Chapter 110: The Choice of RouteLuffy, however, expressed doubt about her words."Impossible, you idiot!And give me back my hat, you jerk!""Luffy is right. Thinking you can block our path with just one island is nothing but wishful thinking.Never mind Small Garden; we don't even care about the boss behind you!"Alex's voice came from behind Ms. All Sunday. At that moment, the woman's body tensed up.After all, she knew the strength of the guy in front of her. Being able to shatter Hawkeye's slash back in the East Blue meant he truly had the power to challenge her boss.However: "Ara~ Is this little friend White-haired Xize?I heard you are a Ninja. Is Wano Country your hometown?"Alex had many question marks popping up in his head. Why was it Wano Country again?And why was he definitely from Wano Country?"I don't know what you mean, and I don't know where Wano Country is. In any case, don't try to change the subject. I said we would absolutely not fall there."After saying this, Alex teleported back wearing Luffy's hat and handed it to Luffy.Putting on the straw hat, Luffy's mood calmed down: "Thanks, Alex!"Usopp was still hugging the mast, shouting "jerk" and "idiot" there.This left Zoro, who was nearby, somewhat speechless: "Are you a child?"Seeing the hat taken away and watching the other party leave with a body flicker, Ms. All Sunday was not panicked in the slightest."Making a show of force by shouting from afar—anyone can do that.However, knowing there are tigers in the mountain, yet still heading towards the tiger mountain; that is what fools do."Having said that, Ms. All Sunday handed a Log Pose to Vivi."With that, you will be able to overcome the difficulties.The place that needle points to is an empty island closest to Alabasta.Our employees don't know about this route either, so you don't have to worry about being followed.""What? Is that person a good person...""Wh... Why give me this..."Nami and Vivi both couldn't believe the other party's actions.Zoro also looked at the other party with suspicion: "...Well, it's a trap anyway.""This island, it doesn't matter whether we go or not. If we go, I suspect that island is incredibly huge and it would take two or three years to store enough magnetic force.Plus, since it is empty, you would really starve to death in those two or three years without food.If we don't go, then we face Small Garden directly. Seen this way, Small Garden is also a very dangerous island."Alex analyzed it for Vivi. Hearing the other party's words, Ms. All Sunday did not refute him, and even chimed in."Perhaps he is right."This caused Vivi to fall into an even more difficult choice.Just as she was thinking about whether or not to choose this safe route, perhaps it was Luffy who saw Vivi's distress.So, he snatched the Log Pose away: "Whether this thing exists or not doesn't matter..."The next second, Luffy crushed the Log Pose directly. This scene made Nami feel angry; they had finally found a safe route, and it was ruined by Luffyjust like that.Then, she landed a flying kick on Luffy's face: "Are you an idiot?!Someone finally told us a good route to take! You just ruined it in an instant. What if that woman really was a good person?"Luffy stood up and shouted at Ms. All Sunday: "This ship's heading does not need you to decide!"Vivi looked at Luffy; no one knew what she was thinking inside at this moment.However, Alex didn't care. After all, it was the same wherever they went; perhaps Small Garden would be better.And Ms. All Sunday, as if she had guessed that Luffy would do this, looked completely unconcerned."Is that so? What a pity..."Nami was still angry at Luffy for breaking the Log Pose, while Luffy responded to Nami furiously."She's the one who blew up the Mr. Fishcake uncle! I hate her!"Seeing the other party like this, Ms. All Sundaydidn't know what to say either."...I don't actually hate people with courage...If you can survive, then we shall meet again! Also, returning this to you."After saying that, she threw back the shuriken Alexhad thrown at her. Taking advantage of the moment everyone's eyes were diverted by the shuriken, she used her Devil Fruit ability to leave the going merry.Subsequently, she boarded the back of a sea turtle wearing a cowboy hat and holding a cigarette."Binki, let's go."Seeing the other party leave, Luffy exclaimed about what a big sea turtle it was.Seeing Ms. All Sunday leave, Vivi knelt on the deck.At this moment, she no longer had that temperament and calmness from before; all that remained was the powerlessness after losing a loved one."That woman... I don't know what she is thinking at all..."Seeing Vivi like this, Nami comforted her: "Since you don't know what she's thinking, then there's no point in thinking about it anymore. It's better to just stop thinking about it."Zoro leaned on the stair railing, watching Namicomfort Vivi."Actually, we have someone like that on our ship too."Usopp, meanwhile, was pestering Zoro, asking what the situation was."Hey, can someone explain the situation clearly! I'm still completely confused up to now!"Seeing Usopp like this, Alex walked up and called Sanji over as well; he wanted to briefly explain the situation to the two of them.Just like that, the ship slowly moved forward with the current."I see. So that means Ms.—no, Vivi is really a strong and brave girl...However, it's a pity; this should have been my chance to shine.Fortunately, since the sleeping knight has awakened, Vivi's safety is guaranteed."Sanji exhaled smoke and stated indifferently.Usopp, however, grabbed Alex and shook him."Fortunately I was asleep.But to fight against the Shichibukai, Alex, are you crazy?! Remember the situation with Hawkeye? You turned into a child, and Zoro was slashed and heavily wounded!Now you want to provoke another one, you guys..."Before Usopp could finish, Karoo walked over and started pecking at his head."What is this? An ostrich?"Sanji didn't care much about the Shichibukai, but he did have some thoughts about Vivi and Ms. All Sunday."Ah~ looking at it this way, could Vivi and Ms. All Sunday be wanting to become our companions?""Hey hey, although it's daytime now, don't start daydreaming so early!"Vivi was still kneeling on the deck: "...Is it really okay for me to be on this ship...Will I cause trouble for everyone..."Seeing this mournful look from Vivi again, Nami felt she had to give her a shot of adrenaline and also tell her that these things were fine."What are you talking about?Thanks to you, our faces are already known to them!If you didn't want to cause trouble for us, then you shouldn't have done that at the beginning!Right, Luffy?"As she said this, she poked Vivi's forehead with her finger.Realizing she had hit a dead end, Vivi also understood.Since things had already reached this point, there was no need to dwell on the past.However, an apology was still necessary: "Wuu... I'm sorry."Luffy stood with his hands on his hips and waved his large hand high: "That's right!And it's dawn—Sanji, breakfast!""Yeah, the sun is up, so Vivi, you should also think about other things. Worrying about these is completely unnecessary. The only thing you need to think about now is how to save your country."Hearing Alex's words, Vivi nodded and patted her cheeks to wake herself up.She began to seriously think about her future plans.The ship slowly sailed away from Whiskey Peak, heading towards the distance.After sailing for a while, Luffy got bored again."Ah~ why isn't it snowing yet—By the way, Alex, can you perform some kind of snow-making Ninjutsu!""Hey~ Luffy, how could it possibly snow? And don't give Alex a hard time."Regarding Zoro's retort, Luffy indicated that the other party didn't understand."It has snowed before, but you were asleep at the time, so you didn't know.Na na~ Alex can still make it snow! Right!""Yes, yes. So Luffy, don't disturb me, okay? Zoro, come over here for a second!""Huh? What is it again?""Alex, are you going to perform some new Ninjutsu? I want to see, I want to see!""I want to see too!"Hearing Alex's words, Zoro, who was nearby, complained that it was troublesome but still walked over.And Luffy and Usopp, hearing Alex say this, knew there must be some new Ninjutsu to research."Nami, does Alex have something to do? Why are the others so excited."After all, even Sanji was glancing over there while making food."Ah, don't mind them. Alex is a Ninja, so he occasionally tests some new Ninjutsu. To ensure safety, he calls Zoro to help. The others are purely curious, no need to worry about it.""I see..." Vivi was still uneasy and looked over there."Zoro, next you put on these gloves. Remember, once you see something wrong with my body, use the hand with the glove to hit me, got it!"Zoro looked at the gloves in his hand; he wasn't used to hitting people with his fists."Alex, can't you let Luffy do it?"Luffy, hearing this, looked at Alex with glowing eyes."Hmm, that works too. But Luffy, you have to remember one thing: my life is in your hands, understand!"Luffy put on the gloves and looked at Alex with a grin: "Leave it to me, don't worry!""By the way, Alex, what is this Ninjutsu?"Usopp was curious and asked Alex what this Ninjutsu was."This Ninjutsu is called Sage Mode. Luffy, do you remember the Natural Energy I mentioned before?"Seeing Luffy thinking hard over there, Alex knew he had forgotten.So, Alex explained to everyone again what Natural Energy was, as well as the ability of this pair of gloves."...So I need someone to hit the Natural Energy out of my body through that glove before it corrodes me from within.Otherwise, I will completely lose my life.Alright, I'm going to start absorbing Natural Energynow."After saying this, Alex closed his eyes and began to draw the Natural Energy stored in the other glove into his body.This energy merged with the Chakra and mental power within him.And on the outside, Alex's appearance also began to change.
