"Damn that fat balloon! Standing in lava is totally cheating!"
Luffy, standing on a block of ice, glared furiously at Accino below. This guy showed no fear of the molten rock.
He could even swim freely in the lava—what a terrifying opponent.
"This is my Devil Fruit ability. How is that cheating?" Accino sneered. "Straw Hat Boy, do you know why I chose this place as my home?"
"Why?"
"Because there's an undersea volcano here!"
Accino laughed wildly. "When faced with powerful enemies, I can use the volcano to swallow them whole!"
"Just like now~"
He casually stirred the lava with his hand, completely unaffected by its terrifying heat.
"Damn it, using a volcano like this..."
"Hmph, you're relying on that Ninja's power too," Accino snorted. "Neither of us has room to talk."
Accino saw nothing wrong with his methods. As long as it eliminated his enemies, any means were justified, right?
"Straw Hat Boy, soon the ice beneath your feet will be completely burned away," Accino grinned. "What awaits you is death!"
"Then I'll just knock you out before it melts!"
Luffy shifted into an attacking stance. "I won't give you time to melt the ice."
"Oh? And you think I'll give you that chance?" Accino roared. "Scorching Wave!"
BOOM!!
Under the influence of Accino's Devil Fruit ability, the lava below began to boil violently, surging upward like a monstrous wave toward Luffy!
Luffy's expression changed instantly. Without hesitation, he turned and ran, stretching out his arm to grab onto the ice and evade the attack.
But Accino was faster. The searing lava cut off Luffy's escape routes, leaving him no way out.
"Luffy!"
Nami's pupils contracted in alarm. Instinctively, she reached for her Clima-Tact, but it was already too late.
"HAHAHAHA! Straw Hat Boy, DIE!"
"Crap, I can't dodge this!"
"Water Release: Water Surge!"
BOOM!!
At the last possible moment, the water around Luffy exploded outward, forming a massive wave that forcefully blocked the lava, shielding him completely.
"Meiser!!"
Nami gasped in relief as she spotted Meiser beside her. With him here, things would be fine.
"He blocked the lava...?" Accino narrowed his eyes warily. "That Ninja brat's Ninjutsu?"
Even seawater couldn't stop lava's penetration. How could this kid's Water Release block it? That didn't make sense.
"Hey, Luffy, what are you messing around for?" Meiser frowned. "His Devil Fruit ability is already half-useless, and you still made this big of a scene?"
"Are you even taking this seriously?"
Originally, he thought Luffy could easily take care of this guy, but he almost got countered instead?
Had all those battles at Enies Lobby been for nothing?
"I didn't know the volcano would erupt either."
"Whatever, no point dwelling on it." Meiser shook his head. "Luffy, we've got what we came for. Finish this guy off quickly."
"Oh, got it."
"Brat, what did you do?" Accino's expression darkened. "What happened to my daughter?"
If they were here, it meant Lil had already failed—definitely not good news for him.
"Heh, wanna guess?"
"You bastard, even attacking a child... I won't let you get away with this!"
Enraged, Accino activated his Devil Fruit ability, his body temperature skyrocketing once more, forcibly melting the ice beneath Luffy's feet.
But the next development made his expression shift again.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!"
"BOOM!!"
As Meiser's Ninjutsu took effect, a horizontal earthen wall emerged above the lava, providing Luffy with a new platform.
Without hesitation, Luffy jumped onto it, grinning excitedly. "This is Ninjutsu too? So cool!"
He could actually create land out of nowhere—Meiser was seriously amazing!
"Luffy, take him down!"
"Got it!"
"You think this little trick can stop me, brat?" Accino slowly rose into the air. "Even if you make new ground, it'll just get swallowed by the lava eventually."
"And... I won't give you any more chances to struggle!"
"Hummm—"
Accino's abdomen turned blazing red as he shot forward like a cannonball, propelled by the intense heat.
"As long as I'm not afraid of your heat, your attacks mean nothing!"
As he spoke, the swirling water around Luffy retracted, coiling around his fists once more.
"Then let's test that, brat!" Accino roared. "Maximum Temperature, Impact: Scorching Iron!"
"Water Stream: Jet Bazooka!"
"BOOM!!"
Luffy's water-wrapped fists slammed into Accino's abdomen, clashing violently against the searing heat.
As time passed, Accino's face grew increasingly grim.
It was clear—he already knew he couldn't win this time. His heat couldn't even damage the kid's fists!
"Dammit, why isn't my heat...? Damn you, Ninja!"
"Damn it all, I refuse to accept this!"
Without his heat as a weapon, Accino's attacks were useless. In the end, Luffy sent him flying, crashing hard into the distant Accino Family's hideout.
"Whoosh—"
"BOOM!!"
The sheer force punched a gaping hole straight through the building.
"I... refuse..."
With those final words, Accino collapsed, eyes rolled back, unconscious.
"Lord Accino!!"
The soldiers still fighting Puzzle and the others froze in shock at the sight of their leader being sent flying.
