"Here, this is for you."
Sanji handed several Pirate Bentos to Luffy and the others, saying, "I've prepared the shell meat; it should taste pretty good."
"Shell meat!"
Luffy, who had taken the bento, said with shining eyes, "It must be absolutely delicious."
As he spoke, drool began to drip from Luffy's mouth.
"If there's nothing noteworthy on the island, come back early," Nami said.
"Okay~"
Everyone nodded, then, with the help of Merry's ability, they flew up and headed toward the distant island, soon arriving above the flames.
"It's so hot..." Usopp wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "It won't be even hotter on the island, will it?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Meiser shrugged.
The flames on the sea were caused by the magma on the island, so naturally, the temperature on the island would be higher than on the sea.
"Should I blow some wind?" Merry suggested.
"That won't be necessary," Usopp shook his head and said, "I can handle this temperature."
Although it was very hot now, it wasn't unbearable for him.
Hearing this, Merry nodded and then sighed, "It's a good thing Chopper didn't come; he definitely wouldn't be able to stand it."
"That's true," Nico Robin nodded.
As a reindeer from a winter island, he certainly couldn't tolerate such a hot environment.
So it's just as well he didn't come.
"This is so delicious!"
"Huh?"
Hearing Luffy's voice, Usopp was stunned for a moment, then looked at Luffy in disbelief and said, "Hey, Luffy, why are you already eating?"
"Aren't you afraid of swallowing a mouthful of wind?"
After all, they were flying in the sky now; if they weren't careful, they could end up with a stomach full of wind!
"Since we're flying slowly now, eating a little won't hurt," Luffy said, holding a piece of meat in his mouth.
After saying that, Luffy lowered his head, took out a lunchbox from his bag, and handed it to Usopp, saying, "Aren't you going to eat?"
"Have some."
Merry, also holding a lunchbox, smiled and said, "I've slowed down our flight speed and created a Wind Wall, so we won't swallow any wind."
Usopp: ...
Looking at these people holding lunchboxes and starting to eat, Usopp was left speechless.
Is this really okay?
"Have some," Meiser said with a laugh. "It really does taste quite good."
"Well... then I'll have some."
After saying that, Usopp took the bento Luffy handed him, took a bite, and then his eyes lit up. "So delicious!"
"Right~"
"Hahahaha."
Luffy laughed loudly and said, "Sanji's cooking is the best!"
Hearing this, Usopp rolled his eyes. Of course, he already knew that.
"It's just a shame there's no alcohol to drink," Zoro said somewhat helplessly.
Such delicious food is perfect with alcohol, but unfortunately, there isn't any.
"I have some here."
Merry lowered her head and rummaged through her small pocket, then pulled out a bottle of liquor, saying, "This was given to me by Uncle Neptune back on Fish-Man Island."
As soon as she said this, Zoro's eyes immediately lit up.
"Uncle Neptune actually gave you such a good thing!" Zoro quickly took the liquor and said, "That's really great."
With that, Zoro opened the bottle and took a sip, then showed a delighted expression and said, "Great wine!"
Uncle Neptune is a good guy, someone worth getting along with!
Seeing this, Merry smiled. How could the wine given by Uncle Neptune be anything less than good?
"Don't drink too much," Usopp said. "Otherwise, it'll be troublesome when we join the fight."
"Don't worry."
Zoro waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's just one bottle of wine. It won't make me lose my fighting ability."
Not to mention this one bottle—even if a few more were brought over, he could still join the fight after finishing them.
Seeing this, Usopp felt a bit helpless, but he didn't say anything more.
"Hey, everyone, I see the entrance!" Luffy said excitedly.
Hearing Luffy's voice, Meiser looked up and noticed the steel gate in the distance.
"It seems someone used to live here."
"Judging by the appearance, that's the case," Usopp, who also noticed this, said. "But with the state it's in now, it's impossible for anyone to be here!"
The entire island is surrounded by flames... How could anyone live in such an environment?
Thinking of this, Usopp continued, "Hey, everyone, I suspect that the Den Den Mushi earlier came from another island, so let's turn back!"
"No!"
"No..."
Looking at Luffy, who resolutely refused him, Usopp felt utterly defeated.
Why go if there's no one there?
After a moment of silence, Usopp suddenly clutched his chest and said, "Damn it, my old illness from two years ago is acting up again."
"?!"
Merry, who was eating, was stunned upon hearing this, then anxiously looked at Usopp and said, "Usopp, what's wrong with you?"
