The last time Law came to the lava core region, he hadn't had time to explore deeply before being driven away by a sudden lava surge.
This time, coming specifically for Grass Jelly, the journey had been quite smooth, with no lava surges to block their path, allowing him and Kuro to venture deep into the core.
But the scene before them clearly spelled out two big words: KEEP OUT.
Don't think Law could wander safely in the lava region… it required him to maintain his Nen's precision above a certain threshold every single second.
Under these prerequisites, it was difficult to engage in intense combat further.
So, upon seeing the massive lava lake formed by dozens of interweaving lava waterfalls and the numerous lava-dwelling creatures of over ten species, Law felt not the thrill of discovering treasure, but a sense of difficulty.
Even if there was a lot of Grass Jelly down there, the problem was how to obtain it.
"Law, there are so many Fire Chickens down there. Let's hurry down and catch a few?"
Kuro, perhaps driven mad with desire for Fire Chickens, only saw the many Fire Chickens swimming in the lava lake, ignoring the other lava creatures peacefully coexisting around them.
"Open your eyes wide and look. Besides Fire Chickens, what else is down there?"
Law really wanted to kick Kuro down to let him experience what despair felt like.
Kuro blinked, finally taking a proper look at the other creatures.
On the lava lake, besides the previously seen Fire Chickens and formless fire elementals, there were nine other distinct species.
Where there are chickens, naturally there are ducks.
This is no joke.
A Fire Chicken and a Fire Duck passed within twenty or thirty meters of each other without any issue.
Besides ducks, commonly seen creatures like rats, dogs, cats, and birds were all present.
Their species could be easily identified from their general appearance, but their sizes were all abnormal, at least ten times larger, and most had flame-like fur.
Law didn't know how these creatures survived in lava, nor how they managed peaceful coexistence.
This question was as hard to explain as how the World Tree fed on lava.
Moreover, these creatures peacefully coexisting in the lava lake gave Law a feeling, as if they were... domesticated livestock?
By now, Kuro also realized the severity of the situation.
The terrain was completely unfavorable to them, so Law would have a hard time exerting his strength. And with so many creatures down there, catching Fire Chickens would be even more difficult.
What should they do?
They finally found Fire Chickens, and several at that.
How could they just leave empty-handed?
"We can't just come all this way for nothing. Hurry up and think of a way!" Even after noting the situation below, Kuro's mind was still fixated on Fire Chickens.
Law ignored Kuro, carefully observing the lava lake below, searching for Grass Jelly.
Before long, he found the first stalk of Grass Jelly, rooted on a rock within the lava lake that endured the lava's high temperature without melting. Around it, several koi fish swam in the lava.
After locating the first stalk, Law shifted his gaze and soon found a second, then a third, a fourth...
'So they're all here.'
Law thought to himself.
But the problem was how to retrieve them.
From the appearance of these creatures below and their peaceful coexistence, it seemed this ecosystem didn't have a survival-of-the-fittest competition dynamic.
Strangely, their numbers weren't high.
In any case, judging solely by appearance, besides their large size, they didn't seem particularly dangerous.
Yet even so, Law didn't want to risk going down.
Not to mention the dozens of lava waterfalls hanging overhead, taking one wrong step likely meant not getting back up.
Inherently, this environment was the type where, once a human went down, coming back up was out of the question.
"So? Any ideas?" Kuro anxiously urged from the side… truly, the eunuch more anxious than the emperor.
"Shut up."
Kuro obediently closed his mouth, feeling a bit wronged.
Law gazed down at the scene below, contemplating countermeasures.
They needed certainty before descending.
Otherwise, it was just throwing lives away.
Although the creatures below didn't look dangerous, he had seen the combat ability of Fire Chickens.
The most troublesome were those fire elemental lifeforms that could freely change shape.
Law remembered that fire elementals' range of movement was limited to within lava, but with dozens of flowing lava waterfalls above, it perfectly solved the fire elementals' mobility issues.
Considering this factor, the risk became even greater.
Because Law had to expend mental and physical effort to maintain his territory to resist the environmental hazards, he lacked sufficient confidence.
'How to safely obtain Grass Jelly? Have Kuro go down alone?'
While pondering, Law couldn't help but glance at Kuro.
Based on past experiences, that glance made Kuro's scalp tingle. As if sensing something, before Law could even speak, Kuro shook his head like a rattle-drum.
Seeing Kuro's reaction, Law gave up on that idea.
After much thought, the safest method seemed to be only one, though it was a bit cruel.
Law didn't want to do it, but to strengthen the team, he had no choice.
He was determined to get Grass Jelly.
…
Outside the entrance to the lava core region.
The skeleton's arrival gave the team an enormous surprise.
'What exactly was the Demon King?'
Asked through Ging, with everyone present in the 'chat room', they waited for the skeleton's answer.
Regarding the Dark Continent, even with Don's [Journey to the New World] and Law's [L. Hunter], it felt like only the tip of the iceberg was revealed.
More precisely, everything recorded in those books came from the surface aspects of the Dark Continent. But this skeleton before them might bring information about the Dark Continent's hidden aspects.
Not to mention the question Ging just asked… even the [Great Purge Operation] the skeleton mentioned earlier gave ample room for imagination.
A melody and the Demon King were the culprits behind the skeleton's disaster.
Clearly, when this topic was involved, he was quite reluctant.
Ging noticed this and apologized, "I know, for you, it's a miserable experience you'd rather not recall. I deeply apologize for asking such a question."
The skeleton was stunned for a moment, then deeply moved, but Ging's next words made him feel his face darkening.
"But we're just too curious, so please try hard to recall. It's best not to miss any details."
"..."
The skeleton felt a toothache. Helplessly, he said, "About this question, it might take three days and three nights to finish."
"Then try to keep it concise," Shiro suggested.
"Concise? Alright."
The skeleton nodded, then said gravely, "Simply put, I also don't know what the Demon King actually is."
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.
"Can I hit him?" Shiro asked.
Ging didn't speak, just nodded.
Moments later, a bone-breaking spectacle unfolded on the scene.