Their strongest fighter... had been defeated?
Just then, the iceberg trembled violently, as if some terrifying beast was awakening.
"Oh no, the underwater volcano has fully awakened!" Nami's expression changed as she shouted, "Quick, get back to the ship! We need to leave this place!"
Underwater volcanoes are terrifying. Once they fully erupt, none of the icebergs here will survive—they'll all be melted by the intense heat.
"Everyone, move fast!"
"Roger!"
"Luffy, grab hold of me!" Meiser called out.
Grabbing Luffy's outstretched arm, Meiser yanked him up with a strong pull.
"Hurry, to the ship!"
"Let's go too," Puzzle said.
The soldiers of the Accino Family had lost all will to fight and were now running toward the buildings, likely intending to rescue people. This alone showed how well the Accino Family treated their soldiers—otherwise, they wouldn't have fought so fiercely.
"Dammit, what about the flag?!"
"We'll figure it out later. If we all die here, the flag won't—"
"Mr. Puzzle, I'm back!!"
Gino, waving the Pirate Flag excitedly at his crewmates, had clearly taken advantage of the chaos to sneak in and retrieve it. He hadn't encountered a single enemy along the way.
"You idiot, you had us worried..." Puzzle scolded at first, then burst into laughter. "Gino, well done!"
"Captain, I found our sails too!" Erl cheered.
"Everyone, let's retreat!"
"Roger!!"
Watching the pirates leave, Arbell broke free from her bonds and ran toward her family's base, ignoring the danger. By the time she arrived, her subordinates had already loaded Accino and Lil onto a ship, preparing to escape before the eruption.
"Lady Arbell, hurry aboard!"
"Coming!"
The moment Lil saw her sister, she broke down.
"Sis..."
"It's okay, Lil, it's all right now. I'm here."
After crying for a while, Lil wiped her tears and asked, "Sis... are we still going to be bounty hunters after this?"
Not every pirate they'd encounter would be like Merry and her crew. If they ran into truly vicious ones, they might not survive.
"Well..."
"That depends on Father's decision."
Lil sighed quietly, hoping they'd never face such formidable enemies again.
Merry, may you sail safely.
The underwater eruption was horrifying, melting the surrounding icebergs in an instant. Everyone was grateful they'd escaped in time—otherwise, they might have perished there.
"What a terrifying environment..." Usopp gulped.
If they'd been even a second slower, they could've been hit by the lava.
"Meiser!"
Nami dashed over to Meiser in a flash, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Did we get the haul this time?"
"Got it," Meiser said, giving a thumbs-up. "Six hundred million Berries!"
"That's... that's amazing!"
Nami threw her arms around Meiser, overjoyed. "With this, we can live in luxury for a while!"
Six hundred million Berries—what a fortune!
Even if that idiot Luffy ate to his heart's content, he wouldn't bankrupt them anytime soon.
"Good job, Meiser!"
"Great, our pirate crew is rich now!"
"Maybe I can buy a good sword..." Zoro muttered.
He instinctively glanced at Nami, but remembering her past misdeeds, he swallowed his words.
"Don't worry, Zoro," Nami said, looking at him. "After we reach the next island, I'll help you find a good sword."
During their last battle, Zoro's sword had been destroyed by a Devil Fruit Ability User, so naturally he needed a new one.
Zoro cautiously asked, "No interest this time...?"
"You idiot! I was just teasing you!"
Zoro: "..."
But it hadn't felt like teasing to him.
"Damn you, Meiser!" Sanji gritted his teeth as he looked at Meiser, then his expression turned envious. "So... so jealous."
"Nami-san, I'll work hard to find treasure too!"
"You'd better step up your game, Sanji~"
"Hmph, Meiser!" Sanji suddenly became full of fighting spirit. "Next time, I'll definitely find more treasure than you!"
"Good luck with that," Meiser said, staring at Sanji with dead fish eyes. "That'll save me the trouble."
"You bastard, are you showing off?"
"Hahahaha!"
Just then, Puzzle's familiar voice called from the distance.
"Hey, Straw Hat!"
"Oh, it's you guys," Luffy said, looking at Puzzle. "You fixed your ship already?"
The sails were already up—they'd worked fast.
"My crew has excellent shipwrights," Puzzle laughed.
"Wow, that's impressive."
Suddenly serious, Puzzle asked, "You're heading to the New World soon, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then... let's meet again in the New World!" Puzzle declared. "By then, we'll be rivals!"
"Bring it on!" Luffy grinned.
"Don't worry, I won't hold back," Puzzle chuckled before raising his hand. "Alright, men—set sail!"
"YEAH!"
The Phoenix Puzzle had truly been reborn!
Watching Puzzle's crew depart, Luffy remarked, "They're really interesting..."
After a laugh, Luffy turned to his crew with a wide grin. "Alright, everyone—let's go too!"
"Destination: Fish-Man Island! SET SAIL!!"
"YEAH!!"
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