"Ouch!"
Sakura, who had fallen out of the hole, landed hard on solid ground.
The surroundings resembled a village, with numerous shacks haphazardly built. A bonfire burned not far away, barely providing a bit of light in the pitch-blackness.
"Damn rabbit, what exactly are you trying to do?!"
This time, before the rabbit could escape, Sakura, who had gotten up first, clamped onto the rabbit's head with a hand clad in Armament Haki.
"Let go, let me go! Is this how you treat someone who saved you twice?!"
The rabbit, who was grabbed by the top of its head, kicked and punched at Sakura, but its limbs were too short, so it just flailed in the air.
"You little brat, so you can talk? Then why were you playing dumb earlier?"
Sakura reached out with her other hand and tugged hard on the rabbit's cheek, stretching its left cheek far out.
"Idiot! Not talking casually in the Colorless Realm is common sense, you know?"
"Who the hell knows that kind of common sense?!"
The two pressed their foreheads together, each baring shark-like teeth and roaring at the other.
"Ahem, manners, Prince Hermod!"
The white cat, carried up by numerous small animals, coughed twice. Leaning on a cane with the help of other animals, it approached Sakura and the white rabbit.
"But, Sensei, she was just in the Nirmanarati Realm trying to attack..."
The white rabbit, addressed as Prince, looked utterly unconvinced and was about to tattle to the white cat.
"Enough, Hermod! Do not speak their names here!"
The cane struck the ground heavily, stirring up a massive wave of air that cut off Hermod's words.
The large white cat panted a few times, then waved for the nearby small animals to bring over a table and chairs.
"Please take a seat, Sakura-sama."
It fetched freshly boiled hot water from near the bonfire, poured a cup with elegant movements, and pushed it to the table in front of Sakura.
"Apologies, conditions here are humble. We have nothing good to offer you."
Sakura didn't mind. She took the hot water, drank a sip, and dispelled the fatigue from the battles in the upper two layers.
"I have too many questions. First, tell me what exactly is going on with this island!"
After organizing her thoughts, Sakura spoke.
"Ah, let me explain slowly." The white cat sighed softly, looking at its reflection in the water, "Do you know of the country called Elshakh?"
"No, never heard of it." Sakura shook her head.
After all, it was the westernmost route in the Grand Line, different from the one Roger took back in the day, so she didn't know much about it.
"Right. After doing such terrible things to us, the World Government would naturally erase our existence." The white cat smiled mockingly.
Then, its cat paw on the table clenched, and it gritted its teeth, "This island, Sunlight Island, Non-Affiliated Country, Elshakh, was the venue for a hunting competition held by those who shall not be named three years ago!"
"What?"
Sakura's eyes widened, and she gasped softly.
"History, language, records... everything that proved this country existed was erased by them!"
The white cat's face contorted fiercely, its tear-filled eyes seemingly reflecting a nation that burned endlessly.
"Now, all the citizens who still retain their sanity are in this place, barely getting by in this dream interstice thanks to the Prince's ability."
"So we're inside a dream right now? And also the Ce... mmph!"
Before Sakura could finish her words, a rabbit paw and a cat paw blocked her mouth at the same time.
"Stupid pirate! Didn't I tell you not to call them directly? They'll notice!"
The white rabbit's fur stood on end, its angry, inverted-triangle eyes bloodshot.
"Whew... Sakura-sama, we cannot casually call out their titles here."
The white cat, seeing that it had successfully stopped Sakura, breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, it drank some hot water to moisten its throat and continued explaining to Sakura.
"The top layer is their dwelling place, the Colorless Realm, the middle layer is where they hunt us for sport, the Nirmanarati Realm, and the bottom layer is where they discard waste, the Paranirmita-vasavartin Realm!"
"This triple-layered world is what our homeland looks like now."
As the white cat explained, the current state of the island gradually became clear.
Sakura, who is now on the lowest layer, looked up and could just make out the forms of the other two realms.
A white, silent dead land, with illusory currents flowing wildly. Giant walls separated the dwelling of the gods. Mythical beasts roamed the jungle, each radiating intense fighting spirit, guarding the pure white sacred land.
Wreckage drifted in the thick fog, the void contained desires. Black and white alternated, angels patrolled, bearing the sun's radiance above and the remnants of civilization below. Hollow voids devoured all dreams. Beneath that tranquility lay malice from the descendants of the Creators.
This was the kingdom that existed within dreams… Elshakh!
'Was this the doing of a Devil Fruit User? But how was such a range and duration achieved?'
Sakura crossed her arms. Some questions were answered, but more arose.
She shook her head, tossing these thoughts aside, and turned her attention back to the animals.
"By the way, I came with two companions. We're here to find the comrades who sent the distress signal. Do you know where they are?"
Hearing her words, the white cat shook its head with a sigh.
"To be honest, Sakura-sama, a soul like yours that can maintain a human form in the dream is something we've never seen before."
"No outsiders have come to the Paranirmita-vaśavartin Realm recently. If your companions really entered, they can only be in that place!"
Sakura frowned, "That place?"
Ten minutes later, the white rabbit led Sakura to a giant pit.
Below lay mountains of white garbage, even emitting an indescribable odor.
"This is the Savage Terminal. People from the upper realm usually dump their unwanted garbage here."
The white rabbit adjusted the monocle on its face, its sidelong glance at Sakura full of mockery.
"Thanks to it, we get quite a bit of outside information. You can go down and dig through it. Maybe your companions are down there."
Looking at the churning garbage dump below, Sakura waved her hand and turned to leave.
"No, I think I'll just let them fend for themselves."
"You give up so fast! At least pretend a little longer! You cold-hearted woman!"
The white rabbit's eyes bulged. It chased after her, baring shark-like teeth and roaring at Sakura.
"Just knowing they're still alive is enough. I don't necessarily have to find them."
"Once we defeat the Devil Fruit User and restore everything, won't we naturally see them again?"
Sakura pulled her hands out of her trench coat pockets, tipped down her cowboy hat, and flashed a wanton smile at the rabbit as she turned.
"Wait, you want to go fight the Cel-"
In its surprise, the white rabbit nearly forgot the taboo. Reacting quickly, it covered its mouth with its paws.
"What? Is there a problem?"
Sakura stretched, then casually played with the rabbit's ears as she lowered her hand.
"Of course there is, you idiot! Who do you think they are? They are the descendants of the Creators! Touching them means making an enemy of the entire world!"
The white rabbit shook off Sakura's hand, veins bulging on its forehead, its breathing growing heavier.
"So?"
Sakura casually put her hands behind her back and tilted her head at him.
"What's wrong with you, woman? Don't you care about making an enemy of the whole world?"
The white rabbit was frantic, raising its hands to press against its head, its mouth hanging open.
"Isn't that perfect? Getting to clash with the ones who rule the world!"
The girl grinned, revealing a fiercely wild smile.