Thunder God Island

Two days later, a small boat approached this famous island in the New World. From afar, the sky looked gloomy, thick gray thunderclouds shrouding the entire island. A dense mist hung over the land, obscuring its full shape. Through the haze, a towering shadow could just be made out—a mountain peak that seemed to pierce the clouds.

The locals called this mountain Thunder God Peak. Long ago, when pirates sailing the seas first discovered the island, it was home to a tribe of natives who worshipped at Thunder God Peak, in the center of the island, almost every day. According to them, it was the dwelling place of a god.

The natives had lived on this island for generations, and their bodies had mutated. They were extremely resistant to lightning and incredibly strong. The island was also home to other mutated beasts, and the strongest among them liked to venture deep into the island to hunt powerful creatures. They were every bit as formidable as pirates with bounties exceeding a hundred million.

Now, after integrating into the modern world, the locals still had a natural advantage, and some powerful figures had emerged among them. The island was ruled by its native inhabitants, and its strongest fighters were locals.

This was an extremely dangerous island. It had an intense magnetic field and powerful static electricity, and the rumble of thunder echoed across it constantly. Anyone who ventured deep into the island would act like a lightning rod, continually drawing down bolts. The farther in you went, the more powerful the lightning became. Without proper precautions, a bolt could suddenly strike you while you were outside and kill you.

Every year, a few unlucky souls met that fate on Thunder God Island. But those with ambition used the island's naturally perilous environment to train themselves. To the weak, the island was a dangerous forbidden zone; to the strong, it was a natural training ground, where they could use powerful lightning to condition their bodies.

It was said that Kaido had once spent a full six months in the island's core. Many other powerful Great Pirates also came here to hone their strength.

That was one of the reasons Teach had come to the island. His lightning was too weak, a liability that couldn't hurt powerful opponents. There was no helping it: he couldn't unleash tens or hundreds of millions of volts like a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user. Whether his body could even withstand that was another question. The most he could generate himself was a few million volts.

After all, being able to generate electricity with his body was already impressive. It was the result of training day and night for years. He could unleash a few million volts in a short burst to increase his power. The main damage from Lightning Current Sword Technique still came from the slashes. Lightning added some force to them and stimulated the body to unleash astonishing bursts of strength.

He wanted to see if training on this island could increase the strength of his lightning. He planned to put himself through an intensive short-term regimen.

"When we get onto the island, be careful. Lightning can strike at any moment. Your bodies can't withstand it yet." After disembarking, Teach warned Mobius and the others.

There was a town here, built up over the past several decades. Looking around, he saw pirates, residents, and strong, bronze-skinned natives. With the natives keeping watch, the pirates didn't dare cause trouble, though they were free to settle their personal disputes.

The natives called themselves the Sand Tribe, a name symbolizing lightning. They considered themselves the children of the Thunder God, revered strength, and respected the powerful. The strong ruled within their tribe. They liked to hunt beasts or venture into the island's interior to face the Thunder God's trials and grow stronger. They didn't stop outsiders from coming, either.

Looking around, Teach saw that most of the pirates and residents wore hoods made of rubber, which could shield them from lightning strikes. Merchants had spotted a business opportunity and started making them to protect people from the island's lightning. They were a huge business here, and some members of the Sand Tribe liked wearing them, too.

Some powerful, confident pirates went without the hoods, as did most of the Sand Tribe.

Teach bought three rubber hoods and gave them to Mobius and the others. "Boss Teach, this hood feels so weird. I don't think the outskirts of the island are that dangerous." Mobius looked rather ugly in it. It covered his whole head, leaving only his face exposed, and he didn't want to wear it.

Suddenly, BOOM! A bolt of lightning dropped straight from the sky. Before the eyes of several onlookers, silver lightning struck a pirate on the head. The powerful blow sent him sprawling, startling everyone nearby. "Are you all right?" someone asked, hurrying over to help him up.

The pirate was fine, though he looked dazed. He felt his head, still covered by the hood, which now had a charred patch. When he touched it, he could still feel the heat. "I'm fine. What happened? It feels like someone just smacked me on the head."

"Haha, you're lucky! Getting hit by a bolt from the sky—that's such a rare thing to happen. If you hadn't been wearing that hood, you'd be dead." His companion was clearly an optimist. He patted the man's chest, took him by the arm, and said, "To celebrate you surviving a lightning strike, I'm treating you to a big meal."

Once he understood what had happened, the pirate drew a deep breath. "That was close. That was close." He let his companion lead him away. He'd nearly died, so he wanted a good meal to calm his nerves.

Seeing that, Mobius fell silent. The blow to his pride was hard to miss; his face flushed, and he had nothing more to say.

"Find an inn. We'll be staying on this island for ten days." With that, Teach headed forward. He wasn't particularly worried about Mobius and the others. He could feel the magnetic field inside his body growing more active. After years of using Thunder Breathing Technique to train, his body's bioelectric field was changing rapidly in this unusual place.

He had barely walked a few steps when KRAK! Another bolt of lightning dropped from the sky. The people around him were stunned, especially the Sand Tribe guards. Two bolts in a row were extremely rare. Some people who had lived on the island for years had never seen it happen.

Although lightning sometimes struck the outskirts of Thunder God Island, people usually couldn't see it. They heard the sound but never saw the flash. No one had expected to witness two bolts with their own eyes.