Chapter 111: Natural EnergyAt this moment, spiral patterns of various sizes appeared on Alex's skin.Vivi saw Alex's transformation and immediately covered her mouth, afraid of crying out. Nami also saw it, but didn't pay much attention to it.Sanji just glanced at him, remarked that he looked like a blueberry, and went back to cooking.Usopp, who also saw this scene, hurriedly shook the Luffy beside him."Luffy, Luffy, is this the special situation Alexmentioned? Should we hit him?"Luffy wasn't really listening; he found Alex's transformation amusing. It was only after being shaken violently by Usopp that he realized the gravity of the situation.At this moment, Alex's body was becoming bloated, and his skin color had turned a strange, deep blue. The spiral patterns on the outer layer of his skin were becoming more numerous and deeper.Seeing this, Luffy stopped watching and swung his fist, striking the back of Alex's head.Alex, who was struggling to regulate the Natural Energy, felt a violent blow to the back of his head.The Natural Energy within his body dissipated rapidly, and the external manifestations began to fade. His skin color started to return to normal, and those spiral patterns vanished as well.By the moment Alex opened his eyes, all the abnormalities on his body had completely disappeared."Luffy, what did my body look like just now?"Luffy and Usopp chattered away, describing the changes he had just undergone.It seems the Natural Energy of this world is very similar to the patterns on Devil Fruits.But more importantly, he could absorb the Natural Energy here, which meant that Sage Mode could be achieved.After telling Luffy to keep observing, he continued to convert the Natural Energy.After a morning of being pummeled, Alex finally mastered the basic numerical ratios.Previously, following the knowledge in the scroll, he had tried to combine Natural Energy, Chakra, and spiritual energy in a 1:1:1 ratio.However, during Alex's balancing process, even with a 1:1:1 ratio, a reaction of being eroded by nature would occur.Initially, Alex thought it was because the Natural Energy of this world was too weak, so he increased the proportion of Natural Energy.It wasn't until his head was fiercely struck that he realized he was wrong."Ha~ ha~ Alex, what are you doing? You almost died just now."Usopp, still holding Luffy's fist, leaned over beside Alex to ask what on earth he was doing.Just a moment ago, his body had turned into the shape of a blueberry, and the patterns had become increasingly obvious. Usopp had grabbed Luffy's hand and struck him violently, which was the only reason his life was saved.That was the reason why Usopp spoke like that."Sorry for making you worry. It won't happen again."Then, Alex extracted Natural Energy once more to convert it into Senjutsu Chakra.Through this incident, he realized that it was because the Natural Energy in this world was too abundant, too strong, and too overbearing.For this reason, Alex specifically reduced the Natural Energy, changing it from the perfect three-part state to a state where there was less Natural Energy, while the Chakra and spiritual energy remained equal.Unfortunately, it still failed.Perhaps the ratio was still wrong, but the erosion process had slowed down significantly, until Sanjicalled out from over there that lunch was ready, and Luffy knocked Alex awake to go eat lunch together."Say, Alex, were you performing a blueberry transformation just now?"Sanji knew about Sage Mode, but he didn't know it would have side effects."Oh, no. I was practicing Sage Mode just now. If I can master it, my combat power will soar by a huge margin, which will make future battles a bit easier."Then, Alex explained to Nami and Vivi what Sage Mode was and what Natural Energy was.Afterward, he gave everyone a detailed explanation of knowledge regarding Sage Mode, Natural Energy, and Senjutsu Chakra.Lunch ended quickly, and Alex entered a training state once again. This time, with the previous train of thought, he could barely activate Sage Mode.However, after activating Sage Mode, Alex's appearance changed quite a lot: his whole body turned blue, he became bloated, his eyebrows turned into the spiral shape like Sanji's, and spiral patterns appeared on his cheeks and chest.The others thought he had succeeded, but Alex said that this was just the effect of barely suppressing the erosion of Natural Energy, and it couldn't be considered Sage Mode at all."Hahaha, Alex, you look like a blueberry now, hahaha!""Alex, does this look of yours count as Transformation: Blueberry Technique! Hahaha!""Say, if we used you to brew blueberry wine, would it taste good?""That's worth a look; maybe it would taste great."Seeing them mocking him like this, Alex stood up and moved to behind Usopp at an astonishing speed."Heh heh, Usopp, then let me show you what the Ninja Art: Flight Technique is!"After saying that, he threw Usopp into the air and caught him, letting him experience the feeling of a flying acrobat.Next, he came up behind Zoro: "Watch me make a seaweed rice ball! You wet seaweed!"As he said this, he took a large amount of plastic rice from his gloves and placed it on Zoro's head.Seeing this, Luffy and Sanji pointed at Zoro and laughed, bending over in laughter.Just as Zoro swung his hand toward his back, Alexhad already disappeared."Hey, wet seaweed, this seaweed rice ball looks pretty good!""Oh right, Sanji, I haven't forgotten you. You were laughing at me too, right? Heh heh, next you're going to try the Ninjutsu I came up with for you. Ninja Art: Okama Harem Technique!"A cloud of smoke covered the deck. When the smoke cleared, everyone found Sanji lying on the deck, looking completely burnt out, his body twitching.No one knew what had just happened. As for Luffy, Alex came up in front of him: "Luffy, do you like eating meat?"Luffy nodded to indicate that he did."Since you like it, then take this! Big Bone Meat Animation Technique!"A giant piece of meat on the bone appeared in front of Luffy. Just as Luffy was about to go up and bite it, the meat on the bone suddenly opened its mouth and swallowed Luffy whole.Afterward, the meat on the bone disappeared, and Luffy fell from the air."Hahaha, Alex, that's so interesting! Do it again!"Seeing Luffy like this, Alex knew that he hadn't pranked him successfully.But apart from Luffy, the others had recovered. Zorobrushed off the plastic particles from his head, Usopp forced himself to stand up, and Sanji was constantly trying to delete the images of those okamas from his mind.They stood up and looked at Alex in unison, all opening their mouths wide and shouting at Alex: "You bastard Alex! Prepare to die!" ×3"Ahahaha, can you catch me? Hahaha~"Although Alex was not yet in the true Sage Mode, the boost from Natural Energy was no joke.Unfortunately, he was too careless and tripped over himself. At this, the other three saw their chance and rushed forward, getting into a brawl.Seeing this, Luffy also got interested and joined in directly.After playing around for a while, everyone was tired and lay on the deck to rest.Sanji stood up and went to the kitchen to make drinks for everyone, because the temperature on the sea was exceptionally high at this time.Not long after, Sanji's voice came from the kitchen."Hey, brothers! Do you want to try my special drink?"He was seen walking onto the deck holding a tray.The others, along with Karoo, raised their hands: "We do—!"Vivi had watched the whole process of what had just happened. Feeling somewhat uneasy, she asked Nami, who was beside her: "Is it really okay for these people to be like this?"Nami tasted the drink, picked up a glass, handed it to Vivi, and said:"Isn't it great? If a storm really comes, they will work seriously. Don't keep your nerves on edge all the time; you need to relax occasionally. Here, this cup is yours."Hearing Nami's words and recalling what had just happened, Vivi began to understand a little."But... that may be true... but this level of relaxation is clearly over the top."At this time, the few of them were sitting around Karoo, and the abnormalities on Alex's body had disappeared.Sanji held a drink and placed it in front of Karoo."Oh! You can really drink, hey! Is it good? Drink some more!"Luffy drank his beverage and looked at Usopp: "Say, Usopp, help me make a set of fishing gear!"Zoro, who was nearby, also became interested: "Fishing? Good idea."It seems the most boring thing on the sea is having nothing to do; even the god of sleep, Zoro, couldn't sleep forever.Alex was also interested in fishing. He had never fished before, but seeing so many people online saying that fishing was fun and so on, now that Luffy mentioned it, he became interested too."Usopp, I want a set too. Oh, I can provide the materials; I guarantee the toughness and corrosion resistance will be very high."Looking at the three of them like this, Usopp patted his chest: "Since you say so, I'll make a few artistic fishing rods!"It seems he wanted to fish too.Watching everyone like this, Nami smiled and said to Vivi, who was beside her: "I was right, wasn't I? On this ship, all worries will vanish into thin air."Vivi looked at Nami, then at everyone on the deck, and nodded, indicating that Nami was absolutely right.The breeze blew through her hair, and she tucked away the strands that the wind had blown loose."Yeah... much more relaxed...""Hey, everyone look, it's a dolphin!"Sanji was sitting on the second deck, looking at the scenery around, when he spotted a dolphin swimming over."Oh oh!""Not bad."Luffy and Alex had just finished talking when this dolphin swam over.Before Nami could finish praising it, everyone realized that this dolphin was a bit too big!Just its slightly opened mouth could easily swallow the going merry."So big—!"Seeing this scene, Luffy cheered, "Everyone, run!"Unfortunately, the dolphin had already seen them. Seeing it approach, Zoro shouted loudly: "Captain, it's coming!"The others immediately went to their respective stations, but Zoro actually got lost. Fortunately, Usopp saw him and told Zoro that he needed to go to the other side.Sanji went to the sails to make adjustments, and Alex went to the helm to steer the ship.Zoro helped Sanji adjust the sails, and Usopp finally went to adjust the triangular sail.Everyone worked together in an orderly fashion.After escaping the giant dolphin, things finally calmed down gradually. Nami looked at the log pose in her hand to confirm that it wasn't misaligned.The ship sailed until late at night; tonight it was Usopp's turn to keep watch."Usopp, keeping an eye on the route is up to you. We're going to rest; if anything happens, wake us up."After instructing Usopp, Alex returned to the boys' cabin.Here, all the boys slept in hammocks. For the sake of comfort, Alex used plastic to create a bed for himself; of course, pajamas and bedding were also essential.
