Summary:
Two years after its voyage in the Grand Line, the Mont Blanc Noland chronicles the journeys of its crew during a violent storm. He tells his crew to anchor on a nearby island as he hears the sound of a bell in the rumbling thunder. Meanwhile, on Jaya Island, the population is dying off one by one due to a disease present on the island. A sick priest on his deathbed exclaims that the only way to appease the gods and lift the island’s curse is to offer the most beautiful woman on Jaya as a sacrifice. A silhouette of a young woman sitting and mending clothes is shown. The priest dies and the surviving villagers worry and debate what they can do. One of them notices a stain on the young man’s hand and Seto runs out of the building screaming. Someone tries to follow him, but is told that once the sign of the evil spirit appears, it is too late.
Seto runs into the forest, pinches his forearm with a rock, and pleads for the stain to disappear. The scene cuts back to the full featured young woman saying she is happy to offer herself as a sacrifice. Her mother is crying and Mousse tries to comfort her by giving her life to help the villagers. The two embrace and Mousse thanks Herb for raising her. Back in the forest, Kalgara appears before Set after the hunt, and the young man cries to him that he wants to be a strong warrior and doesn’t want to die.
Noland and his crew arrive at Jaya and tease him for saying he heard the bell when none of them could. They see the South Birds fly by and continue to tease their captain until the bell rings loudly for all to hear. Noland approaches the forest and notices Set trying to run away from the sight of the intruders. He collapses from weakness and the ship’s doctor identifies his illness as Tree Fever. Noland orders the Doctor to inoculate the entire crew with Conine. They pass through the native village and find it empty, and Noland demands an answer from Set. The people gathered at the sacrificial altar and began their ceremony, tying up Mousse and offering her blood to the Kami. Herb calls out for his daughter and a giant snake appears from the water.
Kashigami pounces on Mousse to eat her while the villagers look on, but something falls into the water. Suddenly, Noland appears on the platform and cuts off the giant snake’s head, killing it. The villagers scream in terror and demand that Noland and Mousse be killed. Noland tells Mousse that he doesn’t have to die now as the young woman clings to him and cries, and Kalgara stares intensely at the intruder.