stonecrandall Chapter 104 Thunder Island
Chapter 104 Thunder Island
Chapter 104 Thunder Island
The fleet adjusted its course and headed in the direction indicated by the pointer on the right.
To be honest, Nami was quite confident when she chose this route.
Of the three pointers, it is the most stable, with the smallest fluctuation. Logically speaking, following its movement should be the safest option.
But after sailing for about two hours, she realized she was wrong.
That's completely wrong.
Something's not right...
'
Nami stood at the bow of the ship, the record pointer in her hand trembling wildly, even more violently than the one on the left when they set sail.
The once most stable pointer is now practically spinning in circles on the disc, making one dizzy.
"What's wrong?" Norton walked over.
"The pointer..." Nami's voice was a little tense, "It's changed."
Norton glanced at the wildly spinning pointer but said nothing.
"The magnetic field will change in the new world—I've mentioned this before."
Nami took a deep breath and tried to calm her voice.
"But I didn't expect things to change so quickly. It was the most stable when we set off, but now..."
'
She didn't continue.
But everyone understood what she meant.
If you follow this pointer now, the island you arrive at is definitely not a safe place.
"Change it," Norton said decisively.
Nami nodded, her gaze falling on the other two pointers.
The one on the left has been spinning wildly since it started, and now it's shaking so badly it's almost jumping off the disc.
If we follow it, we'll probably encounter something even more terrifying than what we're facing now.
The middle one...
Nami stared intently at the pointer.
It was also trembling, but the amplitude was slightly smaller than that of the two on the left and right.
Moreover, the direction in which it trembled seemed to overlap with the original direction of the right-hand side.
"The middle one," Nami pointed to the pointer, "intersects with the original course on the right, so it should be the closest option to us."
Norton glanced at the pointer, then at the increasingly dark sky in the distance.
"Then let's go to the middle."
The fleet adjusted its course again.
Speaking of which, the ocean currents have become even stronger after this adjustment.
The once calm sea surface was now stirred up by something, with wave after wave crashing against the ship's side, making a dull thud.
The sky was getting darker and darker.
It wasn't just ordinary darkness; it was the kind of darkness that sent chills down your spine, as if something had blocked out the sky, preventing sunlight from penetrating and leaving only a depressing gray-black expanse.
The clouds were pressed very low, almost touching the sea surface.
Those clouds were not ordinary clouds, but rolling, living black clouds, with faint glimmers of light deep within them.
"Boom—"
—
A sudden clap of thunder rang out, making everyone's ears ring.
Immediately afterwards, a bolt of lightning struck down from the clouds and hit the sea not far from the fleet.
The seawater was instantly evaporated into a large white mist, and a scorching smell filled the air.
Nami unconsciously tightened her grip on the ship's railing.
She had seen many thunderstorms. What kind of severe weather hadn't she encountered in the first half of the Grand Line?
But compared to this thunderstorm, those other thunderstorms seem like child's play.
The thunder here carries an indescribable sense of oppression.
It felt like the entire sky was pressing down on us.
"That was one."
Someone pointed ahead, their voice trembling.
In the distance, the outline of an island emerged from the mist.
It was an island that wasn't very big, but the entire island was shrouded in dense lightning.
Countless bolts of lightning struck down from the clouds, raining down on the island and illuminating it in a flickering light.
The lightning didn't strike one after another, but all at once, like countless silver snakes dancing wildly on the island.
The lightning was so intense that it hurt one's eyes.
"Thor Island".
Kro walked over at some point, holding a crumpled newspaper in his hand.
"Morgans' intelligence mentioned this place. An island that's always thundering."
"Forever?" Norton raised an eyebrow slightly.
"That's what they say," Kro nodded. "Ever since someone discovered this island, it's been thundering non-stop. Some speculate that something on the island is attracting the lightning, while others say the island itself has a special magnetic field, but no one can go up to the island to verify—because it's inaccessible."
He pointed to the wildly dancing lightning on the island.
"With this density, even if the ship could dock, people couldn't get off. They'd be struck by lightning if they showed their heads."
Norton didn't speak, he just quietly looked at the island.
The fleet stopped on the sea not far from Thor Island, not daring to take another step forward.