"Merry, actually, I have a disease that prevents me from going onto islands!"
Upon hearing this, Merry blinked. Why did this illness sound so familiar to her?
The others looked at Usopp with amusement. Even at a time like this, this guy was still saying such things.
"Ahem."
"Usopp," Meiser said, clearing his throat. "Actually, I have a way to help you treat this illness."
"What way?" Usopp instinctively asked.
"The flame roasting method!"
Meiser gave Usopp a thumbs-up and said, "As long as we put you over the flames below and roast you a bit, your illness will be cured!"
"So, do you want to give it a try?"
"What kind of treatment method is this? It's so absurd!" Usopp pressed his nose against Meiser's face, opened his Shark Mouth, and roared, "Are you trying to kill me, you jerk!"
He wasn't a piece of meat—what kind of nonsense was roasting him over a fire, you jerk!
What kind of absurd treatment method is this, you jerk!
"Usopp."
Merry tugged on Usopp's clothes and said, "Although this method is a bit absurd, since Meiser said it, there must be some truth to it."
"So, just give it a try."
Upon hearing this, Usopp fell silent for a moment, then turned to Merry and gave her a thumbs-up, saying, "Ahem, Merry, actually, I'm already cured."
"?!"
"That fast?!"
Merry looked at Usopp in surprise. How could he be better already after such a short time?
"Of course," Usopp cleared his throat and said, "Just like Meiser said, warming up by the fire for a bit did the trick."
"I see..."
"As expected of Meiser!"
Hearing their conversation, the other four all laughed.
"Hahahaha."
Usopp: ...
That's enough from you all!
"Since we're already here," Meiser glanced at Usopp and said, "we might as well go up and take a look."
Upon hearing this, Usopp lowered his head as if resigned to his fate. "Guess that's the only way.
What else can we do?
Can't exactly ask Merry to send me back alone... that would be too embarrassing!"
Soon, under Merry's guidance, everyone arrived at the island's gate.
"Everyone, we're here."
After saying that, Merry bent down to collect everyone's square boxes, planning to deal with them after returning.
Meanwhile, Nico Robin looked up at the gate bearing the words "Punk Hazard" and said, "Hmm, this should be the place."
"Even the name is the same."
Hearing this, Zoro put down his bottle and said, "If that's the case, then the emergency signal earlier must have come from here."
As he spoke, Zoro carefully surveyed the distant environment, wondering what kind of person could live in such a place.
"At least the name matches," Meiser nodded.
"That means we didn't come to the wrong place."
"Hey, look over there," Usopp pointed at the symbols high above and said. "That's the World Government's emblem, right?"
"Yes, it is," Merry looked up at the emblem and said. "Not only is this World Government territory, but there's also a 'No Entry' sign~"
"So that means... if there's anyone here, they must be from the World Government or the Marines!" Usopp's eyes suddenly lit up. "So let's just go back. No need to get into conflict with them."
Hearing this, Meiser shook his head with a smile. "Since we're already here, there's no reason not to go in and take a look."
After a pause, he patted Usopp on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Usopp's expression fell. Of course he knew how strong their Straw Hat Pirates were—he just didn't want any trouble.
"Zoro, cut it down," Luffy said.
"Alright."
Zoro nodded calmly, then swung his sword and slashed through the steel gate in front of him.
"Whoosh—"
With a single strike, the steel gate was sliced open!
Seeing this, Meiser smiled and turned to look at Usopp. "Alright, stop spacing out and hurry up and follow."
With that, Meiser cheerfully followed Luffy and the others as they headed into the island.
Usopp sighed. What else could he do?
He could only obediently follow along.
"It's so hot," Luffy wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It's much hotter here than outside."
Hearing this, Meiser gave Luffy a somewhat speechless look. What had this guy been listening to earlier?
"This doesn't look like a residential area."
Standing on a large rock, Nico Robin frowned as she looked down at the building ruins below. "In the past, there must have been some kind of World Government facility here."
"What's going on..."
Zoro thought for a moment, then said, "It seems something terrible happened here."
Otherwise, such a drastic change wouldn't have occurred.
"That's for sure," Meiser nodded. "After all, this island doesn't even have a magnetic field now."
According to the Left Minister, only a terrifying event powerful enough to affect the magnetic field could erase the magnetic force of an entire island. Judging by the island's current state, it clearly matches what the Left Minister described.
"Hey~"
Luffy climbed onto a rock and shouted, "Is the person who called for help here?"
