Summary:
The crews of the Thousand Sunny and the Flying Dutchman realize that a volcano is about to erupt. Vander Decken tells his crew that he is withdrawing for now. He then orders Wadatsumi and Ankoro to tow the ship to safety. Realizing the full danger of the situation, Nami tells Luffy to tell Surume to get the ship as far away from the volcano as possible. Luffy starts calling out orders, but Usopp says he doesn’t have to because Surume is already running. Luffy says he wants to see the volcano erupt. Usopp tells Suruma to run to the front, but Nami says it wouldn’t matter since it’s only a few meters apart. The volcano erupts. As the magma makes its way down to the bottom of the ocean, Nami realizes that the temperature of the water is rising. They all look up in time to see Wadatsumi and the Flying Dutchman being tossed around as the temperature differences caused by the magma create vortexes. Sanji asks Nami where they should go to get to Fish-Man Island, suffering a nosebleed immediately after asking the question. Chopper is surprised that he would have a guilty conscience in such a desperate situation. Nami replies that they have to move a bit more to get to that particular ditch.
The ditch in question was a precipice that preceded the great drop into complete darkness. The crew could not believe that Fish-Man Island was actually at the bottom of the trench. With the lava-heated water reaching the ship, Usopp says that the darkness is scary and that he doesn’t think he’ll leave the trench alive. He tries to tell Luffy that the darkness will take them to Hell, but Luffy yells at Surume to jump inside. The Kraken jumps in just as the volcano releases another blast of magma. Franky then notices something above the ship. It is a rock slide caused by volcanic activity. Nami exclaims that the volcano just destroyed the moat. A stone falls to the ship. Zoro orders Surume to step out of the way as he will cut her. Before he could leave, Robin grabs him using her Devil Fruit ability, saying that at 8,000 meters below the surface, the water pressure will crush him. Usopp then reveals a new attack: Midori Boshi: Sargaso. Seaweed grows from the rock wall and catches falling stones. As Chopper looks on in awe, Usopp says that his attack will momentarily stop the rocks, giving Surume enough time to get away. Surume gets out from under the trapped rocks just in time for the plant holding them to give way. While everyone praises Usopp, they don’t notice the errant boulder falling towards Suruma. The boulder hits Surume above the eyes, stunning him and possibly knocking him unconscious.
The narration box gives the crew’s location 10,000 meters below the surface and calls the bottom of the deep ocean trench. In the same panel, Surume is lying in a heap with light streaming from above. The Thousand Sunny is at her side, but still on top of Surume’s head. Everyone is grateful to be alive. Robin questions how the light could be so deep in the sea. Brook jokes that the light blinds him, but that he has no eyes. Franky calls everyone to one side of the ship and tells them to look up. Usopp has trouble seeing what it is because the light is so bright. Luffy asks Nami if that’s it. Nami no doubt replies as the needle is pointing straight at her that they have reached Fish-Man Island. They note that the island is surrounded by a large bubble, indicating that there is air on the island. Everyone cheers. Caribou, who was trapped in a barrel, also noticed their arrival and laughed. Sanji says that he has wanted to visit this place since he was a child, a place where beautiful mermaids dance. As he begins to cheer, he succumbs to another nosebleed. Usopp and Chopper realize that rehab didn’t help Sanji in time because all he had to do was fantasize about mermaids to get a nosebleed. Chopper suggests that meeting a real mermaid right now isn’t the best idea. Usopp argues that Sanji’s dream is to meet a mermaid. Chopper replies that meeting one will cost him his life. Sanji says that it doesn’t matter, much to Chopper’s surprise. Sanji goes on to say that he would rather die looking at mermaids perverted than live a life where his dreams don’t come true. Sanji states that he will meet the mermaids. Meanwhile, Luffy wonders what kind of meat goes into the food on Fish-Man Island. Nami tells him to wipe the drool off his chin and help them find the entrance. Franky then asks what some off-screen characters are doing there.
A voice asks Suruma why he lets people order him around. Surume freezes in fear, then throws the Thousand Sunny into the air and starts running. The ship is then blocked by six sea monsters resembling a rhinoceros, giraffe, gorilla, elephant, lion and bear. Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook look at the giant creatures and say that it’s over even though they made it this far. A figure riding a giraffe-like sea monster says that since they’re pirates, that means they’re enemies of the humans, which means he’s about to give them a choice. He then recognizes the Straw Hat crew by their jolly roger. The person speaking said that he had heard a lot about them and talked about them defeating the Arlong Pirates, how they saved and protected Hatchan, and how Luffy hit the Sky Dragon, then compared Luffy to Fisher Tiger. The person speaking is revealed to be a tall, pike-eel named Hammond. He is a fighter within the New Fish-Man Pirates. He was accompanied by a merman and a fish man. Hammond asks the crew if they are friends or foes, if they fall under the control of the New Fish-Man Pirates or reject them. Hammond adds that if they refuse, they will be sunk then and there. Hammond has a jolly roger from the Fish-Man Pirates (Arlong’s old crew) tattooed on his neck by his left shoulder. Nami seems uncomfortable seeing this and tells Franky to refuel the ship. Franky asks what the fish men think they are doing. Nami says that at 10,000 meters below sea level, they have absolutely zero chance of winning a fight against them. He tells Franky his plan. Wanting to escape, they use the air they have left in the ship to perform a final Coup de Burst and head straight for Fish-Man Island. To Franky’s disbelief, Nami said it was either that or die then and there. Robin agrees that it’s their only option. While Franky controlled the steering, Usopp refueled. Just as the Coup de Burst was at full power, Hammond asks Luffy one more time if he would like to become their subordinate, but Luffy refuses.