Charlie turned to face him fully, his voice taking on the cadence of a scholar delivering a triumphant discovery. "Observe! Halia, please zoom in on this location."
He gestured toward a section of the holographic display, and the image shifted, focusing on a cluster of structures near the center of the island. The architecture was distinctive—angular, geometric, with intricate carvings covering every surface.
"Notice the inscription," Charlie continued, his voice rising with excitement. "And notice how they appear to pay homage to the moon. The recurring lunar imagery, the phases of the moon carved into the stone, the figures depicted in what appears to be a ritual dance beneath a full moon—this is consistent with known Mink cultural practices, but the architectural style is far older than anything recorded in modern historical texts."
Aurélie's voice cut through his lecture like a blade. "You stated they are a lost Mink tribe?"
Charlie opened his mouth to launch into another explanation, but Aurélie had already turned her attention to Atlas.
"Is this tribe lost to you as well?" she asked, her steel-gray eyes fixed on the red-furred Mink.
Atlas nodded slowly, his expression troubled. "Yes. The only Minks I am aware of are those native to Zou. I've never heard of any other tribe. Never seen any record of them. This is—" He stopped, shaking his head. "This is impossible. There's no record of any other Mink civilization. None."
Charlie cleared his throat, his finger rising in the air. "Ahem! If I may—"
But Vesta had already stepped forward, her hand reaching out to touch Jannali's arm. "Are you okay?" The rainbow-haired singer's voice was soft, concerned. "You look like you're in pain."
Jannali held the right side of her head, her brow furrowed. She shook her head, but her hand remained pressed against her temple. "Nah, yeah, mate, just a bit of a buzzing is all. Right behind the eyes. It's like—" She winced, her eyes squeezing shut for a moment. "It's like someone's got a bloody hornet's nest in there."
Marya lifted an eyebrow from her captain's chair, her ringed golden eyes tracking Jannali's discomfort with quiet interest. "Buzzing?"
Jannali nodded, her jaw tight. "Yeah, mate, it's getten louder though. The closer we get to this island, the worse it gets." She opened her eyes, and for just a moment, something flickered in their depths—a flash of fear that she quickly suppressed. "It's like the bloody wind is screaming at me."
Marya shifted in her seat, uncrossing and recrossing her legs. Her leather jacket creaked with the movement. "Okay, so we're closing in on an island of a lost Mink tribe." She turned her attention to Halia, her voice flat and commanding. "Is there anything that might tell us where the Wani Wani no Mi, Model: Ginga or its power holder may be?"
Halia's eyes blurred over with scrolling code, her holographic form flickering as she processed the query. "I am detecting several unique energy signatures and—"
Charlie cleared his throat, his finger rising again. "Ahem! If I may—"
"This is interesting." Galit's voice cut through. His emerald eyes were fixed on a new image that had appeared on the main display. The screen flashed with what appeared to be ancient ruins rising from the water, their coral-encrusted walls gleaming in the filtered light of the deep. "Look here."
A tidal causeway connected the ruins to the main island, its surface just visible above the waterline. The structures were unlike anything any of them had seen before—a blend of architecture and something older, something that predated the World Government's control of the seas.
Charlie stepped forward, his voice rising with excitement. "Yes! As I was saying—"
Halia interrupted him, her voice carrying the calm efficiency of a system designed to prioritize important information. "Scans indicate several unique energy signatures and disruptive magnetic fields emanating from the island's interior. The readings are consistent with concentrations of ancient metal alloys and—"
Aurélie nodded slowly. "That could explain why this tribe has stayed lost. If a log pose cannot lock onto the island, it would effectively be invisible to anyone who doesn't know exactly where to look."
Halia's holographic form flickered in acknowledgment. "Affirmative. The magnetic interference is significant enough to disrupt standard navigation equipment. It is possible that the island's isolation is intentional—a defensive measure implemented by its original inhabitants."
