One Piece - Lionheart of the Sea 24 (Patreon)

Hey everyone, and welcome to my One Piece fanfiction. This chapter will be the start of the Little Garden Arc. This Arc isn't all that long, so there won't be much to do, but I do plan on adding a few surprises, so keep that in mind. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Eiichiro Oda, Shueisha, Toei Animation, and Fuji TV. Please support the official release.

"Pirate" Regular speech.

"Pirate" Thoughts.

Finger Pistol Attack names.

(Pirate) Words said previously.

"PIRATE!" Shouting speech.

[Pirate!] people talking at the same time.

"Pirate" people talking over communication.

-

The Monsters Of Little Garden

—…

It was another day of sailing for the Pirates and their guests, who were still en route to their current destination. Little Garden. They still had no clue what they were going to get into, but they had little choice since their Captain decided that Little Garden would be their destination. None of them were really doing much of anything as of now. Light was in his room in the cabin while the rest of them were seated on the upper deck rail. Zoro was napping against it, and Usopp was beside him, tinkering with his ammunition.

"Well, at least the weather is pretty nice today." Usopp noticed, looking up at the clear sky. "Looks like there won't be any rain or snow this time."

"Snow in this climate?" Zoro questioned him.

"It actually did snow." Silk mentioned as she rested against the main mast and stared at the swordsman. "On our way to Whiskey Peak. But you slept through the whole thing."

"Well, we have someone who actually knows the crazy weather around here." Gin commented and

turned to Vivi. "Hey? How about it? Are we gonna get any more snow or storms?"

"I wouldn't rule anything out, but in the sea or in the first time it snowed was special." Vivi explained. "The seven magnetic fields that emit from the Reverse Mountain tend to make things particularly chaotic. But that doesn't mean you should relax your guard while sailing these waters. The odds of it being as wild as your first journey may be small." Vivi moved over to the side of the Going Merry. "But still, these waters aren't normal and are certain to hide surprises of their own. Remember, never underestimate the sea."

"Hey, guys!" Sanji appeared from the kitchen, carrying a platter with several drinks atop it. "Anyone want to sample my special drink?"

"Don't mind if I do." Gin called out, always up for trying something Sanji prepared. Silk got up and followed suit, as did Zoro. Vivi watched as each of the members of the crew, including her duck, sat around with their own drink in hand, enjoying themselves with not a care in the world.

"Hey, since the weather's good for it, let's do some fishing." Silk suggested.

"Fishing?" Zoro smiled. "Hell yeah, I'm in."

"Sure." Gin agreed. "Fish sounds like it'd be great for dinner."

"Sounds good to me!" Usopp added. "I'll even make you one of my custom fishing rods. You'll love it!" Carue lifted the straw out of the drink with his bill.

"No, no. It goes like this." Sanji instructed, guiding the straw back toward the drink.

They all watched Carue take the drink and slurp it down in only a second.

"Well, somebody sure is thirsty." Sanji commented and set another drink in front of Carue. "Have another." The duck once again quickly slurped the beverage, only for Sanji to give him another.

"He's sure gulping those down." Zoro stated.

"I didn't think ducks could get so thirsty." Gin jokingly mused.

"Oh, yeah!" Usopp cheered along with some of the others.

Vivi narrowed her eyes at them at how none of them seemed to care about their current predicament. Nami soon joined the princess out on the deck.

"They're acting like idiots!" Vivi exclaimed, pointing at the guys who were too busy cheering for Carue.

"Maybe this will help." Nami mentioned, passing a drink to Vivi and holding her own in hand. "Just relax." The navigator took a sip from her straw. "They may go through their goofy phases, but when things get rough, they get to work. Trust me. I should know."

"Hey!" Silk called out, getting Nami's attention. "Quit talking about us like we can't hear you; it's annoying."

"I'm just trying to put her mind at ease." Nami retorted.

"Well, include yourself." Silk told her before addressing Vivi. "Don't get the wrong idea; she is the most dishonest, self-serving, untrustworthy person on this crew."

Nami scoffed, feeling insulted, but didn't reply.

"Sorry." Vivi frowned, taking the drink. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm getting worked up over nothing."

"This ship will put you at ease." Nami assured with a smirk. "You'll cheer up in no time." Carue's solo drinking contest was ongoing, along with the cheers.

"Go, duck!" Usopp cheered loudly.

"How many of those has he had now?" Gin wondered through mid-slurp. The duck had finally had enough, let out a quack, and tumbled over on his back, spitting out the drink like a water fountain. The laughter started among the rest of the crew while Nami and Vivi kept on watching all of them.

"Hahaha!" Nami chuckled, turning over to Vivi.

"Yeah, they're… Funny." Vivi mentioned slowly with a tiny smile.

Suddenly, from the ocean, a dolphin leaped out of the water alongside the Going Merry.

"Hey, look!" Sanji smiled. "A dolphin! Pirates best friend!"

"Beautiful!" Nami chirped. The sea creature leaped from the ocean and was a lot larger than it appeared. As it jumped, its large form loomed a shadow over the Pirates' caravel, causing eyes of shock to appear among them.

[It's huge!] Exclaimed Sanji, Zoro, and Gin.

"Of course, the dolphins around here would be ridiculously big." Silk groaned, knowing this was something they'd have to keep dealing with.

Everyone kept staring once the dolphin made it over their ship and splashed back into the water.

"Move it!" Zoro called.

"Okay, going!" Sanji said.

"On it!" Gin nodded.

Each of the Pirates sprinted across the deck to get their ship moving. Each of them knew what to do and what needed to be done. Gin and Sanji pulled on the ropes that worked the sails, Usopp and Silk tugged on the ropes from the top yard, and Zoro took control of the steering rudder. Vivi watched each of them handle their own job with astonishment in her eyes.

"She was right," Vivi murmured, remembering Nami's words.

"Okay, hurry!" Silk shouted. "Keep moving!" The enormous dolphin continued trailing behind the Going Merry and was ready for another dive into the ocean. "Brace yourselves! The impact is going to hit us hard!" The dolphin plunged into the water and brought about a massive wave that carried the Going Merry along with it.

Zoro looked up at Nami. "Nami, give us the directions?"

"Gimme a second." Nami replied. "I'll check." She eyed the Log Pose on her wrist, checking the direction where the arrow was pointed. "Port side! Full!"

[Turning full!] They all announced in unison and turned Full toward the left. In the distance, everyone spotted their destination: Little Garden. All of them stood at the front deck together as Usopp pulled out his telescope to get a look at the island.

"There's no mistake," Nami stated. "Cactus Island and this one are definitely pulling against each other." She pointed a finger at the island. "Our next stop!"

It was then that the door to the cabin opened, and Light walked out, finally joining the rest of them on the deck.

"It sure is noisy today." Light noted as the others noticed his presence.

"Captain, where were you?" Usopp questioned as he faced him. "Do you have any idea what we just went through?"

"I know, a giant dolphin." Light answered as Usopp looked perplexed at how he guessed correctly. "Don't be surprised; I heard all your screaming from inside; it sounded like you had things under control."

"We did, but still, what were you doing in there?" Zoro asked, more curious than upset. "If you wanted to take a nap, you could have done so out here."

