Having left Whiskey Peak and acquired their new guests Princess Vivi and her pet duck Carue, the Straw Hats were now on their way to bring the two to Alabasta. Their current destination along the island hopping route was the mysterious island, Little Garden.

This crew's lackadaiscal behavior certainly never would've given their current situation away. Luffy and Usopp were goofing around while fishing (or trying to fish in Luffy's case). Nami was alternating between checking her map and the log pose, taking their antics in stride. Sanji had just finished making juice, bringing out a tray for the girls with a flourish and the usual romantic flair.

Whines arose from Luffy and Usopp as he didn't bring them any. Nami only rolled her eyes, well aware that despite the playboy act, Sanji wouldn't ever dream of leaving any of them out when it came to food.

He soon proved her right, barking at the pair that there was more in the kitchen. Miguel seemed to have the same idea as he had already headed off, coming back in minutes with glasses for everyone. He barely paid the cheering duo much mind, his attention on another matter ''So I got the biggest glass I could find but I don't know how this would work for you...''

But Carue already had the answer, producing a long straw from his bag which he promptly stuck in the glass.

Chuckling, he patted the bird's head ''Well, you're prepared at least.'' Carue made a pleased noise.

''Ah, nice one, Sanji. Just what we'd expect from you.'' Miguel added.

The cook puffed out his chest ''Thanks, just trying a new recipe out. The Grand Line's ingredients are fascinating...''

Nami's pleased hum at the flavor was music to his ears. Leaning against the rail for a moment, Nami spotted something amiss ''What's wrong?''

Vivi hadn't touched her drink, her gaze barely even leaving the deck ''...How are you all like this? You're taking it so easy even when you know the full scope of the situation!''

''Well, personally I don't think I can freak out more than I already did. But ease up, these guys have their goofy phases but when the going gets tough, they going.''

''Maybe you could try not to overthink this. Being cautious is good but worrying all the time definitely won't do you any favors.'' Miguel added.

''That's true...'' Her grip tightened around the glass ''...sorry...I don't know what's wrong. I really am overreacting.''

''Yeah, this ship will put you at ease. You'll cheer up in no time.'' Nami gestured around them, the three noticing Carue stumbling around until he fell on his back. Apparently he'd drank too much as a fountain erupted from his mouth.

Vivi fought back a laugh, she couldn't remember the last time Carue acted so goofy. Everything had been so tense and they were always on guard around Baroque Works ''...Maybe you're right.''

''Now we're getting somewhere, just take it easy.'' Nami finished.

Vivi's smile grew ''Right...thank you.''

It was when a giant dolphin almost tackled the ship that the princess was able to see the crew's effectiveness as a team. Following Nami's directions, in minutes, they were already moving the Going Merry out of the dolphin's course, Miguel giving the ship a bit of an extra bit to be on the safe side. It really went to emphasize Nami's words, they were a reliable bunch.

Usopp breathed heavily ''That felt like it took years off my life. Is this the kind of thing you have to get used to with the Grand Line?!''

Vivi wondered if she should tell him that this was relatively tame compared to some of the stories out there. She was starting to appreciate how much of a shock it had to be acclimating to this place after a peaceful life on the East Blue.

Luffy laughed ''It was fun!''

''Of course it'd be for you...''

''I think you're just going to have to learn to roll with things, Usopp.'' Miguel offered.

Sanji had the idle thought that it would certainly explain why little seemed to faze him. Growing up around magic, you likely just learned to take things as they came. Although, that did have him wondering ''Come to think of it, where is Elysia exactly? Even with the stories I heard, none of them ever specified a location.''

''Yeah, that confused me too.'' Nami had done her fair bit of research on the Grand Line, even when she'd naively assumed that she could handle it on her own. But none of the maps or books she'd looked up ever mentioned Elysia's location. ''I couldn't ever find anything about that.''

There was actually a very good reason for that. Given their history, the chain of small islands that formed the region of Elysia was actually floating high in the sky through powerful magic. It took certain procedures for people to come and leave from there, the islands occasionally teleporting and never remaining in one position for too long.

''Cool!'' Luffy enthused once Miguel finished briefing them in, he really wanted to see it more than ever. Magic could do lots of stuff but something like that really was impressive.

''I heard such rumors but we were never sure if they were true...'' Vivi murmuted, awed. ''...? What's wrong, Luffy-san?''

