Ten days later.
Grand Line, south of the Kingdom of Baldimore, Pants Hazard Island.
Adams stepped onto the shore, Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs slung across his broad back, its blade as long as he was tall.
His handsome face, enough to earn praise from even the harshest sculptor, was currently filled with undisguised bewilderment.
Who was he?
Where was he?
...What kind of hellhole was this?!
As he stared at the scene before him, his mind was full of such philosophical questions.
He had thought that "niche" merely meant unusual cuisine, rare songs and dances, or obscure sacrificial rituals. He had prepared himself mentally.
However, reality dealt him a crushing blow, one more devastating than the wildest tsunami in the New World.
Every person walking along the streets within his sight, regardless of age or gender, had a... pair of women's panties perched squarely atop their head.
Lace, cotton, silk, in every color and style, they sat there like absurd hats, covering their hairstyles and foreheads while leaving only the faces below, all wearing expressions of complete normalcy.
And that was not all.
Every building lining the streets, whether homes or shops, had even more women's panties hanging from its roof like festive pennants fluttering in the wind.
At the center of the island, the roof of the strangest building, which looked like part of some enormous mechanical device, was draped in an even more outrageous pair of gigantic panties, as though they belonged to a Giant woman. It was practically a landmark.
The sea breeze carried the scent of the ocean, along with a faint, subtle aroma of something else.
The corner of Adams's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the urge to turn around and leave.
In all the world, aside from