Punk Hazard Arc

The Punk Hazard arc is the twenty-sixth story arc in the series, and the third in the New World Saga of the One Piece series, continuing on from the Fishman Island arc. Upon finally entering the New World, the Straw Hat Pirates immediately receive a distress call from a group of people on an island called Punk Hazard, stating that they are being attacked by a samurai. Without hesitation, Luffy sets out to the blazing island, with Vice Admiral Smoker hot on his tail.

Entering the New World: A Distress Call to a New Adventure
As the Straw Hat Pirates leave from Fishman Island, the crew has some free time. Nami decides to spend hers taking a bath, using a new Shower Tempo as a shower with Chopper (and unknown to her Sanji and Brook) looking on. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew has decided to go fishing. Luffy knocks out one fish but it just attracts a bigger one, and that fish attracts an even bigger eel. Zoro kills it, but the weight of the fish brings the ship to a stop. To make matters worse, an underwater maelstrom called the White Strom, suddenly appears in front of them. The eel gets sucked into it dragging the Thousand Sunny into it.

After a wild ride, the ship suddenly hits something and the crew sees it is a pod of Island Whales. Luffy mistakes the whale they hit for Laboon. Brook starts crying and calling out to them, though calmed down by Usopp afterwards. Nami realizes that even through they got out of the maelstrom, the current caused by the pod is still dangerous to them and they need to raise the sails to ride it. As the crew does so, Brook starts to sing Binks' Sake. This attracts the attention of a whale who gives them a ride. After a bit, the Straw Hat reach the surface. Despite the thunderous seas around them, the crew is excited for the new challenges that awaits them.

In the distance, Luffy sees a volcano erupting on an island and decides to head there even though none of the New World Log Pose needles are pointing there. Sanji tells Luffy that he managed to cut off some meat, but the fish that they had caught had been burnt to a crisp by the sea of flames. Usopp is concerned about the Sunny, but Franky assures him that the ship will not lose. Suddenly, Luffy hears the Den Den Mushi ringing, but Robin states that there is a 50% chance that the distress signal is merely a Marine's trap. Luffy decides to answer anyways, and hears a man calling for help, stating that the crew is being killed by a samurai, and that they are on Punk Hazard. However, the man is presumably killed before the conversation can continue. Zoro asks Brook about the samurai, whom answers that samurais are the Swordsmen of Wano Country, who have a closed-door policy to outsiders and aren't affiliated with the World Government. Luffy decides to go rescue him, and go for the nearest island, the one with the volcano.

Meanwhile, on a G-5 Marine ship, Vice Admiral Smoker is commenting that while there were three islands the Straw Hats could have gone to, but they have somehow gone to Punk Hazard, which was closed off due to an incident four years ago. Back at the Sunny, the crewmembers draw straws to see who will go with Luffy. Zoro, Robin and Usopp get the "winning" straws. Sanji hands Luffy a deep-sea fish lunchbox, and Nami forms a cloud road over the flames and the adventure party sets out on the Mini Merry II. While the others eat, Usopp is frightened to go to the island, stating that he has the "Can't set foot on new islands" disease.

Arriving at Punk Hazard: The Adventure on the Burning Island
The four arrive at the shore, pulling Mini Merry ll onto the beach and find a large metal gate bearing the World Government and Marine logos warning them to stay out. Despite Usopp's fear, the crew enters, finding it blazing-hot with most of the buildings melted. Looking at the structures, Robin deduces the buildings to be a former government base. As they walk along, Usopp comments on how strange it is that the man on the Den Den Mushi remarked on the coldness of the island despite the intense heat. On the Sunny, Nami remarks that the clouds on the opposite side of the island are snow clouds, while Luffy's group stumbles upon a massive skull bigger than a giant's.



Suddenly, they turn around and see a monster that they thought could only exist in fairy tales: a dragon. The dragon seemingly talks, and asks who they are. Suddenly, the dragon attacks, breathing fire, forcing the Straw Hats to escape the attack. Luffy attacks the dragon but hardly deals any damage because the dragon's scales are so hard. The dragon sends Luffy flying and Zoro starts attacking it, only to discover that not only is the dragon resistant to damage but also strong. It seemingly starts to speak again, asking them if they are allies with "that shichibukai". Luffy rockets up to the dragon's back and makes it bite its wing, wounding it and noticing some human legs on the dragon's head. Zoro is then shot into the air by Usopp and decapitates the dragon with a single slash.



