“Apis, I’d like to ask you a favor.” Dazai gently patted the top of Apis’s hat and smiled warmly.
“What is it, Mr.
Dazai?” Apis looked up at him curiously.
“I think I’ve figured out where the Lost Island is.” Dazai crouched down so they were at eye level, his gentle gaze carrying a faint smile.
“What?!” Luffy, Nami, and Apis shouted in unison.
“Where is it?!” Apis grabbed Dazai’s coat tightly, unable to hide her excitement.
“Let’s gather Usopp and the others first.” Dazai raised a finger to his lips, blinking innocently as he deliberately kept them in suspense.
“Nami?” Luffy looked toward her.
“Go.” “Okay!” “Gum-Gum—” His arm shot out of the cave, stretching toward the Going Merry.
Meanwhile, Dazai hummed quietly to himself as he sat beside Ryuji.
The old Millennial Dragon watched him silently, resting peacefully where he lay.
“Mr.
Dazai,” Apis asked, “can you understand what Ryuji is saying too?” Although she desperately wanted to know the answer about the Lost Island, she restrained herself from asking again.
“No.” Dazai absentmindedly twisted the hem of his oversized coat.
“I can’t understand him…
I suppose I’m just a little envious.” Nami folded her arms and leaned against the cave wall.
Silence filled the cavern.
Then— “AAAAAHHHHH!!” Several figures came flying through the cave entrance.
Luffy crashed to the ground with Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp piled on top of one another.
Face planted into the dirt, Zoro slowly pushed himself up, his complexion pale from the ride.
After steadying himself, he glared murderously at Luffy.
“One of these days…
I’m going to kill you!” Luffy ignored the threat as if it were just another ordinary greeting.
“Nami~!
So this is where you’ve been!” Sanji had originally intended to settle the score with Luffy too, but the moment he spotted Nami, he instantly regained all his energy and rushed over.
Then his eyes drifted past her.
His expression stiffened.
“…What is that?” “T-That’s…
W-What is that?!” Usopp pointed at Ryuji with a trembling finger, his voice shaking.
Nami stepped forward and explained everything that had happened.
Soon, everyone was seated on the cave floor.
Dazai sat in front of Ryuji.
Apis sat to his right.
Nami sat to his left.
Across from them, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp sat in a row.
“Dazai,” Nami began, “can you tell us now?
Where is the Lost Island?” Apis stared at him with sparkling eyes full of anticipation.
“You’ve already figured out where the Lost Island is?!” Usopp exclaimed.
His mind was still struggling to process Apis, the Millennial Dragon, and the Marines’ pursuit.
Now he was suddenly being told someone had solved the mystery of a legendary island.
“If I’m right…” Dazai gently stroked Ryuji’s soft green feathers.
“Then Ryuji has already found it.” Nami’s expression changed.
A thought seemed to dawn on her.
Apis, however, looked completely confused.
“What do you mean?
Ryuji got separated from the other dragons.
He doesn’t know where the Dragon’s Nest is!” She emphasized every word.
“The Lost Island…
is Warship Island, isn’t it?” Zoro, sitting cross-legged with one hand supporting his chin, calmly voiced the conclusion.
“Exactly!” Dazai gave him a thumbs-up and even threw him a wink.
Zoro shuddered in disgust.
“W-Warship Island?!” Usopp’s eyes nearly popped out.
“You mean…
it’s here?” Apis murmured to herself in disbelief.
Luffy scratched the back of his head.
His eyebrows twisted together as smoke practically rose from his head.
His brain had completely overloaded.
With a defeated groan, he flopped sideways onto Zoro.
Zoro grabbed him by the arm before he could fall over.
“Dazai,” Nami said helplessly, “stop being mysterious and explain.” “Do you all remember Grandpa Gordan’s story?” Picking up a small stone, Dazai began drawing on the ground.
Everyone nodded.
They had only heard it a few hours ago, after all.
“The legend said that the people of Warship Island were descendants of those who escaped from the Lost Island,” Sanji pointed out.
“That’s the key.” Dazai continued sketching as he explained.
“Everyone assumes the Lost Island is the Dragon’s Nest—a place where dragons and humans once lived together.” “But what if the legend got that part wrong?” He drew two separate circles in the dirt.
“What if Warship Island and the Lost Island were never the same place?” “What if the ancestors didn’t escape from the Lost Island…” “…but escaped to the Lost Island instead?” His simple diagrams made the theory much easier to understand.
“But Apis’s family has lived on Warship Island for generations,” Nami said.
“They’ve never seen a Millennial Dragon before.” “Then why are they called Millennial Dragons?” Dazai replied with another question.
“Does ‘millennial’ simply refer to their lifespan…” “…or does it mean something else?” No one answered.
“The migration of animals isn’t guided by memory.” “It’s guided by instinct.” The hint was almost impossible to miss.
“Apis, didn’t you say the Lost Island rises from the sea at fixed intervals?” She nodded.
“Then perhaps ‘millennial’ is the clue.” “Ryuji!” Apis suddenly understood.
“That’s wonderful!
You’ve already found the Dragon’s Nest!” She happily ran over and hugged the old dragon, gently stroking his feathers.
“Then isn’t everything solved?” Usopp laughed in relief.
“So you called us here just to share the good news?” “No.” Dazai watched Apis’s joyful smile.
His own expression darkened slightly.
A troubling possibility lingered in the back of his mind, but he chose not to ruin her happiness.
Instead, he looked toward everyone else.
“I called you here to discuss our next move.” “The Marines are already on our trail.” “They’ve probably sealed off the harbor by now.” “What?!” Usopp leaped to his feet.
“This place isn’t safe anymore,” Nami said, immediately understanding Dazai’s reasoning.
“If we were able to find Ryuji’s hiding place so easily, then the Marines will be able to search the island and find him sooner or later.” “So…” Zoro grinned fiercely.
“What’s the plan?” “It’s simple.” A mysterious smile spread across Dazai’s face.
“We’re going to divert the Marines’ attention.”
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