Chapter 269: The Mink Tribe, A Princess's Tea Party
High above the endless ocean, a high-speed figure pierced through the clouds. The intense heat in its wake ignited the atmosphere and vaporized the mist.
A rolling thunderclap shattered the silence of the sea, a terrifying boom that spread so far even people at a great distance could hear it.
Louis flew in a straight line, guided by his Observation Haki. As he neared the mountain-like target, now just a few nautical miles away, his speed gradually decreased.
At a velocity that far exceeded the speed of sound, Louis quickly saw the true form of the giant life-form.
"A colossal elephant... its skin loose and sagging, its height reaching the clouds, its four legs walking along the seabed."
"Zou."
It was just as Louis had predicted. This was Zou, the homeland of the Mink Tribe he had searched for years ago.
By the time Louis was one nautical mile from Zou, his flight speed had dropped below the speed of sound.
He hovered in front of the giant elephant, his flawless white wings spread wide, silently observing this massive creature that had lived for over a thousand years, its size far surpassing even the largest Sea Kings.
In this world, there were very few creatures that reached the astonishing size of an island and lived for over a millennium. Besides the elephant before him, there were the giant island turtles, and that massive shadow with three heads lurking in the Florian Triangle.
Zou, however, was the most well-known of these titans, all because a rare race of powerful warriors—the Mink Tribe—lived upon its back.
Similar to Fish-Men, they had animal-like appearances but humanoid bodies. All of them were covered in fur and possessed the ability to generate electricity.
As Louis studied Zou, he felt a hollow, pained gaze fall upon him, emanating from the two abyss-like eye sockets of the great elephant. He knew Zou was observing the one blocking its path.
But even as it watched, Zou never stopped walking. Terrifying whirlpools, large enough to swallow a warship, formed in the wake of its four massive legs.
After a brief observation, Louis spread his white wings, ascended, and landed directly on the elephant's head.
Looking out, he saw a vast forest and a city on Zou's back. Six great towers stood within the forest. A town spanning thousands of meters was embedded in the center, its immense weight causing the elephant's skin to wrinkle severely beneath it.
Just as Louis was taking in the view, the violent sonic boom from his earlier hypersonic flight finally reached the island, startling the Mink residents in the town.
With his Observation Haki, Louis sensed the complete chaos of the Minks scattering like chickens. He also sensed two Minks with considerable strength being alerted. One of them was already crossing the forest at high speed, heading for Zou's tallest tower.
Because the sonic boom had echoed from every direction at once, the Mink warriors were running frantically through the forest in a state of confusion, trying to cover the thousands of meters of Zou's perimeter.
Only a very small number of warriors, who happened to be in the center of the forest, were lucky enough to be heading in Louis's direction.
As Louis walked along the forest's edge, a rustling sound came from the woods ahead.
A moment later, a small white figure shot out of the trees, leaping at Louis with its hands—covered in thick-looking gloves—outstretched.
Although the white figure was extremely fast, appearing as just an afterimage to a normal person, Louis's top-tier dynamic vision and Observation Haki allowed him to see the attacker clearly.
It was a rabbit. Or rather, a Rabbit Mink.
From her slender frame and soft facial features, he judged her to be a female, around eleven or twelve years old. She had yellow hair, both ears standing straight up, and her hands flashed as she lunged.
Just as she was a few steps away, several other figures leaped from the forest, roaring angrily.
"Carrot!"
"You're just a kid who started training, don't be so—"
The roaring stopped abruptly.
The figures—Minks with leopard and dog heads—froze in their tracks. Their faces darkened, and they didn't take another step forward.
A few meters from the forest, a figure over five meters tall stood with flawless white wings. The sun shone from behind him, obscuring his face in light.
The Rabbit Mink girl who had jumped out first was now dangling limply from his hand.
Noticing her companions had arrived, the Mink girl named Carrot, while still struggling, looked up and gave them a strained, awkward smile.
