One Piece Fire Dragon Roar

Speed has always been Vlad’s advantage. After transforming into a dragon, the speed boost he receives allows him to escape from Charlotte Linlin’s grasp easily. Such speed surpasses most on the high seas.

That’s just Vlad’s average speed. Like now, his speed is astonishingly enhanced when he activates Zhu Rong. When he fought against the Golden Lion using Zhu Rong, he was so fast that the Golden Lion couldn’t react. Such speed is terrifying.

If this speed were used for traveling, Vlad could ensure that there would hardly be anyone in the world who could see his form with the naked eye. He was confident about that.

“Whew—”
Carrying a fierce gale, Vlad crossed vast distances in just a few breaths. He could barely see anything with his eyes at such speeds—it’s not easy to visually perceive anything when moving that fast.

Fortunately, Vlad also had Haki. His observation of Haki was much more helpful than his eyes. It was like having a complete map cheat in a game for Vlad. No fluctuation or change could escape his watchful eye within the range covered by his Observation Haki. Thus, he quickly locked onto his destination.

It was a large tree, a huge tree. Its dense canopy spread like a giant umbrella, casting a vast shadow on the ground, standing out significantly. No meticulous search was needed to notice this tree.

Vlad landed in Whale Forest, a place the Mink Tribe considers sacred, and the tree, known as the Whale Tree, had a simple yet fitting name because it resembled a whale in shape.

It was truly miraculous. Although naturally grown, the tree genuinely resembled a massive whale. It was a testament to nature’s wonder.

Vlad didn’t alert anyone. It was daytime, and the only ones who might have detected him through their Observation Haki were Duke Inuarashi, who should be in the town, and Master Nekomamushi, who should still be sleeping. The remaining members of the Mink Tribe with Haki were no match for Vlad, let alone detecting his intrusion with their Observation Haki.

Not particularly difficult, Vlad plunged into the canopy of the Whale Tree, lightly flapping his wings to stop within the branches.

“Good, step one complete!”
Standing on a trunk, Vlad’s Observation Haki scanned inside and out, including a few Mink Tribe guards stationed at the entrance of an internal space in the tree. Going down that path wouldn’t be easy.

Fortunately, Vlad didn’t need to enter through the main entrance. As a thief, taking the front door would be too arrogant. Since he was playing the game of infiltration, it was better to avoid the conventional route.

“Hehe!”
Vlad chuckled, lifting his right hand. His dragon claw was covered with black Haki, shining dimly and looking exceedingly sharp.

“This is interesting!”
Vlad exclaimed, “Wood Release: Tree Boring Technique!!!!”
With his sharp claws enhanced by his powerful Haki, sharper than any supreme blade, the ancient and sturdy tree was as easy to penetrate as air for Vlad’s claws. He quickly carved a large hole in the trunk.

“Hmm, seems it’s over here?”
Vlad’s Observation Haki was convenient at such times, making it easy to pinpoint the location of a large stone. Digging towards it became straightforward.

“Did you hear something?”
Below the tree, at the entrance to the internal space, a Mink with a cat’s head and black fur spoke to his companion.

“Sound?”
His companion, a Mink with a gray bear’s head, listened carefully but heard nothing.

“Nothing. Maybe you heard wrong?”
“Maybe?”
The cat listened again more carefully. “Seems indeed there’s no sound. Perhaps I was mistaken.”

“That’s not surprising.”
The bear laughed. “You haven’t guarded here many times, right? It’s normal to be extra vigilant. I was the same at first. Experience it a few more times, and you’ll relax. This is the Mokomo Dukedom’s sacred place; no one can breach it.”

“Yes!”
The cat nodded, aware that this was the deepest part of Zou, a secret the Mink Tribe had guarded since ancient times. Without overcoming the entire tribe’s defense, no one could reach this place.

That was supposed to be the case.
…
“Oh, oh, oh, this is the Road Poneglyph!”
A faint light came from above through a large hole in the vast, empty space.

Vlad had returned to his standard form, his upper body bare, wearing only wide trousers and barefoot, his eyes gleaming as he stared at what was before him.

It was a large stone, square, very ancient and hefty, inscribed with dense, incomprehensible text.
“Hmm, indeed, different from the usual Poneglyphs.”
This was the second Poneglyph Vlad had seen, adding to the one he encountered in Skypiea, which contained information about Sea Kings.

This Road Poneglyph was distinct from the one on Skypiea because of its striking red color, which immediately set it apart from regular Poneglyphs.

“Indeed.”
Vlad crossed his arms, affirming, “Completely incomprehensible!”
Being unable to read it was expected, as only two people could understand the text: Nico Robin, currently mixing with Crocodile in Alabasta and one other.

“Well.”
Vlad pulled out a piece of paper and ink from his pocket and started making a copy.
“Looks like I need to make a trip there! First, I’ll head to Tezoro to drop this off.”
Vlad pressed the inked paper against the Poneglyph, carefully smoothing out every crease to avoid missing any inscriptions or having unclear prints.
“That’s good, now’s just the right time. Kaido probably hasn’t made his move yet!”

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