There was nothing they could do; the lightning was too dense. It struck down from the clouds in a dense, continuous barrage, like countless silver snakes dancing wildly across the island, illuminating the entire island in a flickering, ever-changing light.
The lightning struck so frequently it was almost continuous, and the deafening roar was deafening.
"How do we get up there..." one of the pirates muttered.
Norton stood at the bow of the ship for a while, then suddenly spoke.
"Send a few men over in a small boat to take a look."
Kro paused for a moment, then asked, "Now?"
"Now," Norton nodded, "don't get too close. Observe the edge of the island first. Be careful to avoid lightning. If you can go in, go in; if you can't, retreat."
Kro responded and turned to make the arrangements.
Soon, a small reconnaissance boat emerged from the convoy, rowing cautiously toward Thunder Isle.
Everyone stared at the small boat.
To be honest, that scene was a bit scary.
The small boat bobbed up and down in the surging waves, with lightning dancing overhead. Some of the lightning bolts struck just tens of meters away from the boat, splashing seawater that soaked everyone on board.
But those five people were indeed quite skilled.
They skillfully maneuvered the small boat, using the rise and fall of the waves to gradually approach the edge of the island.
Then they disappeared behind the rocks on the island.
What followed was a long wait.
Nami stood at the bow of the ship, clutching the Log Pose in her hand.
The hands were still spinning wildly, showing no sign of stopping. She bit her lip and remained silent.
In fact, the principle behind the recording pointer is to record the unique magnetic force released by the island.
In the first half of the Grand Line, once you reach an island or stop near one, the Pose will start recording. Once the record is full, you can proceed to the next island.
But the problem is-
You need to be able to get close to the island first.
In places like Thor Island, ships can't dock at all, and people don't dare to go ashore.
Even if it stops here, no one can say for sure when the pointer will be full.
If it has to stop for ten days or half a month, we can't just keep floating in this thunderstorm area, can we?
Just then, the small boat emerged from behind the reef and quickly rowed back.
"They're back! They're back!" someone shouted.
The small boat quickly pulled up to the White Pearl, and five pirates climbed up the rope ladder, soaking wet, but with strange expressions on their faces.
It wasn't fear, nor relief, but a complex feeling that was hard to describe.
"How is it?" Norton asked.
The leader of the pirates wiped the seawater off his face and said, panting, "Admiral, there are people on that island."
"Is anyone there?"
"Yes. We saw some houses and people walking around on the edge of the island. Those people were all carrying strange umbrellas."
As soon as the umbrella was opened, the lightning bypassed them, avoiding striking them.
Norton raised an eyebrow.
"umbrella?"
"It must be something specially made on the island."
Another pirate chimed in, "We tried to take a few steps further in, but a bolt of lightning almost struck us on the head, so we quickly retreated in fright."
"But those people with umbrellas walked around the island very freely, completely unafraid of thunder."
"Any other discoveries?"
"have."
The first pirate nodded. "We met someone on the edge of the island; they must be a resident."
He was surprised to see us and asked how we dared to come to the island in this weather.
We said we were pirates passing through and wanted to resupply. He then said…
He paused.
He said that there are indeed umbrellas for sale on the island that can protect against lightning.
But those things are produced in very low quantities; only a few can be made at a time. A fleet as large as ours simply can't afford that many.
Norton remained silent.
"The man also said that the people on their island usually rely on these umbrellas for their daily lives."
They must carry umbrellas when they go out, otherwise they might get struck by lightning at any moment. Therefore, umbrellas are their most precious possession, and they cannot sell them in large quantities to outsiders.
After the pirate finished speaking, he looked expectantly at Norton, waiting for him to make a decision.
Norton paused for a moment, then turned to look at the island shrouded in lightning.
This umbrella is quite interesting. The material that can withstand lightning strikes is definitely not ordinary. But the problem is—
The quantity is insufficient.
Even if a fleet of several thousand people looted all the umbrellas on the island, it wouldn't be enough to go around.
Besides, they need this to make a living, so they can't possibly sell it all to you.
"Admiral?" Kro asked tentatively, "How about...we switch islands?"
Norton did not answer.
He stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the island where lightning danced wildly, at the dense bolts of lightning striking down, at the lightning striking the island, the reefs, and the sea.
Looked for a long time.
"No need to change it." Norton suddenly smiled.
"what?"
"Since there aren't enough umbrellas, let's make the lightning disappear."
After Norton finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the ship's side.
Kro paused for a second, then realized what he was about to do, and his expression changed: "Admiral, that's..."
"I know."
Norton did not stop.
He walked to the ship's side, leaped into the air, and shot towards the island like a cannonball.
Behind him, everyone was stunned.
The first lightning bolt struck just as Norton landed on the island.
He didn't hide.
"boom"
The lightning struck him squarely, emitting a blinding white light.
After the light faded, Norton stood there, a wisp of smoke rising from his clothes, but he was unharmed.
"good."
He patted the scorch marks on his shoulder and looked up at the sky.
The clouds seemed to be enraged.
More lightning bolts began to gather, striking him one after another. Norton didn't move; he just stood there, letting the lightning strike him.
One, two, three—
The booming sound was incessant, and the entire island was illuminated as bright as day.
But Norton remained standing there, unmoved.
In the distance, the island's inhabitants had long since retreated into their houses, staring in disbelief through their windows at the scene unfolding before them.
"Who...is that?"
"How come he's still alive after being struck by lightning so many times?"
"A monster?"
Norton ignored those stares.
He looked up at the sky, his tone tinged with disappointment.
"that's all?"
The clouds seemed to understand him.
The lightning that had been striking haphazardly suddenly stopped.
The clouds began to churn, as if something was stirring within them. Moments later, all the lightning bolts converged, forming an unprecedentedly enormous pillar of lightning.
The bolt of lightning was terrifyingly thick, several tens of meters wide, pressing down straight down from the depths of the clouds with a destructive force.
The entire island trembled.
On the distant sea, everyone saw this scene.
"What is that...?"
'
"Where is the admiral?"
"Won't be..."
'
No one dared to continue.
After the light faded, a huge crater appeared on the island. In the very center of the crater stood Norton, his body billowing smoke.
But his expression remained calm.
"That's interesting."
He looked up at the sky.
The clouds seemed to think they had dealt with the intruder and began lazily scattering the fine lightning bolts again.
Norton took a deep breath, pushed off with his feet, and suddenly rose into the air.
He rushed through dense lightning, through churning clouds, all the way to the highest point of that cloud.
Then, he clenched his right fist and slammed it down hard on the cloud.
"boom"
The punch slammed into the clouds, unleashing a roar far louder than any of the previous thunderbolts. Wherever the force of the punch passed, the clouds were torn open, and sunlight streamed through, falling on the island.
But it only lasted a few seconds.
The opening was quickly filled by the surrounding clouds, and thunder roared again.
Norton frowned slightly.
He landed on the island and looked up at the clouds that had closed up again.
"interesting."
This is the second time he has used this word.
The last time I said it, my tone was somewhat playful.
This time, I was more serious.
He took off again, soaring to the highest point of that cloud once more.
This time, he used both hands.
He threw out both fists and slammed them down hard at the cloud.
"boom!!!"
In that instant, the world lost its color.
The force of the punch was like two cannonballs simultaneously blasting into the clouds, the violent power exploding deep within the clouds and creating a shockwave visible to the naked eye.
The shockwave spread outwards, tearing the clouds to shreds wherever it passed.
The thunderclouds that had been churning for countless years finally gave way at this moment.
Large swaths of clouds began to dissipate, and sunlight streamed in through ever-widening gaps, falling on the island, on the sea, and on the stunned crew members.
The final thunderclap exploded in mid-air, like the final roar of this cloud.
But the roar quickly disappeared into the sunlight.
The sky cleared up completely.
The azure sky was revealed, and the sunlight was intense and warm, shining on everyone's face.
Norton landed steadily on the edge of the deep pit on the island as he fell from mid-air.
He looked up at the sky, which had turned into blue sky and white clouds, and patted the dust off his hands.
In the distance, the island's inhabitants were completely dumbfounded.
Some people dropped their umbrellas with a thud, some collapsed to the ground due to their weak legs, and others stared with their mouths open, unable to utter a sound for a long time.