Meanwhile back at the Thousand Sunny, Sanji prepares a special dish for Nami, only to realize that everybody on the ship was asleep. He realizes the scent of gas on the ship. He decides to contact Luffy's group via a Den Den mushi, but before reaching it, he also falls asleep. Afterwards, some strange people appear on the ship and decide to take the pirates, except for Brook, to "M", their master.

Back at Punk Hazard, Luffy decides to pull the legs out of the dragon's head in order to save him. Soon, everybody realizes that the "person" is missing half of his body. Luffy thinks that he killed him, but then hears the legs talk, and then the legs try to attack them in vain, Afterwards, the legs runs away. Luffy screams at him to join the crew with Usopp yelling at his captain that he needs to stop doing that.

Luffy then catches up to the samurai, and gets stuck to him, calling himself a centaur. The Straw Hats then see the other side of the island, which is cold looking, and has a mountain made of ice. Usopp realizes this is where the distress call must have come from. Usopp then looks into the sky, and sees a winged woman, he tries to point it out, but she disappears, and he is the only one to see her.

Meanwhile, Sanji, Chopper, Franky, and Nami wake up in a room on the island. They recall what happened on the ship before they fell asleep, and infer that they must have been carried there after they were all asleep. They then notice there are pieces of a head in the room with them. They put the head together (although his top of head and chin reversed), and the head tells them that he was cut up by someone he does not know. After finding out that they are pirates, the head exclaims that he hates pirates so much they make him sick. The head then reveals to them where they are, the frozen half of Punk Hazard. The crew decides to break out, so Franky uses his Radical Beam to blow the door down. Sanji picks up the head and arranges him correctly, revealing to be a samurai. Then the crew emerges into a room filled with giant children.

One Mystery After Another: The Island's Secrets Unfold
The kids asks if the group is part of the frozen people while most of the boys gush over seeing Franky's robotic appearance. Nami notes there are regular-sized kids there as well before the samurai asks the kids if they seen a boy named Momonosuke. However, his appearance frightens the kids. The hazmat attackers soon reach the room, forcing Nami's group to run for it. As they do, one of the kids, a giant boy, begs the group to take them off the island. The other kids joins in, telling the group that they've recovered from whatever sickness they've had and wish to go back home, which immediately concerns the Straw Hats. Nami, though at first reluctant, agrees to their pleas and vows to save them. Sanji and Franky are opposed to the idea, but when Nami declares she can't turn her back on crying children, the lovestruck Sanji gives in and attacks their pursuers. Franky backs him up with his trademark "super" punch and they both stay behind to hold them off while Nami and Chopper run off with the kids.



Meanwhile, some of the hazmat crew are looking over the damage to the Straw Hat's cell conversing with their "Master", an odd floating goo-like being. The goo recognizes the melted steel as the aftermath of only one possible weapon: the lasers of Vegapunk's Pacifista, which unbeknownst to him Franky now possesses. One of his men then report one of the G-5's ships on the shore of the island, to which the goo commands that they get rid of it.

Elsewhere, the winged-woman Usopp spotted talks to someone on portable Den Den Mushi about the four intruders as she makes her way over a frozen area. With Luffy's group, Usopp speaks with Brook, who finally awakened after being gassed. He explains what happened and that he took care of his captors, but not before the Sunny was moved to the snowy section of the island. The connection cuts out before he can explain more. However, the group has bigger concerns as they've run into a centaur with the body of a leopard. He's initially friendly with Luffy believing he too is a centaur after seeing him attached to the disembodied legs. Upon finding out he isn't, the centaur attacks Luffy, who easily takes him down. Robin stops another centaur, this one with the body of a giraffe, that was trying to sneak up on Luffy. Usopp checks them over and finds a Den Den Mushi with the name "CC" imprinted on it, surmising it to represent the initials of some unified centaur clan. With another mysterious clue on their hands, the group heads off to find their friends.

