Punk Hazard

The Burning Lands (炎の土地, Honō no Tochi?) is the HOT south-western half which was most affected by Akainu’s Devil Fruit ability. A fiery sea, filled with dead fish bones, surrounds the burning lands which was caused by the aftermath of the duel, making it impossible for ships to dock at the main entrance. Before the poison gas incident occurred, it was once a military base of the World Government where the island’s main port was located, but the disaster caused the base to be abandoned. The entrance is bolted with a danger sign, hazard stripes, and the logos of the Marines and World Government. The external border is heavily fenced in and inside lies a military base. Due to the area’s volcanic heat, all of the buildings were melted and deformed, and the streets riddled with lava pits. A large partially melted skull is located near the melted base. The artificial dragon created by Dr. Vegapunk was roaming in the melted base before it was slain by the Straw Hats. Caesar Clown keeps his pet, Smiley, confined in a warehouse on this half of the island.

Ice Lands

The Ice Lands (氷の土地, Kōri no Tochi?) is the COOL north-eastern half which was transformed by Aokiji’s Devil Fruit ability. Four years ago, this half was the area where the poison gas incident originated from, causing the original inhabitants to flee the island. Since the duel, this half has become a frozen region with gigantic ice mountains and freezing winds, surrounded by numerous drifting icebergs. The Yeti Cool Brothers operate as assassins in the mountains, taking orders from Caesar. The Ice Lands also contain a harbor full of captured ships. The river leading to the harbor is normally blocked icebergs, which also threaten to crush passing ships. The Ice Lands also house numerous laboratories and underground facilities which were once used in chemical warfare research headed by the Government’s leading scientist, Dr. Vegapunk. The labs stretch across the mountain sides. Most of them were destroyed by the Poison gas fallout and few remain standing after the admiral duel.

Area F-16

Area F-16 (Fの16区間, Efu no Jūroku Kukan?, VIZ: Sector F-16) is where the Yeti Cool Brothers had laid a trap in an attempt to kill Zoro, Nami and Brook but failed.

Research Institutes

The First and Second Research Institutes (第一研究所, 第ニ研究所, Daiichi Kenkyūjo, Daini Kenkyūjo?) are behind the mountain where the third institute was built on. Caesar built his secret poison gas bomb here and after the explosion were left in ruins. Both groups of Straw Hats regrouped here along with the Biscuits Room kids.

The resulting group, although reaching the desired size and strength, was considered a failure. However, Kaidou went to the island and purchased them for his crew. 4 years ago, Caesar worked on developing a powerful gas weapon for mass murder despite protests from the other scientists. However, Vegapunk grew tired of covering up his partner’s recklessness and fired him from the team, but Caesar took this as a sign of jealousy and activated the bomb in a fit of rage. The poisonous gas spread across the island, devastating the island’s ecosystem and killing all life on it. Many of the survivors were evacuated in time, but the prisoners were left behind. Caesar also escaped, but was captured and imprisoned for what he did. It was at this time that Punk Hazard was shut down by the Marines and the World Government. One year after imprisonment, Caesar escaped and returned to Punk Hazard, where he used his Devil Fruit ability to purify the island of poisonous gas, but in truth he collected the gas and merged it with a Devil Fruit, transforming the gas into a sentient, mountain sized creature he named Smiley. He even kept it locked up and hidden in a warehouse in the Burning Lands should he ever need to release it. He then recruited the surviving prisoners and gave them artificial legs in the form of gas-powered balloons since they were left paralyzed from their lower bodies due to a strong neurotoxin in the gas. The survivors gladly accepted him as their master, not knowing that he caused their paralysis.

During The Timeskip

Another year later, when most of the remaining poison gas had dispersed, the island was known to the Marines as a large, abandoned wasteland making it the perfect battleground for Admirals Akainu and Aokiji’s battle over the position of fleet admiral, after the end of the Summit War of Marineford. The duel lasted for ten days and the impact and scale of their battle caused one side of the island to permanently be embroiled in flames, including the water around it, while the other half became permanently frozen over. In the end, Akainu emerged victorious and the island was left transformed into its current state, a desolate wasteland of fire and ice. Brownbeard eventually arrived at Punk Hazard on his own after suffering a crippling defeat at the hands of Basil Hawkins at Foodvalten, leaving his legs useless. He was rescued by the paraplegic former prisoners of Caesar and in gratitude, became Caesar’s subordinate. A few months before the Straw Hats’ arrival, Trafalgar Law arrived on the island and made a compact with Caesar, who agreed to keep Law’s presence a secret in exchange for healing his underlings. Law, using his Devil Fruit power, turned the surviving prisoners, Monet, and Brownbeard into half-animal, half-human creatures.

Dressrosa Saga

Punk Hazard Arc

Kin’emon arrived on the island sometime later looking for his “son” Momonosuke who managed to sneak onto a boat to Punk Hazard. While on the island he was confronted by Law and was quickly defeated and cut into three pieces, with his head taken to the facility while his torso and legs were left out in the raging elements. The torso, still retaining its arms and Kin’emon’s two swords, blindly attacked centaurs until one survivor managed to send a distress call which was picked up by the Straw Hats and Tashigi who intercepted the call. The Straw Hat Pirates decided to head to Punk Hazard and investigate the distress call, unaware that Smoker was following their trail. When Smoker, Tashigi and the other G-5 Marines arrive near the island, Smoker was surprised that there was still so much poisonous gas coming from the island, when all of it was dispersed two years ago. This prompted him to investigate the island. After navigating through treacherous icebergs, the group eventually made berth and discovered the laboratory where they encountered Trafalgar Law at the entrance, who claimed it was his vacation house. Later during the arc, after Caesar captures Law, Tashigi, Smoker, Luffy, Robin, and Franky, Caesar causes poisonous gas to spread across the island, using Smiley. The poisonous gas, called Shinokuni, spreads across the island making it inhospitable everywhere except in the research facility. But Caesar, desperately trying to petrify his enemies, allows the gas inside the lab’s Sections A and B. When Law defeats Vergo, a subordinate of Donquixote Doflamingo who is undercover in the Marines and was on the island on Doflamingo’s behalf, Law cuts the entire lab in half horizontally.