One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile

The Demon land refers to the strange garden that used to be on Lantis Island. It used to be a place where flowers bloomed exquisitely and irresistibly, famous as a scenic spot. However, since the black mist descended five years ago, the island has been filled with numerous oddities, including changes in terrain and transformations of life forms. 

The Demon land represents those changes in life forms. Before setting out, Rosen learned from Alice that thousands of types of flowers here had transformed into almost living beings. Furthermore, they emit colorful steam which gathers into brilliant clouds; once their density reaches a certain level, flashes appear randomly throughout the Demon land, destroying all invasive species, including zombies and humans. Strangely, within this mutated garden, various animals that have not been infected but merely mutated still exist and can be consumed without fearing the flashes, known as instantaneous storms, even where some mutated flowers bear many delicious fruits. Thus, it's not an exaggeration to say that Demon land is currently a cradle of food for Lantis, though the significant risk of instantaneously losing one's life looms large. 

Moreover, the essential reason for the name "Demon land" is that the very ground seems alive, conscious, even possessing life. There was a case where someone plunged a knife into the ground, prompting it to shake and quiver, with blood seeping out. 

Rosen listened with rapt amazement as Alice explained the Demon land; with such a bizarre and wondrous place, it was no surprise it's called Demon land. Alice, along with Lisa, had brought seven or eight teams, almost half of Mingshang's warriors, as they were severely lacking food. The newly titled Food God had run into issues transporting supplies to the Ninth Garden; otherwise, the queen wouldn't have tasked them with solving their food crisis on their own. 

"I won't say much on precautions, as everyone understands. The stronger fighters will form hunting teams to engage larger creatures, while the faster ones will form gathering teams to collect fruits — the more food, the better," Alice directed as they began to split into teams. 

Standing before this Demon land, Rosen was somewhat astonished. "This used to be a garden? It looks way more like a vivid, colossal forest," he remarked. 

In front of him lay a vast, vibrant space filled with gigantic flowers. He saw a rose shoot high up toward the clouds, with a thick stalk thicker than any millennia-old tree he'd encountered. The fragrance was intoxicating, strong enough to sting the nose: tulips, azaleas, jasmine, and other flowers, both known and unknown, towered above, each petal larger than a person, and at times, colorful mists wafted lazily above, seeming placid and beautiful. 

Setting aside the dangers Alice had mentioned, Rosen felt the place was stunning and tranquil. It was hard to believe such a beautiful locale could instill fear in untold strong fighters. "Everyone clear on their responsibilities? Each of you holds a sketch of the target. Inform the team immediately if you see him within the Demon land," Alice continued, reminding everyone they had a drawing of Trafalgar Law based on Rosen's wanted poster. Since Rosen saved Alice, they would do their utmost to locate this person. 

"Understood," every warrior geared up like it was a real battle. Usually, zombies do not swarm this area; they seem to recognize its dangers. Instead, other outsiders, including pirates, marines, and different Lantis residents often visit. It felt like an enormous treasure trove; however, it's far too perilous to willingly explore—Lantis residents only considered it when they had no other means of securing food, or had some specific purpose, such as Law. 

"Action!" Alice decisively commanded. The scavenging grounds stretched widely, forming a unique biological chain akin to a forest. With flora and fauna thriving, it didn't appear crowded even if tens of thousands were thrown in. 

"Lord Crocodile, shall we enter together?" Alice forced a gentle smile. 

"Stop! Your smile is too stiff—Your acting is unconvincing. Don't harbor any thoughts; there's no way between us," Rosen replied, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, feeling her intentions were too obvious and unsuitably misconstrued as tender.

"Am I really someone with ulterior motives?" Alice's teeth clicked together in frustration, though she was excited about her dreams as a super-soldier and tried to restrain herself. 

"It's pretty evident," Natalia volunteered in his defense. As a warrior with observation Haki, she was very valuable here and could foresee dangers; the teams alone wouldn't work efficiently huddled together. Though effective only a bit earlier in detecting danger, it didn't guarantee absolute safety. 

"Go home and practice stabbing a thousand more times," Alice's countenance resumed its usual icy demeanor. 

Natalia, however, hollered jovially, "Sure thing!" 

Just then, a colossal rose nearby was cleaved in two by a bright flash and hit the ground with a resounding thud. "Trouble!" With that, the last three rushed towards the commotion's source as Alice's dagger formed protective arcs around her and rose looking floor as sands began seeping from him. 

At the Demon land's edge, just exiting from deep within the area was Trafalgar Law, though his expression didn't seem pleasant; holding his own wanted poster and standing over a fallen Lantis citizen who was sliced into pieces without a hint of blood but still lived. 

"Now, what do you seek me for? Hand out a copy; I don't remember bringing trouble to you." A smug smile appeared on Law's face, staring coolly at the mortal beneath his foot. 

"Not sharing, huh? I know Alice is quite stubborn; ordinarily, our interactions seemed manageable—each fulfilling their own needs. Yet, now there's a massive hunt for my whereabouts; the issue must be more than just simple. Would you prefer to be twisted into a creature by poison or coop up sinfully answering my questions?" He pulled out a vial of blue toxin he had extracted from plant-type zombies—a substance intended for medical research. 

At first, Law was intrigued by these patients, yet the depths of his work exposed them as unarguably dead; there wasn't a hope left, damned to another biological state. 

"Trafalgar Law!?" At this moment, Rosen barged to the centralized point of commotion, seeing the now familiar yet alien figure brandishing a flamboyant long blade, caught off guard. Finding the target was too swift and exceedingly easy; he expected time to seek Law, and here the person awaited unexpectedly bright-eyed before him. 

As unfamiliar voices broke the thick night, instinct awakened educating Law to retaliate. "ROOM. Slaughterhouse!" 

Buzz! A translucent dome enveloped an expansive area while his long blade "Lion's Roar" streaked multiple flashes menacingly towards Rosen's direction. 

"Sandstorm!" Without hesitation, Rosen tossed of an advanced Sandstorm. 

(End of chapter)

=========================================================

DROP THEM POWER STONES PLEASE

SUPPORT ME ON P@TREON IF YOU'D LIKE ACCESS ON ADVANCED CHAPTERS

PAT REON . COM / TurdTranslations (Just remove the space).