Chapter 112: Albedo and Ulquiorra's Observation Haki!
[New World - The Sea Surface - Near Zou]
The morning mist of the New World was usually a veil of danger, hiding reefs or Sea Kings. But today, the mist was hiding something far more ancient and terrifying.
"Oh my god..."
Nami's voice was a whisper, barely audible over the lapping waves. She was practically sprawled over the Pola's steel rail, her knuckles white from gripping it too hard.
She gazed upward. And upward. And upward.
"Is this... is this really an elephant?!"
Her pupils reflected a sight that defied all logic, biology, and physics.
Rising from the bottomless depths of the ocean was a leg. But to call it a "leg" felt like an insult to its scale. It was a divine pillar, a column of wrinkled grey skin and ancient barnacles that pierced the cloud layer. It was so massive that the heavy cruiser Pola, a 10,000-ton warship, looked like a speck of dust floating beside it.
The sheer scale of it induced a sense of megalophobia—a primal fear of large objects.
BOOM...
The leg moved. A slow, agonizingly heavy shift that displaced millions of tons of water. A tsunami-sized ripple spread out from the impact point, rocking the Pola violently.
"It's walking..." Nami trembled. "It's walking on the ocean floor! How deep is the sea here? Ten thousand meters? And it's standing?!"
"Captain," Nami swallowed hard, turning to look at the calm-faced Suzaku, who was sipping his tea as if this were a normal Tuesday.
"Are we... really going up there? Onto its back?"
"Of course."
Suzaku smiled, setting his cup down. He crossed his arms and leaned against the railing, looking up at the clouds that obscured the beast's body.
"Since we've come all this way, how can we not go up and take a look? It would be rude not to greet the host of such a magnificent vessel."
He turned to the crew gathered on the deck.
"Up there is a very interesting country. A 'Phantom Island' that cannot be reached by Log Pose because it has no magnetic field. It is inhabited by a group of loyal and powerful warriors known as the Mink Tribe."
His gaze swept over the crew—Albedo, Ulquiorra, Madara, Akame, Rem, and Ram. He adopted a tone suitable for a strategic war council.
"Moreover," Suzaku said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "We have already entered the New World. We can't just remain a commander without an army, can we?"
He tapped the railing rhythmically.
"We definitely need territory! And we certainly need subordinates. Look at our situation. The Beasts Pirates have already made enemies of us. Jack is dead. Kaido will be coming. A war is inevitable."
"Later, when we take down that guy Kaido," Suzaku continued casually, as if planning a weekend trip, "his territory in Wano will need trustworthy subordinates to manage it, right? We can't be everywhere at once."
Suzaku's gaze slowly swept across everyone.
Albedo immediately puffed out her chest. Her golden eyes shone with fanaticism, her face clearly stating, "Please give me your commands, Lord Suzaku. I will manage the world for you, or burn it down if you prefer."
She looked proud, ready to administrate an empire.
Rem and Ram, meanwhile, bowed slightly, their expressions respectful and ready to serve.
However, when Suzaku's gaze fell on the others, the mood changed completely.
Akame was curiously licking her lips, staring at the elephant's leg. She seemed to be contemplating a very serious culinary question: Is elephant meat tough? And how big of a pot would we need?
Uchiha Madara had his arms crossed, resting with his eyes closed against a turret. He looked bored by the logistics of empire-building.
"A summoning beast?" Madara muttered without opening his eyes. "Hmph. Size isn't everything. The Ten Tails was bigger."
Ulquiorra, as always, was expressionless. He stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at the horizon as if everything in the outside world had nothing to do with him.
"Sigh..."
Suzaku sighed, pretending to have a headache. He rubbed his temples.
"Look... just look at our crew! It's a disaster of management."
"Aside from Albedo and the Ram and Rem sisters who are capable of good administration... the rest of you are all battle fanatics! Murder hobos! You can't be relied on for anything except cutting people down or blowing things up!"
As soon as he said this, Akame immediately retorted, raising her hand.
"I can cook!"
"And eat three times your weight," Suzaku deadpanned.
"Alright, alright," Suzaku waved his hand dismissively.
"In short, the Mink Tribe are natural warriors. Every single one of them, from children to elders, can fight. They have a transformation called Sulong. If we can subdue them or ally with them, that would be best. But if not, it's fine too. Our objective is sound."
He leaned in, adding a mysterious smile to his voice.
"...The Mokomo Dukedom also hides a red Road Poneglyph."
Nami's ears perked up at the mention of the Poneglyph, knowing it led to treasure.
"Although I'm not interested in becoming the Pirate King," Suzaku murmured, "when you pass a Hidden Dungeon and see a Key Item... why wouldn't you clear it? This is basic gamer protocol! Completionist run!"
Although the others didn't quite understand what Suzaku meant by "player" or "dungeon," they raised no objections. After all, he was the Captain, and his decision was final!
"Then it's settled!" Suzaku decided.
He turned to the blue-haired maid.
"Rem, I'm counting on you! Take us up. Our destination is the Mokomo Dukedom on the elephant's back!"
"Understood, Lord Suzaku. Please leave it to Rem!"
Rem nodded respectfully.
The next moment, her hands glowed with purple gravity waves.
VRRRRR... HUMMMMM...
The massive steel hull of the Pola trembled slightly. Ignoring the surging waves below, the 10,000-ton cruiser defied gravity. It slowly lifted off the sea surface, water cascading from its keel like a waterfall.
With an indomitable momentum, it soared upwards, climbing the leg of the giant beast towards the cloud-shrouded heavens!
