One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 261 Beneath the Sea Surface, the Serpent of Karmic Fire

As is well known, when the Grand Line was not yet called the 'Grand Line,' it was merely known as the most dangerous sea route in the world.

The last known island on the island with a 'magnetic field' is called Water Star Island.

That is where all the roads of the Grand Line converge, and for a long time, it was considered the 'end' of this line by common knowledge in the world.

However, twenty years ago...

This common sense was shattered—a man named 'Gol D. Roger' arrived on the island.

That is the true final island.

He named it 'Laugh Tale'.

"Go and find it, I left everything in the world there!"

His words spurred everyone to the sea, and countless people began to chase after that island.

where is it?

What's on it?
What is meant by 'everything in the world'?
Countless people are curious about this, and countless people yearn for it.

And now.
Right in front of the Snake.

The Pirate King's right-hand man told him the answer.

twenty years ago.

With a pair of mermaid figureheads on the bow, the giant ship 'Oro Jackson', built by the precious tree Adam, is sailing on the sea.

"Hey, Captain Roger—is it really okay to leave Shanks and Bucky on the island?"

The tall helmsman, 'Donoch,' wearing a sailor's hat and smoking a pipe, said this.

"Haha, it's okay! After all, Buggy is sick—and Shanks probably wants to get to the top on his own in the future!"

Beside him, a man wearing a captain's hat and a red captain's uniform was laughing heartily.

"Yes, after all, he's the 'son' you personally raised, Captain!"

"What are you saying? I'll have my own son too!"

"Haha, we think your own son might not be as much like you as Shanks!"

"Don't joke around, my son will definitely be a great kid, definitely better than Shanks... no, Jabba, anyway, definitely better than your son!"

"Huh? Roger—you want to fight?!"

The man who will one day become the Pirate King and his crew argue heatedly over a pointless and unprovable topic, eventually coming to blows.

The crew on the ship watched this scene with laughter, finding it strange.

That's just the style of the Roger Pirates—seriousness and earnestness don't suit them at all; laughter is the norm.

Even when they knew the captain was near death, this was still the case.

"Speaking of which, the sea has been very calm for the past two weeks—it's so unusual."

"Even the clouds in the sky have become so stable."

The sailor 'Samball,' with his turban tied around his head, muttered to himself as he looked up at the sky.

At this moment, the unpredictable weather and the occasional dark clouds of the new world had disappeared.

Instead, there were clusters of ring-shaped stratocumulus clouds, layer upon layer, like cotton candy.

"That's normal, isn't it? After all, in terms of the flight path, we're actually closer to 'Paradise' than 'New World' now."

Intelligence officer Spencer glanced at the nautical chart in his hand.

"On another note—would that island really exist in a place like this?"

"No one knows about the final island that holds everything in the world and all hope."

What Sambell is saying now is a fact that any rational person would doubt.

Yes.

The Roger Pirates had already passed the end of the Grand Line, 'Water Star Island'.

As mentioned before, the so-called Grand Line is essentially a circle, with the first half being 'Paradise' and the second half being 'New World,' connected end to end.

After following the guidance of the four road signs and passing the end of the new world, the sea they are now in is actually closer to 'paradise'.

But precisely because of this, they have become increasingly skeptical of the contents recorded in the historical text of the road signs.

"Leaving aside other matters—if Joy Boy's 'everything in the world' and 'hope for the world' refer to 'treasure' powerful enough to stand against the World Government, then it must be an enormous fortune, right?"

“Treasures of that caliber should be stored on a very large island!”

They were making assumptions that seemed perfectly reasonable.

That's why, in the past, no one truly believed that the 'Final Island' existed.

An island containing immense wealth, whether it contains gold mines or treasures, must be enormous.

However, if it is a very large island, then it is impossible for it not to be recorded on the nautical chart.

Moreover, statistically speaking, in such a long period of time, in such a calm sea, someone would inevitably pass by that island—and the treasure might have already been taken.

"Hahahaha!"

Hearing his companion's words, Roger, whose face was bruised and swollen from Jabba's beating, laughed heartily, completely unconcerned: "That kind of thing—why don't we just go and see for ourselves?!"

