Those who knew Geppo flew over the gate, disappearing behind the metal fence in seconds. Coby grabbed Nami and Robin around their waists, leaping over with a single bound and landing lightly on the other side. Chopper switched to Jumping Point, vaulting up with a quick spring, while Franky hauled himself up using his extended arm, clanking onto the ground on the other side.
Chopper hopped out, his eyes wide with curiosity. "Everything's on fire! How can anything even live here?"
As if on cue, a massive roar shook the ground beneath them. A dark silhouette appeared in the distance, the shape of the dragon's hulking body visible against the flames. Its scales glinted, smoke curling from its nostrils as it locked eyes on the Straw Hats, snarling as it crouched to attack.
The crew stared, mouths hanging open as the dragon loomed before them, its massive form framed by flickering flames.
"I-Is that… a dragon?" Usopp stammered, clutching his slingshot.
Luffy's jaw dropped in awe, his eyes sparkling. "It really is a dragon!" He grinned wide, bouncing on his heels. "I'm gonna ride it!"
Zoro's hand rested on his sword. "Ryuma was a legend for slaying a dragon. I wonder if I could do the same." He smirked
Coby chuckled, shaking his head. "Relax, guys. This island was once Vegapunk's playground. That thing's artificial, made by the greatest scientist in the world."
Franky's eyes lit up with excitement. "No way! Vegapunk's work, here? That guy's a genius! I spent two years in one of his labs, and I'm still just scratching the surface of what he made."
The dragon let out a deep roar, smoke billowing from its nostrils. Its gaze locked onto them, and it crouched, ready to charge.
Just as the crew braced to attack, the dragon let out a wheezing voice, startling them. "Who goes there?"
The Straw Hats froze, blinking at the beast.
"It can speak?!" Luffy's eyes widened in awe.
But Coby shook his head, squinting. "Nah, look closer—it's not the dragon's mouth moving." He pointed. "See that lower half attached to it? It's probably the one talking."
Usopp's eyes bulged, "How can a lower half talk?"
Coby shrugged. "Maybe it's farting."
Usopp groaned, slapping his forehead. "Of course you'd think that."
Before they could investigate further, the dragon lurched forward, its nostrils flaring as it exhaled a blast of scorching flames. The crew scattered in all directions, dodging the fire.
Luffy's face split into a grin as he punched his fist into his palm. "I want to ride it!"
Sanji kicked off the ground, flipping over the flames. "You're not gonna be able to ride it if it fries you, dumbass!"
Zoro had already unsheathed his swords, his gaze locked on the dragon. "Well, looks like I'll get to slay a dragon after all," he muttered, smirking as he took a stance.
True to his word, Zoro swung his sword in a single clean arc. "Shishi Sonson!" he called, and the massive dragon's head sliced clean off, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. The huge body collapsed, stirring up dust as it settled.
Luffy's eyes lit up, and he pointed excitedly. "Sanji! I want dragon meat!" He grinned, bouncing slightly at the thought.
Sanji rolled his eyes but cracked a smile, already pulling out a knife to carve. "Yeah, yeah, hold your horses. I'll cook up something legendary."
Usopp eyed the dragon's fallen head, a little pale. "Man… if we're eating that thing, I'm not gonna be the taste tester!"
As Sanji worked on the meat, a faint sound caught their attention—a groaning voice coming from the dragon's body. The crew stopped, turning toward the noise. The lower half of a man was stuck to the dragon's back, wriggling.
Luffy grabbed a chunk of the dragon's leg, inspecting it with enthusiasm. "This is gonna be so good!" He looked at Coby, grinning. "Think there's more dragons around here?"
Coby shrugged, "There should be." He walked to the lower body and pulled it from Dragon.
As Luffy eagerly tried to add the strange, wriggling lower body to the crew, the legs suddenly took off, scrambling away from them as fast as they could. Quick as a flash, Coby darted forward, grabbing the fleeing lower half by its ankles. With a grin, he turned and firmly attached it to Sanji's back.
"Look at that, you're a centaur now!" Coby laughed.
Sanji twisted around, glaring. "You bastard! Take this thing off me!"
Luffy doubled over, clutching his sides. "It looks hilarious!" he chuckled, his grin widening. "C'mon, Sanji, give it a try!"
Coby ignored Sanji. "This has gotta be Trafalgar Law's handiwork."
The crew's playful mood dimmed slightly at the mention of Law, and Luffy's expression grew thoughtful. "Law… That's the guy who helped me after the Summit War."
Coby nodded, his tone a bit more serious. "Yeah, that guy."
"Alright then," Luffy said, straightening up. "Let's find him."
They continued moving through the island until they reached a cliffside, high enough to give them a view of the entire island. The landscape was split in two—their side a burning inferno, while the far side was covered in a layer of thick, frosty snow. Steam rose where the two opposing climates met, creating a hazy border between fire and ice.
Nami squinted, a puzzled look on her face. "How is that even possible?"
Coby explained, "After the Summit War, Sengoku stepped down as Fleet Admiral. He recommended Aokiji as his successor, but the higher-ups wanted Akainu to take the position. So, Aokiji and Akainu fought it out right here on this island for ten days straight. In the end, Akainu won, but both of them were left pretty banged up."
The crew already knew some of the story from Jinbe back on Fishman Island, but they hadn't realized that the battle between two Admirals had taken place right here. They hadn't expected the kind of power that could split an entire island into ice and fire.
Crossing the border between the two climates, the crew spotted strange figures moving in the distance. As they drew closer, they saw them clearly: humans with bizarre animal body parts—a man with a giraffe's lower body, another with a horse torso and human upper body. The odd-looking figures spotted the Straw Hats and halted, staring at Sanji with confused expressions.
"Hey!" one of them called out, squinting. "You're not one of us, are you?"
Sanji rolled his eyes, brushing off the comment. "Hell no."
Before they could react, Zoro and Sanji lunged, taking down the animal hybrids in quick, clean blows.
Luffy crossed his arms, tilting his head. "Coby, is this Torao guy's doing?"
Coby shook his head. "Not exactly. These creatures are likely connected to Kaido the Beast, one of the Four Emperors. He's got this dream of having a crew entirely made up of Zoans. Problem is, Devil Fruits are rare, so he's been using a synthetic version—Artificial Devil Fruits."
The crew exchanged shocked looks. "Artificial Devil Fruits?" Nami repeated, wide-eyed. "Is something like that even possible?"
"Guess so," Coby replied. "Word is, Kaido's forces are full of these artificial Zoans, called the 'Gifters.' That's why they look like mismatched animals."
"Kaido…" Usopp muttered, shivering. "A crew of freaks like these? And all Zoans?"
"Seems like the New World's full of monsters," Zoro commented.
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