[Zou - The Right Flank Forest - Whale Forest Border]
High above the clouds, on the back of the giant elephant Zunesha, a lush, primal forest flourished. It was a world unto itself, isolated for a millennium.
"So, Carrot," a calm, instructive voice spoke. "During patrols, you absolutely cannot miss any blind spot. Even a faint, unusual scent could be a clue left by an intruder."
A nimble, short-haired golden canine Mink woman was patiently instructing the small figure beside her. She wore a musketeer's hat and a green cape.
She was Wanda, a member of the Inuarashi Musketeer Squad, the Bird Unit. Her senses were sharp, honed by years of guarding the duchy.
"Yes! Sister Wanda! I understand!"
The reply came in an energetic voice.
A young, white rabbit Mink girl was nodding vigorously. Her long rabbit ears swayed with the movement, making her look exceptionally cute, but the claw gauntlet on her hand showed she was a warrior.
She was the trainee Musketeer, Carrot.
Looking at the talented and eager-to-learn Carrot, Wanda's face showed a relieved smile.
However, just then, a sound they had never heard before broke the silence of the forest.
VRRRRR...
It was a low, deep mechanical hum. It wasn't the cry of a bird or the roar of a beast. It sounded like the air itself was being ground down.
"Hmm?" Wanda raised her head alertly, perking up her canine ears. Her nose twitched. "I smell... oil? And iron? Something burnt?"
"What is that sound, garu?" Carrot also looked curiously in the direction of the noise, bouncing on her toes.
They looked toward the edge of the island, where the forest met the sky.
In the distant sky, the cloud layer burst open.
A huge black shadow was breaking through the mist, flying straight toward their location. It wasn't a bird. It wasn't a balloon.
When the shadow flew closer, both of them clearly saw its true form.
It was a ship!
A massive warship, forged entirely of cold, grey steel, bristling with cannons. It was sailing through the air as if the sky were an ocean!
"Wha... what is that thing?!"
Carrot's eyes were wide as saucers. Her mouth opened wide enough to fit a carrot whole. Her face was filled with disbelief.
"A flying metal island?!"
Unlike her shock, Wanda's expression instantly became incredibly serious. Her instincts screamed danger. A ship made of metal? Flying? This was technology beyond their understanding.
She grabbed Carrot's shoulder, her grip tight.
"Carrot! Don't just stare! Go back immediately!"
Wanda's voice was calm but urgent.
"Notify Duke Inuarashi and all members of the Musketeers Squad! Tell them there is an unidentified flying object invading the Whale Forest! Initiate maximum alert! Ring the Enemy Bell!"
"Y-yes!"
Startled by Wanda's serious tone, Carrot immediately responded.
ZOOM!
She utilized the astonishing jumping power of the rabbit Mink Tribe. With a powerful kick, she disappeared into the depths of the forest, bounding from tree to tree like a white lightning bolt.
Wanda remained standing.
Bzzt.
Sparks of Electro danced along her fingers. She slowly drew the sword from her waist.
She stared intently at the approaching steel behemoth, her muscles taut. She entered a battle-ready state, prepared to die to buy time for her people.
[The Deck of the Pola]
As the ship ascended past the elephant's shoulder, the air thinned. The mist cleared, revealing the vast forest on the back of the beast.
Just as Wanda was tense below, a different phenomenon occurred on the ship.
Ulquiorra and Albedo, standing on the foredeck, simultaneously stopped their conversation.
They tilted their heads slightly, as if listening to a frequency no one else could hear.
They stopped looking at the forest. They looked down... at the elephant itself.
"There is a sound," Ulquiorra stated indifferently. His emerald eyes narrowed.
"Yes," Albedo nodded softly, a hint of genuine surprise flashing in her golden eyes. "It sounds like some sort of... whisper. No, a scream. It's very loud. Very old."
Suzaku was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.
He looked at them.
He knew that the mastery of Observation Haki (or spiritual sensitivity) possessed by these two was far beyond the reach of ordinary people. Ulquiorra was a spirit entity; Albedo was a high-level tank with immense mental resistance.
Since they had both detected it at the same time, it couldn't possibly be an illusion.
"What did it say?" Suzaku immediately pressed, stepping closer. "Can you understand it?"
Albedo concentrated slightly. She closed her eyes, tuning out the wind and the hum of the ship.
"It's repeating two phrases..." Albedo whispered, her voice taking on a haunting quality. "Over and over again. Like a broken record playing in the void."
"'I made a mistake...'"
Ulquiorra nodded slightly beside her, confirming the statement.
"'I'm so lonely...'"
"I made a mistake... I'm so lonely..." Suzaku repeated softly, rubbing his chin.
A look of realization gradually appeared in his eyes.
The Voice of All Things.
In the original story, only Gol D. Roger, Kozuki Oden, Luffy, and Momonosuke could hear Zunesha. It wasn't just sound; it was the telepathic projection of the elephant's soul, a punishment cursed upon it a millennium ago.
The fact that Albedo and Ulquiorra could hear it meant their spiritual perception had reached the tier of "hearing the voice of the world." Their souls were potent enough to intersect with the ancient beast's frequency.
Suzaku looked down at the grey, wrinkled skin of the giant beast beneath the ship.
A bold hypothesis sprang into his mind.
"It couldn't be..." he murmured.
He pointed toward the majestic, continent-like figure below them.
"That giant creature, Zunesha... you are hearing its thoughts?"
"Yes," Ulquiorra said. "It is in pain. Not physical. Spiritual. It is walking... as a punishment."
"Interesting," Suzaku grinned. "It seems my crew is full of Chosen Ones."
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