At The Peak of One Piece

Another ten minutes passed. The colossal tree rose even higher, revealing more of its form. The underside of its vast canopy was flat, with numerous fine vines (relative to the tree's size) hanging down from its branches. The trunk was now visible, its surface mottled with patches of green and deep brown.

A closer look revealed the green was moss and ferns. Hanging from each of these vines was an olive-shaped, white sphere. There were perhaps a hundred thousand of these spheres in total. The tree's overall shape was now discernible, though part of its trunk remained submerged, and its roots were still hidden.

The giant beasts gathered by the lake grew visibly excited at the tree's emergence, roaring skyward as if declaring, 'Don't even try to touch it, or you die!'

Victor watched with amusement, enjoying the spectacle, though he still didn't understand what they were waiting for. A giant tree? What was so special about it? He decided to keep watching.

Staring at the nearly three-hundred-meter-wide trunk, Victor's imagination wandered. What could you do with wood on this scale? Carve out dozens of grand villas? Hollow out an entire massive ship?

He didn't have to wait long. As the moon reached its zenith directly overhead, the entire tree fully emerged from the water. Accompanying it was a landmass, covered in glistening, dew-speckled grass that formed a lush, vibrant green expanse. The land curved in a spherical arc, with the tree rooted at its highest point, the arc extending down into the lake water.

The dramatic emergence seemed complete. No further changes occurred. Yet, the beasts below remained still, only growing more visibly agitated. Victor was baffled. They couldn't enter the water, so why the fervent wait? His curiosity deepened.

Another hour crawled by. Victor grew bored, stifling a yawn as he glanced down again.

"Still nothing changing," he muttered. "How much longer? Seriously dull. Why don't you lot fight it out? At least that'd be entertaining!" He yawned again.

His eyes drifted back to the giant tree. Still no change. He started to look away, but a flicker of something different caught his eye just before he turned.

He snapped his gaze back. The difference was in the hanging orbs. One of them was emitting a faint glow. He kept watching. He hadn't imagined it. Slowly, the light intensified. Then, others began to glow too, resembling strings of hanging light bulbs.

Victor guessed these orbs were the tree's fruit. The beasts below were waiting for them to ripen. He couldn't fathom what benefits the fruit offered, though, to draw such powerful creatures – even Sea Kings had come ashore. These fruits were clearly extraordinary.

Time passed slowly. The light from some fruits on the tree grew steadily brighter, while a significant number remained completely dark. Others glowed with varying intensities. Two fruits shone the brightest of all. Every giant beast fixed its gaze on these two. Victor surmised the fruits didn't ripen all at once; these two were ready now. Only two… too few. Snatching one unnoticed would be nearly impossible.

He didn't know when exactly the fruits would be fully ripe. Would picking them prematurely cause problems? He could use Moon Walk to reach them early, but without understanding the risks, recklessness seemed unwise.

Just then, as if answering his unspoken question, a smaller beast – part of the second-tier group – grew restless. It likely knew its chances were slim once the fruits ripened. But now, it had an advantage: wings. Resembling a massive pterodactyl, it saw its moment. While the Sea Kings were distracted, it launched itself over them and took flight, heading straight for the giant tree. The Sea Kings noticed instantly, bellowing in earth-shaking fury.

But it didn't give chase. Instead, it remained in place, waiting. 

The winged beast flapped its massive leathery wings, speeding toward the center of the lake—yet the farther it flew, the slower it became, its altitude steadily dropping. Before it could even reach the canopy, it plummeted into the water, melting away with a final, shrill shriek of defiance. 

Witnessing this, Victor's pupils contracted, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. The thought of how close he'd come to rushing out himself sent a wave of dread through him. 

'This lake is too damn unnatural. Does a place like this even exist in this world?' 

But the evidence was right in front of him. This world operated on rules beyond human comprehension. Existence itself was justification—one day, when his strength reached the necessary level, the secrets would unravel on their own. For now, his inability to understand only proved his own inadequacy. 

One thing was clear: ''The lake existed to protect the tree at its center.'' 

Or, more accurately—''to protect the unripe fruit hanging from its branches.'' 

No other beasts dared charge in after the foolish dragon. They waited patiently, all for the sake of just ''two fruits''. The entire island's creatures had been roused, even Sea Kings from the ocean depths. Whatever those fruits were, they had to be extraordinary. 

'But right now, I'm not strong enough to risk it. And there are still plenty left on the tree'

"Combined with what i saw today, i can analyze some things. The giant tree will rise above the lake on the night of the full moon. As for whether it happens once a year or every month, it is not certain yet. We will know on the night of the next full moon. Then the giant tree rises above the lake to shine the moonlight of the full moon, which can speed up the ripening of the fruit. In order to prevent the unripe fruits from being eaten prematurely, or in other words, some existence does not want the fruits to be eaten, so it spreads or arranges something in the lake to prevent people or animals from approaching. Victor guessed that there is a high possibility that there is a highly toxic substance in the lake. The closer to the center, the stronger the toxicity. The pterosaur beast could not withstand the poisonous fog emitted from the lake and fell into the lake."

"It is also possible that there is more than one arrangement. There are very strong corrosive substances in the lake water, and the gravity within the entire lake is stronger than the gravity of this planet. The closer to the center of the lake, the stronger it is. The pterosaur beast could not resist the increasing gravity and fell. This is all possible. As for the truth, we can only study it slowly." Victor had some guesses in his mind, but you will never guess until the secret is revealed.

Finally, the two fruits ''glowed like miniature suns'', their forms indistinct within the light. Then— 

'''Puff.''' 

A soft sound as they detached, tumbling down the tree's slope before rolling onto the lake's surface. They floated, drifting outward toward the shore. 

The instant they fell, the remaining fruit-laden vines ''retracted into the canopy'', vanishing from sight. 

And chaos erupted. 

Every beast on the shore ''charged'' into the water, a stampede of titans clashing toward the center. The corrosive waters? ''Gone.'' Attacks broke out as tempers flared—yet no creature melted. 

Victor's mind short-circuited. 

'"What kind of bullshit mechanism is this?! The fruit falls, and the lake's 'seal' just—POOF—disappears?! How is this even—' 

''"SCREW THIS XIANXIA-ASS WORLD!"''