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Shaka smiled as he looked at the Straw Hat crew in front of him and introduced himself simply:
"My name is Shaka. I'm from the Land of Flowers. For certain reasons, I became a monk at the Great Forest Temple there. But honestly, I never liked all those strict rules, so I eventually set out to sea with my lifelong companion, the giant panda, White Dragon, to explore the world."
"Fifty years ago, while passing by Luluja Island, I happened to encounter the sudden appearance of the Rainbow Mist. White Dragon and I ventured inside..."
He sighed and shrugged helplessly.
"But I didn't expect an accident to happen. The World Government got involved, and I ended up trapped here. Because of the different flow of time, while only a year has passed for me inside the mist, fifty years have passed outside!"
"White, say hi to them!"
Shaka smiled and gestured toward the swirling clouds.
A thick mist surged forward, and before the stunned eyes of Luffy, Nami, Robin, Zoro, Usopp, and the others, the mist rapidly transformed into a chubby, round giant panda.
The panda bared its teeth in an oddly human-like manner and waved its fluffy paws in greeting. "Woo woo!"
"A panda?!"
"Whoa, that's amazing!"
"Its body turned into mist?!"
"And it can fly!"
Nami, Luffy, and Usopp's eyes sparkled as they watched the unexpected transformation.
"It's saying hello!" Chopper, the reindeer who had eaten the Human-Human Fruit and could understand animals, translated excitedly.
"So it's an animal like you that ate a Devil Fruit?" Zoro was equally surprised and even a little fascinated. "Now that I think about it, this is my first time seeing a giant panda."
"Pandas are considered national treasures in the Land of Flowers. It's strictly forbidden for anyone to capture or privately own one..." Robin, who had traveled the West Blue and seen many things, commented in amazement. "And its body can turn into mist? Just like Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? That's a rare Logia-type ability."
While pandas were highly protected and not to be traded, someone as powerful as Shaka keeping one as a companion wasn't too surprising.
However, the fact that this 'pet' seemed to have a rare Logia ability was truly astonishing.
"It's so cute!" Nami and Robin's eyes twinkled as they admired the adorable yet slightly silly-looking panda.
If it hadn't been for its massive size and somewhat intimidating presence, they would have wanted to run up and cuddle it.
Well, pandas are still technically cats, right?
"Wait a minute, Shaka, you just said that time flows differently here…"
Dr. Henzo, who had been listening attentively, suddenly grabbed Shaka's arm urgently. "Have you seen a group of children here?"
He quickly described the appearance of his childhood friends.
If time in the mist truly moved that slowly, then his friends should still look the same as when they first got lost here.
"Of course, I've seen them," Shaka raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "At first, those brats were causing a lot of trouble. But after I disciplined them, they finally settled down."
"They live on a big ship further inside. You can go find them."
He pointed into the distance, then added, "But the Rainbow Mist won't last much longer. If you want to leave, you'd better hurry."
"That's right, we need to move fast and grab as much treasure as we can!" Nami, realizing the urgency, suddenly lit up and eagerly eyed the surrounding ships.
With so many lost ships, there had to be a fortune hidden among them.
Just then—
A massive pipeline suddenly extended from outside, and heavily armed soldiers stormed in aboard small, fast ships.
A tall, elderly man with white hair and beard laughed arrogantly. "Wahaha! The treasure here is mine!"
"Whetton?!"
Henzo and his people paled in shock.
The Straw Hat crew also narrowed their eyes at the intrusion.
"A bunch of annoying pests..."
Shaka remained calm and spoke indifferently. "White, take care of them in thirty seconds."
"Woo woo!"
White Dragon nodded eagerly.
Before Nami and the others' astonished eyes, its raised paw transformed into a highly complex Gatling gun.
The barrels spun rapidly.
"Drrrrr..."
Countless bullets tore through the air in a relentless barrage.
"Aaaahhh!"
Screams echoed as the enemy pirates were instantly riddled with bullets.
Only Whetton, thanks to his absurdly thick, fire-resistant armor, barely managed to withstand the attack.
But his son, grandson, and all his subordinates fell lifelessly into pools of blood.
Then—
With another swift movement, White Dragon's front leg shifted into a rocket launcher.
"Whoosh—!" A powerful rocket, coated in Haki, shot out at incredible speed, locking onto the now-terrified Whetton.
It twisted and turned in pursuit, never missing its target.
"BOOM!!"
A massive explosion erupted.
Whetton, who had been desperately trying to flee, let out a final scream before he was blown to pieces.
"Hiss..."
"It can just create weapons like that?!"
"What kind of power is this?!"
The shocking scene made the Straw Hat crew's eyes widen in disbelief.
They could only stare, their bodies tensing, at the round, adorable panda who had suddenly returned to its usual silly, harmless-looking self.
If they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, they never would've believed this 'pet' was such a powerhouse.
"That was incredible!!" Chopper's jaw nearly hit the floor.
As another animal-type Devil Fruit user, he couldn't help but feel his own ability paled in comparison.
"Don't underestimate White. Right now, he's much stronger than any of you. Taking down small-time pirates like these is nothing for him."
Shaka wasn't surprised at all and simply shrugged.
For White Dragon, this was just a light warm-up.
Shaka had handpicked him from thousands of panda cubs. He was highly intelligent, almost as smart as a human.
Over the years, White had trained alongside him, learning martial arts and techniques from the Land of Flowers. He had battled countless strong opponents at sea, growing stronger with every fight.
And on top of that, Shaka had once stolen a Paramecia-type Copy-Copy Fruit from a pirate and fed it to White Dragon.
As a result, White Dragon's abilities had become almost ridiculous.
Though he wasn't on par with the true monsters of the sea, even Marine Vice Admirals would struggle against him.
The Copy-Copy Fruit let him store up to five abilities at a time and switch between them freely.
The Logia-type Cloud-Cloud Fruit? He copied that from a member of the Holy Knights.
The Paramecia-type Weapon-Weapon Fruit? That was from a pirate who used to wield it.
Of course, he could only use one copied ability at a time.
And if he copied a new ability beyond the five-slot limit, it would replace an existing one.
...
Just then, a large ship approached.
A group of children cheered and waved excitedly at Shaka from the deck of the Going Merry.
"Rapanui! Akibi! Isoka! Rongo! Pukau..."
Henzo was stunned.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he trembled with emotion.
These were his childhood friends.
And just as he had suspected, they hadn't aged a day.
"....."