One Piece Fire Dragon Roar

Vlad’s purpose for coming to Zou was to obtain the Road Poneglyph there. Previously, when he was still in the New World, he lacked the strength to take it, so he could only think about it. Now that he has returned, his strength is sufficient, and he cannot miss this opportunity to seize the most accessible Road Poneglyph known to him. If he didn’t, Vlad wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully.

However, it’s troublesome. Even if this Poneglyph is supposedly the easiest to obtain, getting it is no easy task. The Mink Tribe living on this island is not easy to provoke. With unclear relations to humans, the Mink Tribe is not particularly welcoming to humans or, more accurately, any outsiders. Not to mention trying to enter their sacred site to peek at the treasure they have been guarding.

Vlad ponders how to infiltrate and obtain the Road Poneglyph without alerting the Mink Tribe. If he wanted to go in directly, it would likely mean confronting the Minks head-on. He could smoothly achieve his goal by defeating these half-human, half-beast creatures.

However, the problem is that the combat prowess of the Mink Tribe is not to be underestimated. They are an actual warrior race, blending human and beast traits. In terms of average strength, human kingdoms cannot compare to them at all.

Even within the New World, unless it’s a force like the kingdom of Totto Land, ruled by one of the Four Emperors, ordinary human nations can hardly compare to Zou.

Moreover, this nation is not without its influential figures. The Mink Tribe is ruled by two sovereigns, Duke Inuarashi, who rules by day, and Master Nekomamushi, who rules by night. Each of these figures could stand toe-to-toe with Jack the Drought, one of Kaido’s three Disasters, and together, they constitute a formidable force. After all, both have been crew members on the Pirate King’s ship.

While not very famous, these two individuals once served on Gol D. Roger’s ship and can be considered part of the legends. Their strength is formidable, and breaking through the defenses led by these two Minks would not be easy.

However, that’s not Vlad’s concern. It’s not out of arrogance, but if Vlad chose to, sweeping through Zou wouldn’t be impossible. In this sea, only beings at the level of the Four Emperors or Admirals pose a real threat to him. Duke Inuarashi and Master Nekomamushi still don’t qualify.

Vlad is reluctant to launch a direct attack on Zou for two reasons. First, it’s troublesome. Although the chance of failure is slim, overpowering such a formidable race would be very physically demanding. Why resort to violence when there are easier ways to achieve his goal? He has no vendetta against the Minks, so there’s no need for mass slaughter.

Secondly, there’s currently a member of the Mink Tribe aboard his ship. Out of respect for his crewmate, rampaging through their homeland wouldn’t be right.

Thus, Vlad decides to play the game of infiltration masterfully.
“Hmm!!” Vlad is somewhat excited, “What to do?”

He unleashes his Observation of Haki fully. After two months of hellish training, his Observation Haki can now cover the entire island.

Vlad’s Observation Haki isn’t good at sensing emotions or detecting presences, nor can it hear voices like Enel could. However, Vlad has his strengths. As his Observation Haki has grown stronger, he finds it acts like eyes, providing him with images and being extremely sensitive to changes in space. Though not detailed, it gives him a sort of 3D modeling sense, which is immensely helpful in combat. Opponents’ movements appear in his mind in slow motion, proving useful.

In this situation, it’s a valuable ability, too.
“Hmm.” Vlad says, “Guarded so tightly, huh?”

His Observation Haki’s feedback is clear: agile figures intermittently leap through the forest below, making it challenging to enter the woods.

“Geez!” Vlad looks up at the sky, “Guess I have to enter directly from the sky then!”

Vlad had intended to enjoy a stealth game through the forest, but now he’s set on making a grand entrance from above.

“Swoosh!” Without alerting anyone, Vlad flaps his wings and ascends further, stopping only when the Elephant Island looks no more significant than the size of a palm.

“Hmm, this height should be about right,” Vlad nods, then says, “Now, where is it? The whale-sized tree!”

His Observation Haki scans, “Ah—found it, it stands out!”

“Then!”
“Flame Commandment: Zhu Rong!!”
“Bear!!”
Flames burst from Vlad’s body, not spreading wildly as usual but forming a giant white-gold sphere enveloping him.

“Crack!” The sphere bursts suddenly, turning into white specks that vanish, revealing Vlad.
White-gold appearance, two large wings, and a ring with the same black patterns as his body on his back.
“Hehe, with this,” Vlad smirks, “the speed should be enough!”

“So!”
“Here I come!!!”
“Swoosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The air trembles lightly, and the sizeable dragon-like figure vanishes from the high sky. Long after, the roaring winds follow.
“Hm?” A curvy woman with a dog’s head, or rather, a female dog, looks puzzled.
“Wanda, what’s up?”
A cute bunny with white fur and long ears curiously asks her companion.
“Nothing just felt something odd.”
“Where? What’s odd?” The bunny peers around curiously, seeing nothing unusual in the forest.
“Maybe I was wrong!” The dog laughs.
“Whew—”
A strong gust suddenly rises.
“Wow, what a big wind!” The bunny remarks, looking up at the trembling trees above.
“That’s the New World for you!” The dog laughs, “This kind of weather is normal here.”

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