Chapter 407 – Zou 01.

    Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]

    Third Person POV

    New Word.

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    In an area of the sea in the middle of the New World, the ocean became chaotic as explosions erupted in front of a massive shadow that stretched into the sky for those below, unable to see its end. This shadow kept moving.

    Its mere act of walking on the sea agitated the'' waters, creating enormous waves, and anyone who caught sight of this colossus in the open sea would turn back immediately, not wanting to face this creature.

    The massive shadow slowly revealed its true form: a colossal walking island. However, this island was unlike any other found on the seas. The creature that carried this vastness was a giant elephant, continuing its walk across the sea, with each step echoing like thunder over the ocean. Its name was Zunesha, an ancient creature over 1000 years old, condemned to a punishment that no one fully understood since the Void Century. Some people in this world knew that it was once a companion of Joyboy, and among them, it was suspected that this punishment of wandering the seas had been imposed by Joyboy himself or perhaps his companions from that time.

    Its enormous size for walking on the sea was nothing ordinary; after all, standing over 35 kilometers from its feet to the small shell on its back, what might seem like a small carapace to it was so large it could be considered an island, due to the civilization that lived there.

    Despite facing extreme climatic conditions so high above the clouds, something similar to Skypiea, the people living above were different from any race in the world. This place was home to a people known as the Minks, a race of fierce warriors with animal-like traits, living in harmony with the nature they had a strong connection with due to their beastly forms.

    Everything seemed normal this day, as its inhabitants were just going about their usual routines, until a short while ago, like any other day. But that changed when their two main leaders met during the changing of the guard and began fighting each other once again, as they used to do every day. The leader who ruled during the day, Inuarashi (Dog), officially known as the Duke of Day, and the other who ruled Zou during the night, Nekomamushi (Cat), officially known as the Duke of Night.

    Both strove for the best path for their people, always wanting to ensure that the Minks could grow happy and prosperous on Zou, until the day they were called to fight in Wano once again.

    However, due to past events related to Oden, to whom they were loyal and cooperated together until his death, the breaking of that cooperation had turned them into rivals. Every time they faced each other, it seemed they always wanted to surpass one another, but they always ended in a draw. They were much stronger than an ordinary person, reaching the level of a sub-commander or even a Yonkou commander. They would unite their forces with their beast form under the full moon and wouldn''t hesitate to join forces to protect Zou if necessary.

    At this moment, a battlefield had been created as the two fought one another, with explosions and blows echoing through the field. One was a dog, the other a cat, fighting fiercely without unleashing their race''s most powerful strength, as they never fought under the full moon in their encounters.

    Once again, the entire population watched with concern, although they were used to this, as it happened nearly every day. As they exchanged blows on the battlefield, hitting each other, their injuries began to grow.

    "Today, I will defeat you!" Inuarashi shouted, attempting to strike the other.

    "You''re not strong enough. Now, lose like a cat, you mangy dog!" Nekomamushi responded, counterattacking.

    And so, their fists collided once more. As the battle raged on, something unexpected happened this morning, drawing everyone''s attention. While exchanging blows, both noticed that the sun had been covered by something that looked like a cloud. However, upon closer inspection of the shadow, they realized it was clearly not a cloud. They looked up.

    "Hey, is that a ship?" The Minks exclaimed, astonished, as they saw the shape of a ship with sails, coming toward their home.

    "Damn, what is that?" Nekomamushi and Inuarashi exclaimed at the same time, wondering if that uninvited ship was an enemy, as they stopped fighting and took a step back, carefully watching the ship approaching without warning.

    "Nekomamushi, it''s already morning... You can sleep, I''ll handle this," Inuarashi said, looking at his rival.

    "You think I''m going to let you govern our domain while a powerful enemy might be coming here? Don''t be foolish!" Nekomamushi responded angrily.

    "I swear, if you get in my way, I''ll beat you so hard that I''ll start ruling Zou by myself! Don''t be a fool!" Inuarashi said, equally furious.

    "Please, rulers, calm down. Let''s first see who this individual is..." Some of the Minks tried to convince them to calm down.

    At this moment, the ship began to approach, revealing itself. "That ship looks like me," Nekomamushi said, surprised as he saw a feline figure on the bow. It was none other than the Sunny Go, with Bepo, Alvida, Jinbei, and Franky aboard.

    Of course, his words made everyone look at him with distrust, but in the next moment, shock spread through the crowd. Bepo began to grow, proving the truth of his words. His body transformed into its beast form as his clothes ripped, without needing the moon or the Rumble Balls Chopper had created to enter Sulong mode.

    He transformed into a massive bear over 20 meters tall in just a second, stomping on the ground and making the entire place tremble. All the Minks were stunned by what they were seeing.

    "I''m here for a simple challenge. If you beat me, I will give you the way to enter this mode. If I win, all of Zou''s territory will become part of the Straw Hat Crew, and all the Minks will join our crew. But don''t worry, the captain is fair, and you won''t regret it," he said, issuing the challenge, while all the Minks stared, shocked by Bepo''s form.

    His body was in the Sulong form, something that usually only happened at night under the full moon, but now he had managed to activate this transformation in the middle of the day. They didn''t know how he had done it, as his body began to electrify. Bepo was one of the most powerful members of the crew at this moment, even though he still retained his hesitant personality and lack of confidence. However, as soon as he wore the wig, he somehow overcame any hesitation, taking on a character ever since the days of Whisky Peak.

    Bepo possessed the Six Powers in their most advanced forms, being the most skilled in this area. He had medium-level Armament Haki and Observation Haki, as well as the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, a legendary power comparable to the tremor power of the late Whitebeard. And then there was his beast form, which multiplied his strength several times over. He was a true powerhouse, and now he was challenging the entire Mink race to prove his superior power, even against his own kind.

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