Galit gestured to the screen, his long neck bending as he pointed at the image of the ruins. "Look here. The architecture matches what Charlie was describing earlier—the step pyramids, the angular patterns, the transportation infrastructure."
Charlie stepped forward again, his voice rising with barely contained enthusiasm. "Yes! If you'll allow me to—"
Bō-Zak cut him off, rising from his corner with a fluid grace that belied his lounging posture. The former monk approached the holographic display, his pipe still trailing fragrant smoke. "That looks familiar." He pointed at a carving visible on the ruins' walls—a spiral pattern that coiled inward on itself, growing tighter and tighter toward the center. "We have a similar symbol on my island."
Galit nodded, his emerald eyes fixed on the image. "Yeah. I see it. The spiral pattern. It's almost identical to what you showed me earlier."
Bō-Zak blew out a plume of smoke, his gold-flecked eyes narrowing. "They might be guardians, then. Just like my people. That symbol is used to mark the San-Zekai Seals on Tawantin. It means—" He paused, sucking on his pipe. "It means they were holding something back. Containing something."
Galit looked over his shoulder toward Marya, his expression unreadable. "This may be a good place to start. The ruins are accessible via the causeway at low tide, and they appear to be the oldest structures on the island. If there's information about the Ginga fruit anywhere, it would be there."
Marya nodded, her golden eyes still fixed on the holographic display. "As good a place as any."
Everyone turned when Jannali cursed, her voice sharp and immediate. "Bloody hell, my head—" She had stumbled backward, her hands pressed to both sides of her head now, her face contorted with pain. "It's like someone's driving bloody nails into my skull. I can't—I can't think straight."
Marya tilted her head, her expression shifting to something approaching curiosity. "Is the wind getting loud?"
Jannali shot her a glare that could have melted steel. "Shut up," she said, the words sharp and immediate. "Just—shut up for a second. I need—I need a moment."
Marya didn't take offense. She simply nodded, a flicker of understanding passing between them. "We might have another lead, then. If Jannali is reacting this strongly, there's something on that island that's connected. Something that's calling to her."
Charlie opened his mouth, his finger rising in the air. "If I may—"
The alarm cut him off.
A piercing wail filled the bridge, red light flashing across every console. Halia's holographic form flickered, her serene expression shifting to something sharper, more focused. "Sea King incoming. Bearing two-seven-zero degrees. Estimated time to intercept: ninety seconds."
Kaburo rose from his seat in the corner, his dark hair falling across his face as he turned toward the main display. His hand rested on the hilt of Kalamaru, the cursed blade humming with barely contained power. "This close to a barrier reef?" His voice was flat, disbelieving. "Sea Kings rarely venture so near to shore. They prefer deeper waters."
Halia's eyes flickered with code. "Affirmative. The creature is approximately sixty meters in length, with a serpentine body and multiple fin structures. It appears to be pursuing a target."
Marya's voice cut through the chaos, flat and commanding. "Show us."
The holographic display shifted, zooming in on a section of the reef. A small fishing boat bobbed in the water, its wooden hull weathered and salt-stained. Three figures stood on its deck, their forms distinct even from a distance—furred, tailed, unmistakably Mink. One of them held a fishing spear, its tip raised toward the water. Another was frantically trying to start an engine that had clearly given up on life. The third was a young cub, barely more than a child, clutching a small wooden staff.
The Sea King's shadow passed beneath the boat, dark and massive, a living mountain of muscle and hunger.
Atlas was on his feet before anyone else could react, his rust-red fur bristling with Electro. He moved closer to the display, his blue eyes blazing. "Damn. Those are Minks. Real Minks. Not just statues—living Minks."
Sanza hopped out of his spinning chair, his bamboo practice sword clutched in his small hands. His red hair stood on end, his eyes wide with excitement and fear. "What are we going to do?"
Marya's golden eyes tracked the scene on the display, her expression unreadable. Her hand came up, fingers drumming against the armrest of her chair as she considered the situation.
The Sea King was closing in. The fishing boat was helpless. And three Minks were about to die.
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