"We came to save you!"
"Hey~"
"Is the samurai here?"
"Hey, Luffy!"
Usopp stared at Luffy in disbelief. "Why are you calling out for the murderer too?"
"What if that terrifying samurai actually shows up?"
He really didn't want to face such a scary guy.
"Wouldn't that be even better?" Zoro said with a smirk. "I'm really looking forward to fighting a samurai."
Right now, Zoro just hoped this so-called samurai was strong enough to make the fight interesting!
Usopp: ...
Looking at Zoro's excited expression, Usopp was speechless.
Why are these guys all like this, dammit!
Shaking his head, Usopp said, "Speaking of which... there's something that's been bothering me."
"What is it?"
"The guy in the Den Den Mushi said 'it's so cold,' right?" Usopp looked up. "What's that about?"
"That is indeed a bit puzzling," Zoro said.
Why would that person say they were cold here?
"Maybe he's an idiot," Luffy guessed.
Hearing this, Meiser rolled his eyes. What a strange conclusion.
Shaking his head, Meiser shared the theory he'd been considering earlier.
"Maybe he was on the verge of death, so he felt cold."
"Hmm, that's possible," Nico Robin nodded. "When people are in a state of extreme fear, their bodies can turn ice-cold."
"Could you two please stop talking about such scary things..."
Seeing these two calmly discussing such terrifying possibilities, Usopp felt utterly drained.
Enough already!
Nico Robin smiled at his reaction and continued, "Of course, we also can't rule out the possibility that there's a very cold place somewhere on this island."
"A very cold place?"
Merry looked at Nico Robin, puzzled. "In an environment like this, how could there be a cold place?"
"It's just a hypothesis," Nico Robin said. "Whether it's true or not, we'll only know after checking."
But she felt the probability wasn't low.
Listening to Nico Robin, Meiser wore a thoughtful expression.
"Both hot and very cold..."
"Hey, everyone, let's look around," Luffy suggested. "We might just find the guy who made the call."
"Alright!"
"I wonder how those guys are doing now," Chopper said, staring at the distant part of the island.
Had they found the caller?
"Don't worry, with their strength, even if they encounter enemies, they'll be fine," Nami said.
After all... Meiser is with them!!
Chopper was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded and said, "You're right."
Luffy and the others had most of the Straw Hat Pirates' top combat power with them, so there really was no need to worry about their situation.
"Come try the cold drinks I made," Sanji said as he walked out carrying several glasses. "After having these, the temperature should feel more bearable."
"Alright!"
Chopper took a cold drink, took a sip, and then showed a refreshed expression, saying, "So cool!"
"Thank you, Sanji!"
He now felt his body temperature had dropped, and it was truly comfortable!
Hearing this, Sanji smiled, then turned to look at Nami, who seemed to be staring at something, and asked, "Miss Nami, what's wrong?"
"Could it be that the cold drink isn't to your taste?"
"Not at all."
After placing her orange juice on the table, Nami stared at the clouds in the distance and said, "It's just that the clouds over there have caught my attention."
"Clouds?"
Perona looked up at the distant cloud layer and asked curiously, "What's wrong with the clouds?"
She couldn't see anything strange about them either.
"That kind of cloud only appears in extremely cold environments," Nami explained.
"But this is Fire Island."
Chopper pointed to the island ahead and said, "It's still burning."
"That's exactly what's puzzling."
Nami furrowed her brows, unable to figure out why the clouds would look like that.
"Could it be that both ice and fire environments really exist here?" Perona raised a finger and suggested, "Like, one half is Fire Island, and the other half is Ice Island?"
"How is that possible?" Franky rolled his eyes and said, "How could such an unbelievable island exist in this world?"
How could two such extreme and opposing environments appear on the same island?
He certainly didn't believe it.
"No, it's still possible," Nami said, taking a sip of her orange juice while observing the distant situation through binoculars. "Although I don't know what's going on with this island, the clouds in the distance are indeed like that."
After saying this, Nami paused for a moment before continuing, "My judgment won't be wrong."
Hearing Nami's words, a look of surprise appeared on Franky's face. Could there really be such an island?
"After all, this is the New World," Perona remarked with some emotion. "So, any kind of environment could appear here."
"That's true."
No matter what, this is the New World.
"Don't dwell on it too much," Sanji said, holding a cigarette in his mouth. "Once Luffy and the others return, we can go over and see for ourselves."