Chapter 112: Small GardenThe night sea breeze blew against the going merry, time passed slowly, and Usopp slowly fell asleep while keeping watch.When the time reached five o'clock, Sanji walked out of his room. Seeing Usopp asleep while hugging the mast, Sanji smiled without disturbing him and tiptoed toward the kitchen to begin his day's work.An hour later, Alex also woke up from his bed, packed his things, and went onto the deck.Taking advantage of the morning sunlight, he continued reading the knowledge on the scroll, while simultaneously creating a clone to help Sanjiwith his chores.Because everyone else hadn't woken up yet, Alexdidn't dare to conduct Sage Mode training.He had to study other content, such as shuriken throwing techniques or knowledge about various Bloodline Limits.As the sun rose, seeing Luffy come out, he knew Sanji's meal was ready, so he promptly woke up the Usopp beside him.At this moment, Sanji shouted from the kitchen, "Everyone, it's time to eat!"Luffy was the first to arrive in the kitchen, Alex was the second to take his seat, followed by Usopp and Zoro, and the remaining ones were Nami and Vivi.Breakfast began, and everyone kept an eye on their food, fearing Luffy would snatch it away.Alex was just a little careless, and the meat in his bowl vanished."Luffy! That piece of meat was mine, give it back!""What's the big deal, it's just a piece of meat... Ah! Alex, that's my char siu, give it back to me!""Heh heh, this is mine!""If that's how it is, then let's have a contest!""Bring it on!"Alex and Luffy started their food war again.Breakfast ended, and the two of them rubbed their rounded bellies.But the next second, Luffy returned to his normal body. Seeing this, Alex sometimes truly envied Luffy's ability to digest food so quickly.However, today he had something he had been meaning to do."Heh heh, these are all my treasures..."He took out the bamboo seeds he had purchased in Loguetown and began injecting Chakra and Natural Energy into them.The Chakra was to improve the seeds' ability to attach to Chakra, while the Natural Energy was to enhance the seeds' vitality.Having prepared everything, Alex took the potted plants and placed them near the orange grove."Hmm, that's it. Now it just depends on when these seeds will sprout."Seeing Alex acting sneaky, Luffy thought he was playing around with some novel Ninjutsu, so he quietly crept up behind him and shouted."Alex, what are you doing?"Alex didn't know it was Luffy, but he had sensed someone behind him, so the shout didn't startle him much."I'm just planting some plants, Luffy.""Boring. I'm going to go see what Usopp is doing and ask if the fishing rod is finished."Seeing that Alex wasn't turning into blueberries, Luffy felt bored and ran over to see what Usoppwas doing.Watching Luffy leave, Alex shook his head, left the pillar, went onto the deck, and continued the development and exploration of his Bloodline Limit.Throughout the morning, Zoro continued to sleep there, while Usopp immediately began making the fishing rod using the material Alex provided, which had high toughness, hardness, and corrosion resistance.With the existence of the Plastic-Plastic Fruit, as long as one had the knowledge and energy, any kind of plastic could be created.After Usopp left for the workshop, Alex continued to study his Bloodline Limit.Finally, when Alex opened his palm, a large amount of ice crystals appeared in his hand."The Crystal Release Bloodline Limit has been created. Next, let's test its effectiveness."Alex went to the seaside and began performing hand signs.Luffy looked over and saw Alex testing a new Ninjutsu. Recalling what Alex had said earlier, he pouted in dissatisfaction."Hmph, it would be better if it exploded quickly!"Crystal Release: Crystal Shuriken!A huge crystal shuriken appeared on the surface of the sea.It seemed that his Crystal Release Bloodline Limitwas considered complete.As the weather on the sea became calmer, it seemed they had entered the territory of a new island.Nami looked toward the distant island following the pointer."It must be it, connected to the Cactus Island! Our next destination is that island!""That island~ This is the second island we've entered on the Grand Line!"Luffy lay on the sheep's head, looking at the distant island, too excited to sit still.The others also looked over there, but besides the excitement, they were still a bit worried, as the enemy was very certain they would die here.As the ship approached the island, Vivi, Nami, and Usopp couldn't help but feel a bit worried.Vivi looked at the surrounding environment and told everyone, "Everyone... you must be careful... and don't forget what Ms. All Sunday said. It still worries me to this day."Usopp showed signs of fear, as it clearly looked like a primeval forest: "Do you think... there will... be monsters here?"Sanji indifferently replied, "Who knows?"Alex, on the other hand, found the monsters interesting: "What do you think monster meat tastes like?""It might taste very good, or it might be very strange, but the meat would be very tough, which requires special processing..."Hearing Alex talk about monster meat, Sanji began to think about how to prepare it.Luffy was interested in their conversation: "Really! If that's the case, I want to catch a monster to be our crewmate!""Don't even think about it!" Nami rejected Luffy's idea.If they really let Luffy invite a monster on board, just thinking about it made Nami's skin crawl.Zoro didn't care; whether it was for eating or recruiting as a crewmate, either was fine.The going merry followed the current and slowly sailed into the island.At this moment, everyone discovered something was wrong."What... what kind of place is this!""Why is it a dense rainforest? This is no Small Garden; this is a secret realm!""Indeed, it doesn't look like a place with such a cute name at all.""Exactly, how is this place small..."Everyone moved along the current, complaining about how this place was anything but small.Along the way, everyone saw many plants they usually couldn't see.Nami pointed to the large trees ahead and asked everyone, "Look over there, I've never seen these plants in any plant encyclopedia!"Alex leaned over, although he didn't know what they were either."Nami, these plants seem to be from the Jurassic period.""What? That means here..."Upon hearing Alex's words, Nami was about to exclaim when a strange cry interrupted everyone."Caw caw!"This sound brought everyone back to the prehistoric era."What was that? What was that sound just now!"Nami looked toward the source of the sound with a horrified expression. In the sky, a huge, feathered bird flew over their heads.The others also looked over, only Sanji was staring at Nami, lost in thought.Hearing Nami's question, he also said nonchalantly."It's fine, it's just a bird. Besides, this is just an ordinary rainforest, nothing to worry about!"Luffy looked at the big bird in the sky and asked, "Is that a lizard?"Alex saw the bird flying in the sky and muttered to himself."What lizard? If I'm not mistaken, that wasn't just any ordinary bird; that should be an Archaeopteryx, the most critical link in the evolution of dinosaurs into birds. Its presence here means this island is not just some simple rainforest!"Alex's voice reached everyone's ears. Aside from Vivi and Nami, who had read books and knew this knowledge, the others didn't understand at all."What is an Archaeopteryx?""What is a dinosaur?""What is evolution?""And what is a bird?"The three in front looked at Luffy, who asked the last question, and shouted at him, "Are you an idiot! You don't even know what a bird is!"Luffy finally realized it and hurriedly apologized to everyone.Boom! A huge sound came, and everyone, even the going merry, was shaken by this sound.Nami asked Sanji, who was nearby, "Hey, can you hear this kind of sound in an ordinary rainforest?"Usopp covered his head and started screaming, "That sounds exactly like a volcanic eruption!"Before the two could finish being surprised, they saw a severely injured tiger on the shore, staggering over, but it fell to the ground after only a few steps."Grrr...""It's not simple! This place is definitely not simple! Why would a tiger, the king of the jungle, lie in a pool of blood?"Hearing Nami's words, Usopp chimed in, "Nami is right, so I've decided, I won't land on this island!"Alex looked at Usopp speechlessly, thinking this guy really had thick skin. If he was scared, he was scared; calling his fear something so fresh and refined was truly unique.Nami also agreed with Usopp, "That's right, I'm also prepared to wait on the ship until the Log Pose is full! That way we can leave this island as soon as possible... hmm... we must rush to Alabasta as soon as possible."However, compared to these two, there was one person who started trembling.This person was Luffy. Of course, he wasn't trembling out of fear, but because he smelled the scent of adventure."Hey, Sanji! Bento!""Bento?" Sanji didn't understand what Luffy meant."Yeah! Pirate Bento! I have a feeling that we're going to have an adventure!""Sanji, I want one too, prepare a Pirate Bento for me as well!"Nami, who was nearby, looked at Luffy, "You, wait a minute, Luffy. Where did you say you were going just now?"Luffy responded to Nami with a grin, "Adventure."Usopp also pestered Alex, "Alex, you should stay here, otherwise I won't feel at ease!"Alex looked at Usopp, who was clinging to him, and sighed."Sigh~ I'm telling you, Usopp, isn't Zoro here? And Sanji is here too, so it's fine."Unfortunately, Usopp didn't trust those two. Sanjicouldn't walk away whenever he saw a beautiful woman, and Zoro would wander around once he woke up. Alex was the best.Seeing Usopp still holding onto him tightly, Alexhad no choice but to create a clone."Is this okay, Usopp? I will leave a clone here, and he will protect you. Jeez, Sanji, when will my bento be ready!""Sanji, bento!""Got it, wait a moment!" Unable to stand the two of them shouting like that, Sanji went into the kitchen to prepare them.Luffy's was an all-meat bento, and Alex's was a stir-fried noodle bento.
