As the sword tip descended, the crimson glow faded from Zou's eyes, their luster dimming.

Then, a respectful voice echoed clearly across the land.

"At your command, Fleet Admiral!"

As the words resonated, Zunesha slowly bent its knees, kneeling before Orion in submission.

With the colossal creature's descent, Zou Island "fell" from its lofty perch upon Zunesha's back.

Seawater rushed in from all sides, transforming it into a proper island at last.

"The Fleet Admiral has completely subdued Zunesha!"

"This... this is incredible!"

Yamato's astonished cry drew everyone's attention back to the sight before them—Zou Island with its dense forests and faintly visible structures now resting upon the sea.

Equally shocked was Denjiro, who had remained silent all this while.

In his memories, Zunesha had never been conquered for thousands of years.

Not even the Roger Pirates of old or the subsequent Four Emperors had managed to subdue Zunesha, let alone communicate with it—an already formidable challenge in itself.

Yet now, this Fleet Admiral of the Marines not only conversed fluently with Zunesha but also forced the mighty Zunesha to its knees with sheer, overwhelming power—the most straightforward and brutal method possible.

For the first time in centuries, the island of Zou on Zunesha's back was truly surrounded by seawater.

At this moment, any lingering thoughts in Denjiro's heart vanished entirely.

Even when he had been sent to Onigashima to participate in the construction of the Marine base, a sliver of hope had remained in him—hope placed in Kin'emon and the others who had traveled through time, including Momonosuke.

But witnessing Zunesha, who had roamed the New World for centuries without ever bowing to anyone, kneel before Orion shattered all his illusions and hopes in an instant.

*****

On Zou, Nekomamushi and others from Whale Forest were the first to rush out, their eyes widening in disbelief at the surging waves crashing against the suddenly formed 'shoreline.'

Struck dumb, they gaped at the island now encircled by the sea, unable to utter a word.

As Nekomamushi and his group emerged, Inuarashi, the other ruler of Mokomo Dukedom, who had been resting, also arrived in haste.

Leading his fellow minks, he stared blankly at the seawater flooding around Zou and the two Marine warships anchored offshore, his mind momentarily blank.

After a brief daze, a petite figure leaped out from among the minks following Inuarashi.

Her large eyes filled with confusion and fear as she stared at the Marine ships.

"Why… why is Zou suddenly surrounded by the sea?" she cried out.

At her exclamation, Nekomamushi flashed forward, positioning himself protectively in front of the group, his stance tense as if facing a dire threat.

Inuarashi joined him, adopting a battle-ready posture beside Nekomamushi.

Just then, one of the anchored warships began moving, slowly approaching the shore.

Soon, the ship docked.

Under the wary and fearful gazes of the minks, a figure stepped off the deck first.

Ignoring the hostile glares from Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, he strode forward with an elegant yet confident gait.

"Dracule Mihawk!"

Nekomamushi's pupils contracted slightly as he recognized the figure approaching with the legendary sword on his back.

"Did he attack Zunesha?" he muttered darkly.

"Impossible!" Inuarashi replied firmly. "Even as the world's greatest swordsman, he couldn't inflict enough damage to subdue Zunesha, let alone force its submission."

Pausing briefly, Inuarashi's gaze shifted to the other warship that hadn't approached.

Spotting the figure cloaked in the Fleet Admiral's coat, his eyes flickered with confusion.

"Is that… the Fleet Admiral?"

At the mention of the Fleet Admiral, Nekomamushi's expression twisted in alarm.

But almost immediately, his attention was drawn to another figure emerging from the ship.

On the deck of the moored warship, a group of people disembarked one after another.

Among them was none other than Denjiro, the daimyo of Kibi in Wano Country, who had once served alongside them under Kozuki Oden.

Just as Nekomamushi and Inuarashi were stunned to see Denjiro among them, the warship immediately turned back and anchored beside the distant vessel.

Then, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi witnessed a scene that left them utterly shocked.

On the deck of the warship that had been anchored far out at sea, Orion faced Zunesha, whose body was submerged in the ocean due to kneeling.

Raising his hand slightly, his calm voice exploded like thunder in Nekomamushi and Inuarashi's ears.

"Stand up!"

With those words, Zou, which had just stabilized, began to tremble violently once more.

Submerged in the sea, Zunesha slowly rose, lifting Zou back into the sky, high above its back.

"!!!!!"

Never expecting Zunesha to truly submit to someone, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi were overwhelmed with shock, their eyes wide as they stared ahead.

Though Zunesha had already stood up again, obscuring their view of the distant warship and the figure who had commanded the elephant, they remained frozen in disbelief.

Spotting Nekomamushi and Inuarashi from afar, Denjiro wasted no time.

Before Mihawk could approach them, he quickened his pace and called out loudly.

"Nekomamushi! Inuarashi!"

Before his voice faded, Denjiro suddenly accelerated, overtaking Mihawk and arriving in front of the two.

"Denjiro!"

Nekomamushi and Inuarashi spoke almost in unison, "What in the world is going on?"

"It's a long story!"

Denjiro glanced back at Mihawk, Nico Robin, Yamato and the others entering the town, then lowered his voice.

"I'll explain everything in detail later. For now, all you need to do is remain as friendly as possible—even if they intend to take the Poneglyph from Zou!"

"WHAT?!"

Nekomamushi and Inuarashi's eyes widened simultaneously.

*****

Meanwhile.

Zunesha, now standing again, slowly opened its eyes, its gaze clear.

Orion tilted his head slightly and directly conveyed his words through Observation Haki.

"Zunesha, whatever sins you committed in ancient times, whatever orders bound you to endless wandering—they are now in the past. From this moment forward, you will obey only my commands!"

"Now, I give you two orders!"

"First, from this moment on, you are free to act!"

"No longer must you wait for the so-called Drums of Liberation. They cannot bring light to this world—but I can."

"Second, from now on, wherever you go, if you encounter any pirate ship, regardless of whose it is, sink it without hesitation."

As Orion issued his commands, Zunesha's voice remained respectful.

"As you command, Fleet Admiral."

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