He laughed as he took a bottle from his waist and prepared to drink.

"Hey, Roger!"

Meanwhile, the ship's doctor, Crocus, raised his hand to stop Roger: "Your body can't handle drinking—I'm already at my limit by letting you keep the bottle so you can smell it!"

"Oh, sorry, Crocus!"

Roger chuckled awkwardly and took the bottle back.

"According to the road signs, we're almost there. Oh!?"

Roger paused halfway through his sentence.

His gaze sharpened as he looked into the distance.

And it wasn't just him; the other members of Roger's crew saw it too.

At the horizon, something that stretches across the entire skyline can already be faintly seen.

Because they were still quite a distance apart, the crimson object did not appear to be very large.

But everyone in Roger's crew naturally knew the true nature of that thing.

"It's the Red Earth!"

Roger's lips curled into a smile.

Yes—that's the Red Earth continent.

It's just different from the half where the Holy Land 'Mary Geoise' is located.

At this moment, what appeared at the edge of the Roger Pirates' field of vision was the other half of the Red Line.

At the top of this continent, one can faintly see ocean currents converging from all directions.

"That is."

All the members of Roger's Pirates wore expressions of nostalgia.

"It's Upside-Down Mountain!"

That is the starting point for all pirates on the Grand Line, and also the starting point for the entire Grand Line—the place where the four seas converge, Reverse Mountain.

They are about to complete their circumnavigation of the world and arrive at the 'other side' of Upside Down.

So even though they had experienced countless adventures, they couldn't help but sigh with emotion at this moment.

At that time, that was where they started.

And at this moment, this is also their final destination.

"Haha, I suddenly miss my wife!"

"I miss my child too. It's been years since I saw him, ever since the captain decided to set sail again!"

"I only want my treasure, hehe. I've hidden it in a very secret place!"

"A lot has happened over the years."

"Let's not talk about that now—it's almost noon, when are we going to eat?"

They expressed such sentiments.

Upon hearing their words, Roger's smile grew even more magnanimous.

"yes."

Everyone has something they cherish—he is no exception.

And now.
He laughed loudly and raised the sword named 'Ace' at his waist: "My men—this is the Roger Pirates' final voyage!"

"You all better be on your guard, we're going to the 'Final Island'."

"Then."

His teeth were white and gleamed in the rising sun.

"Go back to the people you cherish, protect them, and live a free life!"

The words fell.

"Ooh ooh ooh!" *N
Then, cheers erupted from the Oro Jackson.

"Why say things like that? You're clearly an old bachelor!"

"Hey, Captain Roger, you don't actually have a wife and kids, do you?"

"Stop talking nonsense—we've already seen the Upside-Down Mountain, so where exactly is the Final Island?"

Accompanied by the voices of the members.

The ship passed another wave.

At that moment, the man who had been silent on the boat since the beginning looked in a certain direction.

He was wearing a kimono and wooden clogs, with two swords at his waist.

He is 'Kozuki Oden'.

"Already arrived."

"It's there!"

He uttered a low growl, his gaze fixed on a spot to the east.

It was a sea area without any landmarks.

But Oden knew—that was where the 'Final Island' was located, the place pointed to by the four Poneglyphs they had collected.

That is
"Where the truth of the world lies."

He clenched his fists.

And so, the entire ship fell silent.

All eyes were drawn to that area of ​​the sea.

And as expected.

An island slowly came into view.

But
"So small."

This was the first reaction of everyone in Roger's pirate crew.

Yes, the island that appeared in front of them on the sea was very small—it looked like a small island at most.

On the high seas, this island is the kind that could easily be overlooked. In fact, if it weren't for Oden's reminder, most of the Roger Pirates would have already ignored it.

Its island structure is very special. The island base is very large, and the bottom of the island base shows a special crystal structure.

The higher you go, the finer the island's structure becomes, and in the center of the island stands a mountain—a mountain that is quite tall compared to the island itself.

But one thing is certain.
"What 'everything in the world'? This island doesn't look like it has any treasure at all!"

"Have we gone the wrong way? Hey, Oden, are you sure you didn't misread the road sign?"

