Having seen Zunesha's Vivre Card and the official One Piece creature guidebook, Ash naturally knew that Zunesha was not only enormous, but its body structure was also different from that of an ordinary elephant.
Normal elephants, much like humans, have only two leg joints.
Zunesha had three.
Its massive body balanced atop four impossibly long, thin legs standing in the ocean gave it an oddly surreal appearance.
As everyone knew, when Eiichiro Oda designed characters and creatures, he often drew inspiration from mythology, landmarks, and real-world imagery.
For example, Miss Goldenweek from Baroque Works was partially inspired by the Tokyo Statue of Liberty, which Oda jokingly used as a symbol of himself as a manga artist wanting a break.
The Kingdom of Alabasta clearly drew inspiration from ancient Egypt, while the guardian deities' Devil Fruit forms resembled Horus, the falcon-headed god, and Anubis, the jackal-headed god from Egyptian mythology.
Even Nika's image carried traces of multiple inspirations, blending folklore and symbolism.
As for Wano Country, the references were even more obvious. From Kaido's Eastern dragon form to tengu, nine-tailed foxes, the Great Mouth True God, Yamata no Orochi, and Shuten Doji, the entire arc was packed with figures rooted in Japanese mythology.
Back before transmigrating, Ash had been a streamer and content creator.
Naturally, he had once assumed that something as bizarrely designed as Zunesha must have some deeper inspiration behind it.
And out of curiosity, he had actually looked into it.
To begin with, Zunesha's appearance was likely inspired by Elephant Rock in New Zealand.
At the same time, the literal meaning behind Zunesha's name could be interpreted as "Night-Walking Elephant," fitting perfectly with the giant creature endlessly roaming the seas with Zou resting on its back.
But the truly interesting detail came afterward.
If Zunesha's name was read backward in Japanese wordplay, it loosely connected to "an elephant like one from Dali's painting."
And Salvador Dali's famous surrealist artwork, The Elephants, depicted towering elephants with impossibly long, thin, multi-jointed legs.
The resemblance was difficult to ignore.
Ash had once guessed that this was likely Zunesha's true inspiration.
And if Nika partly drew inspiration from Nike, the goddess of victory, then pairing that symbolism with Dali's "Triumphant Elephant" made Zunesha obeying Joy Boy feel strangely fitting.
Of course, Ash had never been completely sure whether his theories were accurate.
Still, back then, it had made for excellent content to discuss with viewers.
That alone had been enough.
After briefly recalling his past-life theories about Zunesha's origins, Ash and the others soon arrived at the country gate located near Zunesha's tail.
Floating above the gate, they looked ahead.
A vast forest stretched into the distance, surrounding clusters of buildings hidden among the trees.
Farther ahead stood an enormous tree shaped like a whale.
Figures darted in and out of the forest.
The Mink Tribe.
Ash and the others paid little attention.
Based on the rough explanation Ash had given them before, the entire Mokomo Dukedom, excluding the Mink Tribe's Sulong transformation under a full moon, was not especially impressive in terms of combat ability.
At best, the combined military power of the country could rival Jack of the Beast Pirates.
With their current strength, even Pini and Youki from last year could have wiped out the country on their own.
Of course, that was merely hypothetical.
They had no grudges against the Minks and no reason to cause trouble.
Besides, none of them were particularly interested in beast-men.
After years of sailing, they had already seen Mink Tribe members sold at auctions and wandering various islands.
The novelty had long faded.
Honestly, imagining someone covered in thick body hair standing directly in front of you was enough to make anyone hesitate.
And the Mink Tribe's habit of greeting people by rubbing faces was even harder for Ash to accept.
That said, Carrot in her Sulong form did look fairly impressive.
Unfortunately, she was still just a child this year and likely had not even joined Inuarashi's Musketeers yet.
Naturally, Ash was not interested in tracking down a child simply out of curiosity.
Their purpose here was straightforward.
Robin wanted to see the Road Poneglyph hidden atop Zunesha.
"The Road Poneglyph is inside the hidden chamber behind the Whale Tree," Ash explained. "We'll head there directly."
No one objected.
The group flew over the center of Zou, passing above the city known as Crow City before heading toward the deepest part of the Whale Forest.
The moment they landed, they were surrounded.
Leading the group was a Mink dressed in retro military fashion and elaborate clothing.
Ash glanced over and instantly recognized them.
The newcomers were Duke Inuarashi's Three Musketeers.
The red-maned lion, Sicilian.
The blonde zebra, Giovanni.
The fox Mink, Concelot.
Alongside them stood Wanda, accompanied by several Mink warriors, including cats, monkeys, wild boars, bison, moles, and even pandas.
Sicilian stepped forward first.
"Outsiders, who are you?" he asked sternly. "And why have you appeared on Zou?"
Kirk turned toward Ash.
"What do we do? Answer honestly?"
Youki curled his lip.
"Answer honestly and probably get detained? Sounds troublesome."
Ash chuckled.
"It isn't that complicated."
Seeing Ash's group casually ignoring the question, Sicilian frowned.
Giovanni, who clearly had a shorter temper, immediately gave an order.
"If they refuse to answer, disarm them first!"
The surrounding Musketeers responded instantly.
Weapons were drawn as they cautiously approached.
Pini and Youki blinked.
Among the group, only the two of them visibly carried weapons.
One had a golden bow.
The other wore golden gauntlets.
Their expressions immediately darkened.
Youki scratched the stubble on his chin.
"Zebra, maybe wake up and take another look."
He raised his golden gauntlet.
"This weapon is literally made of gold."
Pini snorted.
"So this is what you call disarming?"
"We already know what you're thinking."
The Musketeers continued approaching.
Youki sighed.
"It doesn't feel right to attack them. We are technically uninvited guests."
Pini shrugged.
"Maybe. But I dislike the idea of getting 'disarmed' by little animals even more."
"I already said this isn't complicated."
Ash stepped forward.
The next second, his Conqueror's Haki exploded outward.
An invisible pressure swept across the forest.
In an instant, every Mink present, including Sicilian, Giovanni, and Concelot, rolled their eyes back, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed unconscious.
Kirk raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"That really is the perfect lazy solution."
Pini and Youki looked openly jealous.
"Conqueror's Haki is ridiculously useful."
Ash laughed.
"It really is the ideal ability for clearing out cannon fodder you don't want to kill."
He looked toward the Whale Tree.
"Alright, obstacles removed. Let's find the hidden entrance."
After searching briefly, the group quickly found the concealed doorway near the base of the Whale Tree.
Opening it, they followed the hidden staircase downward.
Before long, they arrived at the secret chamber buried beneath the tree.
===
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