Chapter 113: GiantWhen Vivi saw that Luffy and Alex were both going out, she didn't know if it was out of fear or some other reason.She hurriedly asked the two, "...Um! Can I go with you?""I don't mind, it depends on what Luffy says.""Sure, come along, come along!"Seeing that the two agreed, Vivi let out a sigh of relief.Upon hearing Vivi's words, Nami expressed disbelief: "Even you are going out? What are you talking about?"Seeing Nami's confusion, Vivi hurriedly explained."Well... if I stay here, I'll just let my imagination run wild. I'm going out to clear my head until the Log Pose is full. Besides, don't worry! I have Karoo with me!"Hearing that he was also going out, Karoo froze on the spot.Seeing Karoo like this, Nami remarked, "He's probably so scared he can't even quack..."Vivi didn't mind at all. Hearing Vivi's words, Sanjiimmediately perked up: "Since you're going out too, I'll make a romantic bento for my dear Vivi.""If possible, could you trouble yourself to prepare a drink for Karoo?"Although he was extremely reluctant to make a drink for Karoo, he still agreed to Vivi's request.Not long after, four bentos were ready."Alright! Let's go!""Let's set off!""Don't worry everyone, I'll be back soon!"The three of them packed their respective bentos, got off the ship, and began their exploration.Watching the three figures leave, Usopp said to Nami from the side, "Ms. Wednesday really has guts."Nami nodded from the side as well: "Yeah, no wonder she was able to infiltrate the enemy's organization."At this moment, Zoro also got up and stretched his body: "Hmm, I've been lying down long enough, it's time to move around. I'm bored anyway, I'll go for a walk!"Hearing that Zoro wanted to go for a walk, Usopplooked at him. Although Alex's clone was there, having another expert meant more security, so he wanted to grab Zoro and stop him from leaving.As soon as Zoro turned around, Usopp bumped into the railing.Seeing that Zoro was going for a walk, Sanjihurriedly called out to him: "Hey, Zoro, wait! Wait!""Hmm?""We're running low on fruit in the storage. Go pick some fruit, and while you're at it, catch some edible beasts and bring them back.""Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'll pick some fruit. And I'll hunt a beast that even you can't handle to bring back."Watching Zoro walk away and hearing what he said, Sanji couldn't just pretend he hadn't heard it."Wait, you bastard!""Huh?""I'm not going to ignore what you said! Are you saying that compared to me, you can catch bigger prey?"Hearing the dissatisfaction in Sanji's words, Zoro's fighting spirit was ignited."Of course!"Hearing this, Sanji couldn't take it anymore and shouted at Zoro."Let's have a hunting contest!"The great battle between the two officially began.Next, Sanji began to explain the rules, which were simple."Listen up! This contest will be decided by how many kilograms of meat we hunt."After listening to Sanji, Zoro said: "I couldn't ask for more!"However, to save face, Zoro corrected him: "It shouldn't be by kilograms, but by tons!"The two left the going merry like that, leaving only Usopp, Nami, and the clone—those two and a half people—to guard the ship.Watching the two leave, Nami fell to her knees on the deck and wailed."Why are all these guys like this..."Usopp felt the same way: "I understand how you feel. So don't cry, I'm on your side."Hearing Usopp's words, Nami stood up, looking at him as if she were about to say something.But her words were snatched by him."You're very unreliable~"Upon hearing this, Nami opened her mouth wide and yelled at Usopp: "That's my line!"The clone on the side helplessly shook his head at the sight of the two, walked over, and patted them on the shoulders.It seems this clone is the type who isn't good with words.Seeing Alex's clone, Nami and Usopp excitedly hugged him and then burst into loud sobs."Waaaaah~ You're still the best to us!""Yeah, what would we do without you!"The clone had no choice but to sigh while soothing the two; he was only a clone, what could he do?Having finished complaining, Nami recalled that she seemed to have seen Small Garden somewhere."Waaah~ Wait... wait a second, I think I've read about Small Garden in some book."Usopp and the clone immediately looked over, but Nami only had a vague impression, so she went back to where the books were kept and started flipping through them.Books were scattered on the floor one by one."Not this one, not this one either. Which one is it? Dammit, think faster, brain. I clearly just saw it recently, why can't I remember?"After searching for a while, Nami found the book."Look, this is it!"Usopp and the clone were about to lean in, but before they could look, the clone sensed something huge approaching and immediately stepped in front of them.The figure approached the going merry. Nami and Usopp saw the figure and were so scared they couldn't move.The book fell from Nami's hands, and the wind blew it open to the page about Small Garden.It clearly read: 'To the residents living here, this island is just like a Small Garden. So, let's call this land Small Garden. — Explorer Drophy Arnot'Then Nami and Usopp screamed. In the distance, Zoro vaguely heard Nami's scream and stopped."What's wrong... I think I just heard Miss Namicalling me..."However, a Tyrannosaurus Rex attacked from behind Sanji, and he couldn't care about that, choosing to fight the T-Rex instead.On the other side, Zoro also encountered his enemy, a Triceratops."Oh~ Are you also using Three Sword Style? Then let's have a good match."Back at the going merry, Nami, Usopp, and the clone saw a giant with a beard, wearing a Viking helmet and clothes made from the skin of an unknown creature."Gabahbahbahbahbah! I ask you, do you have any alcohol?"Hearing the giant's question, Nami was so scared she couldn't speak properly. Usopp braced himself and responded tremblingly."A... a small amount..."Unfortunately, he was also scared out of his wits, and his speech was stuttering.The clone reluctantly used water flow to create a small amount of alcohol, or rather, had some. At the same time, he found the scroll containing stored alcohol that the main body had left in the kitchen."That's really interesting, but as long as there's alcohol, it's fine!"Although he found the clone's ability interesting, as soon as he heard about alcohol, he threw everything else to the back of his mind."Waaah!"Suddenly, the giant screamed!This scream scared Usopp and Nami on the ship, and they both screamed too.Upon seeing clearly, they realized it was a dinosaur biting the giant's butt.Seeing his butt being attacked, the giant raised his axe and sliced the dinosaur in two in one stroke.Seeing the giant eliminate the dinosaur in just one move, Usopp and Nami immediately lay down on the deck and pretended to be asleep.But the giant held his weapon high and shouted."I, Brogy, am the strongest warrior of Elbaf!"Then he grabbed the dinosaur's head and looked at the ship: "I have meat! I have alcohol, so I'll treat you, guests!"The clone looked at the two lying on the ground, nodded helplessly to indicate it was okay, and fearing the other couldn't see, specifically used water flow to form a sentence to tell him it was okay.Afterward, Brogy took them back to his camp.On the other side, after Luffy, Alex, and Vivi left the going merry, they headed deep into the forest.Along the way, Alex saw many plants he had never seen before.Most of these lived before the Cretaceous period, or even before the Jurassic period."Hey! Alex, Vivi, look at this!"Luffy was holding a creature in his hand and waved for the two to come over.Alex came over and saw that it was a nautilus in Luffy's hand."Look at this, a shell like an octopus, let's call it an Octopus Shell.""Luffy, this isn't an Octopus Shell, this is a nautilus, an ancient creature that can be traced back to the Ordovician period.""That's right, Luffy, Alex is right, this is indeed a nautilus.""So this isn't an Octopus Shell then."Seeing it wasn't an Octopus Shell, Luffy's tone became obviously disappointed, and he casually threw it into the water.But before he could be disappointed for long, he saw a giant Brontosaurus—though it's called an Apatosaurus now.Luffy adjusted his straw hat and looked up at it: "Why are there Sea Kings on land?""Luffy, these aren't Sea Kings, these are dinosaurs! And it's a Brontosaurus!""That's right, this is a dinosaur!"Vivi looked at Alex, a bit in disbelief. Usually, this kind of knowledge is only researched by people with a lot of free time or by those who are very passionate about it."Dinosaur! Brontosaurus! Sounds pretty cool!""But why does everything here look so much like the Jurassic period? Is there no evolution here?"Hearing Alex's doubt, Vivi explained to him."You're right, Alex. On the islands of the Grand Line, because the routes are extremely difficult and there is no communication between islands, each island has its own unique culture.""There are islands with highly advanced civilizations, and there are also islands that haven't evolved in thousands or tens of thousands of years, preserving their primitive appearance!""The chaotic climate on the Grand Line makes all of this possible. So... this island is still in the dinosaur age! Just like this!"Alex was also shocked by these words. He only knew this was the graveyard for pirates, and at Twin Capes, he knew the currents were chaotic here.But he didn't expect that not only were the currents chaotic, but the islands themselves were also extremely abstract. However, looking at it this way, the future journey won't be boring.It's just that the two didn't notice that while they were discussing, Luffy had already climbed up the Brontosaurus's neck to its head.Vivi wanted to stop Luffy, but was held back by Alex."Vivi, give it up. No one can stop Luffy from doing what he wants to do, let alone a Brontosaurus; it can't do anything to him."Luffy, having climbed to the top of the Brontosaurus, sat on its head and began to admire the scenery."Wow! The view is really nice! Hey! Alex, come up here too! The view is great! And do you want to come over and eat your bento together? Wow! Look, there's a volcano in the distance! Not only that, there are also several huge caves!"