"I was thinking about Coby, actually." Light muttered, causing Zoro to stop for a moment because of how out of nowhere that comment sounded. Light smiled. "I like to reminisce sometimes when I have free time, which isn't often."

"Well, in case you were wondering, we've arrived at our next spot." Silk informed him as she pointed to the island in the distance.

"I see, that's good." Light grinned with excitement. "Our second island in the Grand Line."

-O-

Somewhere on the Grand Line—Kyuka Island. It was a tropical island with several buildings, including hotels. On the mountain in the center of the island, there was a large tree with an umbrella-shaped cup and a building on top. The island's architecture features many archways, balconies, and swimming pools. This was where another pair of Baroque Works officer agents were vacationing.

It was like this all the time with this pair. When they weren't chasing after one of their targets, they were lounging around drinking tea. Not that they minded; it was nice to take a break, but one of them was simply too accustomed to a posh manner of living, and the other was, to put it in a word, lazy. They were Mr. 3 and his partner, Miss Goldenweek, and they were currently relaxing at a table by a swimming pool in a hotel.

Miss Goldenweek was a teenager with a childish appearance, with relatively large eyes and circles of blush on her cheeks. She was fairly short in stature and wore her dark red hair tied in twin braids. Her attire consists of a wide-brimmed pink hat with a green band, a dark blue T-shirt with the word "GOLDEN" written on it in orange, a sky blue cloud-patterned button-down shirt, a maroon-colored overalls skirt with the top folded down, blue striped stockings, and big red shoes with white cuffs and white soles.

"Mr. 3?" Miss Goldenweek called her partner.

"Yes, my dear, hold on…" The man answered and brought the cup up to smell the scent that arose from it. "Ahhh, nothing quite like the rich aroma of Earl Grey." Mr. 3 mentioned before taking a single sip of his tea.

Mr. 3 was an average-sized man with a rather frail-looking build. Like other male Baroque Works agents, Mr. 3 had his number hidden somewhere on his costume. For Mr. 3, 3's were visible on his vest design, the upper part of his glasses, and one big 3 achieved through his top knot. He also wears glasses and has neatly combed hair. He was also seen wearing a Log Pose on his left wrist.

"I'm bored." she stated.

"On the one hand, you say you're bored; on the other, you don't like working, correct?" Mr. 3 questioned, to which Miss Goldenweek nodded. "Then why don't you cease your complaining and revel in the enjoyment of this rare slice of freedom circumstances have generally afforded you? How grand to take a long vacation. A privilege few officers ever get to indulge. One more thing: I would appreciate your mindful and immediate discretion in not calling me by my code name in public. Otherwise, people would discover that I am indeed Mr. 3."

Miss Goldenweek didn't know what the big deal was. Mr. 3 literally walked around with his hair styled into the number assigned to him but opted to respect her partner's demand with a single nod.

"Sure." She said as Mr. 3 laid back in his lawn chair. Miss Goldenweek went back to staring at a piece of paper clutched in her hands that she had been holding onto for a little over a while now.

"Incidentally, I couldn't help noticing you've been perusing that piece of paper over the last several days. Why does it grab you so?" Mr. 3 decided to ask.

"It's an order from boss." Miss Goldenweek flashed the paper toward her partner.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER?!" Mr. 3 shrieked and quickly snagged the paper from her and started reading what had been written on it. "It says Mr. 5 has been taken down. If someone had to be terminated, I wish it would've been someone useless like Mr. 2."

"So it would benefit you." Miss Goldenweek commented. "With a fat promotion."

"It's not that necessarily; rather, the downfall of Mr. 5 is hardly exciting news at all." Mr. 3 remarked. "The man excelled at nothing, clinging to his own Devil Fruit powers like a drowning rat. You are correct that the modicum of my indifference stems from the fact that Five's misfortune brings me no gain. All we may learn is power means nothing if not properly harnessed." He sipped the rest of his tea. "Superior criminals are those who execute their crimes with superior intellect. Nevertheless, whoever beat Mr. 5 should be made an example of. If for no reason, then to preserve the reputation of terror, our organization is painstakingly cultivated and indeed for criminality as a whole." Mr. 3 stood from his chair and turned toward Miss Goldenweek.

"Come then, let's go." he told her as Miss Goldenweek was just starting to enjoy some tea herself.

"Ahhh, we have to leave now?" Miss Goldenweek frowned. "I thought we were relaxing."

"There will be time for that later." Mr. 3 stated. "Hurry along; we have work to do."

They packed up their things and hurried along to Mr. 3's boat. Things weren't all bad since Mr. 3 and her relaxed from time to time, but it was business as usual, especially since they were so high up in the organization. Mr 3 didn't like to fail jobs, and he and everyone knew what happened when they didn't complete a mission. Another agent was sent after them, or the boss would send 'him' to wipe them out instead. Miss Goldenweek had nothing to worry about since she and Mr. 3 never failed, and he always came up with a masterful plan that allowed them to complete any task the boss assigned to them.

-O-

Nami told them to sail portside, and they turned without any other complaints. Just after that, they could see it in the distance. They could make out a large island that looked like a tropical jungle through a light mist.

"There's no mistake!" Nami declared as she checked the Log Pose to see that the needle was pointing directly at the island. "Cactus Island and this one are definitely pulling against each other." She pointed at it and cried out. "Our next stop!"

They followed a little river right into the island, and the heat of this humid weather and thick plant life were already starting to make them all uncomfortable. But Light wasn't deterred at all, as he said. "So this Little Garden? I can see why they call it that."

"I can't, what's little about it?" Zoro asked him darkly

"Yeah, this island looks pretty harsh if you ask me! Why the cute name?" Nami added.

"Well, it may not be 'little,' but hey, it looks just like the jungles I grew up around." Light admitted, nostalgic.

"Captain, where exactly are you from?" Usopp asked nervously.

"In any case, we better find a spot to dock the ship." Silk suggested.

"M-Maybe we'd be better off skipping this one!" Usopp suggested frightfully.

"We can't." Light shook his head. "We have to stay so the Log Pose can set, right?"

"Yes." Vivi agreed. "We have to be careful. I can't help but remember the warning Miss All Sunday gave us."

"So, what?!" Usopp exclaimed. "We might be attacked by giant monsters!"

"Considering we were attacked by 100 bounty hunters on the last island, that's not outside the realm of possibility." Gin pointed out.

"Which is all the more reason to consider this a bad idea!" Usopp insisted. "Listen, I'm sure we can make it to the next island without going ashore on this one!"

"The only way to reset the Log is to go ashore." Nami announced with hands planted on her hips.

"Plus, the island is huge." Light folded his arms. "So we can kill lots of time here."

"Guys!" Zoro pointed out. "There's our ticket in!" Everyone turned toward where the Swordsman had brought their attention.

The jungle seemed to become more intense as time went on the further they had gotten. There were plenty of vicious-looking plants that none of them had ever seen before. Right now, every one of them except Nami and Usopp was pretty calm. The navigator and sniper were starting to appear rather anxious the more they saw of the jungle.

"I don't know…?" Nami said unsurely. "Usopp might be right about this one." she gestured toward the area. "Just take a look at the gargantuan plant life here. I've never seen anything like it. Not even in books." The screeching of a loud bird was by everyone in the jungle, causing the navigator and sniper to cover their heads.

