I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

Looking around now, all we see is a vast expanse of nothingness. Where can we find the necessary supplies and high-precision experimental equipment to rebuild the second laboratory?

Vegapunk felt utterly exhausted.

They salvaged a small amount of materials that were not completely damaged from the flooded laboratory ruins, and then, under Sieg's telekinetic influence, a large stone slab shot into the sky.

Given the current situation, Sieg and the others obviously won't continue their journey through time. They also want to find out what exactly happened in this unrecorded part of history.

"Air quality has deteriorated to an extremely low level, with visibility very poor. Initial assessment suggests it's volcanic ash from the eruption... No, that's not all..."

Vegapunk suddenly remembered the history of the gods.

Strictly speaking, the original gods did not inherit a complete history. They were said to be descendants of the ancestors of the ancient kingdoms and considered themselves gods.

Their historical records also contradict the actual history that Sieg is living in now, and there are some obvious deliberate embellishments and modifications.

History is a little girl who can be dressed up however one pleases, and the gods clearly have a knack for makeup and magic.

For example, in the mythology of the origin of the gods, there exists a World Tree that is covered with Devil Fruits.

But in real history, those star-like fruits on the World Tree were not fruits, but rather a laboratory of stars.

Of course, it's true that each laboratory corresponds to at least one Devil Fruit, which corresponds to that obscure myth.

"Pyrobron particles... or rather, seastone particles. If the Protoss history isn't fabricated here, there should be a high concentration of seastone particles in the air right now," Vegapunk said.

"Over time, the concentration of sea stone particles will gradually decrease, as will the volcanic ash, and then the new world will see the light of day again."

"But at least for now, this sea area is practically like having highly toxic air for ability users... The impact on ordinary people will be smaller, but living in this kind of air quality for a long time will also harm their health."

"Air?" Sig wondered.

He pointed downwards, and a thick current of water was lifted up by telekinesis from beneath the sea surface, washing over the air within a two-hundred-meter radius around Sig.

The seawater had become slightly murky, while the surrounding air seemed a little better.

Next, he used telekinesis to open up the air wall, and the flowing air formed a small whirlwind around them, with Sig and the others inside the eye of the storm.

"This should be fine for now, but we'll need to keep changing the air to fresh air."

Seastone particles couldn't control Sieg, but the large amount of inhalable particulate matter in the air also bothered him.

“We can go to higher places,” Vegapunk suggested.

"The height that volcanic ash can reach is always limited. If it can send volcanic ash and sea stone particles to an altitude of 10,000 meters, then we will go to a higher position, so as to avoid washing the air over and over again."

“That makes sense,” Sieg nodded.

He lifted the floorboards and soared into the sky, quickly disappearing into the clouds.

After some time, the clouds were broken, and Sig and the others finally saw the long-awaited sunlight at an altitude of more than 10,000 meters.

"The volcanic ash has already reached a height of over 10,000 meters. Is this the scale of a volcanic eruption...?" Vegapunk exclaimed.

The sun was shining brightly, and the long-awaited sunshine warmed him.

Logically speaking, the sun at an altitude of 10,000 meters should be extremely scorching, but Vegapunk and the others only felt warm, not hot, and did not feel like they were being exposed to the scorching sun.

The sunlight from a large area around them was absorbed by Sieg through the shared power of the Sun Tree Eve, nourishing the several giant trees within his body.

Sig doesn't need to eat anymore; he can meet his daily needs just by sunbathing.

But Vegapunk and his crew were different. So they had to continue searching for survivors and supplies in this vast ocean, which meant they had to re-enter the environment filled with dust and seastone particles.

"Hmm?" During the flight, Sig suddenly noticed a somewhat unusual cloud in the distance.

He flew over, then landed on the cloud and stomped on it twice.

“This is an island cloud.” Vegapunk said with some surprise:

"Seastone particles are sent into the high sky by volcanic eruptions. These particles combine with the original clouds to form special island clouds and sea clouds. Given time, this may be the prototype of sky islands."

"Sky Island? This place can be considered a refuge from Ragnarok." Sig suddenly remembered that there were also a certain number of flying vehicles in the ancient kingdom.

Flying in the extremely low visibility atmospheric environment following a volcanic eruption is tantamount to suicide, with a high probability of aircraft crashes.

But if a few are lucky, they might be able to hide on these floating islands.

“With the island cloud, things will be much easier.” Sig tore off a small piece of the island cloud with his telekinesis, then lifted it up and continued flying through the vast sea of ​​clouds, occasionally plunging below to search for survivors.

The search lasted for more than a month.

One day, more than a month later, as Sieg was once again traversing the sea of ​​clouds at an altitude of 10,000 meters, he suddenly saw an extremely large, giant black shadow amidst the swirling clouds. This giant black shadow seemed to be moving.

Upon closer inspection, Sieg was able to discern the outline of the dark figure.

“Good heavens, this is the torso of Zelda.”

Sig raised his head and looked at the enormous elephant. The elephant seemed unaware of Sig's approach and continued its journey across the sea.

Zunesha is the largest known creature in the One Piece world, bar none, even larger than the super-sized Sea Kings of the Calm Belt whose bodies are measured in kilometers.

The elephant is 35 meters tall, or 3.5 kilometers, which is equivalent to four Mount Everests stacked on top of each other.

This is an extremely astonishing figure.

The deepest point of the ocean floor is about 10,000 meters, while the height of the sky island is about 10,000 meters above sea level.

