"Graveyard of Ships: The Mist's Deadly Embrace"

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"Waaah—" A collective gasp rippled through the air, carrying the weight of both wonder and dread.

"Is that..."

"A rainbow-colored mist?"

Year 1520 of the Sea Circle Calendar.

The first half of the Grand Line, Ruluka Island.

A vast, shimmering mist of seven colors covered the sea ahead.

"There's no doubt about it! That's the Seven-Colored Mist I've been searching for these past fifty years!"

Aboard the Going Merry.

An elderly man, short in stature with graying hair and beard, trembled with excitement.

The Straw Hat Pirates stood in awe, their eyes widening at the dreamlike mist before them. "So this is the legendary Seven-Colored Mist?"

"Are we really going in?"

As the pirate ship steadily approached the mystical fog, a long-nosed young man hesitated, his face filled with worry. "Isn't this the mist where every adventurer who enters... vanishes, never to return?"

The elderly scientist, Henzo, spoke with determination, "I've spent my life researching for this very moment!"

"What, are you scared?"

A beautiful, dark-skinned woman with an alluring figure chuckled as she teased him, amusement glinting in her eyes.

"Who's scared?!"

The Straw Hats' sniper, Usopp, was already breaking into a cold sweat.

But afraid of being mocked, he straightened his back, raised a thumb, and declared loudly, "I am Captain Usopp, a fearless warrior of the sea!"

"Uhh… this seems too dangerous. Maybe we shouldn't go in?"

A fair-skinned, orange-haired girl in a floral T-shirt and denim shorts—radiating youthful energy but clearly nervous—raised her hand hesitantly.

That mist looked way too ominous.

She really didn't want to disappear without a trace.

"Miss Navigator, I heard there might be a fortune hidden inside…"

Robin turned back.

Smiling, she said to the Straw Hats' navigator, "You do remember, don't you? That Mayor Wetton invested so much money into Henzo's research for a reason."

"Treasure?"

At those words—

Nami's eyes immediately sparkled.

In an instant, her fear vanished.

Gripping the ship's railing tightly, she gazed at the mist with an intense gleam in her eyes. "Usopp is right! As pirates, we can't just back down!"

"Nami, you too?! Waaaah..."

Chopper, the Straw Hats' doctor and one of the so-called "Cowardly Trio," burst into tears, trembling in fear.

"Miss Nami, Miss Robin, don't worry!"

A curly-browed blond man spun in circles, passionately declaring, "I will protect you both!"

"Hehe, we'll be counting on you, dear chef."

Robin smiled gently.

Though she had just recently joined the Straw Hats, her past as an executive in Baroque Works still made some of the crew wary of her.

But she had already figured out the personalities and quirks of each member.

The crew's cook, though a bit of a flirt, had a strong sense of chivalry and wasn't actually perverted. He wasn't unpleasant.

And in critical moments, he was quite reliable.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Sanji's eyes turned into hearts as he lost himself in a lovestruck daze, his heart racing wildly.

"Hehehe…"

At that moment—

As the Going Merry sailed deeper into the Seven-Colored Mist—

Perched atop the ship's figurehead, the Straw Hats' captain, Monkey D. Luffy, grinned, pressing down on his straw hat. "Here we go—into the Seven-Colored Mist!"

"Interesting… this is getting exciting!"

Surrounded by a dense fog so thick it obscured their vision, a green-haired swordsman with three katanas at his waist remained on guard, though he couldn't help but smile.

Swish… swish…

Suddenly—

A dazzling light flickered through the mist.

The crew felt as if they were passing through time and space.

The Going Merry emerged from the mystical tunnel into a strange, unfamiliar sea.

All around them were decayed, ancient ships, covered in the marks of time, along with countless shipwrecks floating eerily on the water's surface.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

Robin scanned the surroundings, her curiosity piqued. "Doctor, where are we?"

"Epis Concord!"

Henzo took a deep breath, struggling to maintain his composure.

As a child, pirates had attacked Ruluka Island, and in the chaos, his childhood friends wandered into the Seven-Colored Mist… never to return.

For fifty years, he had dedicated himself to studying the mist, determined to rescue his lost friends.

"Wait… you don't mean—"

Robin's eyes narrowed sharply, her expression shifting.

"What is this place?!" Nami, Chopper, Usopp, and the others couldn't shake the sense of impending doom.

"The graveyard of ships… where none return."

Robin's face was solemn as she answered.

She had read about Epis Concord in an old adventure novel written by an unknown author.

"What?!"

Hearing this from the ever-knowledgeable archaeologist, even the usually composed Zoro and Sanji were visibly shaken.

But their captain, Luffy, was different.

Despite his initial surprise, his eyes quickly filled with excitement as he took in their eerie surroundings. "This is AWESOME!!!"

Meanwhile—

Ahead of the Going Merry.

Beyond the swirling mist, deep within the dark, mysterious waters—

A dilapidated pirate ship drifted silently.

"Huh… looks like some interesting folks just arrived."

A tall, well-built young man with messy black hair and a striking face raised an eyebrow.

Holding a roasted fish in one hand, he sat casually on the ship's railing, finishing his meal in a few quick bites.

Beside him, a massive panda—at least four or five meters long, covered in black and white fur—lounged lazily.

Munching on a chunk of roasted meat, the panda let out a low, contented grunt.

"..…"