Chapter 114: The Reason for the BattleSeeing the other party so relaxed, Vivi also felt at ease, but she hadn't been able to relax for long before her heart began to race again.However, Luffy was making such a ruckus that even someone with a good temper wouldn't be able to stand it, let alone a Thunder Dragon that was in the middle of eating.Seeing that little thing, Luffy, jumping and making a scene on its head.It made the creature wonder if the other party was looking down on it! And who did he think he was, sitting on its head so brazenly?Thinking this, the Thunder Dragon shook its head, flipped Luffy up, and then swallowed him in one gulp.Seeing this, Alex didn't wait for Vivi to scream; he immediately began forming hand seals, preparing to slice open the creature's neck to rescue Luffy.But someone was faster than Alex; a giant sword severed the Thunder Dragon's neck.He then caught the falling Luffy and placed him in the palm of his hand."Gagagagagaga! Such a lively person! A guest I haven't seen in a long time!"Seeing Luffy saved, Alex stopped his hand seals. But that was a member of the Giant Race, right? He hadn't expected to find one here.Luffy stood on the giant's hand: "Waha—so big! Are you a human?"The other party wasn't annoyed by Luffy's words and began to introduce himself: "Gagagagagaga, I am Dorry, the strongest warrior of Elbaf!"Vivi, standing to the side, was trembling with fear, while Alex, like Luffy, was curious about the giant before them."What's wrong, Vivi? You aren't scared, are you?"Hearing Alex's question, Vivi replied tremblingly: "Mm... mm, because it's my first time seeing one... although I've heard of them before, but..."Before Vivi could finish, the giant who called himself Dorry crouched down to look at Alex and Vivi."I didn't expect to have guests here, but it doesn't matter. Let me invite you to be guests at my home!""Alright! That's great, Uncle Dorry!""Gagagagagagaga! Another energetic kid, but I like it! Alright, come on up."He lowered his arm to let Alex and Vivi climb on, then sheathed his sword at his waist.He dragged the Thunder Dragon with just one hand; it had to be said that the Giant Race was truly synonymous with strength wherever they were.They arrived at the giant's home. To call it a home was perhaps a bit too simplistic.A structure several meters high stood there. For some reason, looking at its shape, Alex felt it resembled a spinal column.It was likely a Sea Kings carcass that had died here, but never mind that.Over there, Dorry began gathering firewood to roast the Thunder Dragon to feast them.Dorry rubbed his sword against his shield, and a shower of sparks ignited the wood.The Thunder Dragon was quickly butchered with a few swipes of his sword, and then he began roasting it.Before long, the roasted Thunder Dragon meat was ready."Gagagagagaga, alright, everyone, come and have a taste!"Dorry took a huge chunk and placed it in front of them.Looking at the bone-in meat that was larger than their own bodies, Alex and Luffy dove in and began to eat heartily.To express their gratitude, the two of them gave their respective bento boxes to Dorry, and just like that, they began to feast.It felt a bit off to have food without anything to drink. Although Alex didn't like alcohol, he felt they should at least have some beverage.So, he created shadow clones to go and pick some edible fruit nearby.Seeing Alex create several small figures, Dorry, who was nearby, felt very curious."Little guy with white hair, what were those just now? Is that a Devil Fruit ability?""Oh, those were just shadow clones. You can think of them as shadows that can act on their own. They just went to gather some fruit; after all, it wouldn't be right to eat without having something to drink.""Is that so? That's great. It would be even better if there were some ale. Gagagagagagagaga!"While they were talking, the clones brought back the fruit. Alex first used Wind Release to blend the fruit into juice. As for cups, it was very simple; he just needed to create some using Ice Release. Not only was it clean, but it could also chill the juice.The three of them looked at the juice in their hands. Luffy found it novel, but didn't think much of it.Vivi had seen some Ninjutsu before, so she knew a little bit and wasn't too shocked. While Dorry found it hard to believe, he was, after all, someone who had seen his fair share of the world."Yahahahaha, this is so delicious, Giant Uncle!""Mm-mm, it is indeed quite good."Luffy and Alex took a bite of meat, then a sip of juice, followed by a sigh of satisfaction. It was truly enjoyable.Dorry also began to taste the bento, gently pinching it with two fingers, while drinking the juice beside him."Gagagagagagaga! The taste of this pirate bento is also quite good! But the portion is too small!"Hearing this, Alex nodded in agreement. After all, it was prepared by Sanji, so both the taste and nutrition were top-tier.Luffy swallowed the roasted meat in his mouth: "Of course! This was made by my partner. If you say it tastes bad, I'll blow you away!"Seeing the two trust their partner so much, Dorryslapped his thigh and laughed heartily. "Gagagagagagaga, you really are interesting little guys!"Watching the three of them chatting happily, Vivicouldn't help but sigh: "It hasn't been long, yet they've already become so incredibly familiar with each other."Afterward, the three continued to eat and chat, and Dorry learned both their names and their dreams."By the way, Uncle Dorry, why do you live here? Don't you have a hometown? Or did your ship get destroyed, forcing you to live here?"Alex, as if thinking of something, asked Dorry why he was here.Luffy looked over upon hearing this; he was also curious about the purpose of the giant being here."There is a Village. It is a Village of warriors called Elbaf. It is located somewhere on the Grand Line... As for why I am here, it is neither because my ship was destroyed nor because I have nowhere to go.""The reason I am staying here is because of the rules of the Village. Our Village has a rule: if a dispute occurs in the Village and neither side will yield... we must accept the judgment of the God of Elbaf.""Because the God of Elbaf always protects the righteous. He allows the righteous to survive. And I, too, had a dispute with someone else.""Now, this island is the dueling ground for me and a certain man. Only the righteous will win in battle... and survive. But after one hundred years, there is still no winner! Gagagagagagaga!""You've been fighting for one hundred years?""To have fought for so long, no wonder there is so much wear and tear on your weapons."Luffy and Alex were both shocked by the century-long battle.Seeing the two little ones stunned, Dorry comforted them. "Don't be so surprised! After all, our lifespans are three times longer than yours. Gagagagagagaga!"Vivi was very confused by this. What kind of reason could make two people stand against each other for a century?"Even if your lifespans are three times ours, after one hundred years, shouldn't the passion for fighting have cooled down? Is there any meaning in continuing to fight? If you continue to fight, isn't it just killing each other?"Before Vivi could finish, the volcano nearby began to erupt. This seemed to be some kind of signal.Dorry didn't answer Vivi's question, but instead said to himself: "Well then... I must be going!"Dorry slowly stood up and picked up his weapon. It seemed he was preparing for battle.After preparing everything, Dorry stated: "I don't know when it was agreed upon, but in any case... when the central volcano erupts, it is the signal for the duel."Seeing that the other party was still going to duel, Vivi couldn't hold back. She shouted at Dorry: "...How is that possible... What kind of deep hatred could make you kill each other for one hundred years? The reason for your dispute..."Before Vivi could finish, Luffy reached out to stop her from continuing."Don't ask. Because that's not the point."Dorry's voice came from above: "Correct. This is for honor."As he said this, he brandished his giant sword. Opposite him, a giant with a beard appeared, wielding a giant axe."As for the reason... I forgot it long ago!"With that, the two began to fight. Dorry's sword slashed toward the other party, while Brogy raised his shield to block the move.At the same time, he swung his giant axe.Dorry also blocked it. After all, they had been killing each other for one hundred years; they were intimately familiar with every move the other made."Vivi, what do you think is the biggest problem with this kind of long-lived race?"Vivi had just recovered from the sight of the two giants fighting and then saw Luffy and Alex lying on the grass.Regarding Alex's question, Vivi didn't ask further but looked at him. After all, she truly felt that using one hundred years to fight was an incredibly foolish thing.Seeing Vivi calm down, Alex continued: "To maintain their vitality, long-lived races choose to sleep or do interesting things. And the Giant Race clearly views honor as more important than life itself. That is why these two uncles use dueling to gain honor. Only in this way can they avoid losing themselves in their long lives. Of course, this is just my personal opinion; take it for what it's worth."Vivi looked at the giants fighting in the distance and pondered what Alex had just said. She still felt something was off.As for what was off, she couldn't quite put her finger on it yet.While Vivi was thinking, the two giants began to fight. Every move and every strike was aimed at the other's vital points.Brogy's axe slashed toward Dorry, and Dorry used his shield to block it. Then, Dorry swung his greatsword to slash at the other, and the opponent dodged it in stride.This exchange ended in a stalemate. The two separated, staring fixedly at each other, seeing if they could find any opening.Immediately after, Dorry thrust his sword out, and Brogy leaped high to dodge the attack.At this moment, Brogy seized the opportunity and slashed his axe toward Dorry.Seeing his sword stuck in the mountain and unable to be pulled out for a moment, and unable to make an effective block with his round shield due to his positioning, Dorry was in trouble.Just at this critical moment, Dorry raised his head and used his helmet to block the other party's attack, thus resolving the crisis.Taking advantage of the opponent's weapon being deflected by the helmet, Dorry pulled out his weapon and clashed with the other party again.
