...
While Allen led a portion of the crew deep into the rainforest, the *Freewill* remained quietly anchored by the coast.
The crew members left behind to stand guard busied themselves with their respective tasks, or killed time with various gambling and games.
In the crow's nest on the mainmast, a pirate gazed out at the sea through his binoculars. Behind him, several companions sat on the floor playing cards.
"Hey... do you guys think... it's possible for someone to ride a bicycle on the ocean?"
The lookout suddenly spoke up, staring blankly through his binoculars at a figure appearing in the distance on the surface of the sea.
Hearing this, the card players looked over in confusion.
"What are you talking about, idiot? How could anyone ride a bicycle on the ocean?"
"That's not necessarily true. A few days ago, I wouldn't have believed there was a train that could run on the sea either."
"Hey, that's not the same thing at all, okay?"
As they spoke, the men put down their cards, walked over out of curiosity, and took turns looking through the binoculars.
With just one look, they were instantly stunned and froze in place.
A tall, thin man with a fluffy afro, wearing a navy blue shirt paired with a white vest, was currently pedaling a bicycle, leisurely making his way toward their direction.
...
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
A massive commotion erupted from deep within the rainforest, accompanied by rolling tremors in the ground. Countless birds were startled into the air as if some colossal beast was launching a ferocious charge.
"What's going on?!"
"Careful, something's coming!"
Allen and the others focused their eyes and looked toward the sound.
Through the dense shadows of the trees, they could faintly see a massive rhinoceros—three stories tall and comparable in size to a medium-sized galleon—rapidly approaching. Wherever it passed, towering trees were knocked askew and sent crashing down.
"Hey, hey, hey! Wait a minute, you've got to be kidding me! Is that thing charging at us?!"
Seeing this, Nami's face paled in panic.
"That guy is ridiculously huge."
Sanji bit down hard on the cigarette in the corner of his mouth, a hint of solemnity inevitably appearing in his eyes.
Size meant power. When this advantage reached a certain level, it could not be compensated for by skill, especially in a head-on confrontation.
Allen identified the creature for a moment, then turned his head and chuckled lightly at the group behind him.
"That should be a Giant Plate-Horned Rhino. It's one of the top predators among the Danger-level beasts. Anyone want to go up and give it a try?"
"Eh! How is that possible, Boss?!"
"That guy's skin is thicker than the length of a sword. Our attacks would be completely meaningless against it."
The Nyaban Brothers both put on expressions of disbelief that anyone could defeat the creature, posturing as if ready to turn and flee at any moment.
On the contrary, Killer stepped forward eagerly after glancing at the giant rhino. The curved scythes on the backs of his hands popped out and began to spin at high speed.
"Tch, it's just a slightly larger rhino. No matter how thick that armor is, I just need to attack its vital spots."
*Swoosh—!*
With that said, Killer suddenly launched himself forward, flying low to the ground to meet the charging giant rhino head-on!
"Slaughter Blades!!"
With a loud shout, Killer stomped the ground and leaped high into the air. Arriving right in front of the giant rhino, he crossed his high-speed spinning blades and slashed at its forehead!
*Snikt! Snikt!*
The blades successfully cut into the tough hide on the giant rhino's head, but no blood splattered out.
Under Killer's incredulous gaze, the sharp blades that could smoothly slice through solid rock were actually wedged tightly into the giant rhino's thick skin, unable to advance even an inch!
*How is this possible?!*
*Is its skin made of granite?!*
Killer's eyes widened. This scene was clearly different from what he had expected, but he had no time to react.
"Roar—!!"
Accompanied by a piercing howl of pain, the giant rhino violently jerked its head up. Killer was sent flying backward uncontrollably, like a kite with a broken string!
*Crash!!*
"Pfft—!"
His back slammed heavily against a massive tree, and Killer couldn't hold back a spray of blood. He fell back to the ground, dropping to one knee. He raised his head, glaring viciously at the charging giant rhino.
Allen didn't make a move. Whether it was Killer, Sanji, or Gin, they weren't so weak that they couldn't handle a mere Danger-level creature.
However, confronting such a colossal beast head-on was like abandoning the advantage of agility to arm-wrestle a giant. No matter how you looked at it, it had to be called foolish.
Moreover, there was no need for Allen to intervene. That Giant Plate-Horned Rhino wasn't charging at them at all.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The earth trembled as the giant rhino ran on its four thick, pillar-like legs.
Just as Sanji and the others prepared to dodge, they saw the creature suddenly veer off its path, brushing past them and running straight away!
