"Are those... Minks?" Edie muttered to himself, squinting down from his high vantage point. The night was foggy, and visibility was poor, but he could make out the distinct shapes on the ship below.
In the New World, there was a colossal elephant known as Zunesha, towering tens of thousands of meters above the sea. For centuries, the Minks had lived on its back, in a secluded land called Zou. They were a rare sight outside their homeland, as they harbored deep mistrust toward outsiders.
"The Minks possess some unique abilities... leopards, lions, bears?" Edie observed the figures on the deck, grinning slightly as he began to descend.
Meanwhile, aboard the ship, the Knox Pirates went about their nightly routine.
"Brother Pedro, I'll take the night watch tonight," Pekoms offered. The lion Mink had wild golden hair, wore sunglasses, and looked fierce despite his good-natured intentions.
"No, Pekoms, you've taken the watch for the past two nights. I'll handle it tonight," Pedro, the captain of the Knox Pirates, replied. He was a leopard Mink, his body and face covered in sleek fur. A cigarette hung from his mouth as he waved off Pekoms' offer. In just a year of sailing the seas, Pedro had already gained a bounty of 382 million Beli.
"No, I insist, Brother Pedro."
"No, I insist."
As the two continued to argue over who would keep vigil, a polar bear Mink holding a telescope interrupted.
"Mr. Pedro... there seems to be... someone on the moon?"
"What are you babbling about, Zepo?" Pekoms scoffed, tilting his head toward the sky. Pedro quickly reminded him, "Don't stare! Tonight's a full moon!"
But both Minks couldn't help glancing upward—and when they did, they froze in shock.
There, in the bright glow of the full moon, a shadowy figure was descending from the sky, rapidly growing larger as it approached. Pedro's heart raced as he realized it wasn't someone on the moon but someone flying through the air, blocking the moon's light with their figure.
The Minks readied themselves, instinctively preparing for a fight.
"Pedro, Zepo, Pekoms..." Edie mused aloud, recognizing the trio. His memory sharpened. Pedro—This guy met Roger long ago when Roger visited Zou to imprint the red Poneglyph and passed some of his ideals onto him. This was the same Pedro who, in the future, would sacrifice himself to aid the Straw Hat Pirates' future escape from Big Mom's territory. As for Zepo, Edie recalled his connection to Bepo, a kung-fu polar bear who served under Trafalgar Law. And Pekoms—he would eventually join Big Mom's crew in the future.
"Who are you?" Pedro called out warily. "You're flying in the sky!"
"You don't recognize me?" Edie's eyebrows shot up. But then, considering Zou's isolation, it wasn't surprising they were unaware. News rarely reached their homeland, not even from the News Coo birds.
"My name is Edie, and I'm a scientist," he replied, a sly smile forming on his face.
"What do you want from us?" Pedro remained cautious, unsure whether Edie was friend or foe.
"I just happened to be passing by." Edie's smile deepened. "But while I'm here, I've heard about your people's unique abilities."
The three Minks exchanged nervous glances as Edie continued, "You Minks can discharge powerful static electricity from your bodies... but that's not all, is it?"
He paused, glancing up at the full moon hanging overhead. "During a full moon, you can transform into your Sulong form, right?"
The Minks were stunned into silence, their shock mirrored in their wide eyes.
Pedro swiftly drew his sword from its sheath, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Is that it? A human trafficker, then? The elders of our tribe always warned us—humans capture Minks and sell them as slaves!" His words were sharp, and his voice carried a fierce resolve.
At the same moment, Zepo and Pekoms tensed, readying themselves for battle.
"Damn human trafficker!" Pekoms growled, his muscular lion form bristling with indignation.
"Don't underestimate the power of the Knox Pirates, human!" Zepo added, his polar bear frame imposing and alert.
Edie couldn't help but chuckle at the accusation. Did he look like a trafficker? "The average price for you Minks in the slave market is a measly 700,000 beli," he said, shaking his head. "That's only one percent of the price for female mermaids. Hardly worth the effort. And for the record, I'm no human trafficker."
Pedro remained cautious, though slightly less tense. "Then what is it you want from us?" His voice was steady, though the suspicion lingered.
Edie's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Your race's blood factor is fascinating, but... let's start with something more interesting. Show me your Sulong form."
At the mention of the Sulong transformation, Edie's thoughts wandered to Carrot, a Mink capable of controlling her transformation. "Oh, right—what's that Mink greeting again? Kaluchiu? If I say that, will you calm down?"
But instead of calming down, Pedro launched himself at Edie without hesitation.
Sizzle!
Pedro's hands crackled with visible static electricity, the air around him humming with power. "Zepo, Pekoms!" he shouted, signaling the others. The three Minks sprang into action with incredible speed and coordination.
In an instant, all three were airborne, leaping from the deck with astonishing agility. Zepo swung his massive bear paw toward Edie's head, while Pekoms aimed a ferocious punch at his chest. Meanwhile, Pedro, his blade crackling with electricity, targeted Edie's throat with a deadly precision strike.