Meanwhile Smoker's ship has arrived in the frozen part of the island, but the crew comment they can't get close with poison gas in the air, confusing the recently deployed sleep gas for the alleged poisonous danger of Punk Hazard. Smoker disagrees, commenting that two years ago the island was nothing more then a poison-free barren wasteland, and correctly guesses the remnants of gas are very recent. However, that all that changed when it became the site for the battle between Aokiji and Akainu, which forever changed the climate in the aftermath of their fight of near-mythical proportions.

The G-5 marines then discuss the gas on the island, and put on gas masks to protect themselves. The warship almost crashes into a wall of ice, but the ship manages to blast there way through.

Meanwhile, Luffy's group notices a blizzard on the frozen side of the island, and Robin explains that it must be due to the temperature difference on the island itself. The crew then realizes that they need a boat to cross the river, and at first it is suggested that they ride on the other crew members' backs who do not have devil fruits, but this is quickly refuted when Usopp uses one of his Pop Green to create a Banana Boat to cross the river. Usopp remarks that he gained plenty of pop greens by going deep into the Boin Archipelago. The crew gets into the boat and be begin to make their way across, but one of the centaur throws a rock at the ship right as they're rowing across the river. Luffy once again asks the centaur to join his crew, which he is scolded for by the other members; excluding Robin. The centaur then asks his boss to finish off the crew, and Usopp recognizes the voice as the same voice from the distress call they received via the Den Den Mushi. The boss of the centaurs then arrives, and is shown to be a giant shadowy figure, and the crew realize that this is who the distress call was meant for. The boss then mistakes Zoro for the samurai who cut down his men.

Back in the Biscuits Room, the crew continues to fight the gas masked men. The gas masked men then prepare to unleash the gas, but are stopped by Sanji when he kicks off their masks. Sanji then notices that the men under the gas masks look like sheep. The samurai suddenly commenting that "this guy" is no easy feat much to Franky's confusion before the samurai reveals his torso is fighting someone.

Meanwhile, on Brook's side, Brook is fighting said Samurai's torso, and mistakes it for a ghost. The torso tries to attack Brook, but Brook deflects the attack and begins to run away, noting that the torso uses a two sword style.

Meanwhile, in the Master's room, he is informed that Smoker has arrived on the island. He commands his men to hide the ships in front of the facility, and to hide themselves. He then turns into a liquid and puts himself inside a beaker.

Shichibukai VS. Marines, Straw Hats VS. Centaurs
Elsewhere, Smoker and his men have finally emerged onto the landmass. They arrive at a door, ready to arrest anyone who is there. Out of the door emerges Trafalgar Law, now one of the Shichibukai. Law asks Smoker why he is at his vacation home, and the marines reveal that Law sent one hundred hearts to the world government to get his position as Shichibukai. Smoker tells Law that even to people concerned with the government that Punk Hazard is off limits, to which Law counters that the same applies to Smoker too.

Meanwhile, in Nami's group, the kids reveal that their parents asked the Punk Hazard staff to cure them, and that the staff came one day, and took them, without letting them say goodbye, due to the danger of the disease. Nami asks Chopper to check them later to see if they have really been cured, and he agrees. The group reaches a dead end, but Chopper attacks the door button, and the door opens. Nami immediately says that it is freezing and the room, and asks Chopper to lend her his fur. The kids then exclaim that they do not wish to go in there, because it looks scary, and because of the fact that there is something around them. The group looks around, and discovers that there are frozen bodies lined up throughout the room. Chopper and Nami then run out, with the kids following behind.

Back in the Biscuits Room, Sanji and Franky discover the lower half of the Punk Hazard staff's bodies are those of sheep. The samurai head then exclaims to Sanji to let him go, and that he will search for his son on his own, because he did not see him in the group of kids. Sanji says he cannot do that, because he would feel guilty, and asks the samurai where his body is located. The Samurai then says that he doesn't want to be indebted to pirates, and that he woulden't ask them even if he died. He then says that if on the off chance they may wish to find his body themselves, then he doesn't mind them looking for it. Sanji then gets angry, and smashes the head onto the ground, and then beats him up for previous comments.