Chapter 115: A New EnemyThe two giants were currently fighting to their hearts' content. Alex had no issues; he and Luffywere still sitting in place, resting.However, there was a significant change on Usopp's side. It started when Usopp, Nami, and the clone were brought by Brogy to his dwelling.Then, Brogy divided up the dinosaur he had hunted for everyone to eat. Nami and Usopp felt afraid when they saw the pile of skulls nearby."Gabababababababa! It's roasted, eat up! By the way, little ones, where is that liquor you mentioned?"Usopp, standing to the side, looked at Nami and whispered to her: "Hey, Nami, look over there, it's a pile of skulls…"Nami nodded to show she understood, terrified that if they spoke too loudly, Brogy would notice them.However, the clone told the two of them not to worry, then undid the sealing scroll and poured the liquor into the ice cups he had prepared beforehand.Brogy watched everything happening before him, simply said "How impressive," and didn't pay much more attention to it.However, seeing that the three of them weren't eating, he assumed they were just being too polite. "What's wrong? Why aren't you eating? Don't be polite, everyone; this dinosaur meat is incredibly tender, you must try it."The clone picked up a piece and tasted it. Although he could taste the flavor, he wouldn't actually digest it, but the meat quality was indeed delicious.Afterward, the clone handed the meat to the two of them, signaling that it was fine to eat.With the clone by their side, Usopp and Nami finally felt at ease. Then, the clone began to converse with Brogy to see if he could glean any useful information.After a simple exchange, the clone grasped the situation. Just like with Dorry, he only learned about the other's hometown and why they were here.Nami was completely uninterested in these things. Seeing that this giant had no ill intent, she plucked up the courage to ask him: "Um, Mr. Brogy… may I ask you a question?"Brogy, who was eating meat, finished a bone and looked at Nami. "Hmm? What is it, little girl?"Seeing that he was so boisterous, Nami felt much more at ease. "It's like this, I'd like to ask how long it takes for the log pose to be fully recorded on this island?"Brogy put down the large bone in his hand, looked at them, and stated a fact that left them in despair. "Just one year. It's nothing, just wait slowly, Gababababababa!"Upon hearing this, Nami and Usopp collapsed to the ground.The clone didn't mind; after all, he would disappear soon and wouldn't need to wait a year. Besides, things will work out in the end. Since this place was so well-known, people from Baroque Works would inevitably come here. Wouldn't it be easy enough to just steal a log pose from them then?Thinking of this, the clone continued to drink heartily with Uncle Brogy. At the same time, Uncle Brogyasked the clone if he had any barrels, as he wanted to send some to his old friend.After hearing this, Alex created a huge ice barrel and put the liquor inside. Seeing this, Brogy laughed even more heartily.At this moment, the Baroque Works employees the clone was thinking about were resting on a resort island on the Grand Line."Mr. 3!" a little girl called out to a man beside her whose hair was styled in the shape of the number 3."If you have something to say, say it later." The man remained unmoved, dismissed her with a few words, and continued to sip his black tea in place. "Hmm—drinking black tea, one must drink Earl Grey…"Before he could finish, the little girl interrupted him again. She was wearing a beach cover-up, her small body sitting on the chair in a seiza-like position. Flipping through some papers, she looked at the man from before. "So leisurely, Mr. 3."Annoyed by the young girl, he responded with some helplessness. "You keep talking about being leisurely, don't you hate working…" "Yeah!""Then just properly enjoy this leisurely time without missions! Being able to vacation so leisurely is the privilege of a top officer! Also… don't call out my codename in public. That will expose that I am Mr. 3! Do you understand? Ms. Goldenweek!"Ms. Goldenweek, across from him, didn't quite understand, and then she looked at her partner's flamboyant number 3 hairstyle and asked, "Is that so?"Seeing that his partner didn't trust him, Mr. 3 had no choice. Helpless, he continued to lie on the beach chair and rest.However, he saw his partner still fidgeting with a slip of paper, looking as if she wanted to say something but was holding back. In a good mood, he decided to ask her if she had something bothering her. "—By the way, you've been staring at that note for the past few days~… what exactly does it mean?"Ms. Goldenweek did not hide it and simply told him. "It's an order from the Boss!"Upon hearing this, Mr. 3 was so startled he slid off the beach chair. He opened his mouth wide and shouted at her: "Why didn't you say so sooner!"Ms. Goldenweek was completely unfazed; after all, it was he who wouldn't let her speak. Mr. 3 recalled that it was indeed he who had blocked her from reporting.Thinking of this, Mr. 3 took the letter and read it carefully, learning what had happened. "Hmm, Mr. 5 was taken out… Heh heh, if only Mr. 2 had been taken out, how great that would be! Then I could get promoted. But Mr. 5 being taken out is nothing to be surprised about; all of this was within my expectations.""That guy was just a fool who trusted his Devil Fruitability too much. No matter how powerful a Devil Fruit ability one possesses, a user who cannot properly utilize its power is truly not worthy of existing in this world. After all, excellent criminals must use excellent brains to achieve their goals.""Next, let us go and tell them just how terrifying it is to make an enemy of a criminal organization!" Having said this, Mr. 3 drained his black tea, called for Ms. Goldenweek, and headed toward Small Garden.At this time, Alex and the others did not yet know that a new enemy was already on their way.Back at Small Garden, as the volcano erupted, Brogy indicated that his battle was starting. Through their exchange with the clone, Nami and Usopp both learned about this duel that had lasted for a hundred years.Returning to the scene of the duel, this was the critical moment. When she saw Brogy swing his axe at the other's head, Nami covered her eyes; she didn't want to see death. But Usopp saw that the other had actually blocked it with his helmet.However, the handle of Brogy's axe showed signs of breaking. After all, a battle lasting a hundred years, combined with a lack of maintenance—the fact that it could still be used up to now was enough to demonstrate the supreme forging skills of the Giant Race.Seeing the two giants fighting, Nami decided to flee. Although she knew they weren't bad people, it was still very terrifying. "Hey, Usopp, Alex, let's leave here quickly. Let's make our escape while the two of them are dueling."The clone remained unmoved; he hadn't had enough of this meat yet. Usopp, on the other hand, looked at the giants with a face full of admiration. "So amazing…"No matter how Nami shouted, he remained unmoved. "Without any reason… yet they fight so fiercely…"Seeing Usopp like this, Nami understood that he was immersed in it. Unable to leave Usopp here alone, Nami could only complain from the side. "What a bothersome and boring fight…"Hearing Nami's words, Usopp didn't agree: "Geez, Nami, what are you saying! This is the true battle of a man! For example… those two… have both planted a flag called 'warrior' in their hearts… that flag is more important than life itself!""They would absolutely never want that flag to be broken… therefore, to protect that flag, they have fought each other for a hundred years. Understand? This is the true battle of honor for warriors!" By the end, Usopp was shouting.The clone on the side saw an unknown side of Usopp; he hadn't expected that his inner recognition of warriors would be so strong.Although Usopp spoke with passion, this didn't align with Nami's values. She waved her hand to indicate: "I'm not interested in this… Alright! Let's run for our lives!""No, I want to watch a bit longer! What I pursue… the so-called brave warrior, is exactly this! I also want to become a man full of such a sense of honor!"After listening to Usopp's words, Nami thought for a long time and said: "You want to become a giant…"The clone spat out the food in his mouth. Should he play along and say, "Do you want to become light too?" However, he held back and didn't make the gesture.Usopp was also shocked by Nami's words. He opened his mouth wide and yelled at Nami: "Do you even understand what I'm saying!"However, how could a girl understand this kind of romance? Usopp forgave Nami. He looked at the two giants again: "If the Village is filled with warriors like this… then I'd really like to find a chance to visit!"Just as they were talking, the battle between the two giants reached its final stage. Their weapons had been knocked away by the other's technique during that last clash. At this moment, both were left with only a round shield.Finally, looking at each other, they swung their round shields with all their might, hitting the other's face. Both collapsed to the ground.Brogy: "The seventy-three thousand, four hundred and sixty-sixth battle…" Dorry: "The seventy-three thousand, four hundred and sixty-sixth time, it's a draw!"After saying this, both collapsed to the ground, their massive bodies destroying the surrounding trees. But immediately after, hearty laughter spread across the entire island."Gabababababababa… Dorry! I got some liquor from the guests…""Gagagagagagagaga! …That's great! It's been a long time since I've had liquor! Share some with me!"So, Brogy took a huge ice barrel from not far away and threw it to Dorry. Looking at the ice barrel before him, it reminded him of that white-haired Alex."Gagagagagaga! Brogy, is there a person called Alex on your side?""Gabababababababa, how come you have one there too!""Yeah, he's a strange little guy, but he's very strong!""Yeah, but Dorry, wait a while, he will have something to say to you. You must trust him, okay!"Seeing his old friend looking at him with a serious expression, Dorry nodded, then took the liquor barrel and returned to his home.
