Chapter 13: When Giant Wings Descend Upon the Forest!
"The G-51 Branch at Master Port was attacked three days ago. Branch Captain Astor Campbell was killed in action. Also killed was the Royal Steward of the Nice-Mayer Kingdom, Mantal."
"Detention Unit Captain Roy Amos, who was in a nearby sea, returned to Master Port on an emergency basis. He led the branch's Marines in an overnight search for the attacker, but nothing has been found."
"Furthermore, per the World Government's assessment, it is possible Steward Mantal exposed the location of the Celestial Tribute. Therefore, ships will be dispatched to move the Celestial Tribute from Araheet Island."
In the center of Araheet Island, within the Great Araheet Forest.
A Marine with a cigar in his mouth was lying on a deck chair, soaking up the sunlight that trickled down through the ancient, massive trees.
A large silver tachi was propped up next to the chair.
The one reading the report was his subordinate, standing in front of him.
"Move."
The cigar-chomping Marine said in a low voice.
"Yes, Commodore Lanley."
The subordinate, a Lieutenant Colonel, nodded. "Yes, they're ordering us to leave. But before that, you need to contact the transport ships for the Celestial Tribute and confirm the evacuation time..."
But before he could finish, the Commodore shot him an annoyed glare. "Idiot. I meant you move."
"You're completely blocking my sun, can't you see?"
The Lieutenant Colonel froze.
He then realized that, holding the report, he was blocking the light. In the Great Araheet Forest, where the trees towered over fifty meters, sunlight was precious.
The Lieutenant Colonel scrambled out of the way, chuckling sheepishly. "My apologies, Commodore... I didn't notice."
"Be more careful next time. Where I'm from, blocking someone's sun is a high crime."
Commodore Lanley snorted.
...
Hearing this, the Lieutenant Colonel thought to himself, 'What kind of godforsaken place has a rule like that?' but he just nodded obediently.
Then, Commodore Lanley snorted again.
"As for moving the Celestial Tribute... a bunch of cowards!"
The Commodore sneered, clearly annoyed with the World Government's decision.
He turned his head and looked at the massive building hidden in the forest behind him.
"This 'Golden House' is in the center of Araheet Island, a perfect stronghold concealed by the forest."
"The four coasts of the island have four guard bases. The nearby seas are restricted, and it's extremely close to the Calm Belt. The sea here is full of massive whirlpools that can swallow a large ship."
"Who could possibly attack a place like this? It's less than a month until the transport! Moving it now? Are the higher-ups out of their minds?"
He grumbled.
"But it's an order, Commodore."
"And the message came from Vice Admiral Yamakaji himself."
The Lieutenant Colonel could only try to reason with him.
He knew very well that Commodore Lanley was a rising star in the Marines. At only thirty-five, he was already a Commodore.
He had already mastered two types of Haki, was a master swordsman, and was so strong that he was considered a shoo-in for a promotion to Vice Admiral within a few years.
The only person who could order him around was his master, the veteran Headquarters officer, Vice Admiral Yamakaji.
It was strange. Vice Admiral Yamakaji was known for being both kind and strong, but his apprentice was a stubborn guy who hated taking orders.
And sure enough.
Hearing that the order came directly from Yamakaji, Lanley's brow furrowed.
And then...
"We have to contact the ships, right? Give me the Transponder Snail."
He held out his hand reluctantly.
The Lieutenant Colonel thought, 'It worked!' and quickly handed over the Transponder Snail.
"Commodore, there are five ships coming for the transfer. You can use this snail to contact them. It's a special World Government model. It has separate channels and even a recording function... Oh? There's a message already."
As he said this, he noticed the snail had started to speak.
"Commodore Lanley, this is the transfer fleet. We've run into some severe gales, so our voyage will be delayed by about half a day. We will be entering the island from the south base's port."
"Beep. This message was recorded three hours ago."
The snail played the message and the time it was left.
Commodore Lanley's brow furrowed.