Zunesha can stand on the seabed at a depth of 10,000 meters, and the Sky Island is only half its height, which is quite amazing.

Sig controlled the small island cloud beneath his feet to rise into the air, finally reaching the back of Zunesha at an altitude of over 20,000 meters.

By this time, the elephant's back had become a magnificent sight, with forests, rivers, and various newly built structures; a kingdom on the elephant's back was taking shape.

“The Mink Tribe’s nation seems to have only just been established…” Sig surveyed Zou Island from the top of the clouds, then his gaze fell on the area near the giant elephant’s head, on the enormous whale tree shaped like a whale.

For some reason, Sieg is now particularly interested in all sorts of strange and unusual trees.

"Hmm? The person under the tree..." Sig had a thought, so he pressed down on the clouds and fell from the sky.

Beneath the giant whale tree, a strong stonemason sat carving words on dozens of square stones. Beside him stood a tiger-man, the leader of the Mink Tribe, the Tiger King.

Sig had been searching the oceans of the New World for over a month, and this was the first time he had seen a living person.

He descended along the clouds, and the two people below quickly noticed Sig's presence and looked over in surprise.

"You are...Shan?" The Tiger King was suddenly taken aback, recognizing the person who had come.

He was one of the experimental subjects who escaped from the laboratory with Xin and others in the beginning, and he has a deep impression of that childhood memory.

At this moment, he saw the mountain appear, and his expression became complicated.

"You really are immortal beings; you haven't aged at all over the years..."

Tiger King's expression was complicated. Since arriving in Ohara, they had never seen the mountain again, as if they had never existed.

"Tiger King, who are they?" Ancestor Guangyue stood up, full of vigilance.

Although he was a stonemason, he was muscular and had a remarkable presence. The fact that he could leave inscriptions on extremely hard historical stone blocks clearly showed that he was quite skilled.

"I guess you could say he's...a benefactor? He taught us how to use Armament Haki."

"That's what the Tiger King said."

In their childhood, Sig and his companions were powerful and mysterious. Now, decades later, as they train in Haki with Shin and Lyca, they have fought their way through battles and become some of the world's strongest individuals.

But in their perception, Sieg remained mysterious and powerful. After disappearing for decades, he suddenly descended from the sky on clouds—was he still human...?

“I want to know, what happened on this sea?” Sig asked.

The Tiger King did not hide anything; he told the whole story, including a brief mention of the Heart's History Project and the Elephant Lord's Refuge Project.

Shin refused to take refuge on the elephant's back, but he allowed the ancestor Kozuki to ride on it, reasoning that the stonemason needed ample time and a safe environment to carve the historical text.

Also landing on the island were the Giant's own people, and other members of the Giant race.

As the two were talking, the ancestor of the Light Moon suddenly covered his ears, his face contorted in pain.

A tremendous sound echoed in his head, giving him a splitting headache.

“I heard it again…it’s the voice of Elephant, he’s speaking,” he said through gritted teeth.

Like Joy Boy, the Kozuki Ancestor was also exceptionally gifted, possessing the ability to hear the voices of all things.

"What is Ganesha saying?" the Tiger King pressed.

"It says...it says that this great flood that swept the world was unjust, and that it assisted the G20 in this massive war, so it was also an accomplice, and this is the sin it committed."

"Is that so?" Sig asked, his mind filled with mixed emotions.

The mythological origins of the Great Flood and Ragnarok stem from a chain reaction following the destruction of three doomsday volcanoes.

After the great flood that destroyed the world, Noah's Ark, which was supposed to carry all the animals and help them escape the flood, did not appear because Joy Boy broke his promise. Instead, Zou, the elephant, carried all the animals on his back and continued to walk through the world that had been submerged by the great flood, according to Joy Boy's command.

Ancestor Kozuki temporarily put down his carving knife, and he and Tiger King, along with Sig, headed towards the town on Zou Island.

Both sides had been separated from outsiders for a long time by the vast ocean, and they had much to say to each other.

The Mink Tribe treated Sig and his companions as honored guests, hosting a feast in their newly established town while continuing to recount their past.

Tiger King continued, "..."

"After the great flood, Zulu has been walking in this desolate, dusty sea, searching for survivors."

"But to this day, there are only a handful of places in this sea that have not been submerged by the great flood, with only about five islands remaining."

"Dresrosa is located on higher ground, surrounded by higher ground, and is closer to the red earth and farther from the tsunami site, which is why it survived."

"And there's Wano Country perched on a waterfall cliff, Elbaf still protected by powerful warriors, and so on..."

“Things will get better,” Sieg said.

"After the flood recedes, the island will resurface, the dust that has been hanging over this area will dissipate, and a new world will be born from the ruins of the old world."

"I hope so," the Tiger King sighed softly.

The Mink Tribe were very enthusiastic towards Sig, an outsider, and would rub his face against him everywhere, turning a banquet into a chaotic mess.

Amidst his enthusiasm, Sieg noticed a somewhat familiar black and white figure in the crowd out of the corner of his eye; it seemed to be a member of the panda fur tribe.

“Panda fur tribe?” Sig suddenly thought of something. He stood up and looked around, but he could no longer find that person in the crowd.

Sig, a member of the panda fur tribe, had met him before. Among the fifty-six emperors, there was a drunkard named Rum, with whom he had a long-standing friendship.

But the person I just saw seemed to have a subtle difference.

"Tiger King, are there any panda fur tribe people on Zou Island?"

"Yes, there are six people in total," Tiger King replied.