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Chapter 253: Cold Syndrome
Chapter 253: Cold Syndrome
Columbus, if the new world passage were to be turned vertically, it would be located to the right of the fourth passage, halfway towards the doldrums.
The island houses a naval base commanded by a vice admiral and also serves as the sole port. It imports raw iron, exports fine steel, and coupled with its local iron ore production, it has always been a place of significance to the World Government.
This island used to be a winter island, with snow all year round. However, due to the presence of smelters, it emits high temperatures, causing the snow to melt as soon as it touches the ground, resulting in unusually high temperatures. But once you leave the island, the temperatures drop drastically, and if one isn't careful, it can lead to illness.
The entire island resembles a turtleneck garment, with one side encircled by mountains and the other facing the doldrums.
"Ha, ha, ha!"
On the scorching hot beach, where the air was distorted by the heat, a barefoot boy ran for his life, with a group of marines in hot pursuit.
"Stop!"
"Don't take another step, or we'll shoot!"
"I won't listen to you!"
The boy's bare feet touched the sand that was almost crystallized from the heat, turning his soles red. He gritted his teeth and pointed towards the snowy sea in the distance, "Beyond the sea..."
Bang!
A lead bullet hit his calf, causing him to grunt and fall to the ground.
"We got him!"
A group of marines quickly rushed over and pinned the boy down, the scorching sand burning his face in several places.
He struggled to lift his head and shouted towards the sea, "It's freedom!"
Boom!
Amidst the snowy sky, a bolt of thunder suddenly rumbled, turning the sky gloomy and stirring up dark clouds.
Under the dark clouds, the once calm sea suddenly whipped up into a frenzy, with winds blowing the waves into a tumult, and sand swirling into clouds of dust.
Whoosh!
Huge raindrops fell from the sky, wetting the boy's face and blurring his vision.
The once calm sea before him had transformed into a tempest, and as the waves churned, a massive moray eel, magnified countless times, rose from the depths, its mouth filled with sharp teeth, and let out a roar towards those on the beach.
"A Sea King!"
The marines exclaimed in shock and ran backwards instinctively, leaving the terrified boy behind.
"Roar!"
The Sea King also noticed the tiny ants below and shifted its golden eyes downward, opening its massive jaws even wider as it prepared to bite.
The boy clenched his teeth, wanting to say something, but in the face of this giant creature, he lost his voice. However, his instinct wasn't to close his eyes but to stare directly at the Sea King.
Whether it was to remember this enemy before his death or to try to intimidate it with his gaze was unclear.
Sizzle!
Just as the Sea King, with teeth bigger than the boy himself, was about to bite down, something like a green bird suddenly shot out from its forehead and flew towards the horizon amidst the growing wind and rain.
The Sea King's body stiffened, and its head plunged straight down, falling into the water near the beach, creating a huge splash that reached the shore and knocked the boy over, rolling him a few times.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
The boy coughed out a few mouthfuls of seawater before looking towards the sea.
Behind the massive corpse of the Sea King, in the midst of the violent storm, a strange silhouette appeared.
The boy had seen it in books before, so he knew it was a ship!
"Here! I'm here!"
The boy jumped up excitedly, waving his arms and jumping to attract the ship's attention.
In the wind and rain, the ship quickly approached and docked at the shore. A gangplank was lowered, and a white-haired figure walked out.
He descended the gangplank, accompanied by Miote with an umbrella, their three-meter height, and the large umbrella shielding Saga from the wind and rain.
He glanced at the fallen Sea King and grumbled, "How many is that now?"
Beside him was Lily, sheltered by Jongbalu's umbrella. She had just sheathed her thin sword and replied, "Sixth one in ten minutes. We're in the doldrums, the lair of the Sea Kings."
Saga clicked his tongue, "But we're at the edge, I didn't encounter any Sea Kings in Dressrosa, but we've run into one here."
They had set off from Dressrosa, crossing half the grand line, and after ten days, they arrived at Columbus.
The plan was to bring along all his men except for the Demon Clan, but he later found out that Donquixote Doflamingo didn't have that many ships.
Most of Doflamingo's ships accommodated around three hundred people, so Saga decided to switch things up. He left the other men in Dressrosa and brought along only the Demon Clan.
Stansen, the giant, was left behind, while the remaining executives remained unchanged.
The journey ahead was uneventful, with the occasional storms that the crew had grown accustomed to. However, upon reaching their destination, Sage discovered that one side of the island was encircled by mountains. Venturing along the island's mountain path would immediately lead them into the Calm Belt.
