Chapter 34

The burning side of Punk Hazard was a hellscape. The very air rippled with heat, and the ground was a patchwork of magma and charred rock.

The Thousand Sunny, coating peeling off after its ascent from the deep, sailed into a sea of fire.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!" Usopp screamed, clinging to the railing, his tongue lolling out. "Why did we answer that distress call?! This is an oven!"

"It’s an adventure!" Luffy laughed, sitting on the figurehead, unfazed by the heat. "Look! A volcano!"

"That’s not a volcano, you idiot! That’s the ground exploding!" Zoro wiped sweat from his bandana. "And I sense something… big."

"I see it too," Robin said calmly, lowering her binoculars. "A mythical creature."

From the smoke and ash, a massive shape emerged. Wings of leather, scales of green iron, and a roar that shook the magma.

A Western Dragon.

"SUGEEE!" Luffy’s eyes turned into stars. "A DRAGON! Does it taste good?!"

"It looks angry," Usopp cried as the dragon inhaled deeply. "It’s gonna breathe fire!"

The dragon opened its maw. A torrent of orange flames, hot enough to melt rock, surged toward the Thousand Sunny.

"Zoro! Cut it!" Luffy ordered.

"On it," Zoro drew Shusui.

But before the swordsman could swing, a blur of red and white shot past the ship.

The Chef's Entrée

"That’s not heat," a female voice scoffed. "That’s lukewarm soup."

Carmen, the Flamenco Chef of the Clockwork Rose, leaped from a jagged rock. She landed directly in the path of the dragon's fire breath.

"DON'T!" Usopp screamed. "She'll be incinerated!"

Carmen opened her mouth. She didn't scream. She inhaled.

Atsu Atsu no Mi: Thermal Absorption.

The dragon's fire swirled into a vortex and disappeared down Carmen’s throat. She swallowed the massive fireball whole, her skin glowing a radiant, blinding white for a second before returning to normal.

She burped a small puff of smoke.

"Needs more paprika," Carmen smirked, wiping her mouth. "And a little garlic."

The Straw Hats’ jaws hit the deck.

"SHE ATE THE FIRE?!" Luffy yelled. "WHO IS SHE?!"

The Sniper's Garnish

The dragon, confused that its breath weapon had failed, roared and flapped its wings to ascend.

"Oh no, you don't," a calm voice echoed from high above.

Perched on a cliff overlooking the bay was Laki. She leveled her white Shandian rifle.

Mosa Mosa no Mi: 50x Gravity Shot.

She fired a single, lead-lined ball. As it left the barrel, she amplified its weight fifty times. The bullet, now weighing as much as a cannonball but moving at sniper speeds, slammed into the dragon's wing.

CRACK.

The bone shattered. The dragon screamed, losing lift instantly. It plummeted toward the magma.

The Captain's Course

"Now, Captain!" Carmen shouted.

From the smoke, a figure in a black and red dress descended. She didn't fall; she stepped on the air with Geppo, her twin tails fluttering in the hot wind.

Kurumi Tokisaki.

She drew her twin black muskets.

"Ara, ara… bullying a lizard?" She smiled, aiming at the dragon's head. "Let me put it to sleep."

Zafkiel: First Bullet – Aleph.

She accelerated her own time. She vanished from sight.

Slash.

She reappeared on the dragon's snout. She didn't shoot. She spun, delivering a Haki-infused kick to the beast's skull, driving it into the ground right in front of the Sunny.

BOOM.

The dragon crashed, unconscious.

Kurumi landed gracefully on the dragon's head, holstering her guns. She looked up at the Straw Hat ship.

"Long time no see, Monkey D. Luffy."

The Reunion

The silence on the Sunny was deafening.

"That outfit…" Zoro’s eye narrowed, his hand gripping his sword. "That aura…"

"It’s the Marine!" Usopp pointed a trembling finger. "The one from Thriller Bark! The one who died at Marineford!"

"Died?" Luffy tilted his head. He squinted. Then his eyes went wide.

"AH! IT'S THE CLOCK GIRL!" Luffy pointed. "You're alive! I saw Akainu melt you!"