His pout spoke for itself ''How will we get there then?''

''I can take care of that when the time comes.'' Miguel waved dismissively.

That resulted in a 180 flip of his mood ''Okay! So hey, who are those warlords again? There's Hawk Eyes, Miguel's friend, that Crocodile guy...? There's seven of them, right?''

Nodding, Vivi began to explain ''Another one is the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, she's rumored to be the most beautiful woman in the world...''

Sanji's eyes lit up at the thought of such a figure, oh, how he'd love to meet her!

''...Donquixote Doflamingo is just as dangerous as Crocodile if not more. Oh, but before I go on, one of them is Miguel-san's friend?'' Vivi tilted her head.

''Jinbei's been an old friend of my family.''

That was a surprise, although considering the bonds between wizards and fishmen...''Right, well, there's Gecko Moria. I don't know much about him but he looks like he came right ouf of a halloween party. And then there's the Tyrant Bartholomeo Kuma.''

Usopp blinked ''Tyrant? Well...that's ominous...''

''He's said to be really stoic but he does what the government tells him to but apparently, he got that reputation for his cruelty.'' The princess recalled, Usopp gulping.

''He wasn't that's bad, actually.'' Both looked at Miguel with a start.

''You mean you met him?!''

A nod ''Just in passing, it was before I left for the Blues but...we just had a bit of a talk and he left. He seemed pretty decent, all things considered.''

His mind drifted to that day months ago. It turned out to be quite the unpleasant day but while on the cryptic side, Kuma had given him what he only recently realized was a very good piece of advice. Although, he was still wondering why the man went out of his way to do that at all.

''That does remind me, actually. You said something about not being surprised that a Warlord was involved in this mess yesterday.'' Nami recalled ''Where'd that come from?''

''Well, if you think about it, the Warlord system is supposed to be there as a way to balance power as the government claims but it just seems like a way for the Warlords to take advantage of the extra authority.'' A shrug ''Some of the guys before the present seven were pretty awful, that Doflamingo guy has quite the messed up stories to his name. The empress apparently uses her reputation to get what she wants, they mostly play along with the government's wishes when it suits them. So the fact that people trust Crocodile at all is bizarre to me, I don't know much about Kuma but the only reason Jinbei's putting up with being a Warlord is that it helps Fishman Island.''

''When you put it like that, yeah, it sounds really stupid.'' Sanji could see the logic there. Sure, it's not like pirates would just be obedient to the government's wishes but still, it seemed to have far more detriments than advantages.

Vivi wasn't about to argue. The worst part was, some in her country actually regarded Crocodile as a hero. Even when she didn't know the truth about Mr. 0, it just seemed so odd to her. Was he really that charismatic or something?

Well, there was no point deliberating it. Shaking the thought off, she decided to move things along ''So you all seem like quite the crew, I've seen a lot of pirates so far but do you even have stations or a system onboard? Nami-san's a great navigator but she honestly felt like a captain and I know Sanji-san's the cook but...''

''It's because this guy...'' Nami poked Luffy's cheek ''...wouldn't know the first thing about sailing if his life depended on it.''

''Oi!''

''An argument would've worked from someone who didn't sail right into a whirlpool.''

Sanji and Vivi were understandably dumbfounded, Usopp shaking his head ''Yeah, what she said. Anyway, I'm the crew's sniper, though I'm more than ready to handle being a captain as it's nothing for this great warrior of the sea!''

''You're still on that, huh?'' Miguel mused.

Nami rolled her eyes, Sanji snorting as he spoke ''You, a captain?''

''Yeah, right.'' The two added.

''Hey!''

Luffy just chuckled, Nami had long decided that he wasn't taking Usopp's declarations to this matter seriously, not that she blamed him. ''Anyway, we're still looking to fill more positions obviously.'' She told Vivi. ''I think Zoro's the unofficial first mate and I'm not sure where that leaves Miguel. Luffy doesn't really think about that kind of thing.''

''That's because it's no big deal.''

''Says the one who keeps harping on about wanting a musician to join us.'' Usopp deadpanned.

Luffy made a face, why didn't anyone get it? ''Pirates like to sing!''

Having heard this argument quite a few times, Sanji decided to ignore it ''Actually, I've been thinking Miguel could qualify to be a good quartermaster.''

