Kano Country, a powerful nation in the West Blue and one of the member nations of the World Government, holds the right to participate in the Levely. Whether in terms of economic strength or military power, Kano Country isn't weak in anything.
Apart from the kingdom's own Royal Army, there are several violent groups, including the Niho Navy and Happo Navy. The Royal Army is responsible for maintaining internal security, while groups like the Happo Navy are official state-sanctioned pirates with license for plunder.
They also share a portion of the plundered wealth with Kano Country as part of their mutual agreement.
However, this had little to do with Zeraora and others. They were merely here for sightseeing and not to cause trouble.
Nevertheless, when they entered the borders of Kano Country, they attracted the attention of many. Five Minks and Ferren who looked like a burly small giant, were a rare combination in Kano Country.
"Wanda, don't run around!"
Upon leaving the sky, Wanda noticeably regained her energy, and she found herself captivated by the starkly different style of Kano Country compared to Zou Island. Meanwhile, Hachi and Rin watched over her.
They knew that coming out like this might have disrupted their eldest daughter's original plan, so they could only try their best to minimize any inconvenience they caused.
"If it weren't for her clinging to my leg, I wouldn't have brought her along."
"This is probably a skill that runs in your family."
"Huh?"
"I heard that over a decade ago, you clung to Shayna's leg in the same way and wouldn't let go. If only someone had taken a picture to remember that moment."
"Forget it! Please forget about all that!"
Seeing their eldest daughter playing around, Hachi and Rin wore content smiles. Meanwhile, in the shadows of Kano Country, a group of people was secretly observing Zeraora and others.
They were Kano Country's natives, and normally, as a member nation, Kano Country had an obligation to assist the Marines in capturing pirates or reporting to them when the pirates entered their country.
However, Kano Country does not do this kind of thankless work, instead operates in a selective manner.
If it's just a group of ordinary pirates worth a few tens of millions, they will apprehend them quickly as capturing such pirates required minimal effort, and the impact was limited.
However, when faced with powerful pirates, Kano Country would act cautiously. As long as these pirates didn't cause trouble within Kano Country's borders, they would simply watch them leave.
Dealing with pirates of this caliber would lead to battles that weren't easily won, and such confrontations within their borders could harm the innocent, something the World Government and the Marines cared little about.
Moreover, even if they make the arrest, the bounty isn't even connected to Kano Country. No one would do something so unrewarding.
Zeraora fell into this category of pirates, with a bounty exceeding five hundred million, and an officer of the Beasts Pirates. People like this have long been on the watchlist of member nations.
"The other party's purpose is unknown, but they appear to be on vacation."
"New update: they went to the most famous restaurant in the area. The chef was exhausted, but they paid without causing any trouble."
Such messages were relayed back, and once it was confirmed that they were indeed on vacation, the people of Kano Country relaxed their vigilance towards them.
Inside the restaurant, Ferren and Hachi appeared to be competing to see who could eat more, and it was their competition that had left the chef exhausted.
In the end, Hachi conceded.
"You win."
"You're welcome," Ferren replied, wiping his mouth. Millennial Dragons have unique habits; once they are full, they could go without eating for several months, allowing them to journey for much longer.
As the chief's son responsible for leading the way, Ferren generally expends more energy, so he could eat even more. This is just about half-full for him.
However, even the chef had been exhausted, so they decided to end it here.
After their hearty meal, they went to find a hotel. Ferren had a room to himself, while Hachi, Rin, and Wanda shared another. Although Wanda wanted to sleep with her sister, Hachi and Rin dismissed the idea.
During the night, Zeraora quietly woke up Setsuna and carried her out of the window.
"What happened? Why are you being so secretive?"
"I gathered some information during the day from the locals. To the south of Kano Country, there's an Ice Continent where aurora is a common sight, a place frequently visited by couples."
Both the West Blue and South Blue are located in the southern hemisphere, which means their southern regions are colder than the northern ones. Kano Country has, as a result, formed such a unique continent.
However, there was one thing Zeraora didn't clarify: while the people of Kano Country often went to see the aurora, they didn't go to the Ice Continent where they occurred. This area was occupied by the Happo Navy and not open to the public.
Heading south and following the traces of the aurora, Zeraora didn't pay much attention to the distance and ended up directly above the Ice continent. The two of them enjoyed the breathtaking aurora in the sky, which was nearly perfect except for their somewhat mismatched heights.
However, Setsuna soon noticed something unusual about the ice sheet below. The reflection it gave off was different from that of the regular ice sheet.
"Zeraora, do you see something under the ice?"
When they landed on the ice surface, they saw an endless amount of treasure below. The treasure was crammed into a crack in the ice, and the reflection that Setsuna noticed was the glimmer of gold.
Among the treasures, there were many skeletons, indicating that they had starved to death while trapped in the ice.
Looking at the radar in his arms, he found that it didn't react at all, causing his interest to diminish by half. A single treasure couldn't pique his interest.
"Zeraora, how do you think these things ended up in there?"
"I'm not sure, but it was probably done using brute force." Saying this, he raised his right leg high, with his heel wrapped in Haki, and struck the ice surface. Although it created some cracks, it didn't break the ice immediately; moreover those cracks also quickly sealed up.
This ice sheet had a special property – it could self-recover. Even if it was shattered, it would mend itself after some time.
This aspect actually intrigued Zeraora.
Then, he knelt on one knee on the ice surface, slightly spreading his hands before gently touching the surface.
There was a faint electrical current between his fur, and though it seemed like his hands hadn't moved, in reality, he was vibrating the ice surface at an incredibly fast frequency. Due to the speed being too fast and range of motion so small, it created an illusion that he hadn't moved at all.
Due to this, the frozen continent suddenly experienced a violent tremor, and the sturdy ice cracked open, revealing a wide crevice. The dazzling golden light even outshone the moonlight in the sky.
Simultaneously, at the end of the ice sheet, a round-headed man stared in disbelief at the fractured ice sheet.
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