"Alright, Joz, let's release the ability," Chiba's voice sounded again.
"Understood."
Joz immediately withdrew the power of his String-String Fruit's awakened form, absorbing countless white silk threads back into his body.
When he looked back at the ship, he saw several holes punctured through it. Chiba stepped out, and Joz approached, asking, "Captain, what was going on? What was all that?"
Chiba took out a Spirit Elephant Pill, only the size of a thumbnail, yet covered with a layer of white energy and inscribed with numerous runes. It radiated immense power.
"What is this? A pill?" Joz looked at the Spirit Elephant Pill with curiosity.
"That's right, this is the Spirit Elephant Pill. It's the elixir I just refined. You helped me keep them from escaping, so you deserve a reward. Remember, to use it, dissolve it slowly in water. Put the pill in a 1000ml cup for ten seconds, then remove it. Drink the water and go cultivate. Increase the dose gradually as you get used to it."
Joz was stunned. "Thank you, Captain, for this pill! Was the vision in the sky earlier caused by your refining?"
Chiba nodded and said, "That's right. Now, I need to train. You may go."
"Yes, Captain." Joz left happily, soon showing off the pill to Vista.
"Vista, did you see the vision in the sky? That was caused by this pill that Captain Chiba refined. And now, he gave me one!"
Vista couldn't believe it. "You mean Chiba gave you a pill that can cause a sky phenomenon, just because you have thicker skin than me?"
Joz laughed. "Well, I was going to share it with you, but if that's how you feel, maybe not."
"No, no, my bad! Okay? Your skin is thicker than mine—fine! Share it with me, please."
"Half?" Joz's eyes widened before smirking. "Alright, half it is."
Excited, Vista watched as Joz prepared a 1000ml cup, soaking the pill for fifteen seconds.
Then, he gave half of the water to Vista. Looking at the 500ml portion, Vista expected half the pill itself, but instead, he got half the water.
"Are you kidding me, Joz?"
"Drink it or leave it. I'll drink it if you don't."
"Fine, I'll drink it." Vista downed it, feeling slightly annoyed. He decided he'd have to find a way to get more pills from Captain Chiba next time.
Vista felt the potent medicinal power spread within him immediately. It was immensely pure and strong, difficult to refine. The energy began to expand, almost causing his stomach to burst.
Alarmed, Vista activated his Devil Fruit ability to suppress the energy, forcing it into a condensed form as he continued absorbing it with his body-forging technique.
The energy was incredibly pure, difficult to absorb, but once refined, it drastically boosted his internal energy reserves. Vista was astounded by the pill's immense potency.
At the same time, Joz drank his remaining half of the liquid. The powerful medicine surged within him, and he was thankful he hadn't tried to soak it for too long—any stronger, and even he might have been overwhelmed.
With the medicinal energy accumulating rapidly, Joz could only activate his fruit ability and Armament Haki to shield his body, channeling the energy into his training technique to absorb it swiftly.
While Vista and Joz strengthened their powers, Chiba arrived on a remote island and began practicing the God Elephant Prison technique.
He swallowed a Spirit Elephant Pill, unleashing a potent medicinal force that coursed through his body. Chiba was pleased; the pill's medicinal energy was extraordinarily pure and powerful, with a spectral quality.
Rapidly, spiritual projections of elephants began forming within him, as enormous amounts of spiritual energy from all directions streamed into Chiba's body.
Chiba's power started to grow rapidly. A day later, 80 million particles within his body had successfully evolved into a spirit elephant, and the effects of the Spirit Elephant Pill had been exhausted.
Chiba took out a second Spirit Elephant Pill and swallowed it. The potent energy surged freely, and Chiba resumed refining the pill to advance his cultivation.
In the blink of an eye, ten days passed. On one evening, the surrounding sea lay calm and still. Above one particular island, a powerful spiritual vortex swirled, absorbing spiritual energy from all directions.
Finally, at a certain moment, the spiritual vortex collapsed, followed by an eruption of true energy from the island.
The majestic zhenqi condensed into the form of a giant spirit elephant, hundreds of meters high.
Although made of pure zhenqi, this young spirit elephant radiated incredible vitality and spirituality.
It blinked its eyes, looking around curiously.
Then, raising its trunk high, it let out a thunderous trumpet.
The sound reverberated through the heavens, sending all creatures in the forests trembling with fear.
In the distance, a crocodile over ten meters long was about to prey on a deer. Upon hearing the trumpet, it dropped to the ground in terror, unable to move.
Even sea kings nearby were shaking in the depths, feeling an instinctual fear at the soul level toward this creature, whose existence surpassed theirs.
Though still a young spirit elephant, its presence exuded a natural aura of dominance, filling those close to it with an overwhelming sense of awe.
Ace and the others, too, heard the trumpeting sound, which made their eardrums ache and struck fear into their hearts.
Ace, sensing his own fear, couldn't help but wonder, *What was that? Why am I feeling fear from just a sound?*