The 'head' of Whale Island occupied two-thirds of its total area. From a distance, it looked like a giant inverted bowl placed on the sea.
The slopes of the mountain were smooth on all sides, each covered with lush trees, a testament to the fertility of the soil. An active volcano stood at the very center of the summit, making it hard to imagine how these trees managed to thrive in such an environment.
Law took step after step as he climbed the mountain. Kuro caught up with him and, seeing him ascending, asked in confusion, "Weren't we going to find the Master of the Swamp?"
The lake and swamp were located in the flatlands within the forest, yet instead of heading there, Law was climbing the mountain, seemingly deviating from their original plan.
"We'll go later."
Law didn't explain further to Kuro and continued upward. Along the way, they encountered numerous lively beasts and birds, none of which seemed the least bit afraid of the active volcano at the summit.
As he searched for traces of the Divine Script, Law unexpectedly discovered a stone tablet buried in the soil, also engraved with Divine Script. However, the script on the tablet had been carved using Nen rather than the life force of the trees.
Whether it was the tree roots or the stone tablet, both pointed toward the active volcano at the summit.
Suppressing the growing doubts in his mind, Law pressed on toward the summit.
Ten minutes later, he reached the top and arrived at the base of the chimney-like volcano. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur.
"What are we doing here?"
Kuro looked up at the volcano, which towered like a multi-story building, his eyes filled with confusion.
Law ignored him and kicked off the air, ascending effortlessly.
Seeing this, Kuro, still puzzled, shifted from his solid form into a wisp of black smoke and followed behind Law.
Soon, the two of them reached the vicinity of the volcano's crater. A wave of scorching heat rushed over them, as if evaporating all the moisture from their skin.
Pungent volcanic smoke rose from within, and combined with the chimney-like shape of the volcano, it resembled the smokestacks of a factory endlessly spewing fumes.
Law took a few steps forward, intending to peer into the volcano's interior, when he suddenly noticed something strange beneath his feet. He stopped immediately.
Looking down at the dust-covered ground, he stomped lightly, then swept his foot side to side, brushing away the thick layer of dust to reveal a light brown, unidentified surface.
'What is this?'
Law crouched down and wiped away the remaining dust on the surface. His expression froze for a moment.
Beneath his fingers, he could feel an overwhelming presence of vitality, similar to what he had experienced when climbing the sapling of the World Tree… where he could distinctly sense the vitality flowing within the trunk through the bark.
At the same time, the White Smoke Font in his mind provided a brief piece of information:
It was called Lichen and it came from the Dark Continent. Nothing more was said about it after that.
'Lichen? The Dark Continent?'
Law's emotions surged uncontrollably. He continued clearing the dust, only to find that not all areas were covered by the light-brown Lichen… there were many gaps left exposed.
Before long, Law had cleared an area the size of a basketball court, revealing large patches of the Lichen.
Standing at the edge, he stared at the lichen-covered surface with its numerous gaps, a shiver running down his spine.
'More Divine Script…?'
Nearby, Kuro watched Law's odd behavior, utterly baffled. Then, he saw Law suddenly kick off into the air and look down at the light-brown Lichen from above.
"What the hell is this guy doing?"
Kuro muttered to himself, his gaze following Law as he descended back to the ground.
'It really is Divine Script, and it extends all the way to the volcano's crater.'
After landing, Law crouched down again and ran his fingers over the Lichen's texture. Aside from the vitality, it felt somewhat like wooden flooring, though slightly rougher.
'Tree roots, stone tablets, and now this unknown Lichen from the Dark Continent… All of it, just to construct a massive Divine Script. Why go through so much effort…?'
Law strode forward without hesitation, stepping right up to the volcano's crater. He peered down into its depths, where past the thin volcanic smoke, a churning pool of magma seethed.
'A true active volcano… it wouldn't be surprising if it erupted several times a day.'
With that thought, Law glanced at the forest not far below and shook his head slightly before turning his attention back to the bubbling magma.
Kuro sauntered up beside him and asked impatiently, "What exactly are you looking for? You're acting weird."
Law looked at Kuro and said, "Help me check something."
"What is it?" Kuro looked up.
"Check the inner walls of the volcano… see if there are any patterns or writing."
Kuro froze for a second at the request, but before he could react, Law lifted his foot and kicked him down like a ball.
"You bastard!"
As Kuro plummeted toward the swirling, crimson magma pool, wreathed in smoke, he cursed Law, who remained standing calmly at the crater's edge.
Law crossed his arms, watching Kuro's descent with detached interest: "Aren't you going to shift forms?"
Kuro immediately shut up, dissolving into black smoke that swirled amidst the volcanic fumes. Though the color difference was still noticeable, his form now blended with the environment.
In his solid state, Kuro would have been severely burned by the extreme heat even without touching the magma. But in this semi-physical, Nen-based smoke form, he was immune to the scorching temperatures.
Law wasn't sure if other Nen Beasts could do the same, but Kuro definitely could.
"Just circle the inner walls. No need to dive into the magma." Law commanded the smoke-form Kuro.
The black smoke looped in the air a few times, forming a fist before flipping Law an invisible middle finger. Still, it obediently drifted toward the volcano's inner walls.
Just at this moment, something strange happened.
A bubble burst violently in the churning magma, and from it, a ribbon-like stream of molten rock stretched upward. In an instant, it took the shape of a bird, its body a shifting mass of flowing lava that faintly resembled the plumage of a phoenix.
Both Law and Kuro tensed at the sight of this undefined magma creature.
The bird's form wasn't stable… its surface remained liquid, with no discernible eyes or organs. It was impossible to tell if it was even a living being.
Whoosh!
The magma bird arced through the air, its base still connected to the magma pool, while its upper body lunged at Kuro's smoke form.
The attack was so fast that Kuro couldn't dodge in time… a portion of his smoke-body was ripped away, either devoured or vaporized by the intense heat. Either way, his form shrank visibly
Having taken an unexpected hit, Kuro didn't dare linger. He shot upward, putting distance between himself and the magma bird.
The creature twisted midair, attempting another lunge at the retreating smoke… but this time, it only managed to rise a few meters before collapsing back into the magma pool.
After a moment of turbulent shifting, it resurfaced, its upper body rising from the molten rock.
Though it had no eyes, its upward-tilted posture suggested it was watching… both the black smoke and Law standing at the crater's edge.
"A lifeform?"
Law narrowed his eyes, studying the unknown magma entity.
Meanwhile, Kuro shot out of the volcano's interior, reforming into his solid state beside Law. He collapsed to the ground, his face twisted in pain.
A large section of his tail was gone, and his buttocks had been badly burned.