"You're so adorable~!" Sanji complimented Nami.

"Thank you~!" Usopp said in a cutesy way.

"That's not funny! I was talking to Nami!" Sanji shouted at the sniper.

"It may have been a bird…?" Light mentioned while looking upward. "Then again, this is the Grand Line, so it could be some kind of beat we've never even seen before."

[Please don't say that, Captain!] Nami and Usopp cried.

"It's alright, love." Sanji assured Nami. "It's only a bird. Perfectly harmless. Just a jungle. Nothing to worry about." Sanji was very unsuspecting of the ginormous bird swooping down at him while his back was turned.

"Sanji, look out, that giant bird is coming right for you!" Gin warned the cook.

"What?" Sanji turned around and just barely avoided the bird's talons. "What's the matter with you, ya damn bird?!" Sanji shouted after the bird, which continued on its soar through the sky.

"Hmm, interesting." Light commented, looking at the bird. "That's no ordinary bird, and not just because of its size."

Not long after, a loud booming noise sounded off in the distance causing the island as well as the Going Merry to shake.

"Hear that?!" Nami exclaimed in worry. "Is that the kinda noise you expect to hear in a normal jungle?!"

"I doubt this place is a 'normal jungle'?" Silk wondered. "But that sounded like it could be a volcano?"

"A volcano?!" Usopp screamed. We're all going to die!"

Just then, a tiger appeared from the jungle, its fierce yellow eyes leering at the group and following the Going Merry.

"A tiger?!" Nami shouted in alarm.

"It's gigantic!" Usopp shrieked. The frightened duo each screamed and quickly ran for cover behind Light, who looked more interested than afraid.

"Wow, that's the second biggest tiger I've ever seen." Light spoke, thinking back to Tiger Lord. "This place really is like home."

"Seriously, where are you from?" Usopp snapped at him.

The tiger eyed them viciously until it simply hacked out a lot of blood, roared out in pain, and fell over, unmoving and seemingly dead.

"What?" Nami wondered. "What just happened?!"

"The tiger was probably wounded from a fight earlier." Light deduced. "So it naturally died of its wounds. It came here at its dying breath."

Nami released Light and turned to address the others.

"Can someone explain to me how a mammoth tiger can just keel over covered in blood?!" Nami demanded.

"Log Pose and food be damned!" Usopp exclaimed. "We're not stepping foot on that island, and that's final!"

"We can still reset the readings on the ship!" Nami suggested. "We'll just have to sit tight until then."

"Right!" Usopp agreed.

"When that's done…!" Nami added. "We'll leave and never look back!"

"Right!" Usopp nodded.

"Yeah, great." Nami voiced. "We'll all just stay here."

As amusing as it was to watch Nami and Usopp continue to ramble on about how they didn't want to go on this island, Light stepped forward to end the discussion.

"It's like you both keep forgetting that I'm the Captain." Light reminded them, indelicate of their fears. "And as the Captain, I say: Lower the anchor!"

Just as he commanded, they lowered the anchor and docked the ship at a spot that seemed safe enough where, hopefully, nothing would attack them. Usopp and Nami could do nothing but hold back their tears as their concerns were ignored once again.

Light then stood port-side of the ship and stared at the jungle.

"All right, I'm gonna go check the place out." Light announced.

"Check the place out?" Nami questioned. "What are you doing? You're not leaving here?"

"This is our second island on the Grand Line." Light reason with a smile. "It'd be a tremendous waste not even to look around, right?" Nami only cried to herself, knowing there was no way their Captain was going to stay put at all.

"If you're going exploring, I'll make lunch." Sanji decided while heading toward the kitchen. "Hang on. I'll have it to you as soon as I can."

"Sure thing." Light liked the sound of that.

"Say, Captain." Vivi piped up. "Would it be alright if I come along?"

"I don't see why not." Light agreed magnanimously.

"No!" Nami interjected. "Vivi, you can't be serious?!"

"Yeah, but I'd rather not sit here with nothing but worry about my troubles." Vivi stated. "This will keep me busy until the log's reset."

"Out of the question!" Nami disagreed. "Seriously?! It's way too dangerous for you out there!"

"It's her choice; let her go." Silk chimed with a shrug. "If she stays with the Captain, she'll be fine."

"She's right, I'll be fine." Vivi nodded. "Besides, I'll also have Carue with me." The duck didn't seem all that in agreement with going into the jungle, letting out a fearful quack in despair.

"Hey, something's wrong?" Nami wondered, taking to examining the duck. "Carue doesn't look too good. He might be in shock."

"Vivi, if you go exploring, you'll need to eat." Sanji suggested from the kitchen. "I'll pack you a lunch."

"Thanks." Vivi smiled. "While you're at it, could you fix something for Carue?"

"Of course." Sanji replied. "Just leave it to me."

"Captain, not that I mind, but are you really just going to check out the idea for the sake of exploring?" Silk felt the need to ask.

"Normally, yes, but actually, there's another reason I want to check this place out." Light confessed as he stared at the jungle. "Truth is, there's something on this island, something powerful."

"What?" Usopp blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Ever since we closed in on the island, I've been sensing a strange aura." Light explained seriously. "I've never felt anything like this; it's strong, stronger than almost anything I've ever felt, but more than that, it's big. Whatever I'm sensing is blanketing everything else on the island; whatever it is, something that big and strong can't be human."

"So what? Are you saying some kind of giant monster is on that island?" Usopp asked while shaking in fear.

"A monster?" Light pondered. "That just might be it."

"And you still want to see it?" Nami asked incrediously. "Shouldn't we try to avoid something like that?"

"Not if you want to see what it really is." Light reasoned before looking back at the jungle. "But that's not the most curious thing. The thing, I'm actually sensing two auras."

[Two?] They all repeated in surprise.

Light nodded in confirmation. "It's really confusing me; I've felt auras of people who were similar, but this goes beyond that. These auras are more or less exactly the same in both size and shape. It's like there are two copies of the same creature in different locations on this island. So, I want to find out what it is."

"So, let me just this straight—There are TWO giant, terrifying monsters on that island, and instead of running away from them, you want to run toward them and all for no other reason than the sake of curiosity?" Usopp summarized, on the verge of freaking out.

"Basically." Light didn't argue.

"Can't you understand what a terrible idea this is?!" Usopp snapped at him. "Somethings are better off not knowing!"

"Well, I disagree, and as the Captain, I have the final say." Light pointed out with a wide smile as Nami and Usopp slumped in depression over their situation.

The cook returned from the kitchen with a pair of lunches made for the Captain and Princess and a small barrel attached to a rope around Carue's neck.

"Now you're all set to go!" Sanji stated. "Two Pirate lunches for the Captain and Vivi and a special drink for Carue!"

"Great, let's go!" Light proclaimed and jumped from the Going Merry, with Vivi following while on Carue's back.

"Well, see you guys later!" Vivi waved. "Don't worry, everything will be fine!" Vivi assured.

"Vivi, what a girl, she's so brave." Usopp commented with his arms crossed. Nami couldn't disagree with that. Vivi is brave, considering what she managed to do, and managed to keep the act up until she was found out.

