When they first entered the New World, the unpredictable weather was the most challenging thing.
As the Thousand Sunny sailed forward, it quickly ran into a massive storm. The storm was so intense that it created huge, towering waves tens of meters high. To escape, the Sunny had to use a burst of wind to fly out of the area. Meanwhile, the submarine, the Polar Tang, simply dove deep beneath the surface and waited for the storm to pass, relying on the Vivre Card (Life Paper) to rendezvous with the Sunny later.
Soon after the storm, a violent hailstorm began. The hailstones were as large as a human head, and some were even the size of small ships, making the scene terrifying. Everyone had no choice but to take cover or use their abilities to block the ice to avoid serious injury.
Roronoa Zoro took this extreme weather as an opportunity for training. He activated his full-body Armament Haki and stood on the deck, letting the hailstones batter him. When a huge hailstone came toward him, he would simply draw his sword and slash it, completely shattering the large chunk of ice. His dedication to strenuous exercise was truly admirable.
Not to be outdone, Tashigi also stood beside Zoro and activated her Armament Haki. However, her Haki was still weak compared to Zoro's, and the hailstones quickly left her bruised and battered. In the end, Zoro had to throw her back into the ship's cabin.
Chopper applied medicine to Tashigi with a distressed expression. "Tashigi, don't try to compete with Zoro! He's an exercise freak; he's practically trying to kill himself!".
Tashigi grit her teeth. "He just awakened his Armament Haki earlier than me. I might not lose to him in the future!". Chopper realized how stubborn Tashigi was about her strength, so he gave up trying to persuade her.
After several rounds of this extreme weather, the ship finally sailed into a region of clear, scorching sunlight. Nami checked the area and confirmed that no extreme weather would appear for a while, allowing everyone to finally rest.
Taking advantage of this calm, Law began administering the special medicinal bath to Jambalu and Kaku. The painful, heart-wrenching screams echoing from the submarine made the rest of the Straw Hat crew shudder, reminding them of their own days of grueling training on the Boeing Islands.
Then, everyone looked pointedly at Brook.
Chopper smiled and held up the special ointment. "Brook, do you remember how many times you need to apply the ointment this week?".
Brook instantly felt terror, even though he had no heart or flesh. The pain from applying the ointment was truly unforgettable. He found himself envying Franky, who only needed to modify his body and didn't have to deal with plasters or medicinal baths.
Following the screaming came the sound of ravenous eating, as Brook, Jambalu, and Kaku devoured their food. Just moments after they finished eating, Carl pulled them away to begin training.
The training schedule was straightforward: first, a period of high-intensity basic exercise, followed by targeted training specific to each student. For example, Brook focused mainly on his Devil Fruit ability development and swordsmanship. Jambalu was learning the Marine Six Styles (Rokushiki), and Kaku was attempting to activate his Haki. With only three students, Carl was highly efficient. Because he had people to "abuse" in training, Carl was in a notably good mood.
The day quickly passed.
Usopp, who was working as the lookout, reported that he had spotted an island. He also reported seeing many Marine warships stationed near the island, which surprised everyone. They immediately thought it was another Marine ambush.
Carl realized something and quickly used his Observation Haki to scan the area. He suddenly understood the situation.
"It's the duel!" Luffy shouted excitedly. "It's the duel between Akainu and Aokiji! I can't believe we ended up here! Now we can see what a Marine Admiral duel looks like!".
Carl was also very surprised; he hadn't expected their current heading was actually toward Punk Hazard. He thought this was a good thing since he also wanted to witness the duel.
Usopp was not calm at all. "Hey, hey, Luffy, this is way too dangerous!".
Nami quickly objected. "That's right! Two Marine Admirals are fighting, so there must be a ton of Marines there, including a lot of strong ones! Aren't we just walking into a trap?".
Chopper desperately shook his head. "Marine Admirals are scary!".
The other crew members remained silent. They knew Luffy would make the final decision, and if he wanted to go, they would go. At worst, they would just fight the Marines again. Of course, they were also very interested in the duel. The clash between two Admirals was essentially an internal struggle, and as pirates, they couldn't miss watching the show.
Luffy was determined and refused to change his mind, so the "Cowardly Trio" (Usopp, Nami, and Chopper) turned to Carl for help.
Unexpectedly, Carl said, "A Marine Admiral's duel is very rare. I want to see it too.".
Luffy burst out laughing. "Hahaha! See? I knew it! So, let's go to that island!".
As for the opinion of the Heart Pirates, Luffy simply ignored them. Since the submarine automatically followed wherever the Sunny went, Law had no chance to refuse.
Carl looked at Luffy's iconic red vest. "I don't think that has enough Haki," he mused.
So, he told Nami, "Nami, go get the new cloaks and clothes you bought at Papagu's shop. The Straw Hats are making their debut; we have to look cool and full of Haki!".
Nami rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I really admire how childish you are, old man.".
Nami quickly brought out a pile of new clothes.
Carl immediately put on a black cloak, a black hat, and a pair of sunglasses. Instantly, a cool and handsome swordsman was born.
"Wow! Teacher Carl is so cool! I want one too!".
Luffy excitedly rummaged through the clothes, but he didn't know how to choose an outfit. In the end, Nami personally selected a set of clothes and a shawl for him and gave him a pair of sunglasses. The incomparably cool Straw Hat Captain was ready.
Seeing this, the other crew members also started choosing clothes to dress up, and even Tashigi changed her clothes.
In a short time, the style of the entire Straw Hat crew dramatically shifted.
Luffy stood at the ship's bow with his arms crossed. He turned his head toward the direction of the submarine and shouted, "Torao! We're about to make our debut in the New World! We have to wear clothes with Haki, or we'll look bad!".
Law, hearing this, could only feel the corners of his mouth twitching. Knowing that Carl was behind this idea, Law struggled to accept it for a moment. Law had always viewed Carl as a very reliable person, but seeing this now, Law felt uneasy. He worried that if someone stayed with the Straw Hats for too long, they would become just as silly.
However, Law and the Heart Pirates eventually changed into black clothes too.
Law wore a black suit and leaned against the cabin, holding his sword Kikoku without saying a word. The image of the cool, intense captain was hard to look away from.
As the Straw Hats approached the island, the Marines had already spotted them.
"The Straw Hat Pirates? Why are they here?!" Sengoku, who was watching the duel from a warship, couldn't help but roar.
"I guess they just arrived in the New World and heard about the duel, so they came to join in the fun," Vice-Admiral Tsuru (Crane) guessed.
"Oh dear, a coat, Straw Hat Pirates," Kizaru commented with his usual lackadaisical expression. "I hope they don't do anything crazy this time, or the old man will suffer again!".
The other Marines also exchanged worried glances, some even showing genuine fear. Clearly, the reputation of the Straw Hat crew now made many Marines apprehensive. However, since the former Fleet Admiral (Sengoku) and two Admirals were present, they felt a small degree of safety.
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