Chapter 116: A Duel Almost DefiledDorry returned to his residence with the wine barrel, not knowing why.After sitting down, he looked at Alex."Alex, do you have something to say to me?"Alex was a bit confused; what was this all about? A sentence out of nowhere.But in the next second, a large amount of memories flooded into his mind.Just as Dorry was about to ask what was wrong, Alex looked up, his eyes fixed on the distance.Dorry was curious about his expression, thinking an enemy had appeared. Alex realized his lapse and quickly adjusted."What's wrong, Alex?""Did something happen, Alex?""It's nothing, I just learned about something disgusting."It turned out that the clone on Nami's side had released the technique and transmitted the memories back.Through these memories, Alex learned what had happened.While Brogy was asking the clone for some wine and the clone was filling it.He sensed someone trying to add something to the wine barrel.Alex immediately caught the person and saw it was Mr. 5. Although he didn't know how the man survived, Alex didn't plan to pursue it.But he wanted to add his booger explosives to the wine barrel, which Alex couldn't possibly ignore.Seeing this, the clone stepped forward and pinned him down.Seeing this figure, Nami remembered; she knew this person. She hadn't expected Baroque Works to send assassins so quickly.When Brogy picked up his weapon and turned around, he saw the clone's appearance, stepping on a little guy with an afro.Brogy looked at the afro, not knowing why Alex was treating him like this."Gababababababa! Alex, what are you doing?"Alex used writing to tell Brogy everything that had just happened."This person was going to put boogers into the wine you're giving to that giant uncle over there.By the way, this guy is a user of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit; any part of his body can turn into a bomb.He was probably thinking..."Before the clone could finish drawing, Brogy was already furious. He swung his giant axe down at Mr. 5."Anyone who dares to disrupt our sacred duel, die!"The clone immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to take the person away.Seeing this, Brogy wondered why he was protecting the villain who disrupted their duel.The clone said the person had only targeted them before, but now they were acting against the giants. Clearly, there were other secrets, so why not play along and see what they were up to.Brogy was about to refuse, but was silenced by the clone's reasoning: there's no point in guarding against a thief every day when the thief only needs one chance.Not to mention, if the opponent's scheme were carried out, their duel would be defiled.Thinking of this, Brogy could only nod in agreement. After all, they were really not good at such brain-taxing matters.After Brogy left, the clone performed the Mind Transfer Jutsu on Mr. 5.He checked the person's inner thoughts and information, then gave him a mental suggestion that the mission was complete, before tossing him aside and letting him go.This was everything Alex knew.After telling Dorry about this, he, like Brogy, picked up his weapon to go kill the person.This action was stopped by Alex."Uncle Dorry, don't be so impulsive. It's bad that they're sabotaging your plans, but finding out the core of the problem is key.Otherwise, more schemes will be waiting for you later.Do you want your future duels to keep being disrupted like this?"Dorry looked at him, recalled Brogy's words, and suppressed his anger.He wanted to hear Alex's subsequent arrangements."Alex! I'm going to send them flying! Too hateful, actually disrupting the uncles' battle! I will definitely not forgive them!""Calm down, Luffy, calm down."Saying that, Alex formed hand seals to completely block out the surrounding sounds to prevent others from eavesdropping.Then Alex explained his plan.Through information, he learned their plan was to have Dorry drink the bomb wine to injure his internal organs.Mr. 5 didn't know what would happen next, but Alex knew the general situation.It was nothing more than letting the two continue to fight.Finally, at the moment Brogy narrowly won, they would ambush him, killing both when he was exhausted, thus completing the mission.It could be said that if it really succeeded, Brogy and Dorry would truly be buried here."So Alex, what is your plan?""My plan is for me to fight in place of the two of you.""What? Kid, you're not joking, are you!"Seeing that Dorry didn't believe him at all, Alexperformed the Partial Multi-Size Technique.A giant arm appeared in everyone's eyes."How about it, Uncle Dorry? This is the Partial Multi-Size Technique. I can apply it to my whole body, plus the Transformation Technique."After saying that, a puff of smoke cleared, and a smaller Dorry appeared before everyone."So... so cool!"The admiration in Luffy's eyes couldn't be hidden, while Vivi was also surprised by the variety of Alex's moves."Of course, that's not all. To let you use your moves freely, I will also use the Mind Transfer Jutsu to swap our consciousnesses. Then you will be the one controlling my body to fight the opponent."Hearing Alex's words, Dorry laughed 'Gegagagagaga'.No one knew if he agreed, but Alex and Luffyunderstood that he wouldn't."However, I didn't expect you to be partners. It's truly amazing."Dorry also knew that the guest on Brogy's side was Luffy's partner."So, Mr. Dorry, is it true that the log you mentioned takes a year to fill up?"Hearing the question, Dorry nodded."Yes, look over there. The skeletons of you tiny humans are everywhere. Haven't you noticed?They are all the skeletons of humans who died before the log was full.Some were eaten by dinosaurs, some died from heat and hunger, and some died attacking us.All these people are dead. For tiny humans, a year on this island seems too long."Vivi sat on the ground in disbelief after hearing this."What should we do... even if we survive this year...After such a long time... I really don't know what will happen to the kingdom."Luffy couldn't sit still either and asked Dorry if there was a way: "Yeah—a year's wait is so boring!Is there any way? Uncle."Dorry mentioned there was an Eternal Pose, but it pointed to their hometown, Elbaf."How about it, little guys? Do you want to try and take it?""Hey, Vivi, Luffy, have you forgotten about Baroque Works?""Hmm? Alex, do you have an idea?""Alex, what do you mean by that?"Seeing their gazes on him, Alex no longer hid it. Just as he was about to explain.Vivi realized."Alex, are you trying to say that Baroque Works will have an Eternal Pose!""Exactly. Even if they don't, we can have them deliver one. As long as we eliminate those masterminds, we can use the Den Den Mushi to contact them for support with a few Eternal Poses."Seeing that he didn't need to wait that long, Luffywas no longer worried.Dorry drank the wine in the ice bucket in one gulp, shouting in satisfaction.Over at Brogy's, he was also stunned by Usopp's words."Brave warrior of the sea? What's that?""It's people like you! I really hope that one day I can become someone like you!"Hearing Usopp's grand words, Brogy didn't feel much.Instead, he looked at Usopp in shock: "You want to become a giant?"It seemed he and Nami understood Usopp's words the same way."No! I mean, I want to live with honor like the warriors of Elbaf!""Gabababababa! Is that so! The longer we live, the more we hope to die gloriously.Things like property and life will eventually vanish into thin air.But, as a warrior of Elbaf, if one can die with great dignity, that is a glorious death.This dignity will then be inherited by the next generation of Elbaf, becoming a permanent treasure."Hearing Brogy's words, Usopp looked at him: "Honor is a treasure!"While they were chatting, Mr. 5 woke up in the jungle. He looked at his surroundings and recalled the memories in his head.He found that he had completed the mission, but why was he sleeping here?Oh, it turned out he had accidentally eaten a Sleep Fruit and fell asleep.Actually, this was something Alex had added, but Mr. 5 didn't feel anything was wrong with it.He shook his head to clear it and continued walking elsewhere.Somewhere in the forest, a milky-white house stood there. Suddenly, a large creature bit into the house.Originally, with its powerful bite force, it could have crushed the house, but its broken teeth showed that this was just its fantasy."Big lizard, you're in my way."Mr. 5 came to the front of the house. Just as he was about to blow up the lizard, a voice came."Leave it to me!" A beautiful figure descended from the sky."10,000 Kilo Press!" This lady was Ms. Valentine, who had been buried in the Swamp of the Underworld with Mr. 5.It seemed the two had been rescued by someone else.After dealing with the lizard, the two pushed open the door and walked in.The people inside were Mr. 3 and his partner Ms. Goldenweek."Hi! Mr. 5, you're back. How did things go?"Hearing the question, Mr. 5, being short-tempered, immediately retorted."Hmph... couldn't be better.But your ability is quite impressive, building a house in the jungle...Also, let's get this straight, I'm just cooperating with you, but we're the ones taking action! I hope you don't interfere too much."Ms. Valentine added: "Mr. 5 is right. This time we won't fail miserably like last time."Hearing them say this, Mr. 3 looked at them provocatively."Fail miserably... no way, right?It was just because you were too weak."
