Thunder God Island in the New World

The New World, the latter half of the Grand Line.

The final land, Laugh Tale, lay somewhere in a corner of the New World. Today, Yake had returned to these waters, a world belonging to the Four Emperors.

It had not taken Yake long to fly from Skypiea to the New World. His flying speed was fastest in human form—the Pirate Flash was Yake.

"Huh, there seems to be an island here. Let's go down and take a look!" Flying through the sky, Yake looked down at the sea and spotted a tiny black dot. It was indeed an island.

Yake dismissed his elemental form, preparing to imitate Teacher Kaido with a free fall. To him, this no longer counted as an extreme sport.

New World, Thunder God Island.

For some unknown reason, lightning struck this island every day. It was as though the island had been cursed by Thor, with bolts descending endlessly day and night.

The people living here had to carry umbrellas every time they went out, or they would have no protection from being struck by lightning.

Rumble!

A strange object fell from the sky and smashed a deep crater into the ground. Dust billowed everywhere as nearby residents, holding umbrellas, gathered around and discussed what it could be.

"What is that? It looks kind of like a person!"

"I think so too, but if it really is a person, he must be dead, right?"

Two bold residents stood by the edge of the crater, discussing what the thing was.

"Damn, that hurt. Ptoo, ptoo~" Yake crawled out of the crater, rubbing his face and spitting out the pebbles in his mouth. He now felt that Kaido definitely had something wrong with him. What sane person put himself through this every day?

Yake sprang up and jumped out of the crater, only to find the outside packed with people holding umbrellas. Looking up, he realized that a thunderstorm was raging overhead, with lightning flashing through the distant sky from time to time.

"Ah! He's human! Is he a monster? He fell from that high up and he's still alive—even without a single scratch!"

"Y-you... who exactly are you?"

A passerby pointed at Yake with a terrified expression, his voice trembling.

"Wow, this island's weather really is Jane.... like coming home." Yake felt a deep sense of familiarity as he looked at the lightning filling the sky.

"Hey, what island is this?"

"Th-Thunder God Island."

Yake scratched his head and thought about it. It seemed familiar; there really was such an island. The main cast had never come here, but other Supernovas had. Still, the name truly suited the island's circumstances.

"Rounded off, doesn't that make this my island?" The more Yake thought about it, the more right it felt. As the wielder of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, was it excessive for him to call himself a thunder god? And if it was Thunder God Island, didn't that make it his island?

"What nonsense! This island has never had an owner. Who are you?"

Yake grinned at those words and raised his right hand high. The lightning continuously falling from the sky seemed to answer his summons, all converging in Yake's hand. Bathed in blue-violet arcs of electricity, Yake finally spoke.

"I am God Yake."

"That's impossible! No one can withstand lightning attacks!"

"Sigh, it seems I've been quiet for too long. No one recognizes me anymore. How sad." Yake activated his power and sent all the lightning around him into the sky at once. The year-round thunderstorm weather stopped as if by a miracle, and sunlight unseen for many years broke through the sky.

Yake had guessed correctly. This permanent climate had been created by the awakening of the previous Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, which was why the island endured thunderstorms all year long. He had also awakened his Devil Fruit power in the waters near Mock Town, but that time had mainly been to create a Lightning Dragon, so it had little impact on the local climate—at most, it would cause a few more thunderstorms.

Yake could resolve Thunder God Island's situation, but only on the condition that the island became his. This would be the first island where he planted his flag.

"Do you want this kind of normal weather forever?" Yake asked temptingly.

Even the residents who had lived on Thunder God Island for many years hated this weather beyond measure. It could destroy their property and even threaten their lives. They had to carry umbrellas whenever they went out, and the climate was so harsh that even pirates were unwilling to come to this island.

"Y-you mean it?" An old man with graying hair choked out.

"That's right. In exchange, this island must fly the flag of our Ark Pirates from now on and pay tribute to us every year. I will solve this problem for you forever."

"The choice is yours..." Yake smiled as he looked at the Thunder God Island residents, who were clearly tempted.

The old man seemed to be the most respected person among the crowd. After glancing around at the expressions of the residents, he threw away his cane and umbrella and respectfully knelt down.

"Lord God Yake, on behalf of all Thunder God Island's residents, I offer you our highest respect. We are willing to pay tribute to you each year and fly your flag, asking only that you resolve the thunderstorm weather that has plagued us for a hundred years."

The nearby residents also knelt one after another, sunlight—a miracle on this island—shining down on them.

"Rise. Remember, we are the Ark Pirates. From today onward, Thunder God Island will be under our protection."

Yake slowly rose into the sky and plunged into the dark clouds that had hung over Thunder God Island year-round. He stretched his body amid the clouds, and the blue-violet currents within them surged into his body.

As time passed, the dark clouds in the sky began to disperse. White clouds gradually took the upper hand, while Yake's body became filled with blue-violet light. This lightning energy was incredibly potent. Yake dealt with it in the same manner, and the gift left behind by the previous Rumble-Rumble Fruit user formed lightning markings across his body.

The sky was azure, and outside the window were a thousand paper cranes—cough, cough... getting off topic.

Still, it happened to perfectly suit Thunder God Island's current state. The azure sky was dotted with pure white clouds, while warm sunlight shone over the land.

Some of Thunder God Island's residents wept bitterly, while others were wild with joy. Without exception, they sincerely thanked Yake for what he had done. At last, this was no longer an island that even pirates dared not easily set foot upon.

"Ooooooh! God! God! God!"

The residents shouted at the top of their lungs, welcoming Yake's arrival.

Yake descended from the sky. Seeing the lively scene below, he could not help smiling in satisfaction.

That evening, Thunder God Island held an unprecedented grand feast. Every resident attended, and naturally, Yake was the central figure of the banquet.

Two delicate beauties at his side served him food and poured him wine, tending to him so comfortably that their hands even drifted to inappropriate places.

Without changing expression, Yake moved their hands away and continued eating meat and drinking. What a joke—every one of his crew members was better than them. Sure enough, this was the trouble of being too handsome.

More importantly, Hancock, Robin, and Reiju had spoiled his standards of beauty. Yake could no longer take an interest in ordinary beautiful women.

Except for the big... sister at Mermaid Cafe. Next time, he definitely had to sneak over...