Giant Jack — Upper Section*
The mighty vine of Giant Jack stretched high toward the heavens. Midway up, the Orcas were carefully making their way across a patch of tangled ruins—ancient fragments of Shandora, half-buried in thick clouds. A short distance above them, Wiper and his Shandian warriors stood on a deserted layer of floating cloud, watching silently.
Far above both groups, at the very tip of the Giant Jack, Zino stood with arms folded, a lazy breeze brushing his coat as he waited for his scattered crew to arrive. But standing idle wasn't his style—boredom was creeping in.
So, he decided to do something.
With a wave of his hand, clouds began to shift across the sky. Small and mid-sized floating islands drifted toward him, pulled by a subtle manipulation of his powers. He clustered them together, merging their mass into a single, larger formation. Bit by bit, he anchored this new floating island to the peak of the beanstalk.
He even pulled in the Golden Belfry's cloud, positioning it carefully on the island's edge like a crown.
"Not bad…" Zino muttered, examining the result. "But still kinda small."
Not satisfied, he reached farther, commanding distant cloud banks to drift in. The floating island began to grow, layer by layer, like a city in the sky waiting to be built.
Then, a thought struck him.
"Hmm… Should I build a structure here? A base, maybe…"
The idea ignited something. Without hesitation, he began shaping clouds into walls, molding them with precise swirls of wind and touch. Using his Cloud element, he hardened the walls that circled around the island's perimeter. However, his Cloud element level was too low, just at level 8. As a result, it was really a challenge for him to harden the clouds.
Nearby, Baral the mimic sat quietly, watching Zino with bright, curious eyes. After a while, he tilted his chest-shaped body.
"Hey, wanna some help?" he asked, voice upbeat.
Zino glanced over. "Sure. You can shape clouds too?"
"Yup!" Baral jumped over excitedly. Two small arms stretched out from his sides, and with a quick twist of his mimic lid, he opened a tiny portal inside his body. From it, he pulled out several strange dials and spread them on the ground.
"What are these?" Zino asked, crouching beside him.
"This one's a Milky Dial—I store floating clouds in it," Baral explained. "And this one—" he picked up another with a proud grin, "—this is an Eisen Dial. It can release a hardened type of cloud called Iron Cloud. You can shape it like steel."
"Sounds useful. Show me."
Baral held the Eisen Dial forward. A stream of grayish cloud poured out, flexible yet dense. Baral guided it with expert control, sculpting it in midair. Slowly, a familiar shape began to form—a rounded chest with stubby arms on each side.
After completing the shape, he cut the stream and detached the cloud structure. The iron cloud stayed solid, gleaming faintly under the sun.
"Tadaa!" Baral spread his arms proudly. "Look! It's me!"
Zino stared at the mimic-shaped statue and let out a laugh. "That's actually really good. I didn't think you were that artistic."
Baral beamed. "Of course! I'm more than just a cute container."
"Let me try that dial," Zino said, already reaching forward with eager hands.
"There's another Eisen Dial over there," Baral replied, pointing at a pile of scattered dials beside him. "Use that one!"
"Oh, okay." Zino grabbed the indicated dial and examined it. With a quick flick, he activated the device. A steady stream of iron cloud flowed out like thick mist under pressure. Zino focused, his fingers moving with precision as he bent and shaped the hardened vapor.
Within a minute, a solid chair formed beneath his hands. It wasn't elegant—more like a blocky throne—but it held its shape and shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
Zino stepped back and gave it a light pat. "Now this... is really interesting."
Baral, who was busy sculpting a mimic-shaped statue, just nodded approvingly. He was now adding color to the mimic form using a different dial, which painted soft hues of brown and gold along the surface.
Curious, Zino started digging through the remaining dials. Among them, one immediately caught his attention—it shimmered brightly, reflecting the sunlight like a polished mirror.
"Hey Baral," Zino called out, holding up the strange dial. "What's this one?"
Baral glanced up. "Ah, that's the Adamas Dial. Be careful with that—it's pretty rare."
"Adamas?"
"Yeah," Baral nodded as he gently rotated his own dial. "That one produces diamond clouds. Super hard, nearly indestructible. You can say it produces the hardest type of cloud in the sky islands. Maybe it's the hardest thing in the whole world."
Zino's eyes lit up. "Diamond clouds, huh?"
A thought sparked in his mind—a vague idea for something sturdier, perhaps a weapon or even armor made of condensed diamond cloud. He turned the dial over in his hand and grinned.
"I'm keeping this one," he said, tucking the Adamas Dial safely into his storage.
Zino moved to the rest of the dials. Baral had neatly arranged them: Chroma Dials for absorbing and releasing light-based color, Pigment Dials for direct painting, and Sculp Dials for fine shaping of cloud matter.
"Alright then. Time to get creative." Zino said.
With that, he set to work. He began sculpting various cloud structures—a table, an arch, and something that vaguely resembled a wall panel. He mixed the dials together, layering hardened iron cloud for structure, and pigment cloud for detail.
Meanwhile, Baral was finishing the last details on his mimic statue. He gave it two tiny beady eyes, then added a comically wide grin.
"Perfect," he whispered with pride.
The floating island above Giant Jack was now slowly transforming—what was once just a random clump of clouds had become something artistic and alive. Shapes were taking form. Furniture and bizarre statues decorated the space like a skybound gallery.
And despite the earlier chaos below, the atmosphere here was calm—peaceful even.
