In an instant, a small, typhoon-like whirlwind spread from Creed's hand, forming a hemispherical barrier-like space.
Inside the ROOM, Creed could feel it even more clearly—
whatever was inside this stone egg… was still alive.
The signs of life were faint but undeniable.
Pressing his ear against it, he could even catch the tiniest heartbeat.
Drawing Rinne-kai from its sheath, a flash of cold light struck down toward the stone egg.
Clang~!
A crisp sound rang out—the stone egg actually blocked the strike.
Creed was slightly surprised. Rinne-kai was an Ō Wazamono-grade sword—its sharpness was beyond question.
And yet, an egg had stopped it.
Interesting. His curiosity about the creature inside only grew.
He coated the blade with Armament Haki.
The sword darkened further, its aura surging, and Creed brought it down again.
This time, the strike cut through, leaving a smooth crack along the egg's surface.
The crack widened.
Thump~!
Thump!
Through the split, the heartbeat became audible—
from faint and fragile,
to strong and powerful,
until finally, in the stillness of the night sky, it was clear as day.
Crack~!
The egg split completely along the crack into two halves.
Inside was a blinding white glow, like a miniature sun, hiding whatever was within.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
The heartbeat grew louder and faster, like great drums pounding.
It felt as if some ancient being was awakening.
Suddenly—
The white light burst, and through it, a small silhouette could be seen, stretching its body.
The next second—
"Ying!!"
…Huh?
Creed froze. Ying? What the hell?
As he wondered, the white light began to draw in, revealing the small figure. With an excited "ying" sound, it flapped tiny fleshy wings, looked straight at Creed, and flew into his arms, rubbing against him as if thanking him for freeing it.
Creed stared down at the little creature rubbing itself against him.
Wait…
Now he could see it clearly—about the size of a pineapple, its whole body covered in fine, pale-violet scales that gleamed softly. On its back were a pair of tiny black wings, and a small tail swished behind it.
Its large eyes were clear and pure, a single little horn sat atop its forehead, and it was round and chubby from head to tail—
adorable to the extreme.
Creed's brows rose. This appearance—
wasn't this… a dragon?
What the hell—there was a dragon inside the egg?!
The little one, full of energy, kept nuzzling him.
When it noticed Creed looking at it, it tilted its head, eyes blinking, and softly called again—"Ying!"
So he hadn't misheard—its cry really was ying.
A cry like ying… what was this, the legendary Ying-Ying Monster?
Creed's forehead twitched.
"How cute!"
As expected, Ain's eyes lit up—girls had no resistance to adorable things.
Creed set the little one down on the deck.
It looked around curiously, taking in the world with bright eyes.
Then it spotted the stone egg halves, its expression turning fierce. It bared tiny teeth in a fearsome "dragon roar"—more cute than scary—
as if to say, How dare you trap me for so long!
It waddled over, pressing its little wings against one half, cheeks puffing red, and pushed it to the deck's edge.
With a kick, it sent it tumbling off.
It repeated the process with the other half, and only then looked satisfied, letting out soft, cheerful "ying-ying" sounds.
Creed's gaze sharpened slightly—this little dragon seemed aware that the egg had trapped it… and also seemed to know Creed had freed it.
Then, plopping onto its rear, it sat down, as if tired.
Like a little puppy, it sniffed the air, then brightened, twisting its neck toward Creed.
Flapping its tiny wings, it flew up to him, pointed at his chest, and made insistent noises.
Hm?
Creed pulled from his coat a dust-covered box—inside was the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit).
"Ying-ying!"
Its eyes lit up at the sight, and it dove forward, wrapping itself around the fruit.
And then—
Creed and Ain's eyes widened slightly, as though they'd just witnessed something unbelievable…
…
(End of Chapter)
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