Crack! Boom!
The sky was overcast with dark clouds, and lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.
Amidst the pouring rain, the distant scene was somewhat hazy, but the huge silhouette of the island still appeared through the rain curtain before the Marine personnel.
The warships braved the wind and waves, continuing to sail closer for a distance, and the general panorama of Elbaph Island finally fully emerged.
"That tree, that's the legendary tallest and strongest tree in the world—Adam, right? So amazing!"
Kuzan stared into the distance, dumbfounded, his mouth wide enough to fit a fist.
Not only him, but the Marine officers and soldiers on the three warships were also full of shock, having their worldview thoroughly refreshed.
Standing on the warship's deck, looking out several nautical miles, a gigantic island with towering trees almost filled their vision.
Most exaggeratedly, that great tree was much larger than the island itself, its branches reaching upwards as if breaking through the sky.
Clouds floated among its branches and leaves, truly towering into the clouds.
This giant tree was the legendary strongest tree in the world—Adam tree, and also the core body of Elbaph Island.
From top to bottom, Adam tree was divided into three layers: areas called Heaven World, Sun World and Underworld by the Giant Race.
Around the edge of each layer, several streams of water flowed down like giant waterfalls.
"Report! Admiral Shirojishi, no trace of the BIG MOM Pirates has been found yet!" The lookouts observed carefully but found nothing, not even a pirate ship within their observation range.
"Prepare to disembark!" Kenji said calmly, raising his hand to give the order.
In stormy weather, with high winds and rough seas, it was very unfriendly to ships at sea.
Fortunately, the three warships were of good quality. An ordinary sea vessel might have disintegrated on the spot under such a battering from the wind and waves.
The warships cut through the wind and waves, rapidly approaching Elbaph Island.
At the same time, Kenji got up and returned to the ship's office cabin.
After closing the door, the sound of the wind and waves outside immediately diminished. He took out a Den Den Mushi and dialed.
"Kenji-san! We just found out…" A slightly hurried voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
"High-ranking figures from the World Government will be heading to Elbaph Island soon!"
"Sorry, due to the extreme confidentiality of this information, we temporarily cannot ascertain the specific identities of those high-ranking figures."
"It's alright, being able to find out this much information is already very difficult. Thank you for your hard work, and remember to stay safe." Kenji thanked, then quickly hung up the phone.
After all, any delay on his part would increase the risk of exposure for the other side.
"World Government? High-ranking figures?" Kenji put away the Den Den Mushi, his expression thoughtful.
"Given the World Government's organizational structure, besides the heads of direct organizations, the remaining high-ranking figures... could it be the Five Elders?"
At this moment, Kenji suddenly recalled how hesitant Kong had been when mentioning this mission earlier, and his heart stirred.
"Hmm, it's hard to say."
"That old fellow Kong is always very cautious when it comes to certain matters."
He thought of the God Valley Incident back then. Kong hadn't informed Garp about the detailed intelligence of the incident, purely relying on Roger as bait for a direct hook.
However, Kenji thought about it carefully and felt it was unlikely to be the Five Elders. They weren't so lacking in prestige that bringing a Marine Admiral when going out would be considered unusual.
"Never mind, I'll know which 'high-ranking figure' it is soon enough." Kenji walked out of the cabin and onto the deck.
Not long after, the warship docked, and he led his troops ashore.
The moment his feet touched the land of Elbaph Island, a reward prompt immediately appeared before his eyes.
[You followed the main force through hardships and finally successfully arrived at the Land of Giants - Elbaph! You can finally begin your headquarters mission to resolve the conflict between the two major powers!]
[Mission (Main): Lead the team by warship to the Giant Kingdom - Elbaph, with troop losses not exceeding half! —Overcompleted!]
[Reward Increased!]
[Reward has been changed to: Upgrade a random owned trait 3 times!]
[Your Steel Balloon (Dark White) has been upgraded... Super White... Light Blue... Blue!]
[Current Steel Balloon (Blue)!]
[Name: Kenji]
[Traits: Armament Haki (Super Gold), Observation Haki (Super Gold), Conqueror's Haki (Super Gold), Physique - Human (Super Gold), Hand-to-Hand Combat (Light Gold), Swordsmanship (Light Purple), Sea Beast Power (Dark Purple), Superspeed Regeneration (Dark Purple), Steel Balloon (Blue), Future Vision (Blue), Berserk (Dark Blue), Pressure of All Things (Light Blue), Giant Bloodline (Blue)]
In his vision, [Steel Balloon]'s pristine white color turned azure blue, and he instantly felt a powerful force surge within his body.
He clearly felt that his strength had increased significantly, and the advancement of [Steel Balloon] brought a great improvement to his abilities.
In addition to increased strength, there were also improvements in defensive capabilities and other aspects.
"Hmm, this feeling... is my body going to grow again?"
Kenji reached out and touched his shoulder, suddenly having a vague premonition that his height was about to increase again.
"Speaking of which, [Steel Balloon] can also be categorized under physique attributes... Charlotte's abnormal physique is also due to her special physique…"
"Never mind, with Giant bloodline awakened, continuous upgrades and evolution will eventually lead to becoming a giant anyway."
Kenji closed the system interface, his gaze returning to the massive island before him.
At this moment, the troops had already landed on the island and gathered under Sakazuki's command.
They advanced, passing through the lowest layer, the prison execution ground for criminals—the Underworld.
Along the way, they didn't encounter any Giants, only some giant beasts attacking them in the 'Underworld' area.
Sakazuki commanded the troops to encircle and annihilate these giant beasts, and the battle was quite fierce for a time.
Kenji didn't want to waste time here, so he ordered Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Magellan to take action and quickly resolve the giant beast problem.
Soon after, the Marine team finally arrived at the Sun World. This was also where the Giant warriors resided.
"Hmm? This is…"
As soon as he stepped onto the land of the Sun World, Kenji heard a noisy sound, and at the same time, lines of text appeared in his vision.
[You discovered Charlotte Linlin is being ostracized by the Giants in Elbaph. You decide to help the Giant race and find a way to make Charlotte Linlin leave Elbaph!]
[Mission (Main): Resolve the conflict and make Charlotte Linlin leave!]
[Reward: 2 Random major upgrades! (2 independent advancements)]
"It's not a combat assistance mission?" Kenji checked the mission content, surprised.
"Could there be other ways to make Charlotte leave besides fighting? Persuade her with a silver tongue?"
He thought with a chuckle, then continued to move forward.
Before long, the group arrived at the source of the clamor.