Only the sound of wind and the faint hum of dials filled the space as the two continued their unusual construction project in silence.
...
Below, the Shandians and the Orcas were still steadily climbing the towering Giant Jack. The air grew thinner the higher they went, and even the usually tireless Wiper and his team began to slow their pace. The vines became more sparse, and every step required more caution.
Time passed.
Eventually, the Shandians were the first to reach the summit. As they climbed over the last section of vine, they came upon an unexpected sight—an opening built into a cloud structure. It served as an entrance to a floating island that hadn't existed before. Carefully, they passed through the hole.
What greeted them took their breath away.
"This is…" Wiper muttered, eyes widening.
Before them lay an island made entirely from clouds—crafted, not natural. The ground beneath their feet was compacted white mist, firm yet soft. Structures rose out of the cloud base, unfamiliar and impressive. A half-completed palace stood nearby, its high cloud pillars and dome-like rooftops giving it the look of a sacred temple. Around it, statues—some sculpted into mimics, others into humanoid figures—decorated the grounds like silent guardians.
The perimeter of the island was ringed by high cloud walls, almost like a fortress floating in the sky.
Atop the palace-in-progress, Zino stood, sleeves rolled up, his hands busy molding cloud forms. Near the base of the palace, a strange mimic chest with arms—Baral—was focused on sculpting what looked like a seated Cloud Yeti, complete with exaggerated arms and a calm expression.
Zino noticed the newcomers and glanced down casually. "Oh, Shandians," he said with a small nod. "You guys made it."
Wiper stepped forward, gaze moving across the surreal scene. "Is this… our ancestors' treasure?"
Zino paused his work and looked down. "Nope," he replied, brushing cloud dust from his hands. "But it's not far. You'll want to check over there."
He pointed toward the back of the floating island, behind the incomplete palace.
Wiper and his team followed his direction, boots softly tapping on the hardened cloud floor. As they rounded the structure, their eyes widened once more.
There it was—the Golden Belfry.
The enormous bell tower stood silently at the edge of the cloud island, its golden frame gleaming under the sunlight. The structure had been pulled from its resting place and set carefully into the island's design, resting on reinforced iron clouds. The sunlight reflected across its golden surfaces, dancing like fire on water.
"The treasure of our ancestors…" Wiper whispered, stepping closer.
The others fell silent. Even a few among them, normally loud and outspoken, said nothing. There was only the gentle breeze and the distant hum of dials at work.
Wiper walked slowly up to the bell, reaching out with a gloved hand. His fingers brushed the cold, ancient surface of gold, and his eyes narrowed with emotion.
"We've searched for this... for generations," he murmured.
The group stood quietly at the base of the Golden Belfry, gazing for a while at the ancestral item.
At the entrance of the cloud island, the Orcas finally emerged one by one. They stepped onto the hardened cloud ground, pausing to take in the strange, wondrous sight before them.
"Whoa… what is this place?" Usopp gawked, eyes scanning the impressive structures.
"Looks like some kind of imperial fortress…" Hibari muttered in awe, shading her eyes from the sunlight.
"It's Zino," Nojiko pointed upward.
Everyone looked up. There, standing atop the roof of an incomplete palace made of clouds, was their captain—Zino—hands on his hips, grinning down at them.
"You guys sure took your sweet time," Zino called out.
"You built a marine fortress?" Binko asked, stunned.
"What marine?" Zino scoffed. "This is Orca Fortress. It's gonna be our sky base—cool, right?"
"Wait… you built all this?" Sanji blinked in disbelief.
"I was bored. So we started making all these." Zino nodded sideways.
"We?" Mikita asked, curious.
"Look over there," Moris said, pointing toward the base of the palace.
The group turned—and their jaws dropped.
Near the palace entrance was a wooden chest with two stubby arms, deeply focused on painting a sculpture of a seated Cloud Yeti. Its brush strokes were precise, almost artistic.
"…What the hell is that?" Stev stepped closer, squinting.
"That," Zino said, "is Baral. He's a mimic, and also a Cloud Yeti."
Everyone gathered around the strange creature. Kaya, unable to contain her curiosity, reached out and gently touched its side.
"Hey, don't bother me. I'm working!" Baral snapped without even turning around.
"Ah—sorry!" Kaya quickly withdrew, a little startled.
"It talks?" Stev's eyes gleamed with interest. "Is this some kind of invention? A living tool?"
"I'm not an invention!" Baral snapped again, more indignant this time. "I'm a living Cloud Yeti!"
He started to shift—his form twitching as though he was about to transform—but stopped when Zino raised a hand.
"Oi, Baral! Don't do that here. If you change into your real form on this cloud island, you might drop straight through."
Baral flinched. "Ah… right. Forgot. My bad."
On the side, Raki was glancing around the place. Seeing her like that, Sanji asked, "Hey, have you seen any Shandian coming here?"
On the side, Raki was glancing around the place. Seeing her like that, Sanji asked, "Hey, have you seen any Shandian coming here?"
Zino jumped down, and lightly landed on the cloud floor. He then pointed at the back of the incomplete palace. "They are over there."
Raki and her two companions stepped to the side, and saw Wiper and the others.
At this moment, Wiper was putting a gauntlet on his right arm. Done with that, he took a stance, and focused his eyes on the bell. With a sudden burst, he moved forward and launched his hardest punch.
Dong!
The bell made a soft, muted sound. He frowned, not believing that his strongest punch actually only produced such low sound. He struck it again. Another dull sound followed, barely louder than the first.