Inside the laboratory, Vegapunk stared at the screen, his face etched with gravity as he looked at Queen's mocking smile. After a moment of tense silence, the scientist made a difficult decision and reached for his Den Den Mushi.
"It has been a long time indeed, Queen," Vegapunk said, his voice steady despite the circumstances. "Fine. Come ashore so we can speak. All defense systems, stand down. Cancel combat status immediately".
The six clones were visibly shaken by the order. Lilith, the embodiment of evil, was the first to protest. "Wait! What are you doing? We can't just give up!".
Vegapunk sighed, sounding defeated. "Resistance is useless now. If we fight, we have no hope of escape. We might as well see what Kaido actually wants from us".
High above in the sky, King listened to the transmission from the island below. He turned to Jack and Eneru to issue orders. "Jack, you're in charge of moving the laboratory equipment. Eneru, the Marines and the World Government will send reinforcements once they realize what's happening. Kizaru will likely be the one to show up. I'm leaving him to you".
"Understood," Jack grunted in his deep, muffled voice.
Eneru grinned, his eyes flashing with anticipation. "Perfect. I've been waiting for a chance to finally go all out".
Deep beneath the ocean's surface, the Straw Hat Pirates finally reunited at Fish-Man Island after a day of intense battle. With their strength restored, they set their sights on the final leg of their journey into the New World.
The transition was jarring. After an incredible underwater voyage and a trek through the unpredictable currents of the deep sea, the crew surfaced to find themselves surrounded by a pod of massive whales. The horizon of the New World finally stretched out before them.
"New World, here we come!" Luffy shouted from the deck of the Thousand Sunny, his arms raised in excitement.
The last two years had changed them all. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami, Chopper, Nico Robin, Franky, and Brook—each member of the crew looked stronger and more determined than ever. Before them, the sea seemed to boil, heated by the constant eruptions of distant volcanoes.
"It looks like the entrance to hell," someone muttered.
Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a horrific sound coming from the ship's Den Den Mushi—the sound of someone crying out in pure agony. "Help! Please, somebody help us!".
Nami and Chopper jumped back in fright, but Luffy grabbed the receiver immediately. "Hey! I'm Luffy, the man who's gonna be the Pirate King! Who is this?".
Usopp facepalmed beside him. "Stop introducing yourself and listen to what they're saying!".
The voice on the other end continued to scream in terror. "Save us! They're cutting everyone down... we're all going to be killed by the samurai!".
"Samurai?" The word hung in the air.
Zoro stepped forward, his expression sharpening. "Hey, Brook. Isn't 'samurai' the name for the swordsmen from Wano Country?".
Brook nodded solemnly. "Indeed. And if I recall correctly, Wano is currently under the control of the Emperor, Kaido".
The mood on the deck instantly shifted. In the two years since the war at Marineford and the incident at the Wokara Kingdom, the reputation of the Beasts Pirates had spread across the entire globe. Everyone knew how dangerous the man who ruled the New World truly was. If this samurai was one of Kaido's men, rushing in to help would be a death wish.
Luffy didn't care about the risk. "Who are you? Where are you right now?".
A final, pained scream echoed through the speaker. "Please... save us... we're at Punk Hazard! Ah—!". Then, there was only static.
The crew stood in grim silence. They had barely entered the New World, and they were already being greeted with a crisis involving a Yonko.
"This is too scary," Nami whimpered, her eyes tearing up. "Luffy, please, that's an Emperor's territory. We shouldn't go there".
Usopp and Chopper nodded frantically in agreement. However, Nico Robin spoke up, her tone as calm as ever. "If the location is Punk Hazard, it might not actually be under the Emperor's control. In fact, it might be tied to an old friend of yours, Luffy".
The crew looked at her, confused. Robin began to explain what she had learned. "During my time away these last two years, I gathered some information. Punk Hazard was once the primary research site for the genius scientist Vegapunk. He worked there for the World Government until a massive gas leak four years ago turned it into a forbidden wasteland".
She continued, "Later, it was occupied by a man named Caesar, one of Vegapunk's former colleagues. But Caesar didn't stay long before Kaido took him away. The island was abandoned until two years ago, when Admirals Aokiji and Akainu chose it as the site for their legendary battle".
The crew remembered the stories Jinbe had shared with them. "So, the island should be empty now?" someone asked.
Robin shook her head. "Quite the opposite. Six months ago, Yamato—the Emperor's daughter and Luffy's friend—left the Warlords to join the Revolutionary Army. This embarrassed the World Government, but they couldn't catch her. Soon after, a new man appeared. He traded the hearts of 500 pirates to the Marines in exchange for the title of Warlord".
"Hearts?" Sanji and Zoro both looked disturbed. "You don't mean that guy, do you?".
"I do," Robin confirmed. "The current ruler of Punk Hazard is Trafalgar Law. He was one of the twelve Supernovas who arrived at Sabaody alongside Luffy. He has a bounty of 440,000,000 Berries and is the Captain of the Heart Pirates".
"That guy actually became a Warlord?" Sanji asked, looking bewildered.
Nami bit her lip. "Does that mean he's trying to lure Luffy into a trap?".
"Regardless of his reasons, we should go and see for ourselves," Robin suggested, her directness surprising the crew. She gestured toward the Log Pose in Nami's hand. "We don't have much of a choice anyway. After leaving Fish-Man Island, the Log Pose points to three specific islands: Raijin Island, Flame Island, and Red Adventure Island. Flame Island is almost certainly Punk Hazard. If the Marines are waiting for us, a forbidden zone like a burning island might actually be our safest bet".
The logic of "the most dangerous place is the safest place" settled in. Since no one had a better plan, the Thousand Sunny adjusted its course.
As they approached the shore of the burning island of Punk Hazard, they saw that the reports weren't exaggerated. Sitting calmly on the edge of the flaming coast was a familiar figure, with a massive white bear standing faithfully behind him.
It was Trafalgar Law.
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