A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

This completely different demeanor from before, devoid of any strong person's bearing, made Gatz and the others' eyes twitch.

"Is this guy... really the expert who just cleaved the sea king in two with a single punch?"

Dorum muttered to himself.

Wang Zhi's addition added a strange touch to this ship, which was already full of monsters.

He quickly revealed his third attribute besides being able to eat and fight—being able to drink.

The huge gourd at his waist seemed to contain an endless supply of strong liquor, and whenever you saw him, he was always in a slightly tipsy state, half-drunk and half-awake.

Wang Zhi quickly became drinking buddies with Newgate, who was also a heavy drinker. The two often sat arm in arm at the stern of the boat, one holding a barrel of wine and the other holding a gourd, singing loudly to the sea.

They were singing some unknown folk song, so awful that Dorum wanted to throw them both, along with their drinks, into the sea.

Of course, in addition to drinking, there's also plenty of friendly competition.

That afternoon, on the deck, Wang Zhi and Newgate stood facing each other.

"Whitebeard, your wine is good, but it's a bit weak after the initial burst."

Wang Zhi shook the gourd in his hand, a drunken smile on his face.

"Gulalalalala, your fists are not bad, but I wonder how much strength you'll have when you're drunk."

Newgate slammed the naginata onto the deck, and an invisible shockwave spread outwards.

Neither of them used their full strength; it was more like a spontaneous exchange.

Wang Zhi's steps became unsteady, his body swaying as if he would fall at any moment, which was the most authentic drunken boxing stance.

Newgate threw a simple, unadorned straight punch, without any added vibration, but the sheer force of his punch caused the air in front of him to make a muffled boom.

Wang Zhi seemed unable to dodge in time, but his body leaned back at an angle that defied the laws of physics, narrowly avoiding the force of the punch.

At the same time, he delivered a chop to Newgate's wrist from an extremely tricky angle.

Their fight wasn't as earth-shattering as the first encounter between Lockes and Wang Zhi, but it was full of skill and danger.

Wang Zhi's Drunken Fist may seem full of flaws, but in reality, every move is a deadly trap. He perfectly integrates domineering aura into his seemingly chaotic movements, sometimes as fierce as a tiger, sometimes as gentle as a willow.

Newgate's attacks were wide and powerful, as steady as a mountain. No matter how Wang Zhi dodged and weaved, he remained unmoved. Every punch and kick contained terrifying power capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

Chapter 47 Sea of ​​Volcanoes

Gatz, watching from a distance, was dazzled. He scratched his head, looking completely bewildered: "How... how is this fight going? It feels like Brother Wang Zhi is constantly on the verge of getting hit, but Brother Whitebeard keeps missing him."

"This is not a contest of strength, but the pinnacle of skill."

Silver stood to the side, wiping his spear with a sharp gaze.

“Every time Wang Zhi dodged or attacked, he anticipated Lord Newgate’s point of attack and the flow of his energy. He was using the least amount of force to deflect the strongest attack.”

The sparring session ended with both players stopping simultaneously, neither gaining an advantage.

"happy!"

Wang Zhi took a big gulp of wine.

"Next time, let's see who can outdrink the other first!"

"Gulalalalala, I'm always ready!"

Newgate burst out laughing.

Just as the atmosphere on the ship was becoming increasingly lively with Wang Zhi's arrival, an unexpected discovery pointed their giant ship, which had already deviated from the main course of the Grand Line, in a completely new direction.

They spotted a drifting boat while sailing through the thick fog.

It was a peculiar ship, its hull made of an unknown white wood, its sails shaped like outstretched wings, and its prow resembling a coiled giant snake.

The ship was completely deserted, with only the sails making a faint tearing sound in the eerie silence.

"Ghost ship?"

Gatz gripped the anchor tightly, somewhat nervous.

"Do not."

Dorum's eyes lit up; he looked like Columbus discovering a new continent, his face filled with fervor.

"This kind of wood...this kind of structure...I've only ever seen it in ancient documents! This is an Amazon Lily ship! The shipbuilding technology that is said to be used only by the Kingdom of Women!"

After confirming there was no danger, the group boarded the ghost ship from Kuja.

The cabin was covered in a thick layer of dust, indicating that it had been abandoned for a long time.

Silver found a ship's logbook in the captain's cabin.

The owner of the log is not the current Snake Princess, but a former emperor who has long been forgotten by the world.

The handwriting on the log was elegant yet strong, and the early entries recorded the daily trivialities of the Women's Kingdom and the pride of being the emperor.

But starting from a certain page, the words begin to be filled with sweetness and shyness.

She met a man, a man for whom she was willing to give up her status as emperor.

However, the sweet memories soon turned into pain and struggle.

The man eventually left her and returned to the sea, which belonged to him.

From then on, this powerful empress suffered from an incurable disease—lovesickness.

To prevent her shameful behavior from being seen by the people, and to search for that long-vanished figure, she resolutely gave up the throne and, alone, sailed away from Amazon Lily in this ship, never to be heard from again.

The last page of the log was written in illegible, desperate handwriting.

"Love has become an illness, incurable by any medicine... I will go to the ends of the earth and let the scorching volcano completely burn my cold heart..."

"Flame, perhaps it can grant me new life, or perhaps it can bring eternal death... My name, Flameflower, will burn along with this sea..."

Below is a blurry nautical chart pointing to an unknown sea area marked with volcanic symbols.