"That's all we can do."
Nami nodded, then thoughtfully looked toward the distant sky, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Sanji turned and headed toward the kitchen, clearly planning to make some more refreshing cold drinks to help his crewmates feel better.
"By the way, what exactly is your structure?" Perona asked curiously, looking at Franky. "You're already a cyborg, so why are you sweating so much?"
"Although I'm a cyborg, I'm still human at my core," Franky explained. "So, I still experience the physiological reactions that humans do."
Upon hearing this, Perona said in surprise, "So you still have human reactions after all. I thought you'd long since transcended humanity."
"?"
"Are you calling me a pervert~" Franky gave Perona a thumbs-up and said, "You really know how to give compliments~"
"Hahahaha!"
"Super~"
At the end, Franky even stood up and struck his signature pose, making Perona's eyelids twitch.
She wasn't complimenting him at all.
"In such hot weather, I wonder if Merry can handle it," Chopper worried.
"Don't worry."
Nami said, "Merry has the Power of Wind, she'll be fine."
Chopper blinked upon hearing this, realizing that was indeed true.
Merry, who possessed the Power of Wind, really didn't need to worry about the temperature here.
Just then, some strange gases appeared on the Thousand Sunny. Under the cover of the firelight, they silently approached Nami and the others.
A moment later...
"What's going on..."
Feeling her consciousness growing hazy, Nami struggled to lift her head and glanced at her companions, saying:
"Why is my mind..."
Had she eaten something wrong?
"?"
"Nami, what's wrong with you?"
As soon as Chopper finished speaking, he realized his own consciousness was also growing blurry, which made him realize something.
Someone had poisoned them!
Thinking this, Chopper intended to open his mouth to warn the others.
But before he could speak, he felt his body becoming uncontrollable, then went limp and collapsed to the ground.
This seemed to be a signal—starting with Chopper, the others also began falling to the ground one by one.
"Chopper..."
After glancing at Chopper with difficulty, Perona closed her eyes and lost consciousness.
The next moment, several men in protective suits appeared around the ship, looking in astonishment at the people on the deck.
"To fall asleep only after inhaling so much anesthetic agent—they're truly a bunch of monsters," one man said in shock.
With that level of dosage, just one breath should knock someone out instantly!
Yet these guys held on for so long... Are they even human?
"Isn't that better?" another man laughed. "Our master loves strong pirates the most."
"That way, experiments will be more effective."
The others laughed upon hearing this, agreeing it made sense.
"Let's go, we'll steer the pirate ship to the front."
"Not yet, there's still one person inside the cabin," a man pointed toward the kitchen and said. "Let's knock him out first."
Although they didn't know how strong that person was, since his companions were so formidable, he was likely no weakling either. So it was better to be cautious.
The others thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement—that made sense indeed.
Just then, Sanji walked out carrying snacks, excitedly calling, "Miss Nami, Miss Perona~"
"This time, I've made the Giant Shell into a refreshing crepe~"
"Come and try it~"
As he spoke, Sanji swayed his way out of the kitchen, intending to hand the delicacy to the two beauties.
But when he reached the deck, he realized something was wrong.
"Huh?"
Glancing at his companions lying on the ground, Sanji showed a puzzled expression and said, "Why is everyone lying down to sleep?"
Could it be that they couldn't bear the heat and decided to take a nap to relieve it?
But this thought was immediately dismissed by Sanji, as he seemed to notice some unusual mist.
"Mist..."
"No!"
Feeling a change in his body, Sanji's expression instantly shifted.
This isn't fog at all—it's some kind of gas that can anesthetize the body!
Damn it... my consciousness is getting hazy...
"Did someone sneak onto the ship and release an anesthetic agent?"
Sanji, covering his mouth and nose, said with a grim expression, "Or is this a natural gas unique to the New World?"
Though he didn't know what was happening, Sanji understood this wasn't the time to dwell on such questions.
The top priority was to contact Meiser and the others!
With that thought, Sanji intended to grab the Den Den Mushi inside the room.
But before he could take more than a few steps, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the floor, his expression turning even grimmer.
"It's over..."
As his vision grew darker, a hint of despair surfaced in Sanji's heart.
They... seemed to have been set up!
With that thought, Sanji's consciousness faded into darkness.
A moment later, several people wearing protective suits appeared on the scene.
"Pirates... captured!"
"Let's go, take them back!" a man said with a smirk. "The master
is sure to love this gift~"
"Alright!!"