Back in front of the facility, Tashigi plays the recording of the distress call, while Smoker and Law listen. The recording ends, and Smoker says that the distress call came from this island, without a doubt, due to the description of the island, and island name. Smoker then recalls that Law knows Luffy from the Saint Roswald incident, and fought with him and Eustass Kid against the marines. Then he recalls Law's rescue of Luffy from Marineford. Law then tells Smoker that he knows of the forgery of emergency signals, but Smoker tells him that the distress call is real, to which Law replies that he knows nothing, so there is nothing to talk about. Smoker then asks Law to let him see the inside of the research facility, but Law tells him no, because it is currently his vacation home. Law tells Smoker if he sees Luffy on the island, he'll hunt him down, and that there is nothing to worry about, so they should leave.

Nami's group then bursts out of the facility, which surprising everybody. Franky then busts out of the facility in his Armored Me tank form, with Sanji and the samurai head, and two children with him. The G-5 marines then exclaim that they can't even begin to name what is weird there. Chopper then recognizes Law from Saboady, and accuses him of kidnapping the children, and says that Law will never get them back. Sanji then notices Smoker and Tashigi, who wonder to themselves why there are kids there. Chopper then realizes there are marines there, and leads the children back into the facility, and tell them to go towards the back door.



Smoker then asks Law why he lied to him, to which Law replies that he is still surprised that they were actually there. The marines then start to run after the Straw Hats, but are stopped in shock when Law uses his Devil Fruit ability to capsize their warship. Law states that he cannot let them leave the island anymore, and Smoker begins to fight Law.

At the lake in the center of the island, Luffy, Zoro, Robin, and Usopp have their plant boat shot out from under them by centaurs on the side of the lake, forcing Zoro and Usopp to support Luffy and Robin. Zoro moves to attack, but a shark drags him beneath the surface, revealing that the lake is actually an extension of the ocean due to a massive rift made by Akainu and Aokiji's fight. The centaurs prepare to finish the job, but Brook freezes their barrels shut, causing their weapons to backfire. This gives Zoro, Luffy, Robin, and Usopp time to defeat the sharks and emerge from the water dripping wet and frozen. They then decide to attack the centaurs and steal their warm clothes.

Back at Vegapunk's former research facility, Law has sliced the warship in half and placed half of it on a rock, rendering it unusable. Law then swaps the personalities of the escaping Straw Hats and steals all the Den Den Mushi from the Marines, preventing them from contacting the World Government. Smoker attacks Law, who dodges and slices up many Marines using his Devil Fruit powers. Tashigi tries to attack, despite Smoker's order, but is cut in half and has her Shigure cleaved in two by Law. Tashigi says that being cut but not dying is a shame to a swordsman, but Law tells her that weaklings cannot decide how they want to die, making her try to attack him again. The Marines shoot at Law, but he simply switches the bullets with snow at their feet, avoiding injury. Law moves to cut her again, but Smoker blocks him and smashes him to the ground with his Devil Fruit power. Law escapes, and the two of them clash, sending the warship pieces flying and forcing the Marines to retreat.



Meanwhile, Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Robin, and Brook have defeated the centaurs, stolen their warm clothes, and forced their leader, Brownbeard, to carry them to the other side of the island. Back at Vegapunk's former research facility, the gaseous entity that is the master of the satyrs meets with Mone, who tells him about the arrival of the Straw Hat Pirates on the island. Outside, Smoker attacks Law with his jutte, but Law dodges and uses his Mes attack to literally knock Smoker's heart from his body, defeating him. At this moment, Luffy arrives and is surprised to see Law.

Scrambled Hearts: The Truth of the Island
Luffy expresses his gratitude to Law for saving his life two years prior, and then also asks where the talking bear is, which leads to Law having a flashback to his departure from Amazon Lily. Law tells Luffy there there is no need to express gratitude, and that he just acted on a whim at the time. Law states that the two are still pirates, to which Luffy replies that he is right, and that they will be enemies if he is also going after the One Piece. Luffy then notices the nearby marines, and notices Smoker and the hole in his chest. Tashigi, who is now attached to her body, charges after Law, but is easily stopped when Law switches Tashigi and Smoker's minds. As the Straw Hats run from the marines, Luffy says he wants to ask Law something, to which Law replies that he should go to the back of the research facility to find what he's looking for, and that they will meet again soon. With these final words, Law reenters his castle.