"Hahaha, Captain Roger, it looks like we've been tricked again!?"

The members of Roger's pirate crew murmured among themselves. "No."

But the next moment, they heard their captain's words.

Roger's gaze swept across his surroundings.

"right here."

He said firmly and excitedly.

“I can hear the voices of ‘freedom’ and ‘hope’ here.”

"This is the final island that Joy Boy spoke of!"

His words trailed off.

The crew members were stunned for a moment, and then their expressions instantly became serious.

They all knew their captain's ability—the ability to 'hear the voice of all things'.

His judgments are never wrong.

"Is this the final island?"

Looking at the unremarkable islands around them, they vaguely understood why this final island had never been discovered for so many years.

Because it is completely inconspicuous.

Its geographical location on the 'back' side of the Reverse Mountain means that only 'heroes of the sea' who have completed the Grand Line and crossed the Water Star Island can reach it.

Such people are extremely rare in any era.

For these great pirates, this island wasn't even a suitable place to dock.

Even fishermen wouldn't stay on such an island, and there wouldn't be any nautical charts recording it.

And
"The special ocean currents that draw water from all four seas to the Upside-Down Mountain make it virtually impossible to bring water here from the four seas even without wind."

The more they analyzed it, the more the Roger Pirates realized that this unassuming island might actually be the final island.

"Roger, the source of the sound is..."

So at that moment, Rayleigh asked softly.

"There"

Roger, without any hesitation, turned his gaze to the top of the mountain in the center of the island.

His eyes, which were slightly tired from a long illness, shone brightly at this moment.

"Everything in the world is right there!"

Soon, Roger and his group arrived at the very top of the mountain.

Then they saw it.
"...That kind of crystal again?"

At the summit, there was still nothing.

Only on the ground in the center of the mountain peak are there a large number of crystals similar to those on the island base.

Is it ice?

"The temperature is similar, and the mountain is quite high, but this thing is so soft."

Rayleigh squeezed the crystals—they were very elastic and didn't look like minerals at all.

"...It feels a bit like rubber?"

"Could this thing be a treasure?"

The members were buzzing with discussion, and Kozuki Oden even hopped and skipped on the crystal while wearing wooden clogs.

But it is precisely at this moment
"Hey, Oden."

At that moment, Roger, who had also gathered around the crystal, asked thoughtfully, "What did the road sign say?"

Upon hearing this, Kozuki Oden replied without hesitation: "When the sky meets the sea, the final island will reveal its true form, and the sun god Nika will bring freedom to the world."

Having resolved to uncover the truth of Wano Country's history, he had already memorized everything in the Road Poneglyphs.

The Roadmark History text contains only this sentence, besides recording the coordinates of the final island.

"The sky meets the sea, where the sun god resides."

Roger muttered to himself.

"Oh?"

He raised his head thoughtfully and looked up at the sky.

"?"

Seeing this, the rest of Roger's crew also instinctively looked up at the sky along with their captain.

At this moment, it is midday—the sun has reached its highest point in the sky!

Its radiance shone down through the calm gaps in the clouds over this sea.

“Buzz!

"

That was sunlight filtering through the clouds, a perfectly normal sight on the sea.

It pierced through the clouds and fell upon the island and the sea surrounding it.

"!!!"

The Roger Pirates were all taken aback.

"The sky meets the sea!?"

They watched the sunlight streaming down from the sky and illuminating the sea.

The sky and the sea now meet.

But soon they discovered an even bigger anomaly.

The lighting is wrong!

"Rayle said in a low voice."

Yes—everyone can see this right now.

As the beam of light from the sky fell upon the island, its rays seemed to solidify, becoming truly tangible.

It kept gathering and shining on the crystals around them.

"It's an eraser!"

At that moment, someone curiously reached out and flicked the beam of 'light', and immediately discovered that the light, like the crystals on the ground, had a very elastic rubber structure.

"Is it Joy Boy's ability?"

Roger grinned and said, "The most free ability... can actually do something like this."

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the crystals that were being illuminated by the sunlight.