"W-What's going on..."
Nami blinked, looking at the fleeing back of the giant rhino with a bewildered expression.
"It's running for its life. It doesn't have the time to tangle with us. Everyone, step back a bit..."
Allen spoke casually, stepping in front of the group. He spread his legs, stomping his right foot heavily onto the ground, and lowered his body into a half-crouch, assuming a combat stance. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"The real big guy is coming..."
*Boom!!*
*Boom!!*
*Boom!!*
Suddenly, a series of massive booms accompanied by ground tremors approached from the distance. Every sound struck everyone's heart like a giant bell, carrying a suffocating sense of heaviness.
Nami swallowed hard, a drop of cold sweat unconsciously seeping from her forehead. She mechanically turned her neck, her gaze slowly looking toward the gloom deep within the rainforest.
In the dark shadows of the trees, a pair of ferocious eyes gleamed with a scarlet light. A massive figure gradually revealed itself. Its dark brown skin was covered in pebble-like scales, its skull was huge and elongated, and the fangs in its lower jaw were sharp and hideous.
"Is this... a T-Rex...!"
"S-So tall...!"
Looking at this colossal beast that stood nearly twenty meters tall and fifty meters long, the pupils of Nami and the others trembled. They stood frozen in place, their mouths hanging open in shock.
This time, they finally truly realized why Allen believed they couldn't defeat the powerful creatures on the island.
When a massive warship charged at full speed, the terrifying oppressive force made it impossible for anyone to even entertain the thought of resisting!
"As expected of a beast classified as Disaster-level. I even doubt a machine gun could pierce its skin."
*Bang!*
Allen's mouth curled into a smirk. He took a heavy step forward with his left foot, pulled his right arm back to build momentum, and clenched his fist. A powerful aura suddenly erupted from his body.
"Roar!!!"
The T-Rex let out a ferocious roar, glaring viciously at Allen. It had clearly noticed the majestic, rising aura radiating from him, and its pupils flared with anger as it charged forward with all its might!
In contrast, there was Allen.
Under the astonished gazes of Nami and the others, his body actually began to expand layer by layer, growing continuously like an inflating balloon until his bulging muscles tore through his shirt.
Allen shifted into his Buccaneer Tribe physique. His eyes turned ruthless, and knotted blue veins covered his steel-like muscles.
The distance between the two sides rapidly closed. Once the giant T-Rex arrived in front of him, it opened its two rows of hideous fangs and viciously bit down toward Allen!
"Roar!!!"
"Mach Three...!!"
Facing the T-Rex's gaping maw, Allen's eyes turned fierce. He let out an explosive shout, and his Armament Haki-coated fist smashed forward with lightning speed!
"Barrett・Heavy Cannon!!"
*BOOM!!!*
A massive sonic boom exploded in their ears like thunder! Allen's fist violently slammed into the creature's forehead, smashing the T-Rex's massive head ruthlessly into the ground!
The earth shattered with a deafening crash, forming a giant crater. Dense cracks spread out like a spiderweb, kicking up a terrifying shockwave that ravaged in all directions!
The giant T-Rex's head smashed into the ground and bounced back up. Blood sprayed from its mouth, its eyes rolled back, and it lost consciousness on the spot, collapsing weakly into a pool of blood.
The swirling dust gradually settled, revealing Allen's burly figure. His body, over five meters tall, slowly shrank back to its normal height.
"W-What exactly is going on..."
"The Boss's body... actually got bigger!"
"What exaggerated strength. You can't even use the word 'human' to describe him anymore..."
Nami and the others were shocked beyond measure, their faces filled with disbelief. The way they looked at Allen made it clear they no longer considered him human.
Seeing their reactions, Allen looked at his own fist with great satisfaction.
As expected of the Buccaneer Tribe. They possessed the terrifying strength of the Giant Tribe without their cumbersome size. It was simply an optimized, condensed version of a giant.
Just as the group stepped forward to examine the fallen giant T-Rex, a sudden, chilling breeze gently blew past.
Allen was taken aback for a moment. Within his Observation Haki perception, a terrifyingly powerful presence suddenly appeared!
"Who's there?!"
Allen's expression changed drastically, and he whipped his head around to look behind him.
Nami and the others were startled by his sudden shout. Subconsciously following his gaze, they saw a man with fluffy black curly hair and a straight posture slowly walking toward them.
"Arara, this is my first time seeing such a big dinosaur. You've got some pretty good moves, young man."
Aokiji's tone carried a hint of laziness. With a coat draped over his arm, he walked forward at a slow pace.