"Just what you would expect from someone who can infiltrate the enemy's ranks." Nami stated with her hands on her hips.

Just then, Zoro walked down the stairs. "I'm bored." Zoro remarked while rotating his neck. "I'm gonna take a walk."

"TAKE A WALK?!" Usopp exclaimed.

Zoro merely responded with a sigh and leaped off the Going Merry.

"Hey, Zoro!" Sanji called, making his way over to the other side of the ship. "Wait up! We're kinda short on food, right? If you find any animals that appear edible, bring 'em back."

"Okay." Zoro replied in a brash manner. "That's easy. I can see why you'd wanna send me 'cause I could bring back something you couldn't catch yourself."

"What the hell does that mean?!" Sanji growled. "I won't let that remark go unchallenged. You're saying you can capture bigger game than I can, like my hunting skills are inferior?"

"Yeah, that's right." Zoro stated. The both of them stared daggers at each other. Of course, both of them would start an obvious match to show who was better at hunting whatever wild animal was on this island.

"Challenge accepted." Sanji agreed while jumping off the ship. "Okay, winner brings back the most pounds of meat."

"What do you mean pounds?" Zoro questioned, narrowing his eyes. "Cause I can bring back tons!"

"Why don't you let your hunting do your talking for you." Sanji remarked.

"Heh! Good luck, cook!" Zoro said before he and Sanji went in opposite directions of the island.

"Hey, wait up!" Silk hopped off of the ship and landed between them. "I'm going to."

"What? Why?" Zoro asked.

Silk narrowed her eyes at him. "Sanji is one thing, but if you go off into the woods by yourself, you may not be able to find your way back to the ship, and we won't be able to find you."

"Huh, that's actually a good point." Sanji admitted, not thinking of that.

"Oh, shut up!" Zoro snapped at both of them before stomping off into the jungle. "Whatever, do what you want!"

With that, the three of them vanished into the thick greenery.

"Welp, that just leaves the three of us." Gin noted that only Nami, Usopp, and himself were alone on the Going Merry.

"I will never understand it." Nami cried to herself. "Why do those two jerks have to be so competitive?"

"Eh, it's a guy thing." Gin mentioned nonchalantly with a shrug.

"Don't cry." Usopp told Nami. "If it makes you feel better, I'm just as stumped by their behavior as you."

"Well, it can't be helped." Gin claimed and walked over to the side of Merry. "You know, maybe I should do some exploring, too." Nami and Usopp immediately went to tears again at his words. "Like the Captain said, it'd be a waste not to look around."

[What?!] They both screamed. [No! You can't go!]

"What's the big deal?" Gin wondered. "I'll just—" He was about to depart from the ship when both navigator and sniper latched onto his legs, preventing him from leaving. "Hey, what the—?! What's with you guys?! Let go!"

"Gin, please don't leave!" Nami pleaded in tears.

"Yeah!" Usopp agreed fearfully. "We need someone here to protect us!"

"Would you get a grip?" Gin sighed in annoyance. "I'm not going too far! Just going to take a quick look around, and I'll stay close to the shore!"

"What if you don't come back?!" Nami argued frantically. "What if some monster lurking about the island comes along and eats us?!"

"Then hide in the cabin!" Gin reasoned, losing his patience. "Hell, barricade the door if you're that afraid!"

"Listen…!" Usopp continued, not giving up. "Neither of us is gonna let you leave, even if we have to tie you up!"

"Are you an idiot?" Gin asked, irate. "If I'm tied up, how am I supposed to defend you?"

"We'd untie you if something showed up!" Nami didn't falter, keeping her hold on his leg. She had to do everything she could to prevent him from leaving. "The Captain's out with Vivi. Zoro and Sanji left for their petty rivalry, and Silk went with them. We have to at least have one of our strongest crewmates on board!"

Finally, Gin gave in. "All right, fine…" He relented. "I'll stay; just get off of me already."

[Yay!] Nami and Usopp cheered happily. Nami was glad Jou decided to stay to keep them safe.

"I wouldn't celebrate; we could still run into another tiger or whatever killed it from here, you know?" Gin reminded them.

[Oh yeah…] Nami and Usopp said with their shoulders slumping.

"I guess I might as well make myself comfortable." Gin remarked, making his way to the side of the Merry. "All we can do now is wait for the others to get back." He sat against the side, putting his arms behind his head.

Nami was still concerned about being attacked on the ship. Even if she and Usopp had Gin here, they were still terrified. They sat together on the side of the ship that was opposite to Gin, cradling their own knees. With all the noises coming from the forest, who knew what was out there? A roar of some kind caused a shiver to roll down Nami's spine, her head coming up in alarm.

"He's right, we're sitting ducks." Usopp stated tearfully.

"DON'T YOU THINK I ALREADY KNOW THAT?!" Nami shrieked at the sniper. Usopp brought his eyes over to Gin, who looked about as relaxed as could be, considering where they were.

"How can he be so relaxed where there could be scary monsters out there?" Usopp wondered.

"A monster could eat him first in his sleep." Nami commented.

"Nah, I'd wake up before that happened." Gin retorted.

"You're still awake?" Nami questioned.

"Well, you were shouting." Gin mentioned before giving them some advice. "Look, nothing good will happen from being too stressed out, so try to relax. If something comes along, I'll take care of it."

Nami supposed she and Usopp had nothing to worry about at all. Gin was here to protect them if need be, but still, she hoped nothing would attack the ship. Little Garden was nothing like any island Nami's ever seen. She may have heard the name somewhere. A realization she'd just had as her eyes snapped open in realization.

"Why didn't I think of that before?" Nami said before standing and running to her room on the Going Merry.

"Huh? Where are you going?" Usopp wondered, but Nami didn't stop for him. She went straight for her bookshelf, tossing book after book and trying to find the right one where she had heard the name Little Garden. "Mm, that's not it... not this one either..."

"Nami! Woah! Hey!" Usopp screamed, probably avoiding the different books thrown at him. "What the heck are you looking for anyway, huh?"

"Quiet!" Nami exclaimed. "I remember reading about it in a book."

"Uh, reading about what?" Usopp wondered.

"Little Garden." Nami mentioned and started flipping through the pages. "I have a book on it here somewhere?" She threw that book to the side and went to the next shelf.

"O-Okay then." Usopp nodded quickly. "I'm going back out on the deck with Gin." Usopp left the room, leaving Nami to search for the book.

"Let me see, which one was it?" Nami wondered. "Maybe? I think I read about it recently, but I don't remember. The title is on the tip of my tongue?" She picked up another book, tossing it to the floor. "Hmm?" Nami leafed through the pages of the next one she picked up. "Ah, found it! This book right here is about Little Garden!" Nami found the book she had that had some info on Little Garden. She left out the door, cradling the book in her arms. "Gin! Usopp!" Nami called, but Gin didn't say anything. Usopp was at the front deck staring out at the jungle.

"Huh, Nami?" Usopp turned to her. "What now?" Did you find your book?"

"Uh huh…" She nodded. "This is bad! This island…"

"What?!" Usopp exclaimed. "What's wrong, Nami?"

