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Outside Dreamland Island, upon the surface of the sea.
The commanding officer from the Mogaro Kingdom, the same man who had previously contacted the Funk Brothers, was tightly furrowing his brows. He stared at the Den Den Mushi before him that had long since lost contact, his grave gaze sweeping across the surrounding area.
"And also..."
At this moment, the nearby sea was filled with an enormous number of warships gathering together.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The densely packed cannons, too numerous to count, fired simultaneously, but their targets were not other warships.
Instead, they were firing into the sky!
And the reason for that was simple.
Because right now, over the sea leading toward Dreamland Island, one meteor after another was continuously falling from the heavens.
Almost every meteor that crashed down tore massive holes into the sea, stirred up gigantic waves, and released thick clouds of steam from the intense heat of the impacts.
As for any warship daring enough to enter that stretch of sea, it would be destroyed by the meteors almost instantly, and although the fleets continuously fired at the falling meteors overhead, they still found it nearly impossible to shatter them accurately.
That was why, despite the agreed time having long since passed, they still had not reached Dreamland Island.
"What the hell is going on with this sea?" The commanding officer clenched his teeth.
"Everyone who landed on the island in advance has completely lost contact, and now the sky is raining meteors like this, this is just absurd."
'Even in the New World, a place infamous for its extreme climate, he had never heard of anything this outrageous.'
"Senior Official! Senior Official!"
At that moment, another Den Den Mushi in front of him rang.
He immediately picked it up, only to hear an extremely anxious voice from the other end:
"Several kingdoms have already made their decision, they're going to split off from the formation and force their way through the meteor shower!"
"What!?" The commanding officer's eyes widened instantly.
"Have they gone insane? Do they realize how huge the losses will be!?"
'Trying to charge straight through a meteor storm of this scale, the losses wouldn't be just one or two ships.'
'No, it would be lucky if even one or two ships survived.'
"They're not crazy, their kings are crazy, Senior Official... the Fountain of Youth..." The voice from the Den Den Mushi was trembling.
The commanding officer fell silent.
'Yes.'
'The Fountain of Youth.'
'What ruler in this world wouldn't be tempted by such a thing?'
And right at that moment…
Buru Buru! Buru Buru!
Another Den Den Mushi in his hand started ringing.
This one wore a tiny crown.
"..."
The commanding officer looked at it silently. He knew that the moment he answered this Den Den Mushi… He would receive the same order as the other kingdoms and so, even as a battle-hardened veteran, his body could not help but tremble slightly.
He did not fear death, nor was he unwilling to sacrifice himself for his nation.
That was precisely why he had come here in the first place, and why he had contacted the Funk Brothers earlier, but that did not mean he was willing to die like this.
Yet just as he grit his teeth and reached toward the Den Den Mushi,
"Charge!"
He suddenly saw numerous warships already rushing madly into the meteor storm amidst the sailors' and soldiers' cries of despair.
"If we obtain the Fountain of Youth, the King will grant us noble titles!"
"I don't want to go! I don't want to go! This is suicide, we'll die! I've already bled for the kingdom, I don't want to…"
"Anyone who dares speak of retreat will be punished under military law! This is the King's order!"
"But Senior Official, you're crying too!"
"My wife and children are all in the royal capital, what the hell do you expect me to do!? Charge! Charge through it! Move aside, I'll steer the ship myself!"
The sea echoed with weeping and furious roars.
And at this moment…
"...Sigh."
High in the sky.
Standing atop floating rocks, Issho, who had been sitting cross-legged while leaning on his sword, let out a soft sigh.
"Knowing full well the terrible losses that await them, yet still sending soldiers to their deaths for personal greed. No matter how many times I witness it, the greed of those in power remains unbearably ugly."
Murmuring softly, he slowly rose to his feet.
His gaze turned toward the frenzied warships below.
There was pity in his eyes.
"To die in such a manner... even in the underworld, they would likely find their own deaths pathetic."
Yet he did not retreat.
He was a man of kindness, but he would not allow virtue to bind his hands.
Just like how, after confirming that the survivors of Plague Island had fully recovered, he had been able to decisively move against the Adi Kingdom.