It was at this moment that they saw—as sunlight shone into those crystals, the light within them began to scatter continuously.

In just a moment, all the crystals on the island began to 'shine'.

On the 'screen' formed by the crystal in front of them, everyone could see scene after scene.

They can see swimming fish, ocean currents, sea monsters, and seaweed.

That is
Deep beneath the distant sea.

"Wait, this is..."

At that moment, some of the quick-thinking members of Roger's pirate crew realized the truth.

"This island is...is."

"It's a 'telescope'!"

Before he could finish speaking, Jabba had already reached a conclusion.

"Or rather, a 'watchtower'."

Only now did he realize the unique structure of the island.

The area below is large, the area above is small, and there's this pillar-like mountain, plus the crystals below the island base and in front of them.

The entire island forms a giant telescope!
Of course, in the extremely deep ocean, telescopes are normally unable to function.

But clearly, this island is different.

The island's 'light', 'lens', and even the entire 'island' have clearly been 'altered' by Joy Boy's abilities.

Its light can travel through the deep sea and even illuminate the ocean that stretches along its length.
"aisle?"

Rayleigh frowned as he looked at the 'passage' leading to the deep sea formed by the convergence of light.

Yes—the 'crystal wall' they are in right now is the 'peephole' of this telescope.

It is also the entrance to the passage to the deep sea.

Whether it's the place the telescope is peering at or the place this passage leads to, it's the same place.

"Judging from the direction, it should be the deep sea below the Upside-Down Mountain."

As a navigator, Jabba had a clear sense of direction and distance.

At this moment, everyone fell silent.

They simply watched silently as what 'Joyboy' wanted them to see was projected through the telescope, which has existed for eight hundred years.

And very soon.
In that endless, much deeper sea than Fishman Island.

They saw a hole.

Yes—right beneath Reverse Mountain, at the very bottom of the known world, lies a void of unimaginable size, almost as wide as the Red Line.

Inside the cavity, they could see crimson, flowing lava in enormous quantities.

It resembled a giant serpent, its form constantly spreading within the hollow.

However, at the same time, some invisible force seemed to be blocking it, preventing it from spreading out of that void.

That is
【The Serpent of Karmic Fire】

But that's not the key point.

The more crucial point is that the Roger Pirates could see it.

The 'passage' connecting the island continues downwards even after reaching the void.

It seemed to have passed through the vast magma, large enough to incinerate the entire world, traversing endless distances, and entered beneath the magma.

But beneath the magma.

The Roger Pirates witnessed a completely new scene.

They saw a continent.

Yes—beneath the seabed, beneath the magma that surrounds the entire world, there exists a 'continent'.

Its vastness is beyond comprehension; it contains an enormous number of ancient buildings that are too numerous to count.

In the center of the continent, there is also a hollow—near the hollow are traces of tree roots and soil, indicating that it seems to be the place where a tree once existed.

The Roger Pirates could clearly see that countless things existed in the hollow where the trees had once taken root.

Gold, silver, gems, creatures, architecture, castles.
The Roger Pirates had no idea how such a strange phenomenon could exist.

But following their instincts, they can make subconscious answers.

“That is the ‘world’—the ‘previous world’ that once existed, besides the world we are on the sea now.”

Although the Mother of Creation who gave birth to everything in the world is no longer here, and although the magma called the 'Serpent of Karmic Fire' and the seawater of the 'God of the Deep Sea' have erased all traces of that world's existence.

But traces of its past still remain there.

Therefore, everyone in Roger's pirate crew naturally understood.

The legend is true—the 'Final Island' does exist.

"Everything in the world is there."

　This part is directly related to the final ending, so I need to sort it out. That's why this is the only chapter for today.

　　Of course, there's still quite a while until the finale. Excluding the storyline of the Snake, there are probably four major storylines and several minor ones.
　　Some readers might find certain parts of today's chapter confusing (for example, the concepts of 'the Serpent of Karmic Fire' and 'the previous world' are from the manga [and even within the manga, they remain mysteries], which anime readers might not be familiar with). However, in the next chapter, the protagonist will provide some explanations, and I will try my best to clarify the setting without giving away spoilers.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)