Nami didn't answer as she noticed a huge, towering shadow with red eyes glaring at them. Both Nami and Usopp immediately went to panic, with the book slipping out of her hands. Whatever was on its way was huge as it started lumbering to where the Merry was docked. Nami couldn't help but feel complete fear for what demise awaits them. Gin was sure that he could have taken on any beast that attacked the ship, but this was something else entirely; he didn't think facing something like this was possible.

The colossal figure moved trees apart to clear a way toward the Pirates.

"What the Hell is that…?" Gin breathed out.

[AAAAAAAH!] Nami and Usopp screamed out at the top of their lungs.

-O-

Meanwhile, deep within the jungle, Light and Vivi traverse the greenery until they come across a shallow creek where Light has come running up to, with Vivi riding Carue. Light had come to a stop and went over to the water, something catching his eye.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Vivi asked, wondering why he had stopped.

"Over here, look at this." Light called out curiously as he picked up something from the water. "It looks like a fusion of a shellfish and a squid?" He held it up to her as she got off her duck to get a closer look, "Shell-squid fish!" he finished proudly.

It was actually called an aminoid, but he had no way of knowing that.

"How strange." Vivi said, frowning as she looked at it. "It sorta resembles an aminoid…?"

"An aminoid?" Light asked, and they heard the ground shaking… the sounds of giant footsteps. "What is that?" He wondered and looked around. It felt like it was an earthquake, but they all soon saw what it was with their own eyes.

"Unbelievable!" Light gasped, looking up to see the giant creature overhead. "Are you seeing this too?!"

Vivi certainly was as the creature turned its long neck to look over at them. And it looked remarkably like a… Vivi screamed out what they both knew it was. "A DINOSAUR!"

Not just any Dinosaur, it was a giant brachiosaurus. Its body was many times larger than the ship's, and its neck was so long that the Dinosaur's head towered above the jungle, allowing it to eat leaves from the treetops.

"I can't believe it…" While Vivi appeared to be afraid, Light was in awe of the creature before his eyes. "I never imagined I'd see one for real. I thought they were extinct."

"No way, this is unreal!" Vivi breathed out in shock. "Somehow, this island has been frozen in time, stuck in the age of the dinosaurs. Travel in the Grand Line is so difficult that no species ever migrated between the islands and their unique ecosystems were preserved. Some of these islands have developed extremely sophisticated cultures, both biological and sociological, while others remain in a sort of evolutionary stagnation with little to no progression for several thousands or tens of thousands or, in this case, it seems, even millions of years." She explained in detail, truly grasping what kind of island they came to. "I can only assume it's the random climates of the Grand Line that make this possible. I mean, what other explanation is there? We're standing on an island that predates mankind."

"It really is incredible." Light stared at the dinosaur with childlike wonder. "This is exactly what I wanted to see. An adventure filled with all sorts of amazing and unbelievable things that you couldn't even dream of anywhere else; this is why I came to the Grand Line."

Vivi was at a loss when seeing his reaction. "Would any normal person react this way when seeing a real-life dinosaur? To think that not even this is enough to worry him."

"But still…" Light became more focused. "These dinosaurs are definitely big, but they aren't the giant auras I was sensing."

"What, you mean there's something here even bigger than a dinosaur?!" Vivi questioned, a little afraid.

"It seems that way, but I—!" Light froze as both his Haki and his instincts flared up, warning him of something huge that was nearby. "Up there!"

Vivi looked at where Light was pointing and saw more long-necked dinosaurs gathering around. However, appearing seemingly out of nowhere was a colossal figure that towered over the dinosaurs. With a Sword in hand, the figure swung his arm at one of the dinosaurs.

-O-

"YABABABABA!" The tall figure let out a big hearty laugh while looming over the Going Merry and was a massive man of colossal stature. He had a dirty-blonde beard, a horned helmet perched on his head, and a blue cape tied around his neck. He even carried an ax that looked like it'd seen better days, as well as a shield. The man easily dwarfed the three Pirates staring up at him with widened eyes. "Well, what is the answer?" The big man questioned, leaning in close to stare at the Pirates.

Nami and Usopp took to hiding behind Gin and were obviously too frightened to even form words. So, it was up to the lookout to speak.

"The answer….…?" Gin repeated, even though he was also a little spooked by the giant in front of them; he kept a level head because it didn't feel like they were in danger. "What do you mean?" The man leaned in closer.

"I asked if you had any alcohol?" The man asked. "I drank mine.

"Alcohol?" Gin said slowly. "We have alcohol, don't we guys?" He asked Usopp and Nami, but the sniper said nothing, only nodding his head.

"We have a little!" Nami finally answered, but fear was evident in her voice.

"Oh, you do?!" The man grinned. "That's perfect!"

"There are a few barrels in the kitchen! If you want them, they're yours!" Gin explained before muttering the rest. "Zoro's gonna be upset, though; he drinks that stuff like it's water."

"AAAAAAGH!" The man suddenly screamed, causing Nami and Usopp to cry out themselves. It appeared that a dinosaur bit him on his back. Its teeth dug into him, but it seemed not to faze him much. He took his ax and cleaved the head off the dinosaur in one strike. The scene caused a bawling Nami and Usopp to grip tightly onto Gin.

"Would you two quit screaming already!" Gin snapped at them, already annoyed by their extreme cowardice, before he turned back to the enormous man. "So, listen… Do you have a name?" He felt the need to start there since it seemed like he was the only one talking right now.

"I'm Brogy!" The man introduced himself while he proudly held the head of the dinosaur he killed. "The Elbaf's Strongest Warrior! Invincible! Yabababa!"

"Elbaf?" Gin was unfamiliar with that name but ignored it for now. "Well, I'm Gin of the Lion Heart Pirates, and the two behind me are Nami and Usopp." He gestured to the two still cowering behind him. At this point, after talking with him, Gin wasn't afraid like the navigator and sniper, but this was new to him. He'd never met someone as big as Brogy before, and he had never met a giant before, for that matter.

"Nice to meet you all too!" Brogy grinned and held up the dinosaur head. "Now I have dinner! And the three of you are invited as my guest!"

"Yeah, sure…" Gin turned to look at Nami and Usopp. "Would you excuse us for a moment…?"

"Sure!" Brogy nodded with a laugh. Gin nodded back and took Nami and Usopp by the wrist, pulling them aside.

"Are we seriously going to eat with him?" Nami whispered. "What if he means we're the dinner?"

"For all we know, he just wants to fatten us up so he can eat us?!" Usopp added.

"Does that even make sense? He eats dinosaurs, even fat; I'm pretty sure a human is the equivalent of a peanut." Gin reasoned.

"Then he'll have us as appetizers!" Usopp snapped angrily. "Either way, we'll be eaten!"

"Just stop and think about it for a second; if he really wanted to kill us, he could have the moment he saw us, but he asked if he could have some alcohol and even invited us for a meal." Gin pointed out, not showing any concern. "I don't think he's dangerous; if anything, he's friendly. I think we'll be fine if we go with him." Gin turned to Brogy, who was only giving a hearty grin in their direction. "Either way, I'm going; I won't turn down a meal."

"Okay!" Usopp said in agreement. "Gin, you and Nami go with the scary giant, and I'll stay here on the ship!"

"Like Hell, you moron!" Nami snapped at him with sharp teeth. "How come you get to stay on the ship?"