If not for Letty's use of propulsion, their ship would have been stuck in the windless zone.
The ships provided by Donquixote Doflamingo lacked additional propulsion and, unlike naval ships, relied on the wind. This would have spelled trouble.
But to make matters worse, as soon as they entered the Calm Belt, they encountered numerous Sea Kings.
In just ten minutes of sailing, they encountered five of them, and just as they were about to land, another one appeared at the shore.
"Let's leave a few people behind to keep watch," Sage suggested.
Lily, eyeing the corpse of the Sea King, added, "We must first ensure the ship's safety; Moria, can you stay behind?"
"Hehehe, I don't mind staying on the ship," Moria chuckled in response.
He was inherently lazy, and this had nothing to do with willpower. If someone else could do it, he was more than happy to stay out of it.
"Letty, Hawkins, Urki, you'll also remain on the ship to ensure its safety. We can't afford any attacks, or else we'll be stranded on this island," Lily instructed.
"Is that really necessary?" Sage questioned.
"..."
"Sage, someone's coming," Lily said, looking ahead.
Up ahead, a boy with an injured leg was cautiously approaching them, his eyes fixed on the group with anticipation.
This boy had tea-colored hair, a frail build, and tattered cloth clothing. His bare feet padded across the sand as he asked cautiously, "Are you the ones who will bring us freedom?"
"Freedom?" Sage laughed bitterly. "Freedom isn't something that can be brought. Little brat, nice eyes you've got there. Who are you?"
"I'm Rob. The ones carrying the black skull flag will definitely bring freedom to the people!" Rob exclaimed.
Disappointment etched across Rob's face, but he persisted, "You really can't bring freedom?"
"Oh? Why do you think that way? Can't you set sail from here?" Sage inquired with a smile.
He, of course, wasn't asking about sailing through the Calm Belt, a treacherous place where one could easily be swallowed by Sea Kings.
But
He lifted his gaze to the regrouping figures in the distance, recognizing them as marines.
"Halt! Who are you people?" The leading marine, a vice admiral, called out, his voice carrying a hint of alarm.
"Stand down! Don't take another step, or we'll shoot!" another marine shouted.
"I won't listen to you!"
The boy's bare feet, now red from the scorching sand, stepped forward determinedly.
Bang!
A lead bullet struck his calf, causing him to grunt and fall.
"We got him!"
A group of marines rushed forward and pinned the boy down, the scorching sand burning his face in several places.
He struggled to lift his head and shouted toward the sea, "It's freedom!"
Boom!
Amidst the snowy sky, a bolt of thunder suddenly rumbled, casting a gloomy shadow over the sky and stirring up dark clouds.
Under the dark clouds, the once calm sea suddenly whipped up into a frenzy, with winds blowing the waves into a tumult.
Whoosh!
Huge raindrops fell from the sky, wetting the boy's face and blurring his vision.
The once calm sea before him had transformed into a tempest. As the waves churned, a massive moray eel, magnified countless times, rose from the depths, its mouth filled with sharp teeth, letting out a roar toward those on the beach.
"A Sea King!"
The marines exclaimed in shock and ran backward instinctively, leaving the terrified boy behind.
"Roar!"
The Sea King also noticed the tiny ants below and shifted its golden eyes downward, opening its massive jaws even wider as it prepared to bite.
The boy clenched his teeth, wanting to say something. But in the face of this giant creature, he lost his voice. However, his instinct wasn't to close his eyes but to stare directly at the Sea King, whether to remember this enemy before his impending death or to try to intimidate it with his gaze.
Sizzle!
Just as the Sea King, with teeth bigger than the boy himself, was about to bite down, something like a green bird suddenly shot out from its forehead and flew toward the horizon amidst the growing wind and rain.
The Sea King's body stiffened, and its head plunged straight down, falling into the water near the beach and creating a huge splash that reached the shore, knocking the boy over and rolling him a few times.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
The boy coughed out a few mouthfuls of seawater before looking toward the sea.
Behind the massive corpse of the Sea King, in the midst of the violent storm, a strange silhouette appeared.
The boy had seen it in books before, so he knew it was a ship!
"Here! I'm here!"
The boy jumped up excitedly, waving his arms and jumping to attract the ship's attention.
In the wind and rain, the ship quickly approached and docked at the shore. A gangplank was lowered, and a white-haired figure walked out.
