Chapters · Dressrosa › Punk Hazard

Chapter 655: Punk Hazard

Arc: Punk Hazard · Saga: Dressrosa · Released:

Summary

The Straw Hats — now in the New World — sail past a violently erupting, fire-wreathed island that none of their three Log Pose needles will point to, the sea around it literally burning with the corpses of deep-sea fish. A crying transponder snail relays an S.O.S.: a panicked man, mistaking Luffy for his “boss,” gasps that his people are being “cut down, one after the other” by a samurai, that “it’s so cold,” and that they are trapped on “Punk Hazard” — then the call cuts off as he is apparently killed. Robin warns it is likely a Navy trap and that most emergency alerts can’t be trusted; the crew debates the lore that samurai are the swordsmen of the closed nation of Wano, which not even the Navy dares enter. Luffy, smelling a mystery, decides to mount a rescue. Cut to G-5, Grand Line Naval Base 5, where Vice Admiral “White Chase” Smoker — who has been wiretapping the crew with a black transponder snail — explains that Punk Hazard has been abandoned and sealed off since “the accident four years ago,” and orders his protesting men into the off-limits zone in pursuit. Nami lays down a “Milky Road” of fresh clouds with her upgraded Clima-Tact, and a short-straw search party (Luffy, Zoro, Robin, Usopp, plus a terrified dragged-along crewmate) rides the Mini Merry II over the flames to the PUNK HAZARD — ENTRANCE gate, marked with the joint insignia of the World Government and the Marines and a DANGER / KEEP OUT sign. Zoro smashes through. Inside they find a burnt-out government facility, not houses; while they puzzle over the dying man’s contradictory “it’s so cold” clue and Nami (on the Sunny) reports the far side of the island appears to be freezing, a colossal silhouette resolves into a fire-breathing dragon, and a high-heeled woman in leopard print steps from the smoke demanding “Who goes there?”

New reveals

• Punk Hazard debuts — both named and shown for the first time (pp. 5, 13). The dying caller names it (”…PLUNK HAZARD!!!” — VIZ renders his slurred pronunciation, p. 5); the landing party reaches the gate captioned “PUNK HAZARD — ENTRANCE” (p. 13).
• Punk Hazard is a sealed-off government facility. Smoker: it has “been abandoned and sealed off!! Ever since the accident four years ago,” is off-limits, and “ain’t in any state… to support life at the moment” (p. 9). The KEEP OUT gate bears “the insignia of both the World Government… and the Navy!!” (pp. 13-15). Robin reads the burnt buildings as “a government facility… I don’t think these are houses” (p. 15).
• The “accident four years ago” — an unexplained disaster that set the island permanently on fire and depopulated it (p. 9). The Log Pose’s refusal to point at the island is flagged as separately “curious” (p. 15).
• The cold-on-a-fire-island contradiction. The dying caller repeatedly says “it’s so cold” while the island is a sea of fire (pp. 5, 16); from the Sunny, Nami reports “It appears to be freezing on the far side” and that “something’s wrong with the sky over this island… it’s the clouds” (p. 17).
• Killed by a samurai. The caller: “We’re being killed by a samurai!!” / “All my people… cut down, one after the other” (p. 5). The crew explains samurai = the swordsmen of Wano, a closed-border nation unaffiliated with the World Government that even the Navy will not breach (pp. 6-7).
• Smoker is a Vice Admiral at G-5. Caption: “Grand Line Naval Base 5, G-5 Vice Admiral White Chase Smoker” (p. 8). He has been wiretapping the Straw Hats via a black transponder snail (p. 7) and tracks the three post-Fish-Man-Island Log Pose destinations he expected them to take.
• Three named New World destinations named for the first time: Risky Red Island, Raijin Island, and Mistoria Island — the three places the needles indicate after Fish-Man Island (p. 8). Smoker assumed Straw Hat would pick Raijin Island (the “bumpiest needle”); instead Luffy ignored all three.
• Nami’s “Milky Road.” Nami now creates real Skypiea-type clouds with her upgraded Clima-Tact — “You can make those Skypiea things now?!” — but “they’re still clouds, so hurry up before they dissipate” (p. 10). The Mini Merry II rides the cloud path over the fire (p. 11).
• Dragons are real. A giant fire-breathing dragon is captioned “Inhabitant of Punk Hazard: DRAGON” (pp. 18-19); the crew’s disbelief (“I thought they were imaginary!! …Do those actually exist?!”) confirms dragons were considered mythical until now.
• A mysterious figure. A woman in a leopard-print outfit and high heels emerges from the smoke: “Who goes there…?” (p. 19) — unnamed, unexplained.

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Straw Hat search party (shown inside Punk Hazard): Luffy, Zoro, Nico Robin, Usopp (with one terrified crewmate dragged along)
• Aboard the Thousand Sunny: Nami (lays the Milky Road, spots the freezing far side), Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper (“can’t-get-on-this-island-itis”), Franky, Brook
• Marines: Smoker (Vice Admiral, G-5) and his G-5 sailors
• Unnamed: the dying distress caller (“guy from before”); the leopard-print woman (“Who goes there?”)
• Locations: Punk Hazard (debut), G-5 (shown), Fish-Man Island (referenced — the needles “after Fish-Man Island”), Wano Country (referenced), Risky Red Island / Raijin Island / Mistoria Island (named only)
• Creatures / lore: Dragons (first on-page dragon in the series), Log Pose, Den Den Mushi (black transponder snail / crying distress snail), Marines
• Ships: Thousand Sunny (Thousand Sunny); Mini Merry II (the cloud-riding lifeboat)

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page “Chapter 655: PUNK HAZARD.” Cover story: From the Decks of the World, Vol. 37 — “Water Seven — Galley-La Company’s Genius 10-Year-Old Secretary.” A bespectacled young girl secretary with a clipboard, a tall thin Galley-La worker saluting, and a small dog.
• Pages 2-3 — The erupting, fire-wreathed island the Log Pose won’t point to; a “sea of fire” with deep-sea fish burning and their bones floating.
• Page 5 — The crying transponder-snail distress call: “killed by a samurai,” “it’s so cold,” ”…PLUNK HAZARD!!!”
• Page 8 — Reveal panel: “Grand Line Naval Base 5, G-5 Vice Admiral White Chase Smoker,” with the three named islands (Risky Red, Raijin, Mistoria).
• Page 10 — Nami’s “Milky Road”: she lays down a fresh cloud path for the Mini Merry II.
• Pages 13-14 — The “PUNK HAZARD — ENTRANCE” gate, DANGER / KEEP OUT, joint World Government + Marine insignia; Zoro smashes through.
• Pages 18-19 — The fire-breathing dragon (“Inhabitant of Punk Hazard: DRAGON”) and the leopard-print woman emerging from the smoke (“Who goes there…?”).
• Page 20 — SBS Question Corner (volume back-matter): young-kid portraits of Hogback, Absalom, Cindry, and Perona; and old lady Kokoro as a young mermaid (before/after).

Open questions raised

• What was “the accident four years ago” that set Punk Hazard permanently ablaze and depopulated it, and why does the World Government keep it sealed?
• Why can the Log Pose not point to Punk Hazard?
• How can it be “so cold” on a burning island — and why is the far side freezing with abnormal clouds in the sky?
• Who is the samurai cutting down the caller’s people, and how did a swordsman from closed-border Wano end up on a sealed World Government island?
• Who is the leopard-print woman, and is she captor, captive, or the dragon’s master?
• Who sent the distress call, and were they really killed?