"ROAARRR—!"
The colossal Bonbori loomed over the sea like a living continent. With a deafening, thunderous bellow, it unhinged its abyss-like maw and lunged toward the Chris.
A mouth of that magnitude could swallow an entire island whole. Forget the Chris; even the nearby Shark Emeralda had nowhere to run.
"Hey! Are you kidding me?! How do we dodge that?"
"Damn it! We're going to be eaten!"
"Is this the legendary Great Maw of the Abyss?"
"It's over! We're dead! We're being swallowed!"
Panic seized the crews of both ships. Men collapsed to the deck, weeping and wailing in terror as the world turned dark.
Watching the cavernous throat draw closer, Dimitri shouted in alarm, "Captain! Do something, fast!"
Olga looked at the frantic crowd and said calmly, "The real Alchemi is inside Bonbori's stomach. If you want the Pure Gold, you have to go in. It just depends on whether you have the guts!"
"In the stomach?!"
"You've got to be joking!"
"Now that sounds interesting!"
Eyes widened in disbelief across the decks.
"Heh-heh-heh... Perfect timing. I was only worried this big guy wouldn't open his mouth!" Aeridar let out a dark, predatory laugh and raised his arm.
Instantly, the Chris and the Shark Emeralda were wrenched from the ocean's surface, soaring into the air.
On the Shark Emeralda, Tanaka wiped cold sweat from his brow. "Phew... Thank goodness Aeridar-sama remembered us!"
"The power of the Float-Float Fruit... he's controlling my ship!" Mad Treasure's face was grim, but a look of realization soon followed. He muttered to himself, "But why fly straight into that monster's mouth? Could it be... Alchemi is actually inside that beast?"
"That is truly beyond imagination!" Tanaka's eyes lit up with renewed greed.
Under Aeridar's control, the two pirate ships dove headlong into Bonbori's massive maw.
BOOM!
The jaws clamped shut, bringing in a massive surge of seawater that swept them deep into the creature's body.
"Zhurong!" Aeridar's voice rang out through the pitch blackness.
"Yes, Master!"
The next moment, a brilliant flare of fire erupted, hanging in the void like a miniature sun, instantly dispelling the darkness.
"Incredible! Is that thing a sun?" Olga stared in shock at the massive orb of fire. She hadn't expected the small fireballs that usually hovered around Aeridar to be capable of expanding to such a colossal size.
"What is this ability?" Robin's brow furrowed, her eyes darting between the light and Aeridar. Impact-Impact powers, Float-Float powers... is this yet another one?
Robin's heart grew heavier. Knowing Luffy's character, if he discovered she and Sanji had been captured by the Chris Pirates, he would charge in recklessly just as he did at Enies Lobby. But the Kingdom of Clifford was no Enies Lobby, and the Chris Pirates were not CP9. The gap in power was staggering. Even if the Straw Hats allied with Trafalgar Law's Heart Pirates, their chances of victory remained abysmally low.
With Zhurong lighting the way and Olga guiding them, Aeridar maneuvered the two ships deeper into the beast's anatomy.
Before long, the space ahead brightened. It felt as if they had entered a strange, new dimension. An island sat in the distance.
"We've arrived. This is Bonbori's first stomach!" Olga pointed at the island. "But that is just one of the many islands he has swallowed over the years."
"One of them?!" Dimitri stared, confused.
"Does he have more than one island inside him?" Robin asked.
"For a stomach this size, Bonbori has three!" Olga held up three fingers. "We are in Stomach No. 1. If we pass through No. 2 and reach No. 3, we should find the Island of Alchemi where the Pure Gold is hidden."
"Truly magnificent! The world is full of wonders," Aeridar marveled. Seeing it in person was far more breathtaking than any animation.
"Wait, why is it so bright in here?" Dimitri asked, squinting.
"That's because of his 'lantern,'" Olga explained. "The light from Bonbori's lantern is so strong it filters through his body and illuminates the stomachs. It's always bright in here!"
The realization dawned on everyone as they nodded.
ROAARR—
Suddenly, several dinosaurs appeared on the shores of the island, roaring at the floating ships.
"Dinosaurs... I see. The ecological environment of the island has been preserved inside him," Robin noted, fascinated.
"Alright, since this is only the first stomach, we won't linger. Zhurong, down!" Aeridar beckoned. The massive fireball shrunk instantly, returning to the size of a head, and began circling the crew once more.
The two ships pressed on.
Rustle, rustle...
In the thickets of the island, a small dinosaur covered in "pudding" poked its head out. It opened its mouth, revealing a face with messy blonde hair and a beard.
"A flying ship... am I so hungry I'm hallucinating? Or... are there finally new people?"
…
Stomach No. 3. Alchemi Island.
The two pirate ships emerged from a narrow passage one after the other. In the distance, an island stood firm amidst a sea of gastric juices. Ruined buildings covered the landscape, overgrown with vines and thick spiderwebs. It was clear no one had set foot here in a long time.
"That's it. My birthplace... Alchemi, where the Pure Gold sleeps." Olga walked to the bow, her gaze fixed on the island.
"Excellent. Let's land!" Aeridar grinned, his excitement building.
Technically, if Aeridar killed Bonbori, he could probably harvest an even vaster amount of Pure Gold. But the creature was simply too massive, likely as old as Zunesha, and its vitality would be monstrous. It would be a hassle to kill, if it was even possible. A beast that can house an island in its stomach could probably survive a direct hit from a nuclear weapon.
It was easier to just take the Pure Gold from Alchemi. Aeridar remembered there was a significant amount there, —plenty for research.
Wait...
A spark of inspiration hit Aeridar. He muttered to himself, "I remember... Olga's father, Myskina Acier, the man who actually smelted the Pure Gold, is still alive inside this beast!"
If I take him too, I won't just have a sample, I'll have the scientist and the method to manufacture more!
Dimitri stepped up beside him. "What is it, Captain?"
"Ah... nothing!" Aeridar snapped back to reality. He looked at Alchemi Island with a leisurely smile. "I just have a feeling there might be some dangerous traps ahead. We should be careful!"
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]