Chapter 312: The Journey to Thunder Island

A month slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Karl finally set all his affairs at home in order.

He didn’t know if this journey would be dangerous, but his thirst for strength pushed him to embark for Thunder Island.

Karl boarded a finely crafted single-seater boat, a vessel he’d prepared with utmost care as his travel companion.

Though the boat measured just twenty meters long and four meters wide, every inch of space was put to good use. Its structure was sturdy enough to brave any storm at sea.

But the real highlight was its propulsion system.

Rather than using traditional sails or paddle wheels, it featured a groundbreaking innovation—a flame jet engine.

Handcrafted by the famed inventor Vegapunk, this engine converted the heat of fire directly into propulsion, sending the boat forward at an astonishing speed.

Karl’s boat could even reach three hundred kilometers per hour—a marvel for its time.

Perfect not just for speedy travel, but also for hasty escapes when danger loomed. It was the ideal choice for exploring uncharted waters.

Before setting out, Karl inspected every detail of the boat, making sure all systems worked flawlessly.

He gripped the Eternal Pose tightly—a device that would guide him unerringly toward Thunder Island.

No matter how wild the seas got, the needle on the Pose always pointed straight ahead.

As Karl’s boat eased out of the harbor, excitement for the upcoming adventure bubbled in his chest.

Thunder Island, a legendary place shrouded in mystery, lay ahead waiting for him to unveil its secrets.

Karl knew this trip could change his life. Deep down, he felt sure Thunder Island would help him surpass his limits.

Davis and his team had started their research the moment they discovered the island. That’s how they managed to create this Eternal Pose to Thunder Island.

Thunder Island lies in the New World, one of many islands indicated by the New World’s Log Pose after Fishman Island.

The original records described it as far more dangerous than both Risky Red and Mysteria. Even the Monks Without Restraint Pirate Crew had set foot here.

The weather on the island was treacherous—constant lightning, thunder and torrential rain were the norm.

Thunder Island was wrapped in a curtain of storms. The whole place seemed to glow with electric light.

Even the weather reports from Visalia, the little island in the sky, had warned would-be explorers: bring an umbrella or you won’t last through the storm.

With the Eternal Pose in hand, Karl settled onto his boat, bracing himself for what lay ahead.

The flame jet engine roared to life, the little craft hurtling toward Thunder Island like a warrior dashing through lightning.

With the Pose’s guidance, Karl reached Thunder Island in just half a day.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

He could hear thunder rolling overhead even before reaching the shore.

As the thunder erupted, the Daoist Thunder Magic in his body grew restless, desperate to swallow the lightning unleashed on the island.

Karl patted his chest and spoke gently, “Easy now, easy. We’re just about there.”

Ten nautical miles out, bolts of lightning already rained down from the sky.

Seeing this, Karl swiftly stowed his boat in the System’s space and launched himself toward the island using Moonwalk.

Crackle! Snap! Crackle! Snap!

With every step on Thunder Island’s ground, thunder and rain pelted him from above.

Each strike sent a pleasant tingling through his skin.

And every drop of rain, every blast of lightning that landed on him was devoured by the thunder magic swirling inside.

“This is the perfect place to train. If my harsh cultivation pays off, at the very least, I’ll be able to face the Heavenly King. Then this journey will be worth it.”

He pressed on toward the island’s center, braving the raging storm.

The further he advanced, the denser the thunderstorm became, the more powerful the lightning grew.

Years of relentless storms had turned the earth of Thunder Island a pale purple.

Touching down barefoot sent more tingles through his body.

It wasn’t just the storms—every inch of the island had become a domain of lightning.

So he kicked off his shoes, letting the ground’s energy flow straight through his soles, absorbing it as he walked.

“I can feel my power surging. It’s slow, but the growth seems limitless.”

Barefoot, Karl relished the steady rush of energy rising through his feet, unable to contain a satisfied moan.

“Come on, come on. Give me everything you’ve got.”

“Become my nourishment!”

Every few hundred meters, he’d stop and quietly absorb the energy from the ground before moving on.

Wherever Karl absorbed energy, the soil darkened to black.

But as he ventured deeper, he’d glance back and see the earth slowly shifting back to purple once more.

It seemed the entire island had a core, an unabsorbed heart releasing power to replenish Thunder Island at all times.

After several days trekking, he finally reached the mountain towering over Thunder Island.

The peak soared ten thousand meters high—it might be the tallest in the entire One Piece World.

“Unbelievable. It’s a waterfall made of lightning.”

Standing at the base, Karl looked up through the clouds, purple liquid seeming to flow down the mountainside.

From afar, it looked like ordinary water spilling from the summit. As he approached, the crackling grew unmistakable.

This wasn’t water at all but a true lightning waterfall.

Around the mountain, a wide basin of stormwater had pooled, forming a kilometer-wide lightning pond.

Grinning, Karl stripped off his clothes. “Never thought I’d get to take a bath here!”

“Guess that makes me the first person in this world to take a lightning bath.”

After stashing his clothes, he leaped in, diving straight into the pond.

Thunder magic surged wildly inside him, reaching out to draw the lightning’s energy from all around.

Karl now looked like a giant cocoon of violet light, floating deeper and deeper into the glowing pool.

The cocoon throbbed with every pulse, gulping down more of the electrified liquid with each beat.

It was like a bull drinking from a river. The lightning pond visibly shrank with every passing second.

He plunged hundreds of meters down to the pond’s bottom.

From within the cocoon, Karl sensed a glowing purple crystal at the pool’s core and drifted closer, drawn in.

Nothing else was alive in the pool—just Karl inside his cocoon, bonding with the radiant crystal.

“So this is what it feels like to be a baby?”

Pressing against the crystal, Karl felt as if he were back in his mother’s womb.

He achieved a state of perfect harmony with nature as the crystal’s energy poured into him.

If he survived this, his power would leap forward by orders of magnitude.

As he drifted into a hazy sleep, Karl heard a long-lost chime from the System.

“Ding. The host’s major timeline modifications are now locked in. Calculating all rewards. Results will be given after the host awakes…”