It was already noon on Punk Hazard, and the once-lively ice platform had quieted down significantly after the energetic welcoming party.
The Phantom Mirage Pirates, now officially the Second Vessel of the Orca Grand Fleet, had already set sail again, heading off with pride and fresh motivation.
Not long after, Daz Bones, the First Commander, also prepared to depart. Alongside him were his team members: Mr. 4, Drophy, Bon Clay, and Zala, all boarding their own ship, setting a course for the next mission under the Orca banner.
That left only the original Orca crew behind on Punk Hazard's icy terrain.
Standing with arms crossed and eyes scanning the wide, frozen landscape, Binko broke the silence. "Let's explore this island," he suggested with a grin. "Who's with me?"
"I'm in," Zoro said casually, adjusting the swords at his waist. "Could use a walk."
"What about you, Zino?" Alvida asked, glancing at their captain.
Zino remained seated on a large, jagged chunk of ice, staring thoughtfully at the frozen expanse around them. "You guys go on without me," he replied. "I'll stay here."
His tone was calm, but his eyes held quiet determination. His mind wasn't on exploration—it was on something else entirely.
Zino looked at the endless sea of ice around him. His goal was simple but intense. He needed to absorb the surrounding ice, gradually refining and leveling up his ice element. Once he reached level 100, he would finally unlock his Logia transformation—something he had long been working toward.
As he stood up and looked out across the island, he added, "By the way… if you happen to head toward the magma side of the island, you might run into a fire dragon."
"Dragon?!"
That one word instantly caught the attention of several crew members. Faces perked up and eyes widened.
"Did you say dragon?" Zoro asked, already intrigued.
"Now that sounds like something worth seeing," Sanji said, adjusting his tie with a smirk.
"Then, I'm going too!" Gin exclaimed. "I want to see how strong those things are."
"Can they breathe fire like in the legends?" Galdino asked aloud, half-joking, half-serious.
"Guess we'll find out when we see it," Hibari replied, already starting to pack a small bag with supplies.
Even Binko, who'd started the idea of exploring, now looked more excited. He turned toward Zino again. "Captain, can you at least tell us where exactly the dragon is? Give us a head start?"
Zino shook his head with a small chuckle. "Nah. That'd ruin the point of exploring. Just search around the island. If you're lucky—and loud enough—you'll probably stumble right into it."
The group accepted the challenge with nods and excited chatter.
"Alright, let's do this," Sanji said, now leading the way toward the volcanic side of the island.
"I've never fought a dragon before," Zoro muttered, walking beside him. "Could be fun."
"Let's not get roasted on the way," Galdino said dryly, following behind the others.
Usopp and Stev exchanged a nervous glance but joined anyway, curiosity outweighing their fear. "Let's just stay in the middle of the group," Usopp whispered.
With packed meals, weapons, and anticipation in their hearts, the crew set off in high spirits, leaving Zino behind to continue his silent training.
Meanwhile, Kuzan, recently healed by Kaya, decided it was finally time to rest.
He made his way slowly onto the Great White, the main ship of the Orcas, now docked peacefully on the ice. The warmth from Kaya's healing still lingered in his limbs, but so did the exhaustion from his long, brutal ten-day battle with Akainu.
As he stepped onto the deck and spotted the soft cloud couch near the helm, he didn't hesitate.
Within seconds, he collapsed into the plush seat, his tall frame sinking comfortably. The cold didn't bother him—in fact, it was oddly soothing. His eyes closed almost immediately.
And then, as the sound of footsteps and laughter faded into the distance, a deep, peaceful snore escaped his lips. Finally… Kuzan slept.
Now, except for Zino, Moris, Baral, and Aokiji, the other male Orcas already left for the exploration.
The female members of the Orca Pirates, however, they doesn't feel the need to endure the chilling cold outside longer than necessary. Most of them chose to remain inside the Great White, their colossal 60-meter-long crocodile-shaped ship.
With its vast interior—designed not just for war but also for long voyages and comfort—the ship offered more than enough amenities to keep the crew busy and content. There was a dedicated training space lined with reinforced walls, a modest but well-stocked library, multiple private rooms for each member, a shared dining area, and even a mini greenhouse room for rare plants.
In one corner of the library, Robin and Kaya sat quietly reading together. Not far from them, Alvida lounged with her coat draped over her shoulders, sipping warm tea as she chatted idly with Nojiko. The two exchanged their views and experiences with Haki, each trying to understand it better in their own way.
Inside the training room, Mikita was focused on awakening her Devil Fruit powers. For some reason, she was no longer satisfied with using the Kilo Kilo ability solely on herself. Instead, she was attempting to project its weight-altering effects onto her surroundings. Beside her, Marianne observed closely, recording Mikita's progress as she trained.
A calm and comfortable atmosphere filled the ship, contrasting with the harsh environment outside. Only a few peculiar members remained out in the cold alongside Zino, who was in the middle of his ice element training.
Baral, the towering Cloud Yeti, sat cross-legged near the base of the ship in his full beast form. As a yeti, Baral had a large and muscular body covered in thick white fur, making him virtually immune to the sub-zero temperatures. With eyes closed and breath steady, he meditated in silence, sharpening his Observation Haki through mental focus and calm.
Not far from him, Cora, the former Silent Orca ship who had been granted life through a Zoan Dryad fruit, was kneeling near a patch of frost-bitten ground. She was learning new dryad techniques from Moris and Chloris, twin dryad siblings with mastery over plants. Though the icy land offered little in terms of vegetation, they were teaching her how to awaken plant life even in harsh climates—an advanced skill that required patience and finesse.