Their attack was flawless, every move aimed to strike at Edie's vital points.
Boom!
But just as the combined attacks were about to land, they stopped abruptly—barely thirty centimeters from Edie's body.
"What?!" Pedro gasped, his eyes wide in disbelief. Their most powerful blows had been halted mid-air, as if hitting an invisible wall.
Edie stood calm and composed, not even breaking a sweat. "Your attacks are far too weak to be considered an ultimate move. It almost feels like a joke."
With a casual flick of his wrist, Edie extended a single finger and pointed it toward Pedro's forehead.
"Black Flash."
In an instant, a concentrated burst of dark Haki formed at the tip of his finger and shot forward. The impact was immediate—Pedro was sent hurtling through the air, a pained scream escaping him as he crashed into the deck below.
"Brother Pedro!" Pekoms roared in fury, his voice thick with rage. "You bastard! You actually killed Brother Pedro!" He clenched his fists, ready to charge, but suddenly, Edie's figure vanished before his eyes.
Jiebo's pupils contracted as he tried to follow Edie's movement. But Edie was too fast, a blur of motion that the Minks could barely register. In the blink of an eye, Edie appeared on the deck, standing over Pedro's bloodied form.
"So fast..." Zepo muttered in awe, unable to comprehend the speed with which Edie had moved. Even if he had seen it clearly, he wouldn't have been able to react.
Meanwhile, Pekoms and Zepo were both knocked off the ship by the sheer force of gravity, tumbling helplessly toward the sea below.
On the deck, Edie stood calmly next to Pedro's unconscious body, blood pooling around him. He glanced down, unfazed. "I took special care to control my power so that I'd hurt you without killing you. That was very troublesome. So don't make me regret sparing your life."
Pedro lay still, his breathing shallow, as Edie's words hung in the air.
"Stand up and use your Sulong form!"
Pedro's body stirred as he gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright despite the pain. His gaze shifted to the full moon looming in the sky. "You two, run away!!" he shouted to his comrades.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Edie heard it—Dong, dong, dong—a powerful, rhythmic heartbeat.
Pedro's eyes turned blood-red, and his fur began to whiten and expand, his nails sharpening into deadly claws. In an instant, a massive, enraged white leopard stood before Edie, its form crackling with raw power.
Edie's eyes lit up with fascination. "Interesting! Why does moonlight trigger your transformation? What's unique about its wavelength? The moon only reflects sunlight... so why doesn't sunlight make you transform? This is highly valuable research material!" His mind raced with the possibilities.
But Pedro, now fully transformed into his Sulong form, had no patience for Edie's musings. He launched himself at Edie with blinding speed, his razor-sharp claws whipping through the air, each swipe backed by fierce, gale-like winds.
Yet no matter how ferociously Pedro attacked, his claws never made contact. It was as though an invisible barrier of infinite space existed between him and his target.
"Damn it! What's going on?!" Pedro growled, frustration building with each missed strike.
Despite his rage, his tactical mind remained sharp. After a series of fruitless assaults, he abruptly withdrew, leaping onto the ship's bulwark. He stared at Edie in disbelief, confusion clouding his gaze.
"Impressive," Edie remarked, unfazed. "Your speed, strength, and endurance all increase dramatically after transforming. Even your pain tolerance seems heightened." He smiled, almost as if pleased by the challenge. "I suspect it's a hormonal reaction, temporarily numbing your pain rather than healing your injuries. Truly, you Minks are a treasure—you're almost as fascinating as the Lunarians."
Pedro gritted his teeth, anger swirling in his chest. "Who are you? What's your purpose here?"
Edie's expression remained calm. "No need for such hostility. I only want to—"
In one swift motion, Edie grasped the hilt of his sword, Yoshi. Before Pedro could even react, his pupils shrank in shock—Edie had vanished.
Pedro's heart raced. Even in his Sulong form, with his heightened senses and strength, he couldn't track Edie's movements. His Observation Haki, which he had been using since the beginning of their encounter, was useless. It couldn't detect Edie at all.
Puff!
Without warning, a sharp pain erupted from Pedro's chest. Blood spurted from the wound, painting the deck red.
"When...? Damn it...!" Pedro's thoughts became muddled as his consciousness began to fade. His Sulong form dissipated, and he collapsed to the deck, unable to comprehend when or how the strike had landed. He hadn't even seen Edie move, let alone deliver the attack.
Boom!
Pedro hit the ground, a lifeless heap in a growing pool of his own blood.
Beside him, Edie calmly wiped the blood from his blade, Yoshi, using a specially designed blood-collection cloth. He smiled slightly, admiring the scene. "Thank you, kind-hearted Mink. I will gladly accept your blood factor."
Edie's eyes gleamed with the promise of the powerful research that awaited him, his curiosity about the Minks and their transformation far from sated.