Pedro's vision went black. He nearly choked with exasperation at Carrot's display. Beside him, two golden-haired Dog Minks looked equally stressed and unsure of what to do.
Pedro took a deep breath, his gaze sharpening.
Just as he was about to make a move, a voice he found somewhat familiar came from the figure, freezing him in place.
"You're... Pedro?"
The familiar voice made one of the female Dog Minks' ears stand straight up. She instinctively began sniffing the air.
In the next second, her eyes lit up, and she subconsciously took a step forward.
At the same time, Pedro finally remembered where he had heard that voice. In an instant, his expression became priceless.
"Crap, why is he here...?"
Before he could react, a golden-haired figure shot past him, rushing straight for the tall silhouette.
"Watch out!" The other Dog Mink's eyes went wide, stunned by her companion's actions.
"What are you doing? Serena!!"
But in the next moment, what happened next shocked her even more.
"Lord Louis, Garchu!!"
The Mink named Serena cheered, leaping at him with a joyful smile. But the tall figure simply reached out his other hand and caught her by her clothes, holding her up in the air as well.
"I believe I said this much enthusiasm isn't necessary, right?"
"Serena..."
Terra, before the castle.
Yelena was walking along a forest path with Ulti and Page One, heading straight for the castle.
As they passed the garden, a voice calling out from nearby caught their attention.
"Lady Yelena!"
Yelena instantly recognized the soft, sweet voice. She stopped and looked in the direction of the call.
In the next second, a gentle smile appeared on Yelena's usually placid face. "Shirahoshi, what is it?"
There, surrounded by flowers of all colors, several beautiful figures were sitting around a round table laden with exquisite pastries. Shirahoshi, due to her immense size, was the most conspicuous.
"Lady Yelena, please come over here!" Shirahoshi waved, extending an enthusiastic invitation. Her face, already stunningly beautiful despite her youth, showed an earnest anticipation that was hard to refuse.
Beside her, several other figures, who had been obscured by Shirahoshi's form, poked their heads out.
Yelena paused on the path, momentarily taken aback by Shirahoshi's enthusiasm. She quickly recovered and turned to Ulti and Page One, who had also stopped, with a faint, apologetic smile. "Sorry, you two can go on ahead."
"Fine." Ulti gave a casual wave, then continued walking with her brother.
After Ulti and Page One had left, Yelena walked toward Shirahoshi and the others.
At the round table, Shirahoshi looked at Yelena's elegantly pinned-up hair, feeling a little puzzled. She turned to Uta, who was chatting happily with Chiffon.
"Big Sis, when did Lady Yelena start putting her hair up like that?"
Shirahoshi remembered that Yelena was usually either in full armor or had her long, pale-white hair down. She wasn't sure when this change had happened.
Uta paused, then fell into a brief thought. After a moment, she replied, "About a year or two ago, maybe? As for why, I don't know either."
On the other side of the table, Violet, who was handing a pastry to Rebecca, looked up at the approaching Yelena, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Nearby, Bonney, who was devouring the pastries with a knife and fork, mumbled through a full mouth, "Why not just ask her when she gets here?"
"That's true," Shirahoshi said, her lovely smile returning.
Soon, Yelena arrived at the flower-adorned clearing. Her crimson eyes swept over the scene, which was overflowing with a girly atmosphere.
When Yelena saw who was gathered there, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and tease, "So, have I been invited to a princesses' tea party?"
Indeed, seated around the tea-party table were all young women of significant standing.
The princesses of Atlantis, Shirahoshi and Uta. The former princesses of Dressrosa, Violet and Rebecca. From the Charlotte Family, Chiffon and a slightly reserved, three-eyed Pudding. Bonney, who was currently spoiled by the entire Buccaneer Race. And one of Bonney's doctors, Mansherry of the Tontatta Tribe.
Everyone present was either royalty or from a once-prominent family. Thus, Yelena joked that it was a "princesses' tea party."
Her words made everyone at the table pause for a moment. They all looked around at each other with curious expressions, realizing that Yelena wasn't wrong.