He mourned these soldiers, but...
"A promise made to Lord Hitsuji must be honored."
As he spoke, his hand rested upon the hilt of the blade at his waist, Yakuza Kasen (Raging Tiger).
But right at that moment,
"Hm?"
His powerful Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) seemed to sense something, causing him to turn his head to look behind him, and then…
"Oh!?"
His eyes widened, and a surprised yet delighted smile appeared on his face.
And at that very moment…
"Hey! Wait! Wait!"
The warships that had already begun their suicidal charge all came to a halt simultaneously.
Because at this moment, everyone could see it clearly.
Within the sea surrounded by countless battleships, and amidst the thunderous explosions of meteors crashing down from the sky, it was as though an invisible giant hand had parted the all-encompassing mist.
They saw it clearly.
From the very center of that sea, something was emerging from the ocean surface.
"Woooo…!"
A distant yet majestic cry echoed across the entire sea.
It was as though the sovereign of a phantom dream had awakened from slumber and declared its existence to the whole world.
And then… A wondrous sight that they would never forget for the rest of their lives unfolded before them.
They saw a gigantic creature soaring into the sky upon the distant sea.
Its body was as enormous as an island. Its scales shimmered with intertwining white and gold, while dreamlike flame-clouds flowed along the edge of every single scale.
"Boom!"
Its four hooves stepped upon the surging waves, yet it did not sink.
On the contrary,
With every step it took, a flower like something from a dreamland bloomed beneath its feet.
"Whoosh!"
Ripples of seven-colored light spread outward as it galloped across the sea and ascended into the heavens.
But if one looked carefully, they would discover that the enormous creature, that looked so fantastical it seemed unreal...
Its scales were not truly scales at all, but hills and mountains.
The patterns upon its body were rivers flowing across an island.
The seven-colored radiance reflected forests and moss.
And at the center of its back stood a gigantic world tree of unimaginable size.
At this moment, that giant tree continuously scattered crystalline blue light in all directions.
Yet even this was not the true focus.
The truly important thing was that everyone could now see, countless creatures were flying alongside that colossal being.
Six gigantic beasts flew at the forefront like vanguards clearing the way.
Large numbers of "Sage Spirit Fires" formed flowing ribbons of light to guide the path ahead.
Flower spirits with butterfly wings scattered pollen that drifted down onto the sea below, reflecting into magnificent rainbows.
Harpy-like maidens hummed ancient songs, while their fluttering wings stirred gentle sea breezes.
These were the Phantom Beast Lord and the creatures of Dreamland.
Like the most loyal of retainers, they surrounded their creator and king and this scene, like something out of a mythological epic left every single person on the warships below utterly dumbstruck.
There was no need for words.
Anyone with a slightly faster reaction speed had already understood.
"Th-That's Dreamland Island?"
"Dreamland Island fl-flew away?"
"That thing... is the god of the island?"
"I think I just saw a young lady on the island, is that Miss Fairy?"
"I... I..."
Although everyone present had come here for Dreamland Island,
Without question, this was the very first time any of them had actually seen it.
And so, no matter what, they could never have imagined witnessing such an unbelievable spectacle.
Naturally, there were some who reacted even faster.
"..."
For example, the commanding officer of the Mogaro Kingdom fleet had already noticed that...
Atop that gigantic, sacred, myth-like creature's head... there was a shape that clearly resembled the face of a sea beast, and that face looked just like a ram's head.
In this era, the term 'Sea Beast face' needed no explanation.
So...
"No way..."
This unbelievable speculation surfaced in his mind almost instinctively.
"No... it's possible. Dreamland Island itself appeared mysteriously, as did that organization. Could this be...?"
His entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Buru Buru. Buru buru.
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi belonging to the King was still ringing in front of him.
But...
Click.
The next instant, the commanding officer hung up without hesitation.
He no longer thought about the king's orders. Instead, he simply raised his head and looked silently towards the sky.
There, the enormous Qilin, carrying the giant world tree on its back together with the creatures of Dreamland, faced the rising sun and stepped onto a bridge of rainbows, and leapt into the clouds.
(End of Chapter)
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