"Listen, if either of you want to stay on the ship, you can." Gin told them before turning around. "…Of course, that means you'll be here by yourselves, and sure hope no more dinosaurs make their way here… I mean, unless you plan on fighting them off yourselves?"

[We'll go with you!] Usopp and Nami shouted in tears, knowing they had no choice. If they were brave enough to stay on the ship without protection, they wouldn't have begged him to stay in the first place.

With that settled, they all started walking through the jungle and accompanied Brogy toward his camp.

-O-

Light and Vivi were utterly blown away when they saw the giant blade come flying out of nowhere and lob the neck of the beast off so suddenly that it almost took attention away from the person holding the blade.

It was a giant so large that he dwarfed even the dinosaurs. The giant's head appeared, and they all saw him. He was a well-built giant with a beard so long that it went past his waist. He was dressed in Viking attire, with a helmet that went right over his eyes.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Light asked as he stared at the giant.

"It's a giant…" Vivi breathed out, feeling a little overwhelmed by all the surprises she had seen in quick succession. "And a powerful one at that."

"I'm gonna take a closer look!" Light decided before he leaped forward.

"Wait, what are you—?" Before Vivi could ask, Light was gone.

The Pirate Captain jumped high above the ground and toward a tall tree before he landed on a branch. He used it as a foothold before jumping higher and reaching the top of the tree. At the treetop, Light leaped further and sailed toward one of the Brachiosaurus, landing on the tail of one of them before sliding down until he stopped in the middle of its back.

Light then continued his advance and dashed forward, up the dinosaur's body before climbing up its long neck like it was a hill until soon enough, Light stopped on top of the dinosaur's head. He was at a height where the giant would notice him, and so he called out to him.

"Hey, you! Over here!" Light called out.

Truthfully, the giant noticed Light already when he leaped on the tree and saw him as he made his way upward before standing on the dinosaur's head. He began to laugh in amusement at the whole thing.

"Gegyagyagyagya!" The giant let out a hearty laugh. "What fun! That was glorious! Watching the likes of you climb around on one of the long necks is the most entertainment I've had in quite a while! You are my first visitor in a long while!"

"Glad you liked it! Tell me! Are you a giant?!" Light asked without a trace of fear.

"Indeed, I am!" The giant laughed as he heaved his Sword up on his shoulder. "Greatest Warrior of all Elbaf! I am Dorry!"

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Dorry! I'm Light! Captain of the Lion Heart Pirates!" Light answered as if he hadn't noticed that there was anything wrong.

"Gegyagyagya!" Dorry laughed again as he said. "A Pirate? Well, good for you, my friend! Gyagyagyagya!"

"I'm not alone." Light said, pointing down to Vivi, who was trying to get Carue—Who seemed to have fainted—to wake up so that they could get out of there. "Down there is my friend, Vivi, and her duck, Carue! You guys doing okay down there?!"

Vivi was looking angry with him and yelled back from the ground. "That's great, Light! Just can't shut up!"

"Why would I do that?!" Light called out, ignoring her outburst. "Are you saying you'd rather be left alone in this dinosaur-infested jungle?!"

"That's not the issue!" Vivi persisted.

"Gyagyagyagya!" Dorry just laughed again. "Tell you what! You're all invited to my home!" He invited them in a good-natured way.

He bent down and picked Vivi and Carue up, both of them screaming fearfully as Light laughed. "You guys scream as much as Nami and Usopp would!"

-O-

The three pirates followed the giant to his camp, which was a bit of a walk through the jungle. Once there, Nami and Usopp, who were still cautious of Brogy, sat further away from the fire where Gin and Brogy were situated. Brogy tended to the meat while Gin sat across from him, watching the meat cook over the roaring flame.

"Delicious dinosaur..." Brogy remarked, happily inspecting the meat.

"I've had all kinds of meat before, but I can't say I ever tried dinosaur meat…?" Gin remarked as he watched it cook. "Is it any good?"

"It's very tasty!" Brogy answered with a grin. Gin turned to Nami and Usopp, each sitting at a distance and still nervous around Brogy, even with Gin's presence here. Usopp, staring about, caught sight of a hut that appeared to be Brogy's. The sniper squinted and noticed the number of skulls within the hut, which caused him to whimper in fear.

"What is it…?" Nami wondered.

"In that hut, there's skulls in there." Usopp mentioned fearfully. The color drained from Nami's face when she saw the skulls as well.

"The next ones he takes will be ours." Nami whined.

"Hey?" Gin, who seemed to have appeared from out of nowhere and suddenly in front of Nami and Usopp. The Navigator and Sniper were too busy being too scared themselves to even notice him make his way in front of them. Gin couldn't help but groan in irritation. "I hoped you'd stop acting like paranoid idiots after we left the ship, but I guess I was hoping for too much. How many times do I have to keep telling you not to worry? Anyway, come on." He jabbed his thumb back toward the fire. "The meat's almost done."

"You really expect us to eat with him?!" Nami questioned. "Did you even notice the bones in there?" Nami pointed toward the hut.

"Yeah, so what?" Gin asked plainly.

[Seriously!] Nami and Usopp exclaimed before Usopp exclaimed. "Don't you get it? He probably did that; how do you know he won't put our bones there, too, after he's done eating!?"

"Well, yeah, we could just ask about them." Gin pointed out. "I get the feeling he'll tell us anything."

"Are you crazy?" Nami waved her hands. "If he knows we're onto him, he'll probably decide to kill us right now."

Gin decided to just ignore their cowardly assumptions and went on with his idea of simply asking Brogy. "Hey, Brogy?"

"Yes, what is it, my friend?!" Brogy pleasantly responded.

"Would you mind telling us where all those skulls came from?" Gin asked, pointing to the pile of bones.

[We're dead.] Usopp and Nami thought, preparing for the worst.

"The skulls? Those are from humans who came to this island before you. Many have landed here ever since I arrived and even long before that, but sadly, none of them were able to survive for very long." Brogy explained mindfully. "Those bones are all that remains of them. I piled them up so they stayed littered all over the ground."

"So that means he didn't kill them." Gin reiterated his point to Nami and Usopp while they breathed a sigh of relief. "Now, come on. We'll eat, then head back to the ship and wait for everyone else to come back."

Nami and Usopp decided to sit by the fire, too, but on a log, with Gin in between them. Brogy laid a giant piece of meat on a bone in front of the three Pirates.

"Yababababa!" Brogy laughed. "Go on! Eat hearty, my friends! It tastes delicious!" He commented while taking a bite out of his own meat.

"Sure, either way, meat is meat." Gin accepted his offer.

"I… I think I lost my appetite." Nami whined.

"Don't be shy now!" Brogy exclaimed, grinning. "Dig in!"

[No, I don't wanna eat…] Usopp and Nami whimpered.

"Hmm?" Brogy blinked, not seeing the problem. "Dinosaur meat is sweet. "I promise you it's quite tasty."

Gin stood from the log and approached the meat. He reached for a throwing knife and used it to cut himself a piece. Gin examined the meat, even sniffing it. It didn't seem dangerous, at least, although he didn't hesitate to take a bite. The meat was juicy and had a bit of sweetness that went well with its flavor.