"An emperor troubled by love? How boring."

Charlotte Linlin ate the lava chocolate cake that Rain had just made for her and commented dismissively.

Locke stroked his chin, a smile of interest on his face: "To make even the emperor of a country fall for her, she must be no ordinary woman. Moreover, to leave one's homeland because of lovesickness, that obsession itself is a powerful force."

He looked at his crew and grinned: "Men, are you interested in this Flame Flower Emperor?"

Gatz was the first to raise his hand: "Yes! The Emperor! That sounds amazing! Fighting him would be so exciting!"

Wang Zhi, drunk, said, "The emperor's wine cellar must have plenty of good wines?"

Lockes nodded in satisfaction, tore the blurry nautical chart from the logbook, and gave the order to Dorum.

"Adjust course! Destination: Sea of ​​Volcanoes! Let's go and meet this emperor who burns with love!"

Like a ghost, the Behemoth cut through the thick fog, and guided by Dorum's superb piloting skills and Wang Zhi's seemingly intoxicated intuition that could foresee ocean currents, it headed towards the ominous volcanic sea area on the nautical chart.

After sailing for several days, the smell of sulfur in the air grew stronger, and the seawater became warmer.

On the distant horizon, a massive island appears. At its center, a majestic active volcano continuously spews black smoke and red sparks into the sky, like a restless, raging heart.

The entire island's landscape is a strange dark red, as if it had been stained with blood.

There are no tall trees on the island, only some twisted, heat-resistant black shrubs, and large patches of red flowers blooming like burning flames.

This is the place where the Flame Flower has exiled itself.

"Wow...it's so hot here."

Gatz took off his shirt, revealing his tanned, muscular physique, his forehead already covered in sweat.

"The energy in the air is violent, but also pure."

Newgate, sensing his surroundings, spoke calmly.

"Gurarararar, this is a great place for a fight."

The Behemoth docked in a secluded fjord on the island, and the crew began to explore the volcanic island, which was full of primitive and wild atmosphere.

Lox and Newgate were a team. They weren't very interested in the so-called Fire Flower, but they were very interested in the powerful energy contained in the island itself. The two headed straight for the most active volcano, wanting to see the view from the top.

Charlotte Linlin, along with Prometheus and Zeus, joyfully rushed towards the fiery red sea of ​​flowers.

She discovered that the flowers tasted sweet with a hint of spice, a unique dessert she had never tasted before, so she began to devour them with great relish.

Wang Zhi pulled out a fishing rod from somewhere, found a stream where lava flowed, and started trying to fish with lava, muttering to himself, "Maybe I can catch a fire lizard to eat with my drinks."

Gatz, Silver, and Dorum are tasked with searching for traces of the Flameflower.

With his beast-like instincts, Gatz rampaged through the jungle, but instead of finding anyone, he got into a fight with a three-headed lava hound, which ended with him using the hound as a flail to fling it away.

Dorum, on the other hand, became very interested in the island’s rock formations. He tapped here and there, collecting various mineral samples, trying to find new materials that could reinforce the ship’s hull.

Ultimately, it was Silver who made the discovery.

He was like the most patient hunter, traversing the intricate valleys, leaving no stone unturned.

Finally, he discovered some extremely subtle signs of human activity in front of a secluded cave hidden by a waterfall.

The interior of the cave is a completely different world. It is well-maintained, with stone tables and benches, indicating that someone has lived here for a long time.

But at this moment, the cave was empty.

Silver found something on the stone table.

A broken hairband woven using a special technique.

Just as everyone gathered and Silver took out the headband, an incomparably sharp killing intent descended from the sky!

Chapter 48 A Bowl of Plain Congee

A fiery red figure fell from the direction of the volcano like a meteor and appeared in front of them in an instant.

She was a tall woman with a cold and beautiful face.

She wore a tight-fitting combat suit made of some kind of animal hide, which accentuated her incredibly hot figure.

Her long black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, but her eyes were colder than ice.

She exuded a powerful and suffocating aura of dominance, a complex blend of imperial majesty and profound sorrow.

Without a doubt, she was the former emperor of Amazon Lily—Flameflower.

"Outsiders, who allowed you to set foot on my island?"

Her voice, like her, was icy and devoid of any emotion.

"Hahaha! You're that emperor tormented by love? You look much more energetic than I expected!"

Gatz laughed loudly and without restraint.

These words were like igniting a powder keg.

Flame Flower's eyes instantly turned incredibly dangerous, and a tangible burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted from them!

"court death!"

Without a word, she appeared in front of Gatz in a flash, delivering a hand chop imbued with advanced Armament Haki straight at Gatz's neck!

It was so fast that even Gatz didn't have time to react.

clang!

With a crisp sound, Newgate's naginata struck first, precisely parrying the fatal blow.

"Gulala lala, getting so angry at a child is not the demeanor of an emperor."

Newgate's figure had somehow appeared in front of Gatz.

The Flame Flower's attack failed, and its gaze grew even colder.

She recognized Newgate's strength, and instead of backing down, her fighting spirit intensified.

"Then you can start!"

She abandoned Gatz and instead engaged in a fierce battle with Newgate.

Flame Flower's fighting style is extremely fierce and powerful, with every punch and kick containing earth-shattering power, clearly demonstrating that she has cultivated her physical skills and domineering aura to an extremely high level.

Every collision between her and Newgate caused the surrounding earth to crack and rocks to fly.