The Dark Continent is riddled with forbidden dangers. V5, the official government organization, conducts its exploration with caution, aiming to focus solely on the "Five Great Hopes." This measured approach ensures that even if a disaster strikes, V5 has some contingency plans in place. However, Beyond's team is far more reckless, focusing solely on acquiring what they want, heedless of the dangers or long-term consequences.
The Five Great Disasters that have plagued explorers are notorious for the immense sacrifices required to understand their weaknesses. Each step toward comprehension costs lives, as any trial against these calamities demands immense risk.
As the V5 officials led discussions on setting up a new base after the previous encounter with the monstrous fishmen, the group reached a tentative agreement to temporarily join forces. They needed to move the camp to a safer location, away from the threat of another ambush.
Shortly after, Netero and the others who had been chasing Beyond returned. The state of their clothes indicated a fierce battle had taken place, though it seemed that Beyond had prepared well for the confrontation and had the numbers on his side. Netero's group hadn't gained much from the skirmish and retreated to reorganize.
"I'm heading out first. Be careful," Daniel said as he gave a brief nod to Ada and Robin, then checked his bearings before setting off on his own. Although he had considered traveling with them, the divergence in their objectives led them to part ways. For Ada and Robin, exploring the Dark Continent was an adventure filled with excitement, one they didn't want to skip by taking shortcuts.
Just like Robin's decision to decline learning the truth about Raftel from Rayleigh in the original timeline, Ada and Robin sought to enjoy the thrill of discovery. Daniel, too, would have preferred to share the adventure, but he had pressing matters to attend to—most notably, dealing with the cosmic overseer. Once that was settled, he hoped to enjoy such adventures alongside them.
"The farthest the Six Continents have ever explored into the Dark Continent is just 500 kilometers, barely scratching the surface of its immense expanse," Daniel mused as he ventured deeper into the wilderness. The Five Great Hopes were discovered within this 500-kilometer range, though they were scattered in different directions. In a more typical setting, such a distance would be insignificant to a powerful Nen user. They could traverse it within a week at most, without even pushing themselves.
But, of course, the Dark Continent was no ordinary place.
"Chimera Ants? So soon, huh?" Daniel hadn't traveled far before encountering some familiar creatures—Chimera Ants. These, however, were ordinary Chimera Ants, much like the ones that had been encountered and dispatched by Kite before. Still, their size was noticeably larger.
Daniel paid them little mind, continuing on his way.
"If someone were to traverse this terrain on foot, the danger would be constant." Thanks to his mastery of Observation Haki, Daniel was able to avoid most threats without engaging, moving quickly and quietly through the environment.
To cover ground faster, Daniel used his enchanted broomstick for flight. Though his Iron Man armor was faster and more efficient in energy consumption, its reaction speed wasn't quite enough for the dangers that lurked in the Dark Continent.
"What a massive field of carnivorous flowers." After emerging from the forest, Daniel found himself facing an enormous field of brilliantly colored flowers. The breathtaking beauty of the scene was only marred by the layers of bones scattered beneath the blossoms, remnants of the unfortunate creatures that had fallen victim to the deadly blooms. He watched as a gigantic beast, several meters in length, wandered into the field, only to collapse and rapidly decompose into a skeleton.
"Next on the list: the Longevity Rice, Nitrolomi, and the double-tailed serpent responsible for the deadly 'Hell's Bells' phenomenon," Daniel muttered, focusing on his primary goal. The Longevity Rice, Nitrolomi, was at the top of V5's objectives as well, with the medicinal herb that could cure all diseases, known as the Vanilla Herb, ranking second. After all, if death were imminent, even the most powerful medicine was useless.
The Nitrolomi grew in a seemingly endless swamp, and Daniel had gathered intelligence suggesting it was as vast as the eye could see.
Thanks to his rapid pace, Daniel reached the outskirts of the swamp ahead of the V5 officials.
"There's nothing alive for miles. This place really is terrifying." For kilometers around the swamp where Nitrolomi grew, no living creatures could be found. The only things visible were bones scattered across the landscape.
"That must be the double-tailed serpent. The sound it makes is likely the infamous 'Hell's Bells.'" Though the creature's hissing seemed ordinary, it was emitted from its twin tails rather than its mouth. The range of this deadly sound extended for several kilometers, and any being within that radius was consumed by murderous rage, driven to kill all living things around them. This explained the lack of life near the swamp.
A single serpent might not be so deadly, but in this swamp, they existed in the thousands. Their collective hissing would form a deadly resonance, capable of overwhelming even the most resilient creatures.
There was little information on what else might lurk in this swamp, though the double-tailed serpents were already more than enough to worry about.
"Now to find the Nitrolomi." The Longevity Rice was not found in abundance throughout the swamp. On the contrary, it was exceedingly rare, hidden among the myriad swamp plants and grasses. Searching for it without disturbing the serpents was nearly impossible.
