Chapter 654

Chapter 654 is called "Gam". It is the first chapter in the Punk Hazard Arc.

Cover Page
From the Decks of the World Vol. 36 - "Water 7 - Bartenders Mozu and Kiwi".

Short Summary
On the way to the surface, Nami is taking a bath while Luffy and the others start fishing. They catch a large fish which is eaten by another larger fish which is in turn eaten by an even bigger sea creature. After catching it they get too close to the White Strom and get caught in it. Shortly after that they hit a pod of island whales and stop. Brook is overwhelmed and confused by his joy, thinking one of the whales to be Laboon. He soon calms down, begins playing Binks' Sake, and because they like the music, one of the whales decides to give the crew a ride to the surface on its back. They soon reach the surface, they are sent flying and can clearly see the conditions of the New World.

Long Summary
Nami is using a new technique, Shower Tempo, to take a shower while the Thousand Sunny is ascending to the surface of the New World, having put the ship on a current that will bring them to the surface. She asks Chopper if he would like to join her, an offer Chopper declines, while remarking the cloud from the Weather Ball looks yummy. Meanwhile, Brook and Sanji are peeking into the Thousand Sunny's bathroom from around the door, overhearing Chopper's comment. Nami notices them and send the weather cloud outside to use Thunderbolt Tempo on the two. Nami is then seen taking a bath, remarking she had missed the Thousand Sunny's bathroom over the course of the timeskip. Chopper asks if it will be okay not having her on the deck of the ship, she replies it will be fine, as she has already set the ship on the right course. Meanwhile, Usopp and Luffy are seen on the deck, where Usopp is fixing up a rope, saying a weak rope knot would be useless against a giant fish.

The rest of the crew is on deck with them, intending to catch a deep sea fish for Sanji to cook for them once they reach the surface. Zoro remarks they should have a big party to celebrate reaching the New World, and he, Luffy, and Usopp remark on which giant fish they would rather catch. Luffy gets impatient and uses his Jet Pistol technique on the fish he wanted, knocking it unconscious, and hurriedly telling Usopp to catch it. Usopp hooks the fish with the rope and hook he had just made, but as soon as the giant fish is hooked it is eaten by another, much bigger fish. Just as the crew react, that fish is eaten by another, even bigger fish, leading one crew member to say they are like nesting dolls. Nami is still in the bathroom, hearing all the noise and wondering aloud whether leaving the others in charge was a good idea. Zoro decides to resolve the matter himself, using his new technique, 360 Pound Cannon, a stronger version of 36 Pound Cannon to kill the biggest fish.

Sanji appears, all burnt, pleased they are trying to catch fish so he can try and cook deep sea cuisine, ignoring Usopp's question about his burnt state. Usopp then notices that the ship appears to no longer be moving forward, but instead be sinking, something Luffy attributes to his imagination, before spotting something that resembles a giant sea snake, declaring his desire to catch that as well, the rest of the crew telling him the ship wouldn't be able to pull any more. Robin appears greatly shocked, telling the crew that it is not a sea snake, but is White Strom, a gigantic white whirlpool that resembles a dragon which appears without warning on the sea floor. She then goes on to explain that ships caught in the White Strom are generally found days later, in waters incredibly far away, with no crew left on board. Luffy has a different reaction from Usopp's terrified reaction, and interprets it as a teleport. Nami has run out of the bathroom to take command, and notices the giant fish attached to the ship still, asking why it is there.

She gets very angry with them, blaming them for getting the ship into this situation, and telling them they need to cut the fish loose at once as it is getting caught in the whirlpool and dragging them in, an idea which does not appeal to Usopp, Sanji, Luffy, and Zoro at all, leading Nami to ask them to choose between the fish and living. Her next idea is to use Coup De Burst, but Franky tells her it is way too late, as the fish is almost entirely in the whirlpool now. Everyone appears resigned to entering the whirlpool, as they are all seen clinging on tightly to various parts of the Thousand Sunny. The ship is seen spinning along the inside of White Strom, before suddenly stopping, as they have hit a gigantic object which appears to be blocking the whirlpool itself. The object is then shown to be one of a huge pod of island whales, prompting Luffy and Brook to think it is Laboon, and Brook to cry and have a flashback to his promise to Laboon. Usopp is the first to point out there is no way it could be Laboon, as he is still in the first half of The Grand Line, and could not even fit through the hole in the Red Line.

Zoro remarks on the fact that every whale has scars on their head, and Luffy adds they are exactly the same, and admits seeing an island whale which was not Laboon greatly surprised him. Brook, however, has yet to realize that the whale they hit was not Laboon, and is crying and begins to sing Binks' Sake, despite Usopp's attempts to bring him back to his senses. Sanji attempts to take charge, insisting that there is no time for whale-watching, before taking a head-count to ensure no-one was washed away in the White Strom. The head-count only included Nami and Robin, angering Usopp and Chopper, who demand to be counted as well, commenting that the other six of them were still alive as well. Upon asking Nami for further orders, she replies they are fine where they are. Sanji immediately changes his stance and tells everyone to whale watch, further irritating Usopp.

Nami tells the crew that the movement of the school of whales has created a new current, so they need to open the sails and follow this current, as to go against it would be even more dangerous. Brook realizes this is where Laboon was born, and tries to talk to the school, asking them if they are missing a baby whale and if so not to worry, as he is still alive and on the other side of The Grand Line. The sails are then opened and they catch the current the whales are creating, still carrying the giant fish they caught with them. Brook then resumes singing Binks' Sake, which the whales carrying them along hear and greatly enjoy. Nami says that traveling like this is just as good as riding the rising current, and before long the Straw Hat Pirates can see the surface of the sea in front of them.

The whales all emerge onto the surface of the New World, and Sunny is propelled out of the water. The Straw Hat crew see the New World for the first time and all make a comment on the conditions that are ahead of them: Usopp appears terrified of the awful weather, Brook comments on the pouring rain, Robin remarks about the wind, Franky notices the waves crashing around them, and Nami says the compass needles on the New World Log Pose are going crazy. Chopper notes the fact the sea around them appears red, which Sanji describes as a sea of flames, and Zoro describes it as looking like the entrance to hell. Luffy, upon seeing all these conditions, merely describes the sea as perfect.

Chapter Notes

 * Mozu and Kiwi, Lola, and the Risky Brothers are shown for the first time after the timeskip.
 * The Rolling Pirates have reached Water 7.
 * Nami reveals a new technique: Shower Tempo.
 * Usopp reveals another slingshot, one bigger than the Kuro Kabuto for his new technique: Hokaku Boshi, which was used to hook a giant fish.
 * Zoro has upgraded his one sword style 36 Pound Cannon to the 360 Pound Cannon, suggesting his other versions of the Pound Cannon have been upgraded as well.
 * It appears that Laboon is not the only giant whale with scars on his head.
 * Brook plays Binks' Sake to the whales and in return they help bring the Straw Hats to the New World.
 * The Straw Hat Pirates finally enter the New World.
 * This is the first chapter of a new story arc.

Trivia

 * A gam is a group of whales that don't share a familial relationship.

Arc Navigation
GAM (Shōgun)