At The Peak of One Piece

Victor dragged the Scaled Tyrannosaurus' corpse toward the cliff. He wouldn't waste such prime prey, especially while badly injured; he needed food to recover. This was the strongest beast he'd hunted so far, and he planned to extract and keep its teeth.

Back at the cabin, he kept only half the meat. The tyrannosaurus was colossal, like a small hill, far too much for one meal. He'd take some of the dragon meat when he left the island.

After processing the meat, he started roasting it immediately. As the meat cooked, Victor reflected. He'd reached the Cutting Steel realm today, but it was only the beginning. There was vast room for growth. Both his body and his spirit could grow stronger, allowing him to cut more. His talent ensured steady progress, but he couldn't linger on the island too long; he needed intense combat. "Decision made," he declared with fierce determination. "Once healed, I'm hunting deeper in the forest. Ha!"

Eating the dinosaur meat brought obvious changes. His injuries healed significantly; one more day's rest would see them gone entirely. The density of his muscles and bones increased dramatically. Dinosaur meat was potent stuff.

Dinosaur bones lay scattered around him as Victor stretched out under the sky. The moon was noticeably fuller. Watching it, he drifted sleep. No animals disturbed him. The scattered bones of the outer region's apex predator, though stripped bare, still carried its intimidating aura. Outer region beasts steered clear, and inner region creatures rarely ventured this far out. Victor slept safely.

The next day, Victor didn't hunt. Instead, he scattered the dinosaur bones in a protective circle around the cabin, deterring any outer region animals from accidentally wandering close.

With the bones placed, Victor sat cross-legged in the clearing, meditating. He needed to fully absorb this new realm, solidify his understanding, and deepen it further.

His ascent to this level had been methodical, not a sudden leap followed by a fall. His foundation was stable. Now, he needed mastery – true fluidity. As discussed before: true control. The sword moving as an extension of his will.

Another day passed. Victor returned to the cabin dragging fresh prey. He'd ventured into the inner region. He noticed the buffer zone between inner and outer seemed devoid of large animals. Inside the inner region itself, the creatures behaved strangely. An unusual quietness prevailed. No hunting, minimal conflict – a stark contrast to the outer region's constant struggle.

"The forest feels different today," Victor mused. "What's going on? Are the inner region beasts living in harmony? That's not very beast-like." The profound silence felt heavy. Animals seemed to be lying low, yet their eyes betrayed intense, barely contained excitement. They were waiting for something. The island felt shrouded in mystery, though Victor knew his current strength wasn't enough to explore the central lake area.

He pushed thoughts of the forest's secrets aside. Progress was step-by-step; he couldn't leap too far ahead. The island's deeper mysteries weren't for him to unravel yet.

Victor processed his catch and started cooking. Most went on the spit for roasting, while he set aside portions for stew and other dishes. He ate heartily under the hazy seascape and a sky filled with countless stars. The moon hadn't fully risen yet, but it was already strikingly full. Victor felt a pang of regret – no wine. It would have been perfect.

Alone on the island, Victor felt no loneliness. A lifetime spent mostly solitary in his previous world had inured him. Now, he felt anticipation for this world. So many familiar figures awaited his acquaintance. This drove his desire for greater strength. Standing higher, he reasoned, would let him meet more fascinating people.

Victor fell asleep. Sometime later, a chorus of bestial roars jolted him awake. He rushed to the cliff edge. Bathed in the light of the full moon, he saw countless Sea Kings rising and falling in the ocean. They bypassed the sheer cliffs, making landfall elsewhere along the coast. Victor remembered Koushirou mentioning seeing Sea Kings on the island. He'd been here half a month without a single sighting... until now. Victor looked up at the brilliant, full moon hanging in the sky. 'Could it be connected?'

Victor pondered for a moment but couldn't find any logical connection. "It can't just be because the moonlight is brightest tonight, making it easier for Sea Kings to see and avoid tripping, right?" Even he didn't believe that. He decided to follow and investigate—there had to be a hidden reason. 

Why would Sea Kings risk confronting the island's colossal beasts just to come ashore? Cautiously, Victor moved toward the shallows, trailing behind a massive, eel-like Sea King. Since this type lacked legs, it was far more vulnerable on land than in water. Following it proved unexpectedly smooth—any creature foolish enough to block its path was instantly devoured. Soon, they reached the heart of the forest. 

As they neared the central lake, a crowd of creatures—large and small—had already gathered. At the sight of the eel Sea King, they hastily cleared a path. 

Victor didn't advance further. Instead, he leaped into the treetops, hopping from branch to branch until he reached a vantage point overlooking the lake. What he saw left him stunned. 

The lakeshore was packed with creatures, the largest at the front, the smaller ones behind. The variety of monstrous forms was staggering—Victor could barely recognize any. Thousands of beasts had gathered, yet the scene was eerily quiet, save for the occasional roar when two clashed over territory. All of them faced the lake, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. 

"If they're so interested in the lake, why not just go in?" 

He soon got his answer. 

Two beasts fighting over space accidentally shoved one another into the water. Instantly, the lake boiled, white vapor erupting as the creature shrieked. Crimson waves churned—and within minutes, only a skeleton remained before it, too, sank beneath the surface. 

Victor sucked in a sharp breath. He knew how tough these creatures were—even Koushirou had admitted he couldn't defeat them. Yet their formidable defenses had dissolved in mere minutes. This lake was unnatural. He'd heard of the world's bizarre islands and phenomena, but experiencing it firsthand was something else. 

"If I ever face an unbeatable enemy… I'll just lure them here." 

Staying hidden, Victor waited to see what these beasts were after. Half an hour passed with no change—until the moon approached its zenith. 

Then, the lake stirred. 

Bubbles surged from the center, waves rippling outward. After fifteen minutes, the turbulence intensified. Something rose from the depths—strands like aquatic plants surfaced first, spreading across the water. As they ascended further, more tendrils emerged, weaving together until… 

A forest seemed to be rising from the lake. 

But reality proved even stranger. 

The "branches" weren't separate. They were all part of one unfathomably massive tree, its canopy spanning nearly two kilometers as it breached the surface. The highest points arched like a celestial dome, obscuring whatever lay beneath. 

Victor's jaw dropped. 

In both his lifetimes, he'd never seen anything like it. Only mythical trees like the Treasure Tree Adam, Sunlight Tree Eve, or Ohara's Tree of Knowledge could compare—and he hadn't even seen those. 

"This world's trees… are insane." 

A hysterical thought struck him: 

"How long would this thing burn if chopped into firewood?"