"..."
After a moment, Uta, the host of the party, belatedly said, "Huh, I guess you're right..."
These were all her good friends and comrades, which was why she had invited them all over since she had nothing better to do.
After a beat, Violet smiled and countered, "Rebecca and I are just ordinary officers and an officer's child now. We don't count as princesses."
On the other side, Chiffon, who had been invited as Uta's friend, looked at the tea party scene, a flicker of reminiscence in her eyes.
Once upon a time, the Charlotte Family often held similar tea parties in Totto Land. The difference, however, was that every tea party hosted by Mama was underpinned by blood. Even her own children, the officers and ministers, were terrified, afraid they would anger Mama and have their lifespan stolen.
Bonney, for her part, offered no opinion, focusing only on quietly eliminating the pastries and food on the table.
After a moment, Uta recovered and laughed. "A princess tea party? If Jibril and Raphael hadn't left so soon, they could have joined!"
"Indeed. In terms of status, they are the true princesses of Terra," Violet said, placing a hand over her chest, a painful memory flashing in her eyes. The day Jibril and Raphael were born, she had been the only one injured; they had even broken her ribs.
Nearby, Pudding, with her three eyes and乖巧 lovely appearance, tilted her head and asked, "There are more and more giants on Terra, and quite a few female warriors. Are there no princesses among them?"
"No giant princesses have been born in the last hundred years, only two princes. Hajrudin is one of them," Yelena replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down, answering Pudding's question seriously.
Just then, Shirahoshi seemed to remember something. She leaned forward, looking at Yelena with her big, shimmering eyes. "Lady Yelena, you're a princess too, aren't you!"
"When we first met, Boss Jinbe mentioned it. He said Lady Yelena was the princess of a kingdom called Canaan, which is why you annihilated... an enemy country called Jacob!"
Shirahoshi's words stunned those who didn't know, like Mansherry and Violet.
"Canaan... Jacob..." Violet heard the names and gradually recalled something her father had told her and her sister after returning from a World Conference.
Yelena's eyes glazed over with memory, and she seemed a bit dazed.
"Not exactly." Yelena came back to herself. Her crimson eyes met Shirahoshi's, and she gave a small smile. "I was already the King when I met Louis."
"Later, after I settled my people, I stayed by Louis's side."
"King?" Shirahoshi said, confused.
"That's right."
Just then, Violet, who seemed to have some understanding, murmured, "Canaan, Jacob..."
"I think my father mentioned this..."
"What?" Yelena turned, surprised. "Riku Doldo III knew about this?"
Violet nodded, clasping her hands in her lap as she recalled. "It was after he returned from a World Conference. He told us about those two countries."
Yelena narrowed her eyes. "The World Conference..."
Violet continued, "He said... members of the royal family from Canaan had gone to other kingdoms and the Marines for help."
"At that time, a country in the West Blue and a desert kingdom in the first half of the Grand Line used the evidence those royals provided to condemn the Kingdom of Jacob, demanding they return the land and apologize."
"But in the end, nothing came of it."
As Violet's words fell, the tea party grew quiet.
Yelena was silent. She had never known that other kingdoms had actually tried to help Canaan. Even though it had no effect, she was still deeply moved.
After a long moment, Yelena asked, "Did Riku Doldo III say what happened to those royal family members?"
Violet opened her mouth, then finally said, "It's said... they were assassinated and 'disappeared' before they could even receive a reply from the two kings."
Seeing Yelena's stunned, unknowing expression, Violet understood what had likely happened to them. In the vast sea, "disappeared" almost always meant "dead."
"..."
After a moment, Yelena sighed.
On the other side of the table, Uta's usual smile vanished. Her purple, jewel-like eyes shone with a peculiar, captivating light, and her tone became serious.
"What were the names of the two countries that condemned the Kingdom of Jacob for Canaan?"
Violet searched her memory, then slowly gave the answer. "My father didn't say the name of the one in West Blue... but the one in Paradise... was Alabasta."
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 400 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!