The difficulty of harvesting Nitrolomi lay in this. Fortunately, the rice grew above the water, not submerged in the swamp, but its rarity and the serpents made the task nearly insurmountable.
For Daniel, though, this was a trivial challenge. His Mirror Dimension allowed him to search in safety, free from the effects of Hell's Bells. Using the mystic gateways from Kamar-Taj, Daniel could retrieve the Five Great Hopes as easily as plucking fruit from a tree.
"So this is Nitrolomi. It's extraordinary," Daniel whispered. The golden stalks of the Nitrolomi stood out among the dense swamp plants, each bearing only a handful of grains. Unlike ordinary rice plants, which had dozens of grains per stalk, Nitrolomi bore only a few, each grain plump and shimmering with a golden hue.
"The yield is incredibly low. If anyone else were here, they'd be lucky to get a single grain." After combing a ten-kilometer radius, Daniel found just five Nitrolomi plants, yielding a mere sixteen grains in total. He was amazed at the rarity of this miraculous rice.
Furthermore, each plant was guarded by a double-tailed serpent. Harvesting even one grain would undoubtedly alert the serpents, and disturbing one would likely trigger a chain reaction, unleashing all the serpents at once.
"Twelve plants. That should be enough." Daniel could have searched for more, but twelve plants with a total of nearly forty grains seemed sufficient for his needs. Though he could always return later, it made sense to gather as much as possible now.
Rather than harvesting the plants one by one, Daniel planned to collect them all at once. After casting a series of seals, he summoned dozens of tangible shadow clones to assist him.
The moment the Nitrolomi was harvested, the serpents lashed out, but Daniel's clones swiftly ascended into the air, evading their strikes. Although the serpents could leap surprisingly high, they couldn't reach the flying clones.
Frustrated, the serpents unleashed their Hell's Bells, their hissing reverberating through the swamp and growing stronger as more serpents joined in.
"It's suicide to enter this swamp on foot," Daniel observed, shaking his head as more serpents emerged from the swamp. Safely concealed in the Mirror Dimension, he inspected the Nitrolomi grains before tucking them away for safekeeping.
Once he had completed his study of the serpents and gathered a few samples, Daniel promptly disposed of them. He had no interest in using these dangerous creatures as weapons.
"The venom is just as potent as the resonance," Daniel noted, having tested the serpents' poison as well. After examining the serpents in detail, he killed the rest, satisfied with his research.
"Time to go." With a wave of his hand, Daniel opened a portal and emerged several miles away from the swamp, leaving the enraged serpents far behind.
"This place feels like a primordial world," Daniel thought as he perched atop a massive tree, scanning the horizon. Colossal beasts roamed the landscape, while enormous birds soared overhead. One bird swooped down, its talons sinking into a gigantic creature struggling desperately against the assault. There was no sign of human civilization here, only raw, untamed nature.
Compared to the double-tailed serpents, these massive beasts made even the most dangerous creatures seem small.
"This must be what it feels like for a Sea King to come ashore. I wonder if the Sea Kings could leave the Calm Belt under Poseidon's command." The massive creatures reminded Daniel of the Sea Kings from the One Piece world.
"That must be the World Tree of the Dark Continent. It's massive." Through his telescope, Daniel spotted an enormous tree towering into the clouds, far taller than anything he had ever seen, including the legendary Sun Tree Eve.
Among the clouds, enormous birds circled the tree. One in particular caught his attention—a bird adorned with markings that resembled the word "god" as it flapped its wings, sending bolts of lightning crashing down from the sky.
"Ging must be headed there. His ambitions are certainly grand. It's a good thing he has Nitrolomi, or he'd never live to see
his dream come true," Daniel mused. The towering World Tree piqued his curiosity, but for now, his priorities lay elsewhere.
As Daniel surveyed the landscape, he noticed that V5's forces were advancing toward the swamp, with none other than Calvin, one of the five great Nen users, leading the charge. Like Netero and Beyond, Calvin had explored the Dark Continent in the past.
"Guess it's time to wrap things up and return. Let's see what this giant beast tastes like," Daniel said with a grin as he spotted a massive boar, nearly two kilometers long, roaming nearby.
"It looks like the Great Hog Boar. Maybe this is the larger version?" After studying the creature from the air, Daniel confirmed its resemblance to the gigantic boar from the Wetlands of Dismel.
"That'll last for a while," he thought as he prepared to engage the creature.
"Let's see what you've got." With a flick of his wrist, Daniel expanded the Mirror Dimension, pulling the colossal boar into the alternate space for a one-on-one battle.
Despite its immense size and strength, the boar was no match for Daniel. Its thick hide and tough muscles were easily broken under his relentless assault, culminating in a final blow that left the beast lifeless.
"It's strong, on par with some of the Sea Kings from the Grand Line." After assessing the creature's strength, Daniel realized that only Netero might be able to defeat such a monster head-on. Other hunters would likely struggle.
Now that the boar had been subdued, Daniel prepared to carve up his prize. There would be plenty to eat for days to come.
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