Chapter 443 - 282

Chapter 283: The First Stop in the New World!"Aha—!!! Are we finally here?!""The New World—!!!"The sunny boldly broke through the last of the seawater and foam, leaping out from the deep ocean floor!Splash—!!!Massive sprays of water poured down from both sides of the ship like waterfalls, reflecting a brilliant rainbow in the sunlight.Before them, it was no longer the eternal deep blue and dreamlike light and shadow of the deep sea.In its place was an even broader, deeper, boundless azure, where the sky seemed to reach even higher!This was the second half of the Grand Line, the ultimate sea territory regarded by countless pirates as a place where dreams and graves intertwine—The New World!Luffy stood at the bow, hands firmly on his hips. His face under the straw hat met the sea breeze, breaking into a brilliant smile that stretched almost to his ears!"As long as I can stand out in this strongest and most formidable sea—""I... will be the Pirate King!!""Oooooh—!!!""New World!! Here we come!!""A new adventure begins!!"On the deck, the Straw Hat crew also erupted in earth-shattering cheers and shouts!Trafalgar Law stood alone in the shadows on one side of the ship, the sea breeze fluttering the brim of his spotted fur hat.He didn't cheer like the others; he just lowered his head slightly, his right hand tightly gripping the Cursed Sword "kikoku"!His lips quivered slightly as he whispered the name he remembered day and night, a name he hated to the core:"Finally... we're going to meet...""Donquixote Doflamingo..."...Before long, an extremely unusual island appeared on the horizon ahead of the sunny.Towering crimson flames and billowing thick smoke enveloped more than half of the island, reflecting a dark, dim red across the sky above.Even from a great distance, one could feel the scorching breath and the smell of sulfur blowing toward them."Wow—!! So, so amazing!! The whole island... the whole island is on fire!!"Chopper was so scared he clung tightly to Luffy's trouser leg, burying half of his small head in it, yet he couldn't help but open his round eyes wide."Strange..."Nami raised her wrist, her brows furrowed as she carefully examined the three log poses on it."The log poses... not a single one is pointing to that burning island!""This doesn't make sense! As long as it's an island on the Grand Line, it should have a unique magnetic field to be recorded!""That's normal, Miss Nami."Jinbe's steady voice rang out."If I am not mistaken, this place should be... Punk Hazard.""About three months ago, the two highest combat powers of Marineford—Admiral 'Akainu' Sakazukiand Admiral 'Aokiji' Kuzan—fought a life-and-death battle on this island for ten days and ten nights to compete for the position of Fleet Admiral.""Ten days and ten nights?!" Usopp and Choppergasped at the same time."That's right."Jinbe nodded, his voice low."Both are monsters who have developed their Logia-type Devil Fruit abilities to the absolute limit.""Akainu's magma and Aokiji's freezing, over those ten days and nights, completely turned all of Punk Hazard into their battlefield and an outlet for their power."He pointed toward the burning flames:"What you see is the 'legacy' left by Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit!!""I'm afraid the underground magma veins were stirred, creating this persistent, unquenchable burning hell.""And based on intelligence and the inference of their power attributes, the other half of the island is very likely a frozen wasteland, sealed in absolute zero where all things are dead.""Extreme heat and extreme cold, two great natural forces, collided and intertwined fiercely here... That's why the log poses are failing.""Permanently rewriting the magnetic field of an entire area..."Sanji lit a cigarette, his brows deeply furrowed, the smoke he exhaled quickly scattered by the sea breeze."Just from the aftereffects of a battle between two people... Is this the power of a Marine Admiral? No, is this the power of that small handful of people standing at the top of the world..."This was a realm he had never truly touched!!"Alright!!"Luffy's voice interrupted everyone's shock and contemplation.He stretched lazily with force, his joints making crisp popping sounds. His eyes shone as he stared at the burning island; instead of fear, his face was filled with the excitement of being eager to try!"Since we're already here and the log poses are useless... what are we waiting for?! Of course we're going to the island to explore—!!!"He rolled up his sleeves, looking like he was about to jump off the ship and swim over immediately."Eh—!!"Everyone looked at his reckless behavior and sighed in unison, facepalming."Honestly, you Rubber Idiot!!"Nami put her hands on her hips and shouted crossly,"How can you just rush in with everyone so recklessly?! What if there's an ambush on the island, or if the environment suddenly changes?!""Then... then what do you suggest we do!" Luffypuffed out his cheeks, sounding a bit defiant.Nami's eyes darted around, and from somewhere she pulled out a handful of thin wooden sticks of varying lengths, holding them so only the even tops were visible."Fine, fine!"She shook the sticks in her hand."Old rules... we'll decide by drawing lots!! The few who draw the short sticks will go as a Scout Teamto investigate the island, while the rest stay on the ship on standby, ready to support at any time! This is the fairest and safest way!""Drawing lots?!" Luffy's eyes lit up. "That sounds fun! I want to draw!!"..."Yay—!!! I want to be with Luffy!!"Uta gave a happy little hop. Her petite yet curvaceous body traced a graceful arc through the air as she dove straight into Luffy's arms.Her hands affectionately wrapped around his waist, her red and white hair flying, and her Violeteyes were filled with undisguised happiness and dependence."Me too."Robin's voice rang out gently, with her usual composure.She slowly moved to stand beside Luffy, as if that spot was where she belonged."Why... why does it have to be me—?!!"In stark contrast to their enthusiasm was Usopp's despairing wail."I clearly wanted to draw a long stick and stay on the ship!! Nami, did you tamper with the sticks?! This island looks super suspicious!""Flames, ice, no magnetic field... this is a horror opening on the level of an urban legend!""Oh God, the Great Usopp is not in good condition today; it's not a good day for exploring, ahhh!!"However, no matter how he wailed and protested, the results of the draw were settled.Grouping results:Punk Hazard Landing Scout Team:[Monkey D. Luffy]— Captain, eager to draw but the result seems "predetermined"?[Roronoa Zoro]— Doesn't matter, just wanted to stretch his legs.[Nico Robin]— Calmly holding a short stick, her smile meaningful.[Uta]— Proactively "bound" to Luffy, ended up with a short stick and is even happier![Usopp]— The unlucky one, forced to work, soul leaving his body...[Tony Tony Chopper]— Although scared, being grouped with Luffy and Usopp gives him a bit of anticipation and a sense of responsibility."Oh—!! Time for an adventure!!" Luffy raised his fist, full of fighting spirit."Tch, what a pain." Zoro shouldered his swords, complaining verbally while his sharp gaze swept over the island."It seems like it will be quite interesting." Robinsmiled slightly, already starting to observe the island's geographical features."Luffy, you have to protect me, okay!" Uta hugged Luffy's arm tightly."Dr. Cho-Chopper will do his best!!" Although the little reindeer's legs were still shaking, he clenched his little hooves."Ugh... my life... is pitch black..." Usopp's shoulders slumped!!Luffy suddenly stretched his arms, encircling everyone. A silver light flashed and vanished as ripples appeared in space.Disappeared instantly!!!...Meanwhile, dozens of nautical miles away!A massive iron warship was sailing toward Punk Hazard!!