Meanwhile, Zino stood alone at the center of the frozen field, ice cracking slightly beneath his feet. His eyes were focused, his breathing controlled.
"Palm Vortex."
He opened his hands wide, his palms facing outward as two swirling vortexes formed—one in each palm. At the same time, he opened his mouth slightly, and a steady stream of ice particles flowed inward, entering both his palms and mouth.
His body began to glow faintly with a cold, blue aura. Ice crystals swirled in the air around him, drawn toward him in a controlled cyclone.
This wasn't just absorption. This was training in its purest form—Zino's own unique way of mastering his ice element. Through swallowing, channeling, and harmonizing with the surrounding frozen energy, his elemental affinity grew sharper, deeper. He was internalizing the nature of ice, not just controlling it but becoming it.
"Level 84…" Zino muttered to himself as a small notification chimed in his mind. But he didn't stop.
To further accelerate the process, he began elementalizing his body—starting with his fingers. As they turned translucent and crystalline, the chill within him surged. His palms followed, then his arms, until most of his body began to shimmer with semi-transparent layers of icy form.
"Ah… so this speeds things up," Zino noted, feeling the internal flow of cold grow stronger, more synchronized with the ice around him.
The results were immediate.
"Level 85…"
"Level 86…"
Time passed without him noticing. The sun, hidden behind heavy clouds, dipped lower in the sky as evening approached. Still, Zino pressed on, his breath now visible in rhythmic puffs, his elementalization flickering and expanding with each minute.
Eventually, as darkness started to blanket the icy land, Zino paused. He opened his eyes, now glowing faintly with a blue hue, and glanced around.
"Still no sign of Sanji and the others…"
Deciding it was time to take a break, he headed back to the Great White. Once inside, he made his way to the ship's kitchen and began preparing a warm meal. The scent of spices and broth soon filled the ship, drawing the crew from their activities.
Once the food was done, the crew gathered back at the same ice platform from earlier. Plates and bowls were passed around, laughter and chatter slowly rising again. Even in the cold, their spirits were warm.
Zino took one final glance toward the distant volcano side of the island before settling down with his bowl in hand.
"Let's eat," he said simply, and the crew began their meal.
But just as the first bites were taken, Zino paused. He sensed something—someone—approaching at high speed. His gaze shifted to the horizon.
A figure was cutting through the air—not flying, not running, but swinging, his threads latched onto clouds above like a spider weaving across the sky.
Donquixote Doflamingo.
With a sharp thud, the Warlord landed near the platform, snow bursting around his feet as his pink feathered coat fluttered in the wind. His arrival alarmed the crew who just started eating their meals.
"Fuffuffuffu! To think the man haunting the Den Den Mushis of the New World would be sitting right here," Doflamingo chuckled, his grin wide and eyes gleaming. "Zino... the 2.25 billion berry ghost. I've been wondering when you'd finally crawl out from the shadows."
Zino calmly set his food aside. "You want something to eat?"
Doflamingo didn't respond—his grin didn't waver.
Zino continued, his tone cool, "I like the cold. It's quiet. But I didn't think a Shichibukai had time to visit an abandoned government island. You lost?"
Doflamingo's smile only widened, though his gaze sharpened. "Abandoned? No, brat. This island is a graveyard of secrets... and some of those secrets belong to me. I don't care how many billions are on your head—you're trespassing on my property."
He took a slow step forward, snow crunching beneath his boots.
"So tell me," he said, voice low, "what's a man with your reputation doing in a place filled with nothing but leftover labs, and now littered with ice, and magma?"
Zino remained unshaken, his voice calm. "The same thing a man with your... influence is doing here. Looking for an edge."
He leaned back slightly.
"I heard Caesar's been lonely. Figured he might have some unpublished research lying around. Thought I'd drop by."
For a split second, a vein twitched on Doflamingo's temple.
Zino had struck a nerve.
Caesar.
The name echoed in Doflamingo's head like a warning bell. He wasn't sure how much Zino actually knew—whether it was just curiosity or something deeper. Especially the risk that he might have discovered SAD or worse.
Still, the Joker's mask remained in place.
"Fuffuffuffu! Caesar's a failure. A clown in a lab coat," Doflamingo said, his voice laced with contempt. "There's nothing here but rusted metal and failed gas experiments. If you're looking for power, you're wasting your time on this graveyard."
He paused, eyes narrowing slightly.
"But I am curious… how does a 'rookie' like you keep an Admiral on a leash? Is it money? Or is there something hidden beneath that calm little smile of yours?"
As he said this, his eyes slid over to Kuzan, who sat nearby, casually eating his food—completely unfazed by the Warlord's presence.
"Kuzan's here for the drinks," Zino replied with a small grin. "Not a leash."
Then he leaned forward slightly, voice still calm but edged with meaning.
"As for what's hidden... maybe I'm just lucky. But if I were you, Doflamingo— or should I say, Joker— I'd be more worried about the 'gears' you've left unattended. People are starting to hear them turning."
For a split second, Doflamingo's smile twitched. His mind raced. Did Zino know about the SMILE trade? Or was it just a bluff?
"…You speak in riddles, Zino," he said coldly. "Fine. Stay on this frozen rock if it suits you. But don't touch what doesn't belong to you. If Caesar goes missing... or if my research is tampered with... not even an Admiral will be able to shield you from the storm that follows."
He stared hard at Zino for a long moment, trying to read him. But Zino didn't flinch.
Eventually, Doflamingo turned and walked off into the cold, headed toward where Monet and Caesar were hiding.