"Ghosts are hard to kill," Kurumi winked. "And I quit the Marines. The uniform was too… restrictive."

She jumped from the dragon to the deck of the Sunny. Zoro immediately stepped in front of Luffy, blades half-drawn.

"Back off, Zoro," Luffy said, grinning. "She helped me save Ace. Sort of."

"She’s dangerous," Zoro grunted. "She smells like blood and time."

"Rude," Kurumi chuckled. "I smell like lavender and gunpowder, thank you very much."

Carmen and Laki joined her on the deck.

"Where is he?" Carmen looked around frantically, ignoring the dragon. "Where is the love-cook? Where is Sanji?!"

"Sanji?" Usopp blinked. "He’s with Nami and the others. They got kidnapped by some gas masks."

"Tch," Carmen kicked the railing. "My rival is absent. How boring."

The Legs

Suddenly, a muffled voice came from beneath the dragon.

"Un… hand… me…"

"The dragon is talking!" Luffy gasped.

"No," Kurumi stepped aside. "The dragon is sitting on someone."

Sticking out from under the dragon's belly were a pair of legs. Just legs. No torso. They were thrashing about.

"A samurai," Kurumi noted, recognizing Kin'emon's lower half. "Law's handiwork."

Luffy grabbed the legs. "Whoa! Cool! Do you poop?"

"Luffy, focus!" Usopp slapped him.

Kurumi clapped her hands. "Listen up, Straw Hats. We don't have time for a tea party. This island is a trap."

She looked at Robin, who was observing her carefully.

"I assume you intercepted the distress call? 'Samurai… cold… killing everyone'?"

"We did," Robin nodded. "Who is the enemy?"

"Caesar Clown," Kurumi said. "A mad scientist with a bounty of 300 million. He’s protected by Trafalgar Law, a Warlord. And Vice Admiral Smoker is currently docked on the ice side."

"Smokey is here too?!" Luffy laughed. "It’s a party!"

"It’s a three-way war," Kurumi corrected. "My crew is here for Caesar. Law is here for… something else. And you…"

She leaned in close to Luffy.

"You're here because fate dragged you here. But be careful, Luffy. Law proposes an alliance. If you take it… you will be fighting an Emperor."

"An Emperor?" Luffy’s grin didn't fade. It got wider. "Which one?"

"Kaido," Kurumi whispered the name that made the New World tremble.

Luffy paused. He adjusted his hat.

"I was planning to beat all four of them anyway."

Kurumi stared at him. Then she burst out laughing.

"Ah, you really are the best bet I ever made. Very well."

She turned to her crew.

"Carmen, Laki. We’re teaming up with the Straw Hats. Until we leave this island, we watch their backs."

"Aye, Captain," Laki shouldered her rifle.

"Fine," Carmen huffed. "But I'm cooking. Their food smells bland."

"Hey!" Sanji (who wasn't there) would have been offended, but Usopp just shrugged. "Can you make pizza?"

The Move

"We need to get to the lab," Kurumi said, pointing to the massive facility looming in the distance. "Your friends are there. Law is there. And Caesar is waiting."

"Wait," Zoro interrupted. "Why are you helping us? What's your angle?"

Kurumi looked at the moss-head swordsman.

"Let's just say… I have a grudge against a certain flamingo. And your captain has a knack for breaking birdcages."

She jumped onto the railing.

"Let's go, Straw Hats! If we’re slow, Law will steal all the fun!"

"ALRIGHT!" Luffy cheered, pumping his fist. "ADVENTURE TIME!"

As the Sunny sailed toward the lab, Kurumi watched Luffy’s back.

He’s stronger, she analyzed. His Haki is unrefined but massive. But he’s not ready for Doflamingo yet. I need to make sure Law doesn't get himself killed before the Dressrosa curtain rises.

"Perona," she whispered into her transponder snail. "Is the ship secure?"

"The ship is fine, but it's cold!" Perona complained from the Clockwork Rose hidden on the ice side. "And Smoker’s ship just deployed a hoverbike! He’s heading your way!"

"Perfect," Kurumi smiled dangerously. "Let the White Hunter come. I have a new bullet I want to test on a Logia."