He descended the gangplank, accompanied by Miote with an umbrella, their three-meter height, and the large umbrella shielding Saga from the wind and rain.
He glanced at the fallen Sea King and grumbled, "How many is that now?"
Beside him was Lily, sheltered by Jongbalu's umbrella. She had just sheathed her thin sword and replied, "The sixth one in ten minutes. We're in the doldrums, the lair of the Sea Kings."
"But we're at the edge; I didn't encounter any Sea Kings in Dressrosa, but we've run into one here," Sage clicked his tongue.
Rob nodded.
"Good, then you can lead the way. It doesn't matter if you were imprisoned or if there's some strange reason you don't know about the sea. Once I'm done looting this place, you guys can leave. Hohohoho!"
Saga waved his hand. "Hocukaba, heal him. Moria, you stay behind."
Moria grinned, his hands clasped behind his head, and sauntered back to the ship.
"Hey, can't I go too?"
Renity pouted but soon brightened up. "Then let's go fish bombing! There are a lot of these big fish in the windless zone!"
"Remember to leave the fish meat intact, okay? If it's in the shape of a whole fish, take the abdominal portion. If the upper body resembles a beast, then take the section where the beast and fish meet." Marika smiled.
"Okay!" Renity flashed a hand signal.
Saga rolled his eyes at her. "Fish bombing is illegal!"
"I'm a pirate; I'm already breaking the law," Renity giggled, playfully sticking out her tongue.
The vice admiral ahead slowly backed away, noticing that Saga's attention seemed to be elsewhere. He was about to retreat with his navy when a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Who said you could leave?"
The vice admiral froze, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Saga slowly approached, a sinister smile on his face. "Come, tell me about this island."
...
Columbus Company.
Currently, a massive iron and steel company collaborating with the World Government, with its base on Columbus Island. It had been in existence for over three hundred years and was quite renowned on the high seas.
This wasn't because the island was rich in iron ore; even the richest deposits would be depleted after three centuries of mining.
The company's primary business now was importing large quantities of iron through World Government channels, refining it, and then exporting fine steel.
This was different from Wano Country.
Among the channels controlled by Donquixote Doflamingo, Wano produced weapons and seafloor stone.
The Columbus Company didn't manufacture weapons; they only exported materials. As a materials supplier, they still held a significant market share. Many countries purchased steel from them, using it not just for weapons but also for various other purposes.
This was the vice admiral's story.
Saga had no interest in doing anything to this vice admiral; he simply wanted some information. After getting what he needed, he let them retreat. It was enough to have a general understanding of the situation.
Of course, there was another version, one that came from the boy, Rob.
To them, the Columbus Company was the Iron Mat Kingdom, named after its iron mat emblem, which they had seen since they were young.
From the moment they were born, they had never seen the sun. They lived their entire lives underground, surrounded by furnaces and molten iron. In the fiery, red-hot furnaces, crude iron was constantly refined into steel, only to be sent back for more.
From birth to old age, the cycle continued endlessly, forming a unique underground kingdom.
The people here had never ventured above ground or seen the exit. Anyone who showed curiosity would disappear, and when they returned, they would become silent and emotionless.
But it wasn't always like this.
Rob had once come across a book with pictures and text. Several decades ago, this place wasn't known as the Iron Mat Kingdom; it had its true name—the Columbus Company.
While they still refined steel, the book described the wonders of the ocean, the freedom of its people, and how they amassed wealth through steel.
The book even described how they discovered the island and the beauty of the high seas.
"I told my parents about it."
Rob, his injury swiftly healed by Hocukaba, now walked with a bandaged leg and a crutch alongside Saga. His voice was somber as he continued, "But a few days later, they came down with Cold Syndrome. They weren't even that old."
"Cold Syndrome?" Saga asked. "What's that?"
"It's a disease that people get when they're about to grow old. They can't go outside either because it's colder out there than here. They'd get the syndrome from the cold too."
Rob explained matter-of-factly, "Once you get this disease, you lose your emotions. Just like those elderly folks, they get Cold Syndrome when they age, and then they don't recognize people anymore. They just exist, which is probably some form of consolation."
At this, Lily's face turned grim, and she instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword.
"Hehehe," Saga chuckled darkly. "Knowing about this syndrome, why did you still want to come out here?"
"I want to see the outside world!"
Rob took a deep breath and looked up at Saga with determination. "Even if it means death, I want to see freedom!"
(End of Chapter)
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