This bolt was undoubtedly far more terrifying than the previous one. If the first had been as thick as a finger, this one was as thick as a child's arm. How could such a terrifying bolt appear on the outskirts? It had almost never happened before.

As they watched the bolt shoot straight toward a black-clad pirate who wasn't wearing a hood, they couldn't help thinking the same thing: that man was going to die.

But what happened next was beyond their expectations. Teach spotted the bolt coming for him. Faced with its immense power, he wasn't the least bit afraid. He clenched his right fist, bent his arm, and threw an uppercut. The air boomed as his punch broke through it and met the descending lightning head-on.

The terrifying bolt, the power of nature itself, clashed with Teach's fist for a full three seconds. "Gahahaha! Not enough!" Teach laughed, then roared and threw all his strength into the blow. His fist broke through the bolt, and before everyone's eyes, he blasted the lightning apart.

Teach continued on his way. The people ahead scattered and cleared a path, silently watching him disappear into the island's interior. But it wasn't over. Another thick bolt came crashing down from the sky, still targeting Teach, and he easily knocked it apart as well.

Teach was like a lightning rod. One powerful bolt after another struck him. The farther inland he went, the more strongly his body attracted the island's magnetic field. The bolts grew more powerful and came faster, from one every seven or eight seconds at first to one every second later on.

As he left the town, entered the mountains, and headed deeper into Thunder God Island, countless people followed him. The crowd kept growing until half the island's population had gathered. There weren't many people on the island, but the continual lightning bolts shone like a beacon, drawing everyone's attention. They watched as Teach was struck again and again by powerful lightning, yet remained unharmed. Mist shrouded the island, and his figure gradually vanished into it. Beyond this point lay dangerous territory, and they didn't dare follow him.

"Boss Teach really is incredible!" Mobius exclaimed. He knew Teach was strong—extremely strong—but seeing him withstand a natural disaster with his own eyes was still shocking.

"Who is that man? Since when has the sea had another powerhouse like him?" someone asked curiously. "How can someone that strong still be unknown?"

"I feel like I've seen this before. The lightning keeps striking him, almost like it's targeting him. I think I've seen something like this somewhere." A resident who had lived on the island for a long time frowned, deep in thought.

At his words, some of the other locals also felt a sense of familiarity. One resident's eyes suddenly lit up. He was a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old Sand Tribe boy, and he cried out, "I remember! I remember!" His shout drew plenty of attention. The nearby residents and pirates all looked his way.

With so many people staring at him, he became so nervous that he couldn't speak. "Come on, kid, spit it out! What did you remember? Don't keep us in suspense." A fierce-looking pirate had run out of patience. He stepped up to the boy with his fists clenched, looking ready to hit him.

The boy was too frightened to say anything. He turned toward the Sand Tribe guards nearby, hoping for help, but they ignored his pleading look. "Just tell us. We're all waiting. If you don't, we'll hang you up and beat you first." The cold threat made his face stiffen.

After a moment, the boy calmed himself and gathered his thoughts. He understood what was going on: everyone wanted to know what he had remembered. His face lit up with excitement. "Kaido! It was Kaido of the Beasts! Kaido came to Thunder God Island many years ago. He transformed into a dragon and flew straight into the trial grounds. Countless bolts struck him, but he wasn't hurt at all. I was lucky enough to see it myself!"

The boy's words reminded many people. Plenty of them had heard the story, but very few had witnessed it firsthand. Kaido had moved too quickly, flying straight into the depths of Thunder God Island, so the memory hadn't left much of an impression.

But Kaido had spent half a year deep within Thunder God Island, and everyone had thought he was dead. No one expected him to emerge alive six months later, much stronger than before. He immediately began challenging the powerful Great Pirates of the New World and other strong figures. A string of victories made him a Great Pirate, and then he entered the ranks of monsters.

On top of that, Kaido had dominated the world's headlines in recent days. He had practically claimed them all for himself. He'd easily acquired a large island and the resources of a kingdom, then single-handedly driven away the countless pirates coveting Pet Island's riches, displaying monstrous strength. Kaido had even gained a new title: "Hero." He was now the guardian hero of the Kate Kingdom.

His repeated victories over invading enemies had given the residents of Pet Island a tremendous sense of security. Some people were now talking about renaming the Kate Kingdom either the Kaido Kingdom or the Babarossa Kingdom: one after Kaido's given name, the other after his surname.

Only one thing was certain: the Beasts Pirates would rise rapidly. In another two years, they would become one of the most powerful pirate crews beneath the Three Legendary Pirates.

"Haha! Looks like another powerhouse is about to rise. In a few years, we'll be hearing news of him making a name for himself across the sea." A pirate laughed, holding a bottle of liquor. He declared confidently, "A man like that can't stay unknown forever."

Meanwhile, Teach walked alone into the interior of Thunder God Island as powerful bolts continued to strike him. To keep his clothes from getting damaged, he stripped to the waist and set them aside. He knew why he had come.

He took off his tricorn hat and black bandanna, placing the bandanna on top of the hat. Teach let his body take the full force of the powerful lightning—not with his flesh alone, of course. He didn't want to die. Natural lightning ran from the outside inward, ranging from tens of millions of volts to hundreds of millions. It was produced by the island's unusual terrain, and its power was reduced. Natural lightning in the wild could reach anywhere from a hundred million to a billion volts.

What Teach produced could only be called electric current, far weaker than lightning.