepared to welcome the legendary and mysterious nation of the Mink Tribe.
Luffy waved his arms excitedly, shouting about finding animal friends to have a grand banquet and taste the local delicacies.
However, when they passed through the dense forest and arrived at the city gates of the Mink settlement, "Kurau City," with excitement,
What appeared before them was not a prosperous and peaceful nation, but a miserable scene like a living hell.
The massive wooden city gates, which should have been grand and sturdy, had been smashed to pieces by a terrifying force, with wood fragments and iron nails scattered everywhere.
The dilapidated streets were filled with shocking, massive beast claw marks and deep, blackened craters left after the battle.
Looking around, there wasn't a trace of life left in the once-bustling city.
Everywhere were the remains of collapsed houses and burning ruins still emitting black smoke.
Blood stained the cobblestone roads, and broken weapons were scattered in the corners.
Zoro's expression sharpened, and he instantly gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, his eyes scanning the surrounding ruins like a hawk:
"Everyone, be careful... this island has been slaughtered."
Chopper, walking in the middle of the group, had been curiously eyeing the exotic buildings.
He sniffed hard at the strange smell permeating the air.
The next second, the little reindeer doctor immediately covered his nose and shouted in horror:
"Everyone, cover your mouths and noses! Don't breathe!"
"This is the smell of residual potent poison gas! Someone used inhumane weapons of mass destruction here!"
Hearing Chopper's warning, everyone immediately covered their mouths and noses with their sleeves, their brows furrowed.
While everyone was horrified by this inhumane massacre, a faint sound suddenly came from a corner of the ruins not far ahead.
Luffy's gaze sharpened, and he instantly rushed over like a bolt of red lightning.
Exerting force with both hands, he pushed aside a heavy stone slab pressing down on top.
Beneath the stone slab, a canine Mink warrior, covered in blood with large areas of ulcerated skin, lay there dying.
Luffy knelt down and curiously examined the warrior, who had the appearance of a dog but wore the attire of a human knight.
Then he turned his head and waved urgently to Chopper behind him:
"Chopper! Come here quickly, there's someone injured."
Seeing the dying Mink, Chopper the doctor immediately forgot his fear of the unknown environment and the threat of the poison gas.
He rushed forward without hesitation, quickly kneeling beside the injured person to open his medical kit and take out a syringe and bandages:
"Hang in there! I'm a doctor; I definitely won't let you die!"
While speaking firmly, Chopper injected the antidote and performed emergency bandaging as quickly as possible.
While Chopper was sweating profusely, doing his best to save the dying casualty, and the others were warily scanning the eerie ruins,
A cold wind blew by, swirling the thick gas smoke around and making a wailing sound.
Deep within the fog that eyes could not penetrate, several pairs of blood-red eyes suddenly lit up without warning.
Immediately after, a sharp sound of something slicing through the air came.
Several black shadows, as fast as lightning and using the smoke as cover, lunged fiercely at the Straw Hat crew's undefended backs!
"Unforgivable outsiders... all of you, die!"
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