"He's right." Gin told them with his mouth full. "It is pretty sweet."

"See?" Brogy said. "Your friend over thinks so! Yababababa!"

Nami and Usopp merely kept whimpering and didn't approach.

Gin swallowed and turned to them. "Hey, we don't let any food go to waste on our crew; you better keep that in mind." He reminded them, feeling sensitive about that issue. "Or would you prefer I tell Sanji about this?"

Hearing that suggestion that sounded like a threat, Usopp quickly approached and grabbed a handful of meat. "All right, calm down! Look, I'm eating, see!" He bit into his helping of dinosaur meat and started chewing. "Mmm, it's delicious, it's…. Hey, it is pretty good." He realized while eating it.

"Idiot." Gin muttered.

"Yababababa! See, I told you dinosaur meat was tasty!" Brogy was happy to see him enjoying it.

"Uh, Brogy, sir?" Nami spoke timidly. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"What's on your mind, young lady?" Brogy asked.

"How long will it take to reset the log on this island?" Nami wondered.

"One full year!" Brogy mentioned with a wide grin. This made Nami and Usopp's eyes widen. The shock of hearing how long they were to be on the island caused them to fall off the tree log.

"Are you sure your friends are okay?" Brogy asked Gin.

"Yeah, I'm guessing they're just worried that they won't be able to survive on this island for that long." Gin summarized.

"Oh, is that all!" Brogy smiled. "Yabababa! I suppose that is something to worry about!"

"Not really; I doubt we'll have a problem at all." Gin shrugged, unconcerned.

"Maybe you won't have a problem, but it's clearly too much for us!" Nami yelled with tears in her eyes.

"How are we supposed to last a year on this crazy island?! We don't have a chance!" Usopp cried out in dismay.

"Are you guys seriously forgetting the fact that we have an Eternal Pose that points to another, safer island?" Gin reminded them of the Eternal Pose Miss All-Sunday gave Light as they were leaving Whiskey Peak, as though they were idiots. "Since it's obvious we can't wait a year, we'll just use that to go to the next island after we get back to the ship."

.

.

.

Usopp and Nami tapped their fists into their open palms with calm expressions. [Oh yeah.]

"You mean you actually forgot!?" Gin snapped at them with shark teeth. "The Captain literally said that was the plan before we came here!"

Usopp sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Well, sometimes, when we're really scared, we forget a few details."

"You guys are gonna give me an ulcer." Gin rested his head against his brow.

"Yababababa!" Brogy laughed at their antics. "Well, it's good to see that your friends are feeling better!"

"Since I have a chance now, I've been meaning to ask you something!" Gin told Brogy before asking. "Is there another giant on this island, aside from you!?"

"Hmm? Yes, there is!" Brogy answered curiously but still smiling. "How do you know!?"

"Our Captain, he said he sensed two similar, powerful auras when we got here!" Gin explained. "Since one of them is clearly you, I'm assuming the other one is also a giant!"

"Oh, then you're Captain must be a Haki-user!? Yababababa! I haven't seen one of those in over a hundred years!" Drogy laughed in nostalgia before answering. "It's as you said! There is another Elbaf warrior on this island!"

-O-

Meanwhile, Dorry had already thrown an enormous chunk of meat to Light while the two were laughing.

"I've never tasted meat like this, giant!" Light laughed up at him. "Your food's pretty good!"

"Why, thanks for the compliment! Your Pirate goodies are good too, my little friend." Dorry said happily as he laughed with them. "Although the portions are a little small."

Light continued speaking, enjoying the meat. "Yeah, I suppose a lot of things would be small from your perspective. But considering who the chef on my ship is, I'd be surprised if you didn't like it! He can make anything taste good!"

Dorry stopped in mid-laugh to respond. "Is that so?!" He asked before he continued laughing. "He must be quite the chef! Maybe he could make a meal out of dinosaur meat!"

"He probably could; I'll bet he's already out there hunting dinosaurs before serving them for dinner!" Light predicted, knowing Sanji's personality.

"Gyagyagyagya!" Dorry laughed even harder while slapping his knee. "I like you, little Pirate! You're really funny!"

"They're becoming fast friends." Vivi noticed, slightly nervous.

"Hey, Dorry." Light decided to ask what was on his mind. "There's another giant on this island, isn't there?"

Dorry stopped and stared at him curiously, which made Vivi and Carue worried again. "Yes, there is! But how did you know that?!"

"I sensed it when we arrived here." Light explained. "Even now, I can sense an aura a lot like yours, not too far away from here."

"Ah, you're a Haki-user! Gyagyagyagya!" Dorry's smile came back as he laughed again. "I can hardly remember the last time I ran into one of you! It's as you said; another giant from Elbaf lives on this island!"

"Why, though?" Light pressed the subject. "If you're both warriors from Elbaf, why aren't you living in Elbaf? Is there a reason you stay in Little Garden?"

Dorry stopped smiling and spoke in a serious but somber tone. "It's true, I once called Elbaf home, but there is a reason I must stay here! There are certain rules in Elbaf that must be obeyed!"

"And what rules are those?" Light asked, intent on listening.

"For example, if a fight breaks out and neither side yields, judgment is handed down by Elbaf's God! Whoever he deems to be righteous will be declared the winner and granted survival as well as divine protection!"

"Well, that seems pretty straightforward to me." Light replied, being the kind of person who had no qualms about setting disagreements with a fight. "So, you guys are here to settle a fight?"

"That's right! This is our battleground!" Dorry proclaimed. "As on Elbaf, our God will is righteous and worthy of both the duel and his life! Gyagyagya! We've fought for a century, but Elbaf has yet to choose a champion! Gyagyagya!"

"Unbelievable; you've been fighting for a hundred years, and the duel still hasn't been settled?" Light marveled at such a thing. "How evenly matched can two people be? Is it just going to forever be a stalemate?"

"From a human's point of view, one hundred years may seem like a long time, but it isn't considering a giant lifespan is 3x yours! Gyagyagya!" Dorry reasoned, not caring about the time gone by.

"Even with all the time in the world, I'd think your desire would wane after a hundred years of the same battle!" Vivi called out, not seeing the logic behind his actions. "At this point, is there any real animosity left between you, or are you just fighting to fight?"

Vivi was serious in question, but Dorry just laughed as she continued to look confused.

"I don't think that's it, Vivi." Light told her. "Honestly, I doubt there's ever been any animosity between them even before they started fighting.

"But then, why?" Vivi only sounded more confused.

-O-

Meanwhile, back in the dense jungle of the island, Sanji was walking down a long pathway while pulling the body of a large T-rex that he hunted down with a look of confidence.

"Well, I think there's little risk of being outdone by Zoro with this one." Sanji spoke, sure of himself. "I almost feel sorry for him. With this slab of meat, he doesn't stand a chance."

He wasn't the only one who caught a large prey as Zoro was walking through the jungle while pulling his own fallen dinosaur; his one was a Triceratops.

"I beat him. With this haul, Sanji doesn't have a chance of winning." Zoro said, also sure of himself.

"I'm surprised by the fact that we ran into a dinosaur, and it didn't even faze you." Silk noted while walking beside him.