Meanwhile, behind the research facility, Sanji goes hysterical over being in Nami's body, and the kids ask the crew if their bodies have been switched. The kids then exclaim that they are cold, and cannot move any further. The samurai tells everybody to put leaves or rocks on their heads, and when they do this, they suddenly are covered with coats. The samurai explains that he ate an "unusual fruit", that gave him the power to disguise himself and others, but with the side effect that the clothes will disappear as soon as they are taken off. Suddenly, Luffy's group arrives, and Luffy witnesses Nami in Franky's body hitting Sanji in her body.

The crew notices that the area looked destroyed due to explosives. The samurai reattaches himself to his legs, and it is explained to the crew that he is the reason the distress call was made due to him slicing up the centaurs, and that the distress call was actually meant for Brownbeard. The samurai says that he only did it to save his son, and that he had to slice anybody that was in his way, and he also comes to the conclusion that his son must still be inside. It is then explained to Luffy that Law is now a Shichibukai, much to Luffy's surprise. The Samurai explains how it was Law who cut his body into the three pieces, and how his legs almost became food to the dragon. It is also explained why it seemed like the legs could talk, which was due to the samurai's excessive farting. Brook then tells the group that he encountered the torso of the samurai, but that he ran away from it and didn't know where it was.

Meanwhile, in the newly founded G-5 marine shelter, Smoker, in Tashigi's body realizes what the CC he saw on the ships actually stood for. He reveals to his men that it is none other than the infamous Caesar Clown, who was a former colleague of Dr. Vegapunk, a wanted man, and also an expert on mass-murder weapons.

Tashigi, in Smoker's body, reveals that there have been reports of kids dying or going missing near the island but whenever a ship was send to investigate, it was just chalked up to a being shipwrecks. Smoker comes to the conclusion that the incidents wert being covered up and theres a mole within G-5 doing it. When the squad protest, Smoker yells that as long as humans run the world there will be no "perfect society". He orders his men to steal one of the enemy's ships and call to Headquarters, claiming he can't leave the island until he gets his body and mind back.

Inside the facility, Caesar has got off with someone named Joker who has given him permission to kill the Straw Hats, the G5 soldiers and someone called Kinemon the Will o Wisp and sends his men to capture them, even allowing them to use poison if they have to. Monet is curious why the Straw Hats would return after two years before the centaurs from before are carried into room near freezing from having their clothes stolen. They inform Caesar that the Straw Hats took Brownbeard. Caesar shows concern for the centaur's well being and offers them a serum which will heal them.

Meanwhile with the Straw Hats, Ussop has made mini-masks for the switched members so they can tell apart who's who. Luffy talks with the tied up Brownbeard who states he hates the current generation of pirates due to the incident in Shabody two years ago to which people have been calling the Eleven Supernovas "the Worst Generation". He reveals he lost his crew and his legs thanks to Basil Hawkins and wound up on Punk Hazard, claiming it was once a island full of greenery as well as a research facility for Vegapunk who developed weapons and drugs for the military. Some criminals were even brought to the island instead of prison for experimentation.

But four years ago, a chemical experiment failed and destroyed two of the three labs which make up the ruins of the island. The radiation from the explosion killed the plant life and The lab's personal fled, leaving behind the prisoners. Those that were in the untouched lab survived and holed up there but those unlucky few on the outside were paralyzed from the legs down by the nerve gas. Then one year later, their master, Caesar, appeared, cured them of the poison with his powers and made devices that allowed them to float off the ground. Brownbeard ended up on the island a year after his crew were wiped out and had given up hope when he was found by Caesar and his group. Not too long after that, Law arrived and used his skills to replace the handicapped limbs with parts of animals. When asked about the dragon Luffy's group encountered, it was revealed it was a creature made by Vegapunk to guard the island which could adapt to any environment. The Celestial Dragons kept it as one of their own later on, though Brownbeard is unaware that Luffy's group killed it. Brownbeard then finishes that Caesar is doing research for the sake of humanity and that the Straw Hats will be turned caught and turned into specimens.

Back in Vegapunk's lab, one of the centaurs is taking the special treatment but all the effects only sicken him further before Caesar kills him outright. Monet claims it as a failure but Caesar disagrees, claiming the explosion he did four years ago was part of his plans. As we finally get a full view of him, Caesar vows to show the World Government that he'll prove he's the greatest scientist in the world.