Chapter 377: Welcome to Whiskey Peak

“Clang!”

A crisp smack rang out as Zoro instinctively clutched his head.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch!”

Nami’s punch landed so hard that Zoro started hopping in pain.

“Everyone was so busy just now. Why didn’t you help out, you lazy bum?”

“You were slacking off again!” Nami yelled, her anger flaring. Zoro could almost see two red devil horns sprout from her head.

He had no idea what just happened, but judging by how worn out everyone looked, something serious must’ve gone down.

“Johnny, what happened?”

Naturally, Zoro didn’t dare mess with Nami while she was fuming, so he quickly called out to Johnny.

After a short break, everyone could finally move around again. Johnny crept over to Zoro, making sure to keep an eye on Nami. Only once she didn’t stop him did Johnny lean in and quietly recount everything that happened.

It wasn’t just for show—when Nami hit you, the pain could last for days. It felt like it seeped straight into your bones.

Nobody could figure out how Nami packed that much power without mastering Armament Haki.

“So that’s what happened. Why didn’t you just wake me up?”

“You think we didn’t try?”

Hearing Zoro’s complaint, Nami instantly turned into a raging beast.

“Okay, okay, I get it! My bad!”

Zoro knew better than to argue. Any more and his head would have another lump.

Thanks to Nami’s expert navigation, they reached a mountain that pierced the clouds in just two days.

“Splash! Splash!”

“Thanks for showing us the way! From here on, we’ll go on without you.”

Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 still had no idea why they’d ended up stranded on that island, but it didn’t slow them down.

After all, they still had a job to do as Pirate Hunters.

Most Pirate Hunter work had already been taken over by the Hunter’s Guild, but they could still make a living off the leftovers.

It was only after waking up and realizing Luffy was the Straw Hat captain with a 50 million berry bounty that they decided not to make a move right away. They waited until everyone gathered at Whiskey Peak for the perfect strike.

“Whiskey Peak, huh?”

“Zoro, do you know this place?”

From what Luffy remembered, Zoro never mentioned coming to the New World before.

“Haven’t been here, but the name sounds familiar.”

“Doesn’t really matter. The Log Pose needs us to stay on this island for a whole day to record the magnetic field, so we have to land.”

Nami glanced down at her Log Pose strapped to her wrist and laid out the facts.

If the Log Pose hasn’t stored up a full magnetic charge from an island, you can’t use it to find the next one.

Without it, they’d be lost at sea, left to drift until fate ran out.

That’s why, at every island the Log Pose points to, they had to wait for the charge to fill before moving on.

“Relax, this place is actually pretty great.”

Behind the scenes, Karl had lined up all kinds of trials for Luffy and his crew here in the New World, just to make them grow faster.

After all, Karl’s plan was to bring everything to an end at Marineford.

“Alright, everyone, get ready.”

“Our guests have arrived.”

A young man named Yobul watched Luffy and his crew’s approach, a mysterious smile on his face.

Yobul was the grandson of the Pirate Hunter Johann. What nobody had noticed yet was that Joseph was actually Yobul’s older brother.

They acted harmless to get on Luffy’s ship.

Since Ye Fan couldn’t always ride with Luffy, someone needed to be their eyes. Joseph was the perfect choice.

“Finally, some opponents. My bones were starting to rust from waiting around here.”

Bartolomeo, Batonal, and Yobul—they were the first big challenge Ye Fan set up for Luffy.

All the same age as the main crew, and although some were stronger than others, everyone knew the protagonist would catch up.

…

“Hahahaha!”

“Welcome to Whiskey Peak!”

“This is a pirate town. We welcome every crew that washes ashore.”

“To celebrate your arrival, we’re throwing a grand feast!”

The moment their ship docked, an old man with a white beard strode over to greet Luffy and the others.

“Why is everyone here so friendly?”

“Feels like a setup to me.”

Usopp might not have seen much of the world, but he was the first on the crew to unlock Observation Haki.

He could sense something was off. These grinning locals felt like hunters sizing up their prey.

“Ahahaha!”

“A feast!”

“I’m heading out!”

Just hearing ‘feast’ perked Luffy up. He sprang onto the pier and eagerly followed the old man inland.

“Seriously, what’s Luffy even thinking?”

Nami covered her forehead, exasperated.

She was no stranger to solo sailing and could spot trouble from a mile away.

Still, their captain had already run ahead. They couldn’t just abandon him now.

“Whatever’s waiting for us, as long as I have this, we’ll be fine.”

Zoro patted the Wado Ichimonji at his waist. With his skills growing by leaps and bounds,

He felt more confident than ever—ready to take on yesterday’s self and itching for another duel with Hawk Eyes.

“They’re being so hospitable, we can’t exactly refuse. No need to leave a lookout—let’s all go ashore.”

Ye Fan, Johnny, and Joseph secured the ship and were the first to head toward land.

This whole island was set up as their whetstone. Not a single one of them could sit this out.

Otherwise, all of Ye Fan’s careful preparations would’ve been for nothing.

“Is that so? Looks like we’ve got work to do.”

Zoro saw Ye Fan’s sly smile and, thinking back on Whiskey Peak, instantly realized where they were. Without another word, he led the way ashore.

Usopp, Nami, and the others hustled close behind, sticking tight to Luffy.

“Luffy’s mine, Zoro’s yours, Sanji’s yours. The rest—doesn’t matter,”

Of all Johann’s grandsons, Yobul was the most exceptional. Young as he was, he was already a grandmaster in hand-to-hand combat, with a pretty big reputation in the New World.

Bartolomeo once learned the Twelve Tan Kicks on Cake Island, so letting him handle Sanji was the perfect matchup.

Batonaal was nothing to scoff at either. Raised with a sword in hand, he’d already reached swordmaster level—maybe even gone farther than Zoro.

As for Usopp and Nami, they didn’t have designated opponents. Their real strength didn’t rely on brawling as much as strategy and support.