Somewhere in the New World—
A pirate ship slowly sank beneath the waves, marking the end of yet another crew.
Beside it floated another ship, bearing the flag of Whitebeard.
This wasn't Newgate's flagship, the Moby Dick.
Instead, it belonged to the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—Polo Gram.
The Whitebeard Pirates operated like this: together, they were a blazing fire; apart, they were scattered stars.
The Moby Dick often stayed anchored in one area, while the division commanders and allied captains roamed the New World independently, raiding and gathering resources.
Since the ceasefire with Shiki's Flying Pirates, this pattern had become even more frequent.
Like now—about half a year ago, Gram had left the Moby Dick to operate on his own, plundering wealth across the seas.
Not long ago, they encountered the Ice Cola Pirates. A conflict broke out, and with overwhelming strength, Gram's crew crushed them. After looting everything of value, they even sank the enemy ship.
"Commander Gram, look at this!" a pirate shouted excitedly, holding up a small treasure chest. "It's a Devil Fruit!"
Gram, who had been enjoying the sea breeze with a drink in hand, immediately perked up. He stepped forward and looked into the opened chest. "What kind of ability is it?"
"Abin went to grab the Devil Fruit encyclopedia—we'll know soon!" the crew member replied.
The Devil Fruit encyclopedia wasn't something widely available. It was relatively rare, though most major factions possessed one. As the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Gram was naturally familiar with it.
Before long, a young man named Abin came running out from the cabin, lugging a thick book. "I've got it! Let's see what this is!"
"If we're lucky, we can make another fortune—Devil Fruits are always in high demand on the black market!" one pirate said.
"Or maybe the Commander wants to eat it himself?" another suggested.
Gram waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not interested in becoming a Devil Fruit user. But my idiot son seems pretty keen on it. Don't worry—if it's a good one, I'll pay you all your share at market value."
"Long live the Commander!"
"So generous!"
Soon, after comparing the fruit with the encyclopedia, they found a match in the Zoan section.
"Huh? Commander, you might not be able to afford this one…" a crew member muttered in shock.
"We've hit the jackpot! This is a Mythical Zoan!" Abin exclaimed.
Gram's eyes lit up with excitement. Devil Fruits were already rare—after years sailing the seas, he had only seen a handful, all of which he had sold. Even after joining the Whitebeard Pirates and fighting countless battles, he hadn't come across another… until now.
And yet today, after defeating a seemingly ordinary pirate crew, they had obtained a Mythical Zoan!?
This was one of the rarest types of Devil Fruits—even rarer than the legendary Logia!
"Let me see…" Gram muttered, reading from the book. "A Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Model: Phoenix…? It says here: grants the power to transform into an immortal bird. Even if torn apart, the user can be reborn from flames… Incredible!"
His son, Marco, was currently just an apprentice on the Whitebeard Pirates—his strength wasn't impressive yet, but he was always shouting about wanting to join battles.
But the enemies of the Whitebeard Pirates were extremely dangerous. Gram didn't feel at ease bringing his foolish son along. That's why he had left Marco by Captain Newgate's side, asking him to look after the boy—he believed that was the safest choice.
However, if Marco were to eat this Mythical Zoan and become a phoenix, Gram could finally relax.
At the very least, this ability allowed flight, resurrection, and came with the powerful recovery traits of a Zoan. It was practically a top-tier survival ability.
And if paired with proper combat training, it would basically be a fast track ticket to becoming a top-tier fighter.
As a father—and someone with no desire to become a Devil Fruit user himself—Gram immediately decided to give the fruit to his son.
"Is one billion Berries fair?" Gram said, looking at his crew. "It might go for more on the black market, but I'm technically part of the 'owner' group here. If I put in my share and give you all a billion to split, are we good?"
The price of Mythical Zoans had no real standard. After all, one might not even appear on the black market for decades. When they did, it was usually because the seller didn't recognize its value.
Anyone who actually knew what it was would never sell it.
Still, billion Berries was already far above the usual price of Devil Fruits. Combined with Gram's reputation, who among the crew would dare complain?
Everyone cheered, praising the commander's generosity while happily waiting for their share.
But just then, the lookout suddenly shouted:
"Commander Gram! Southeast horizon—there's a Sea King… no—no, wait! It's not that… it's a gigantic creature heading this way!"
"A gigantic creature?" Gram frowned, standing up to look toward the horizon.
Soon, he saw it.
A massive… elephant?
Its four legs stood deep in the ocean, like towering pillars reaching into the clouds. Mist swirled around it, obscuring its full form. From a distance, its height seemed almost comparable to the Red Line itself.
Unlike his inexperienced subordinates, Gram immediately realized what he was looking at.
"Zunesha! It's the legendary Zunesha! The giant that walks the seas! On its back lies a mysterious country—the homeland of the Mink Tribe. They say it holds rare treasures you can't find anywhere else in the world!" Gram exclaimed excitedly.
The Mink Tribe was notoriously elusive. Even capturing one as a slave could fetch a huge price—though Gram had no interest in something so vile. Still, the kingdom atop Zunesha was even harder to find than Fish-Man Island. By sheer rarity alone, its unique goods would be incredibly valuable.
If they could get their hands on some, it would mean a massive profit.
Having just decided to spend a fortune on the Devil Fruit, Gram couldn't resist such an opportunity.
Besides—what pirate wouldn't want to see Zunesha up close?
"Quick, bring the ship alongside! We're going to make a fortune!" Gram ordered. "And send a message to the Moby Dick! Tell them we've found Zunesha. See if our Captain is interested in the fun. If he is, tell him to follow my Vivre Card!"
Gram immediately ordered the ship to approach.
...
Meanwhile, far behind Zunesha—
The Oro Jackson was sailing at full speed, paddles churning as the crew shouted excitedly on deck.
"See? We shouldn't have just waited around! Zunesha must've heard the horn—look, we only set sail half a month ago and already found it!" Roger said excitedly.
"Faster! Faster! Its strides are huge—we'll never catch up at this rate! Sunbell, get in the water and pull the ship!" Gaban shouted while steering.
Sunbell really wanted to curse him out—what am I, a draft animal!?
But watching Zunesha stride farther and farther away—each step like it crossed half the sea—he had no choice.
"…Fine! Valthior, tie the anchor to me!" he said with a grimace.
Valthior didn't hesitate—almost like he'd been waiting for this. He quickly secured the heavy anchor chain to Sunbell.
With that, Sunbell leapt into the sea.
The fish-man unleashed his monstrous strength, dragging the Oro Jackson forward at incredible speed as they chased after Zunesha.
And just like that—
The First Division of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates were about to converge at the location of the giant elephant!
...
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