The Aeghede mission is a raid mission, requiring not a large number of people. With Shaina, Zeraora, and the recently joined Kuzan, this lineup is already quite lavish.
The so-called preparations were akin to changing clothes. If not for the lack of an Eternal Pose to Aeghede, they could have set off immediately.
"Zeraora, get ready to depart. Lord Arceus has a new mission.
There is news of the Plate in Aeghede, and Lord Arceus has ordered us to deal with it.
The Eternal Pose is expected to be in our hands within two days. Prepare yourself, as we might leave at any moment. I won't disturb you now."
Watching Zeraora, who was acting as a sparring partner for the kids, Shaina briefly conveyed Arceus's orders.
"I understand, no need to worry. I can depart at any time."
As he spoke, he blocked an attempt to ambush him by Wolf with a kick, causing Wolf to fall and collide with Bepo in mid-air. Training one is also training; training several is equally beneficial. To increase the challenge, Bepo, Carrot, and even Pedro were included.
Even in a 1v5 situation, Zeraora still appeared at ease, not even pausing his training while conversing with Shaina.
After all, for him, as long as he gets serious, there is no difference between Pedro and Wolf, as the final result is a one-hit KO. Now, he was just feeding moves.
"That's good."
With the task conveyed, Shaina left the place. Only after she left did Wolf get up from the ground, clutching his stomach.
"Dad, do you have to be so harsh... As expected, Sister Yamato was right, all dads are demons..."
Due to Kaidou, Yamato has a distorted understanding of the word "father". She even has a unique interpretation of the relationship between Whitebeard Pirates and their bonding.
Those people are so close to Whitebeard surely because Whitebeard is not their biological father.
"If I don't go all out in training, you'll suffer on the battlefield. However, I must correct you on one mistake: my training with Mr. Kaidou has an essential difference. That's it for today; go rest.
Since you think my arrangements are somewhat harsh, how about I let your mother take over later?"
With that said, Zeraora was about to tidy up, but in the next moment, his legs were suddenly hugged.
Miaona clung to his left leg, while Carrot clutched his right foot.
"What are the two of you doing?"
"Dad, consider it. I think it's better if it's you."
"Yes, Lord Zeraora, Duke is so busy, don't trouble her with such things."
Either way, they'd get crushed; if they had to choose, they'd rather it be Zeraora, as at least he wouldn't use things like Aura Arrows.
"Don't just stand there! Brother, say something!"
Seeing Wolf standing by in a daze, Miaona threw a seed at his head, bringing Wolf back to his senses.
Realizing the potential consequences of his words, Wolf decisively joined in, adding a new attachment to Zeraora's legs.
...
The development was faster than Shaina anticipated. Within a day, Tesoro had already acquired the Eternal Pose to Aeghede from the World Government members and sent it back to Ghost Island via Feda Express.
Everything was prepared, yet Shaina and her team did not head to the Hidden Port in Hakumai, but instead came to the beach of Kuri.
A shadow in the shape of an "凹" appeared on the sand.
This couldn't be helped; both Shaina and Kuzan were over three meters tall, but Zeraora... His growth genes had limits. He was now 172.5 cm tall, much taller than before, but he still couldn't compare to the other two.
"Ala ala, are you planning to fly over? If so, that might be tricky for me. Is there a bicycle here? I'm pretty fast on a bike; I might be able to keep up with you."
Seeing no boats on the beach, Kuzan didn't immediately understand how they intended to reach Aeghede.
Zeraora and Shaina both had the ability to fly, but he did not.
"Are you telling a cold joke? That's not funny. Don't worry; Lord Arceus arranged a special means of transportation for us."
No sooner had he finished speaking than bubbles surfaced in the Inner Sea of Wano Kuni, with waves rising. Following the spread of the water waves, a whale appeared before the three of them, resembling a giant airship.
"Your special means of transportation... is this whale?"
Special aircraft, Corviknights under the command of the Hundred Beasts, common pirate ships, even submarines were within Kuzan's contemplations, but a whale never crossed his mind.
"This is no ordinary whale; it's called Wailord. Let's go; it will take us to Aeghede."
Wailord, Floating Whale Pokemon, Water Attribute, the largest ordinary Pokemon known in its usual state. Even the smallest Wailord has a body length of over ten meters upon maturity, earning it the title of a giant creature.
With an enormous lung capacity, a single breath allows them to undertake long-distance dives in the deep sea of three thousand meters.
As for weight... According to unreliable data, the average weight of a Wailord is only 398 kilograms. If calculated based on this weight and its average size, its density would be akin to air, thus earning it the nickname "Air Whale."
But it is obvious that this data was merely a measuring error.
This Wailord had a body length of around thirty meters. To execute this Aeghede mission, traveling hidden under the sea is far more discreet than flying overtly in the sky.
"Moo~"
Wailord emitted a faintly ethereal sound, then opened its mouth wide.
"Hey, hey, hey, sitting on a whale is one thing, but does this mean... we have to go inside its stomach?"
"Of course. You're a Devil Fruit user, after all. If not, how else would you proceed underwater?"
While Kuzan was questioning his life choices, Zeraora and Shaina had already walked into Wailord's mouth one after the other, a camping lamp in Zeraora's hand illuminating the inside of Wailord's mouth.
After a brief hesitation, Kuzan followed suit, experiencing the feeling akin to being inside Whamon among the DigiDestined.
Once Wailord's mouth closed, the camping lamp in Zeraora's hand became the only light source. To avoid burning Wailord, the flame on Shaina's back had long since been extinguished—Iexcept during battle, neither Shaina nor King would keep their flames constantly lit.
Kuzan didn't know exactly what he was stepping on, but the soft sensations beneath him indicated a bit of jostling; even without seeing outside, Kuzan knew that the whale had started moving...