Deep within the jungle, two massive figures blocked out the sunlight.
"Gahaha! Are the little ones leaving already?" The hearty laughter of the Blue Ogre, Dorry, shook the forest, sending leaves raining down.
"Gabababababa! But judging by the way you look, it seems you gained quite a harvest!"
The Red Ogre, Brogy, rested his chipped giant axe on his shoulder as he looked at Ronan and the others, his eyes full of admiration.
As giant warriors who had lived for more than a hundred years, the people they respected most were those with overwhelming physical strength.
And right now, the four—Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Ronan—radiated such powerful vitality that they felt like four walking volcanoes.
"Hehe! We're heading off, giant uncles!"
Luffy looked up at them. Although his body had grown larger, that signature wide grin hadn't changed at all.
Ronan gave a slight nod and clasped his fists in a martial salute.
"Until we meet again, seniors."
"Go on! Brave warriors!"
Dorry waved his enormous hand, stirring up a fierce gust of wind.
"This sea belongs to you! If we meet again someday, we'll drink until we drop!"
Amid the giants' bold laughter, Ronan and the others dragged along several enormous slabs of dinosaur meat—enough to feed a normal person for a year.
With firm steps, they headed toward the shore where the Going Merry awaited.
…
The Going Merry rested quietly by the coastline, its sheep-headed figurehead gently swaying in the sea breeze.
On the deck, Nami and Usopp leaned over the railing, staring anxiously into the distance.
The thunderous explosions and flashes of fire that came from deep within the island the previous night had kept them on edge all night, terrified that something might have happened to their crewmates.
"Hey——!! Nami! Usopp——!!"
Luffy's powerful voice echoed from the edge of the jungle, making Nami's ears ring.
"Ah! It's Luffy!" Usopp jumped up excitedly and grabbed his telescope. "Thank goodness, they came back ali—huh?!"
Before he could finish, Usopp suddenly froze.
He rubbed his eyes, then pressed them tightly against the telescope again. Slowly, his jaw dropped lower and lower.
"What's wrong, Usopp?" Nami asked in confusion.
The moment she looked, she let out a scream so loud it could probably scare away Sea Kings.
"KYAAAH————!!!"
Four figures stepped out from the shadows of the forest and walked up to the Going Merry.
"Thud!"
They leapt lightly onto the deck.
Even though the landing looked gentle, their drastically increased weight made the Going Merry sink noticeably for a moment.
"Y-you guys…"
Nami backed away until her back hit the mast, her trembling finger pointing at them as her voice shook.
"Who are you?! Why did you go out for just one night and come back not only with torn clothes—but completely different body sizes?!"
"What is this? A second puberty? Did you mutate on the island?!"
"This is an unbelievable transformation!"
Usopp rushed up to Zoro and compared their heights with his hand.
When he realized he only reached Zoro's chest now, jealousy twisted his face beyond recognition.
"It's only been one night! Why didn't you call me when you were growing taller?! I want to become a muscular powerhouse too! This is so unfair!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Luffy laughed loudly, slapping his stomach with a heavy thump-thump sound that rang like metal.
"Nami! Usopp! We went through a hellish life-and-death training to get these bodies! Right now, I feel super—strong!"
"…Yeah. We almost died, actually."
Sanji leaned against the railing. Even though his appearance had become far more imposing, the way he lit his cigarette remained as elegant as ever.
"That feeling of being boiled alive… I never want to experience it again in my life."
"Hmph."
Zoro smirked proudly, arms crossed over his chest, his bulging biceps standing out like steel cables.
"A little life-threatening training is nothing. Only a body forged like this deserves the ambition of becoming the world's greatest swordsman."
Listening to this group of shameless show-offs, Nami grumbled on the surface—but the heavy stone in her heart finally dropped.
On the monster-infested seas of the Grand Line, the stronger her crewmates were, the higher their chances of survival.
Just then, Ronan's gaze swept toward the corner of the deck.
Sitting there was a small girl wearing a strange outfit covered in doodles. With a hat on her head, she sat cross-legged on the ground, calmly drinking tea and munching on rice crackers.
"Who's that?" Luffy asked first.
"Ah! Miss Goldenweek!" Vivi recognized her immediately. She was Mr. 3's partner.
"Heh!"
Usopp puffed out his chest and proudly pointed his thumb at himself.
"You mean her? This little brat tried to sneak attack the great me while I was guarding the ship yesterday. But thanks to the brave, fearless, and brilliant Captain Usopp, I captured her with a simple trick!"
In truth, Miss Goldenweek had simply found fighting troublesome. She sat there having a picnic, and Usopp just happened to discover her.
"And we also seized this!"
Nami pulled out a glass sphere from her pocket and held it up proudly under the sunlight.
Inside the sphere, the needle wasn't spinning randomly—it pointed firmly in one direction.
"This is what we found on her—a permanent log pose pointing to Alabasta!"
Nami's voice was filled with excitement.
"With this, we don't have to wait on this island for the log to record anymore! We can head straight to Alabasta!"
"A permanent log pose?!"
Vivi was so overwhelmed she nearly burst into tears.
"That's wonderful… truly wonderful! This means we can return to Alabasta as quickly as possible!"
"Even a single second of delay could mean countless citizens losing their lives. Nami, thank you so much!"
"No need to thank me. I'm doing this for my one billion berries too."
Nami winked playfully, then turned to Luffy.
"Luffy, what should we do with this girl? She's still a high-ranking agent of Baroque Works. She doesn't look very threatening, but keeping her on the ship isn't exactly safe either."
Everyone's eyes turned toward Luffy.
Luffy crouched down and looked at the little girl who was still calmly eating rice crackers.
Tilting his head, he asked, "Do you want to come with us?"
Miss Goldenweek shook her head. Her tone was as calm as if she were talking about someone else's business.
"No. Too tiring."
"Oh. Then forget it."
Luffy stood up, picking his nose as he made his decision.
"Let's just leave her on this island. There are dinosaurs and giants here—it should be pretty fun."
"I think so too," Miss Goldenweek nodded, completely indifferent to being abandoned on an island full of prehistoric beasts.
For such a laid-back agent, no one really felt the urge to harm her.
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