The sea changed the moment they left Spider Miles behind.
Not violently—no towering waves, no screaming winds—but wrong.
The water darkened, clouds thickened, and even the sky seemed to lean closer, like it was listening.
Jasper stood at the helm, gripping it tighter than necessary.
"…Captain," he said slowly, "tell me Ruluka Isle is only rumored to be deadly."
Fushiguro lay stretched out on the deck, hands behind his head, staring at the clouds.
"Nope."
Theo didn't look up from sharpening his katana.
"Good. I prefer honesty over comfort."
Jasper stared at both of them.
"I hate this crew."
By nightfall, they saw it.
Ruluka Isle rose from the sea like a scar—jagged cliffs, dense jungle spilling over black stone, and a faint red glow pulsing deep inland, like a giant heartbeat beneath the earth.
Lightning flickered inside the clouds above it.
No thunder.
Just light.
Theo's hand paused on his blade.
"…That island's alive."
"Not literally," Jasper muttered. "I hope."
Fushiguro sat up.
"Ruluka doesn't welcome anyone," he said. "That's why it's perfect."
They docked on a narrow strip of broken stone beach. The moment Fushiguro's boots hit the ground—
The pressure hit them.
Jasper staggered back a step.
"W-What the hell is that…?"
Theo's eyes sharpened.
"…Killing intent. Old. Layered."
Fushiguro smiled.
"Good. That means we picked the right place."
They didn't get ten steps into the jungle before the island answered them.
The ground moved.
Roots burst upward like spears, snapping toward Jasper's legs.
"AH—!"
Metal surged instinctively from the ship behind them—chains, nails, scraps—wrapping around Jasper's body and yanking him backward just in time.
The roots slammed into the sand where he'd stood.
Theo was already moving.
His blade flashed once.
Clean. Silent.
The roots fell apart like severed snakes.
"…Carnivorous plants," Theo said. "Great."
The jungle shifted.
Eyes opened in the dark—some animal, some not.
Fushiguro stepped forward.
"Formation."
They moved instantly.
Theo front. Jasper mid-range. Fushiguro ahead of them both.
A massive shape lunged from the foliage.
Not a beast.
A man.
Covered in scars, skin dark and cracked like cooled lava, eyes glowing faint red.
He grinned.
"Fresh meat," he rasped. "Didn't think anyone dumb enough would land here again."
Jasper whispered, "Captain…?"
Fushiguro cracked his neck.
"Perfect timing."
The man lunged.
Fushiguro didn't dodge.
He met him.
Their fists collided—
BOOM.
The shockwave ripped trees out by the roots.
Jasper's eyes went wide.
Theo narrowed his.
The stranger skidded back, boots carving trenches through stone.
"…Haki," the man muttered. Then he laughed. "Good. I was bored."
Fushiguro rolled his shoulders.
"Name?"
"Doesn't matter. People here call me Gravel Jaw."
Theo stepped in.
"Captain. Permission to cut him?"
Fushiguro glanced back.
"Not yet."
Jasper blinked.
"Huh?"
Fushiguro's voice hardened.
"This island is your furnace. Gravel Jaw?"
He looked back at the man.
"You're our first weight."
Gravel Jaw grinned wider.
"Bold words, brat."
Jasper swallowed.
"…Captain, what does that mean?"
Fushiguro smiled.
"You're fighting him."
Jasper's soul left his body.
"I'M WHAT—"
"Metal control," Fushiguro continued calmly. "Against raw strength and Armament Haki. Learn or break."
Theo frowned.
"That's dangerous."
"Yes," Fushiguro agreed. "That's the point."
Gravel Jaw laughed and cracked his knuckles.
"I'll try not to kill him too fast."
Jasper shakily raised his hands.
Metal rose from the ground, sharper this time. He breathed hard.
"O-Okay… okay… angry magnet octopus… you got this…"
Theo exhaled slowly, stepping back—but his grip on the sword tightened.
"…If he dies, I'm cutting the island."
Fushiguro's eyes locked on Jasper.
"Don't rely on fear," he said. "Rely on intent."
The jungle went silent.
Gravel Jaw charged.
And Ruluka Isle watched.