As they kept walking, they soon came across a fork in the road. As both parties reached it, they ended up meeting in the middle as the two paths converged. Once Zoro and Sanji saw each other, they smirked.

"Sanji?" Silk didn't expect to find him so suddenly.

"Silk, always a pleasure to see your lovely face." Sanji, as usual, lovingly greeted Silk before facing Zoro. "Hey, Zoro."

"Hey, Sanji." Zoro returned the gesture.

[I am the winner.] They both proclaimed confidently before frowning at each other. [You've lost, damn it!]

"I see where this is going." Silk sighed.

They both brought forth their dinosaurs and placed them on the ground, side by side, to measure which one was bigger.

"Look, as you can see, my catch is bigger." Sanji pointed out that his T-rex was a few inches longer than Zoro's Triceratops.

"Moron, this competition is about weight, how much meat we bring in, not the length of the beast, and mine is obviously way beefier than yours!" Zoro argued.

"Who cares how husky your dinosaur is? All that matters is the amount that can be cooked, and that thing is all bones you're carrying, maybe 4 lbs meat there." Sanji argued back.

"That thing you're lugging around is nothing but muscle and skin." Zoro retorted, not backing down.

Sanji groaned. "This is pathetic. I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you. Tell you what? I'll go capture another beast just to shut you up."

"Yeah, well, if you're gonna go after a different one, then so am I." Zoro announced. "I won't let you cheat me out of my win because of a dumb technicality."

"Oh goody, this isn't over yet." Silk rolled her eyes at them.

Suddenly, a volcano that could be seen in the distance went off, and Sanji pointed at it.

"All right, the next eruption from that volcano will signal the end of the competition." Sanji decided on the rules. "You have till then to secure your prey and return to the Going Merry."

"I can handle that you're on." Zoro accepted his challenge.

"Maybe I should have just stayed on the ship." Silk muttered to herself, more bored with their behavior than the hunting contest itself.

-O-

Back at Dorry's camp, those who were there also saw the volcano go off, and Dorry was getting to his feet.

"The volcano?" Light noted as he and Vivi were staring.

"Well, then, it's time to get going." Dorry announced as he prepared himself.

A flash appeared in his eyes, and as Light looked up at him—He suddenly felt a surge of energy go through him.

"That power, it's just because he's a giant." Light thought before he smiled. "He really is strong."

-O-

At the same time, the volcano eruption could also be seen from Brody's camp. The noise took Gin's attention away from the meat, and they stared at where the noise came from.

"What was that?" Nami asked worriedly.

"An eruption?" Usopp wondered. Suddenly, Brogy dropped his meat in his campfire. They looked at him and noticed the sudden change in the burly giant's demeanor.

"Brogy, what's wrong?" Gin questioned.

"Please forgive me…" Brogy stated with a smile and stood up. "But there is something I must attend to." Gin noticed the fierce look in Brogy's eyes. He was different from the friendly giant they met moments ago.

"What?" Nami wondered. "You're leaving?"

"No choice." Brogy declared. "That's the signal my opponent and I use to mark the beginning of our fight."

"A fight…?" Nami repeated.

"Your opponent? You mean the other giant?" Gin asked, knowing it couldn't be anyone else.

"Where? And more importantly, why?" Usopp asked, having trouble keeping up.

"Why?" Brogy questioned with a smile. "I don't remember! YABABABABA!"

"You don't remember?" Gin wondered if he heard him right. "You can't be serious?"

Brogy kept smiling before he grabbed his ax and shield.

Brogy let out a roar and charged from his campsite toward the other giant.

-O-

"And before we realized, it became our routine." Dorry was explaining the same thing as Brody. "That volcano is our marker; whenever it erupts, we begin."

Dorry picked up his sword and shield, preparing to head off to the battleground.

"It's senseless!" Vivi insisted, still trying to stop him. "How could you have so much hatred for someone that you'd fight them for a century? What could have happened to make you this mad?!"

"Nothing happened." Light told her, causing her to stop. "I don't think there's ever been any hatred involved in this matter, to begin with."

"You're right." Dorry agreed with a firm smile. "This is about honor! I had forgotten…" He then went running off towards the battle. "Our reason for our brawl!"

Their weapons clashed and the impact created a wave that caused the entire island and ocean to tremble from the tremendous power of the two warriors that battled for a reason they have forgotten.

-O-

A dinosaur stomped through the jungle until it came across a white building. The creature's first instinct was to take a bite out of it, but it made the mistake of shattering its own teeth.

"Hey!" Mr. 5 called. "If you're done…? Get out of the way!" He shouted at the dinosaur with Miss Valentine beside him. The dinosaur brought its head around to stare at the duo.

"Wait, I can handle this." Miss Valentine said with a confident grin as the dinosaur ran at them. "Hahahaha!" Miss Valentine cackled and leaped into the air.

"10,000 Kilogram Press!"

BAAM!

She landed right on the dinosaur with a loud crash, and the creature crushed into the ground in a crater. With that out of the way, Mr. 5 slowly opened the door to the building.

"Oh, hello, Mr. 5." Mr. 3 greeted, holding a cup of tea. With him was Miss Goldenweek but she was currently taking a nap. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine joined them inside the home that was created with Mr. 3's powers.

"I'm impressed by the decor." Mr. 5 commented whilst looking around. "You have a talent for even turning the most savage environment into a home. I admire you, which is why I feel compelled to remind all of you that this mission involves me and Miss Valentine."

"Rest assured, we won't slip up like we did last time." Miss Valentine added.

"Slip up? That's not why I'm here." Mr. 3 mentioned dismissively. "Mr. 5, Miss Valentine, the simple fact of the matter is you're both weak." Mr. 3 sipped his tea, ignoring the glares from the pair. "Don't waste your energy pouting. It is what it is. Take a look at this." He laid a wanted poster on the table. "I'd like to thank you both for affording me an excuse to come to this island. I enjoy the opportunity to hunt some truly… Big game."

"Dorry the 'Blue Ogre' and Brogy the 'Red Ogre' of the Giant Warrior Pirates." Mr. 5 read, picking up the poster to look at it.

"Everyone's heard of them." Miss Valentine mentioned. "It's ancient legend. Hey, this poster is over a hundred years old." she examined the worn-out, tattered look of the poster.

"Well, those two legends are alive and on this very island." Mr. 3 claimed with a grin. "They've been battling for over a century now. Back when that poster was new, the bounty on their heads was 100 million Beri a piece. 200 million for the both of them."

"200 million is an impressive sum." Mr. 5 commented. "But that doesn't change the fact that they're giants."

"There's a wise saying…" Mr. 3 smirked mischievously. "Superior criminals are those who execute their crimes using superior intellect. All you have to do is follow my precise instructions. With a smidgen of forethought and perseverance, we can find the solution to even the most gargantuan of obstacles."

—…

And that's the chapter.

First of all, as I said, this Arc won't have much to do, so this chapter didn't have much going on, and with the fact that they still have the Eternal Pose, unlike the canon, the central issue of being stuck here for a year doesn't apply.

This was also a heavily dialogued chapter, but that couldn't be helped when introducing a chatterbox like Mr. 3. Luckily, the next chapter will involve some fighting and a surprise twist that some of you won't be expecting.

Anyways, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite, and as always, have an awesome day.