"Don't be angry, Commodore. This is the sea. Delays from storms are unavoidable."
The Lieutenant Colonel, thinking his boss was angry again, tried to smooth things over. "Besides, it's only been three days since the attack on Master Port. The fastest ship from there would take at least a week to get here. We don't need to be in such a hurry to move the tribute..."
But he was cut off by Lanley's sharp voice.
"Idiot! Something's wrong!"
Lanley sat bolt upright in his chair.
He was a perceptive man, and he knew something was off.
"This is Araheet Island. It's next to the Calm Belt. This area is lucky to see a single strong wind all year."
He looked at the Lieutenant Colonel. "Contact the south base. Confirm the weather conditions on the southern sea!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
The Lieutenant Colonel saluted and scrambled to dial a Transponder Snail.
"Puru-puru-puru... Puru-puru-puru... Puru-puru-puru..."
The snail's ringing echoed in the quiet forest.
But no one picked up.
The silence in the forest suddenly felt heavy.
"Call the other three bases."
Commodore Lanley's voice cut the silence. The Lieutenant Colonel quickly obeyed, dialing the other three snails.
It was the same.
The snails just kept ringing. No answer.
"Com... Commodore... this is..."
Even the Lieutenant Colonel now understood that something was terribly wrong.
"Contact the watchtower."
Commodore Lanley had already picked up his tachi, using it to push himself to his feet.
The Lieutenant Colonel's face paled further.
The watchtower. The second-to-last line of defense for the Golden House.
He couldn't believe things were this bad, but he made the call.
"Puru-puru-puru... Puru-puru-puru... Puru-puru-puru..."
The snail rang.
With every ring, the Lieutenant Colonel felt his own heart hammering in his chest.
And finally...
"Hh... hh... hhh..."
The call connected.
But only the sound of weak gasping came from the other side.
"Who is this? What's happening!?" The Lieutenant Colonel shouted.
From the snail, a broken voice: "Watchtower... guard... hhh... hhh..."
The man was clearly at his limit, his voice garbled.
"Attacked... gale... monster... from the sky..."
His words stopped there. The snail went silent.
Silence returned to the Golden House.
And so...
"Commodore, I'll go check the situation! Oh, and the defense wall! I'll raise the forest's defense wall!" The Lieutenant Colonel said.
Yes. As the Celestial Tribute's vault, the Golden House had special defenses.
If activated, it was a massive wall that not even an army could easily breach.
"Commodore?"
But the Lieutenant Colonel realized Commodore Lanley wasn't answering him.
Instead, the Commodore was resting his tachi on his shoulder, the blade pointing down.
He took a few steps forward.
The Lieutenant Colonel recognized it. This was the Commodore's combat stance.
A stance he only used when facing a truly powerful enemy.
And then...
"Don't bother."
The Lieutenant Colonel heard Lanley's reply. He saw his Commodore look up.
"They're already here."
"And this presence... Heh!"
Already here?
Hearing this, the Lieutenant Colonel instinctively looked up in the same direction.
The moment he did, he knew something was wrong.
The wind.
It wasn't a forest breeze. It wasn't even a normal, understandable gale.
It was a destructive, roaring torrent of air!
BOOM!
It was the sonic boom of something massive beating the air.
The immense wind nearly knocked the Lieutenant Colonel off his feet, stinging his face with grit and sand.
And with the wind... came darkness.
Yes. The precious sunlight that had been filtering through the leaves... was gone.
It hadn't vanished. It had been blocked.
Blocked by something enormous.
"What... is that?"
Yes, now the Lieutenant Colonel could see it.
Above the Great Forest, a massive silhouette.
It was a creature that should have been extinct.
Its unfurled wings seemed to blot out the sky, its membranes the color of gray-blue stone.
"What is that? You really have to ask?"
But unlike the cowering Lieutenant Colonel, Commodore Lanley... smiled.
He tightened his grip on his tachi, and a burning, combative light filled his eyes.
"That... is a monster!"