Having entered the Grand Line, Bai Chuan chose the same route the Straw Hat Pirates had taken, because he needed to reach Water 7 to have a ship built for himself.
It wasn't that ships from other places were no good, but Water 7 was the finest shipbuilding center in the entire world. And there, Bai Chuan had someone he could almost call an acquaintance—the fish-man who had built Roger's ship, Tom.
Though Bai Chuan had never met him, he believed that if he brought up Roger's name, Tom would at least give him some face.
The first stop Bai Chuan and his crew reached was Whiskey Peak. In later years, this place would become a gathering spot for bounty hunters and a subordinate branch of the secret criminal organization Baroque Works—the very organization founded by Crocodile.
But right now, Crocodile was in the New World, fixated entirely on taking Whitebeard's head. He didn't have any leads on the ancient weapons, nor any plans in that direction, so his hand hadn't stretched this far yet.
As a result, this was still just an ordinary little town, populated by ordinary residents, and at the moment, it was actually quite prosperous.
After all, as the very first island between the Four Seas and the Grand Line, people came and went in droves every single day. Bai Chuan and his crew's arrival caused a stir among the locals, but not panic.
When you've seen enough pirates, you learn that not every pirate is the kind of villain who burns, kills, and plunders. Even in a world overrun with pirates, those who go straight to slaughter and pillage are actually pretty rare.
Because the Marines would never permit pirates who commit such atrocious, violence-ridden acts to exist. If a pirate like that appeared, the Marines would issue a kill order without fail—the kind that wouldn't end until one side was dead.
"So this is the Grand Line? Feels like the whole atmosphere is different from the Four Seas."
Abuluo took a breath of the local air and remarked with a touch of emotion.
"Heh, that's just in your head," Lisa said, ruthlessly shooting her husband down.
She didn't feel any difference between this place and the North Blue where she'd lived or the South Blue she'd visited. In the end, everywhere was just ocean, and everywhere had that salty tang of the sea breeze.
Kulokamu was also looking around the local environment with curiosity, soaking in the atmosphere. But to his disappointment, the Grand Line wasn't the kind of place the legends described, where the strong roamed every inch of the land.
Hardly anyone on this island could withstand a single full-force strike from him.
"This is only just the beginning of the Grand Line. A little disappointment is normal. The truly exciting stuff is still up ahead."
Bai Chuan offered some consolation to Kulokamu. He could sense that Kulokamu's goal had shifted.
His original purpose had been to protect Bai Chuan, to guard the holy sword Purple Sun. But now, his sights were set on challenging the world's strongest.
"Fine," Kulokamu said, a little helplessly.
On this island, Bai Chuan and the crew got to sample specialty cuisines unique to the other two seas, and they also laid eyes on all manner of bizarre and peculiar things that only existed in the Grand Line.
They rested here for a day, then departed—because not every island was guaranteed to hold an adventure.
If Bai Chuan remembered correctly, the next island should be Little Garden, also known as the Ancient Island. And on it were two people Bai Chuan was very, very interested in.
They were warriors of the Elbaf giant tribe from the New World, and former captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates—men who possessed truly formidable strength.
Bai Chuan was absolutely determined to get these two. He needed them to form a new Giant Warrior Pirates. After all, the giants of the New World were an incredibly powerful fighting force, and Bai Chuan was not about to let that go to waste.
"Hey, Captain, look!" After a day and night of sailing, Moore suddenly shouted in astonishment. As the small island in their line of sight drew closer and closer, its full appearance now completely filled their view.
"There are actually trees that huge."
Everyone aboard wore expressions of pure amazement. Even the crew members born in the New World were seeing an island like this for the first time—it looked entirely like an island from ancient times.
"Is this island really a mandatory stop on the route?"
Yuristine was a little puzzled. This island was completely primeval, without a trace of development.
"Do you guys seriously not know? This island is called the Ancient Island, also known as Little Garden. Everything growing on it is prehistoric life."
This time, it was Riddle who enlightened everyone.
"How do you know it so clearly?" Jora asked Riddle with some surprise. The other crew members also gave him looks of disbelief—they hadn't expected Riddle to have such a moment in the spotlight.
"Hehe." Riddle rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed.
"Because the first time I came to the Grand Line, I did thorough research on all the various routes. This island left a pretty deep impression on me, so I remembered it."
"It was also because of this island that I didn't choose this route back then."
"Oh, so that's how it is."
All the crew nodded as if suddenly enlightened. Whatever the reason, Riddle really did know more than they did in this regard.
After the crew disembarked onto the island, they were once again stunned by the scene before them.
The island's environment was somewhat dark, probably because the trees were too tall and too dense, making it impossible for sunlight to pierce through the thick canopy of leaves.
Just then, a booming sound echoed from the center of the island. Boom. Boom. Boom.
"What's that noise?"
Jora asked Riddle.
"You're asking me? How would I know?"
Riddle spread his hands. He only knew the general gist of this island; the specifics were beyond him.
"Tch, so much for getting my hopes up."
"I'm still better than you, who knows absolutely nothing."
"That sound is coming from two people fighting."
Yuristine cleared up the mystery for the few who were clueless.
"Fighting? What kind of fight makes that much of a commotion?"
"Just head inside and see for yourselves."
Bai Chuan said to everyone. If he wasn't mistaken, the two fighting should be Brogy the Red Ogre and Dorry the Blue Ogre.
Bai Chuan's group walked deeper in. They'd only gone a few steps when an enormous head suddenly appeared above them, its massive mouth gaping wide as it roared.
"D-d-d-dinosaur~~!"
Moore was completely petrified. To him, creatures like dinosaurs were already prehistoric. Even among Zoan-type Devil Fruits, the dinosaur types were classified as Ancient Zoans—when had he ever seen something like this?
Riddle was also a bit dumbfounded. Although he had once been a tyrannosaurus, at his core he was still just a lizard—utterly incomparable to a real dinosaur. The one right in front of them—that was a true tyrannosaurus.
Even though he'd prepared himself for seeing ancient creatures, the moment it actually happened, he was still scared stiff.
"This island really is something else."
In contrast to Riddle and Moore, Jora and Yuristine were absolutely thrilled by the situation. For them, these ancient creatures were what made it truly challenging.
/-\
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