Chapter 17 — The Hidden Entrance
After thinking it over, Shinji Ikari returned to the cargo hold and began eating again.
He opened every crate he could find and enjoyed a massive meal.
When he finally stopped, he patted his stomach with satisfaction.
"Finally full."
"If I don't fight again soon, this should last me for a while."
Satisfied, Shinji left the warehouse.
The ship contained piles of gold and treasure as well. It would be better to inform Garp and have Marines collect everything later.
As he stepped onto the deck, he pulled out his Den Den Mushi.
Soon, a nervous voice came from the other side.
"Shinji! Are you alright?!"
"Koby?" Shinji replied casually.
"There's a pirate ship hidden in the forest harbor. The cargo inside is probably worth a lot of Berries."
"Come clean it up quickly."
"I still have something else to do."
"Don't move!" Koby shouted urgently.
"Listen to me—those pirates are extremely dangerous! Their leader is a Devil Fruit user with a bounty over 500 million Berries! You must—"
Koby stopped suddenly.
Because at that moment—
Shinji was already standing on the deck.
And not far away, in the forest clearing below—
Koby, Helmeppo, Jack, and the others were staring up at him.
Everyone fell silent.
Shinji still held the torn map in his hand.
The real treasure map was probably with the pirate captain, but this fragment still revealed something important.
"You've already been here?" Koby asked in disbelief.
"And you weren't attacked?"
"Already handled it," Shinji replied calmly.
"The main force wasn't on the ship. They're probably out doing something else."
He looked at Koby curiously.
"So you came here to warn me about the Devil Fruit user?"
Koby nodded.
"The adjutant and Vice Admiral Garp mentioned him earlier."
"That pirate's bounty exceeds 500 million Berries, and his ability is extremely dangerous."
"We were worried something might happen to you."
Koby looked slightly embarrassed.
When Shinji had contacted them earlier with the Den Den Mushi, he had panicked and forgotten his composure.
Shinji simply nodded.
"Next time, switch the Den Den Mushi to silent mode."
"Otherwise pirates might overhear you."
He then passed the torn map around for everyone to examine.
Soon—
They confirmed something.
Jack's eyes widened with disbelief.
"So that's it…"
"After the storm appears, the treasure can actually store storms for several days."
"If ordinary people obtained something like that, it would be an incredibly destructive weapon."
"On the sea, storms mean death."
Jack frowned.
If Storm Island's treasure was simply a special shell—
Then why hadn't anyone taken it all these years?
He couldn't understand it.
Meanwhile, Shinji contacted Garp and reported the location of the pirate ship.
"You brat!" Garp shouted through the Den Den Mushi.
"Don't skip reports! This old man was sleeping!"
"If you were sleeping, how did you hear the call?" Shinji muttered.
According to his experience, once Garp fell asleep, not even a cannon blast would wake him.
"Listen carefully," Garp continued.
"The pirate with the Devil Fruit is called Lola the Fixer."
"His ability is extremely troublesome."
"Over the years, countless people have died because of it."
"Don't underestimate him."
Then—
Snoring came from the Den Den Mushi.
Garp had fallen asleep again immediately after speaking.
Shinji sighed.
The adjutant's voice quickly replaced the snoring.
"Be careful, Shinji."
"I will," Shinji replied.
"And send people here quickly."
"If I win the fight and someone escapes afterward, that'll be troublesome."
He hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Now his expression grew serious.
"Everyone," Shinji said quietly.
"We've fought together before."
"And we've argued about justice, beliefs, and training."
"But now we need to work together."
"What happens next may decide whether we live or die."
"So I need something from you."
Everyone looked confused.
"What do you need?" Helmeppo asked.
"…Your clothes."
Everyone froze.
After such a serious speech—
That was his request?
Shinji simply smiled and walked toward a large tree nearby.
A moment later—
He chopped it into more than ten pieces.
Deep Within Storm Island
Beyond the forest and surrounding mountains—
The land opened into a wide grassland.
Every three years, this area grew lush with vegetation.
Then the massive tornado would appear—
Destroying everything in its path.
No one knew the origin of this unnatural storm.
For centuries, people had tried to explain it.
Some adventurers had even entered the eye of the storm.
They found nothing.
Was Storm Bay real?
If it existed—
Why had no one discovered it yet?
Shinji and his team climbed over the mountains and descended along a hidden trail.
They avoided walking through the center of the open grassland.
There was no cover there.
If pirates were nearby, they would be spotted instantly.
"Captain Shinji," Jack said nervously.
"Why haven't the pirates appeared yet?"
"According to the map, Storm Bay should be near the center of the island."
"If they aren't here, where could they be?"
The tornado roared in the distance, reaching toward the sky.
Grass and branches were torn into the air.
The sound alone made their ears ring.
Shinji stared at the storm.
His mind raced.
Where is Storm Bay?
Where are the pirates?
After observing carefully, he noticed something strange.
No one was inside the storm.
And no one had been blown into the air.
If they aren't above…
Shinji suddenly realized something.
Could they be underground?
"Follow me," he said.
He opened the map again.
Four small marks surrounded the storm's location.
They were scattered between the mountains and plains.
If those four points were connected—
They all led to the same center.
The eye of the storm.
But what if those four points weren't just markers?
What if they were entrances?
Shinji finally understood.
The torn map only showed the surface.
The real route to Storm Bay was underground.
And any one of those four points might lead there.
Soon they reached the nearest location.
At first glance—
There was nothing.
Just a massive stone with plants growing in the cracks.
It didn't look like an entrance at all.
"Shinji… you think this is the entrance?" Koby asked.
"Yes."
Shinji placed both hands on the boulder.
His muscles tightened.
With a surge of strength far beyond ordinary humans—
He lifted the enormous rock.
Sure enough—
A hidden opening appeared beneath it.
"Shinji!" Helmeppo suddenly shouted.
Everyone turned.
Next to the stone was a hidden mechanism carved into the rock wall.
When they looked closer—
They realized the boulder had originally been controlled by gears and levers.
Shinji had simply moved it by brute force.
"…Let's pretend we didn't see that," Shinji said calmly.
As if nothing unusual had happened.
Then—
He stepped into the dark cave below.
(End of Chapter)
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