Chapter 117: Schemes and TricksHearing the other party say this, Mr.5 and Ms. Valentine expressed strong dissatisfaction with what Mr.3 had said."What did you say!""We were just too careless! We didn't know there were pirates protecting the princess!"Hearing the two say this, Mr.3 sipped his black tea while looking at them with disdain."Didn't know... Hmph... Sounds like a child making excuses. Don't forget, we are professional assassins! Losing to the enemy and ending up dead on the street... that is equivalent to exposing the existence of our Baroque Works. Therefore, we must ensure that every mission is executed perfectly and successfully. Do you understand!"Hearing Mr.3 say this, Mr.5 and Ms. Valentineswallowed hard and nodded. Even though they were extremely unwilling, they still nodded in agreement.Seeing their expressions, Mr.3 knew they were extremely reluctant, but it didn't matter; he was a magnanimous person."...Hmph... Forget it, don't pull such a long face! Come, have a cup of black tea. However, this is also an opportunity! And Mr.5, how is the plan I gave you coming along?""Hmph, perfectly. But you should tell me why you want to do this now."Hearing that Mr.5 had executed the first step of the plan perfectly, Mr.3 nodded with satisfaction."Not bad. The reason I had you do this is because there is a great merit to be gained here without us having to expend much effort. Come and take a look!"After speaking, Mr.3 took out a huge wanted poster. This wanted poster was different from the others; it featured two people together.If Alex were here, he would be able to see that the two people on the wanted poster were a young Dorry and Brogy.The bounty below clearly indicated one hundred million Berries each."When I saw this wanted poster, I was shocked... So, I want to thank you now, thank you for letting me come to this island. You know, this is a wanted poster from one hundred years ago. There was once a Giant Race pirate crew that rampaged across the sea. They burned down village after village, shocking the world. The name of this pirate crew was the Giant Warrior Pirates, and the two vicious leaders who led it are actually the two people living on this island. Known as Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy, they are already legendary monsters... But in fact, they are living on this island beneath our feet right now! And more importantly, the bounty placed on them at that time has still not been voided... The bounty at the time was one hundred million Berries each! That makes two hundred million for the two of them!""Two hundred million!" Even Mr.5 had never seen such a high bounty, and he was also frightened by this amount.Seeing their expressions, Mr.3 sipped the black tea in his cup."You finally understand the importance of our mission this time. As long as we successfully complete the mission and bring back the heads worth 200 million as a gift, we will undoubtedly be promoted.""So that's why you wanted me to put bombs in that giant's ale barrel..." At this moment, Mr.5 understood what he had just done."Exactly. If we rashly fight them, we have no chance of winning. After this, you just need to follow my command. As long as you put some thought into it, even the largest mountain can be leveled."On the other side, confirming that the two giant uncles were not prepared to follow Alex's instructions, Alex could only smile helplessly: "Fine, since you say so, I have no choice. However, I will go to watch. If anyone disturbs your fight, I will intervene directly."Hearing Alex's words, Dorry laughed loudly. "Gagagagagagaga, kid, thank you very much. But this is a battle between us Elbaf warriors, so we don't need your help! If you want to watch, feel free!"Rumble, after Dorry finished speaking, the volcano erupted, indicating that this great duel was about to begin.Brogy watched the volcano erupt and then looked at the clone beside him. "Babababababababa, little one, thank you for your suggestion, but I don't think Dorry would agree either. So I must go to the duel myself. Only in this way will we not insult the name of Elbaf!"Seeing that Brogy was the same, the clone nodded and disappeared directly.Usopp, who was on the side, saw that Brogy was still going to fight and immediately tried to stop him. "Master, you're still going!"That's right, Usopp had taken Brogy as his master."The injuries from just now, plus this battle, and someone is meddling in between, why..."Before Usopp could finish, Brogy picked up his battle axe and laughed loudly. "Kababababababa, looking for excuses in a merciless life-and-death duel is truly damaging to one's honor!"Hearing the other party say this, Usopp could only shout from the sidelines. "Then, Master Brogy, good luck!""Kababababa, alright, Usopp! Watch me, this time I will definitely take that guy down!"After speaking, Brogy picked up his giant axe and left. Watching his retreating figure, Namicomplained from the side. "Geez, such a boring fight, I can't believe they can keep fighting."Usopp, hearing Nami's remark, turned around and shouted at her. "You are not allowed to say this is a boring fight, idiot!"Nami, however, was unmoved; she looked at the log pose on her wrist. "Whatever, anyway, let's go back to the ship first. This record takes a year, it's really too much! Let's wait on the ship for everyone to come back, and then consider our countermeasures."Hearing that Nami was going back, Usopp stopped her. "Wait, wait a second!"Then, Usopp pointed at himself with his thumb quite proudly. "Because I can't handle dinosaurs, it's impossible for us to cross the dense forest and return to the going merry."Seeing his expression, although Nami had known it for a long time, she still felt a bit disappointed seeing it now. So she wanted to use reverse psychology to see if she could spark Usopp's fighting spirit. "Didn't you just say you wanted to be a brave warrior or something? Why are you afraid now!"Understanding Nami's words, Usopp stated frankly: "I meant mentally, to live as a man who makes himself proud."Seeing Usopp like this, Nami also knew she couldn't rely on him. "No choice, Luffy and Alex are with the other giant, let's go find them first."After speaking, Nami grabbed Usopp by the collar and headed in the direction of Luffy and the others.Usopp, being dragged by Nami, was still there talking about his dream. "So, one day, even if I lose everything, even if I am alone on an uninhabited island facing the moment of death... I will still feel proud of my life, and then die shouting! This is me, the brave warrior of the sea, Usopp! That's just how it is!"Nami, while dragging Usopp along, chimed in. "Got it, got it... And Mr. Usopp, could you please hurry up and become a warrior that people can rely on!"Hearing this, Usopp, who was just full of heroic aspirations, instantly wilted. He stammered: "Uh... yes..."On the other side, Dorry arrived at the battlefield with his sword. He and Brogy stood facing each other.Brogy, seeing Dorry's figure, could guess that he had also rejected the white-haired kid's request. "Kabababababababa! Dorry, the long-lost wine, it smells especially fragrant, doesn't it! And looking at this posture, you also rejected that little guy's request, right!""Gagagagagagaga! Yes, the long-lost wine, it really is fragrant. It seems you also rejected his request.""Indeed, after all, I am a warrior of Elbaf; I cannot insult this sacred duel!""Well said. Then let us decide the winner!"After speaking, the two swung their respective weapons and rushed at each other. Because they had just been through a great battle and hadn't recovered for long, their strikes were no longer as fierce, but their moves were still aimed directly at each other's vital points.At the place where Dorry lived, Alex, Luffy, and Vivisat around the campfire."Damn it, get lost! Baroque Works, why do you have to ruin this sacred battle!" Luffy punched the ground and complained with dissatisfaction."Don't get excited, Luffy. It's likely that in the process of tracking us, they accidentally saw the figures of Uncle Dorry and Uncle Brogy. That's why they formulated this plan."Sitting on the side, Vivi looked at the two angry people. She didn't understand why they were so angry for giants they had only known for a short time. They didn't look like wanted bad guys in this state.However, while chatting, Vivi noticed one figure was missing. "By the way, where is Karoo? Luffy, Alex, have you seen Karoo?"Both shook their heads; they hadn't seen where Karoo was.In the white hut on the other side, Mr.3 was making his final arrangements. At the same time, he expressed his battle plan with great pride."Hehehe, mental wavering will largely influence the outcome of the decisive battle. They are in chaos now because an invisible enemy has given them a bomb gift."If Alex were here, he would probably say it's not that they can't see, but that you can't see. After all, he had already lightly hypnotized Mr.5, and the information they had obtained regarding the current giants was all provided by Alex.Mr.3 continued to talk about the subsequent battle plan. "First, the first target is Blue Ogre Dorry. I also know that those bombs are not enough to be fatal, but his stomach must have been seriously injured! He is no longer our match now, and coupled with the fact that they are actually starting their duel at this time. It seems we can just regard the warrior race as stupid pigs. As long as it's not a head-on confrontation, they are not difficult opponents to deal with."