Chapter 148

**Pioneers of Earth** (地 (ち) 球 (きゅう) の開 (かい) 拓 (たく) 者 (しゃ) たち, *Chikyū no Kaitaku-sha-tachi*) is the 148th chapter of the *Dr. Stone* manga.

## Summary

The crew of the Perseus celebrates that they have finally reached America. Ginro, Yo, and Magma are desperate to get back on solid ground and eat fresh meat. Ukyo remarks that the crew has had very little meat during the voyage. Tsukasa notes that the fighters of the crew have been training hard and crave animal protein, as Kirisame is seen behaving relieved. Taiju states that they can hunt wild animals, and wonders what sort of animals live in America, nonchalantly asserting that this is his first vacation outside of Japan. Minami is bemused about this, and Senku brushes it aside as part of Taiju‘s charm. Homura draws the crew’s attention to the petrified people lodged halfway into the cliffs nearby. Senku stews over this, as Gen sadly discusses his hope that the lie he fabricated for the fake Lillian had been true: that America had recovered from the petrification, or beaten it altogether.

Kohaku notices a group of statues sitting in the water just off of a cape, with someone wondering why they’re there. Senku believes it be the result of a massive car pileup. Ukyo adds on that the cars have corroded away, leaving the drivers behind. Yo wonders why there were so many cars in the water, and Ryusui says that there were a lot of cars right above them, and that he had passed by this place on his yacht before the petrification: The Golden Gate Bridge.

The crew of the Perseus separates with the warrior team following the mobile lab carrying the exploration team in the motorboat in case of an attack. While passing through the river, the group wonder about the corn since it's about the time where it would wither. Soon the Mobile lab is attacked by alligators something Gen chalks up to Senku's bad luck. However, the Warriors were eager for a challenge and driven by their hunger they attacked most of the beasts while the rest flee in fear. The Kingdom then use the Alligator meat to restock on supplies. Ryusui then has Francois create a new meal for the event: Gator Burgers.

While everyone is enjoying gator burgers, Tsukasa then shows one of the Alligators had swallowed an ear of corn and Senku realized gathering corn might be in grasp.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Senku Ishigami
* Tsukasa Shishio
* Ryusui Nanami
* Nikki Hanada
* Ginro
* Minami Hokutozai
* Ukyo Saionji
* Kirisame
* Moz
* Kohaku
* Suika
* Gen Asagiri
* Chrome
* Yo Uei
* Matsukaze
* Yuzuriha Ogawa
* Homura Momiji
* Magma
* Hyoga
* Taiju Oki

## Chapter Notes

* The Perseus arrives in San Francisco and see that Americans are still petrified.
* The Golden Gate Bridge has collapsed.
* The location of the corn Senku is looking for is the former Sacramento area.
* The Kingdom of Science are attacked by alligators but the Warriors easily defeat the alligators and stock up on supplies using the meat.
	+ This is highly unusual, due to the fact that the American Alligator is not native to California.
	+ This is likely due to them escaping from the zoo and repopulating over thousands of years.
* Taiju, Magma and Nikki are the only fighters left behind to guard the Perseus.

## Trivia

* It's likely early September in the story, as by real world logic, harvesting usually occurs around this time.
* Senku explains two key factors about harvesting the corn. Due to change in Earth's axis, the fall season has been extended for nine days. Additionally, the weather is also much more unpredictable due to climate change.
* It's a true fact those who maintain good physical fitness require large amounts of protein to maintain their strength.
* The non-combatants on the search team of Senku, Chrome, Gen, Ryusui, Suika and Francois. Each has a vital role. Senku's encyclopedic memory, Chrome's intuition for scavenging and inventing, Gen's trickery, Ryusui's expert knowledge of weather, Suika's speedy and stealthy reconnaissance, and Francois's cooking. Gen, Suika and Francois serve for the secondary mission of when Americans are revived; Gen would handle negotiations, Suika would keep an on eye on those who might be trouble, while Francois would be able to provide a decent meal.
* Gen brings up Senku's bad habit of long-winding his explanations for simple things again. Additionally every time it's something easy to do, something goes wrong.