Aforemtnioned young man blinked, the others' expressions changing. Usopp was intrigued ''That could work!''

''Yeah, I mean...he has been doing some of what a quartermaster would do.'' Nami hadn't even realized how they'd taken it in stride but it was true. Miguel had taken to overlooking the daily management of the Going Merry. And while that one may be chalked up to luck, he had been the one to find some sunken treasure a little before they entered the Grand Line and he split the findings with them. Not to mention, he had effectively did the same with some of his own collected funds in Log Town to help them shop.

''I guess so...'' Miguel thought over what he knew of the station and found that Sanji's idea had some merit. He really hadn't considered the position issue until Vivi brought it up so he wasn't sure what to think.

''l like that idea!'' The captain decided. ''All right, Miguel can definitely be the quartermaster.''

''Fine with me...'' Miguel half-smiled, noticing Nami's gaze wandering. ''...something wrong?''

''The log pose...I think we're here.''

They had indeed arrived at Little Garden. Though most of the group agreed the name seemed a little off as all the various types of plants they could see on the island appeared huge. For some reason, it also seemed rather quiet and it left an ominous impression if one considered Miss All Sunday's words.

Luffy's enthusiasm was as strong as ever ''I see why this place is called Little Garden!''

Now this Miguel hadn't expected ''You do? How?''

''I can't see it either. What's little about it?'' Zoro concurred.

So did Nami ''The cute name sure as hell doesn't suit this place.''

But Luffy was distracted with the ground suddenly shaking, bringing their attention to the giant creature approaching a tree ''Whoa! What's a Sea King doing on land?!'' It was then that he spotted Sanji and Miguel recoiling in shock ''What's wrong?''

''That's...not a Sea King, Luffy...it's...'' Miguel managed, Nami and Usopp almost looking blue in face.

''A DINOSAUR!'' Vivi shrieked, she and Carue clinging to each other. Nami let out little cry of her own while Usopp seemed to have fainted.

''How the hell...?'' Zoro started as Luffy reached to grab the dinosaur's neck. ''Oi!''

''What're you doing?!'' Nami cried.

But Luffy was already taking the chance to look around ''This looks great. Hey, I found a place to have lunch!''

Sanji thought this had to be a joke ''Are you nuts?!''

''Come down from there!'' Vivi called.

''How the hell is this even possible?!'' Nami exclaimed.

''It's like...this island was frozen in time or something.''

''That makes no sense!''

Zoro suddenly remembered Miguel's warning about common sense not working in this ocean ''I don't know...you saw that dinosaur. I'd say she's on to something.''

Sighing, Miguel brought Luffy back down to the deck with Telekinesis, much to their relief. Sanji let out a breath ''...That has got to be one of your most useful spells.''

''I wanna go look around!'' Luffy huffed.

''Before that, we need to talk.''

Nami wished she could shake some sense into the rubber teen ''Yeah! You can't just go charging off into this place, we don't know what's out there. You need to remember our situation!''

''It'll be fine, I don't wanna miss out anything! I bet there's more of those interesting animals out there!''

''Luffy, this place is dangerous. Especially if what we heard about it is, who knows what's out there?!'' Usopp tried next.

But of course that didn't deter him ''It looks like fun!''

''You have a messed up definition of fun!''

Zoro rolled his eyes, really he wasn't too surprised at the teen's decision. Once Luffy made up his mind on something, that was that.

''I'd like to come along.'' Vivi's admission came out of nowhere ''It's like you said, I've been so tense and I need to take my mind off things. Maybe this can help, the change of pace would be good for me.''

''Are you sure?'' Nami received a nod.

Both were then joined by Miguel ''I guess I'll go too. We're going to have to stop anyway for the Log Pose and it's a chance to pick up supplies so let's make the most of it.''

''...To be honest, I kinda want to ask you to stay.'' Usopp's quick nodding proved that both were of the mind. Having Miguel around would certainly be quite reassuring ''But since leaving those two on their own with Luffy is downright cruel, you'll definitely be needed more there.''

Miguel laughed as Luffy glared at the navigator, everyone sans the startled princess nodding ''...In that case, just to be safe since we don't know what could possibly be here...Stardust Refraction.''

A shower of stardust fell upon them in moments, surrounding them in a silvery aura. Miguel wasn't completely sure but since he did have to limit his magic on Whiskey Peak to avoid rousing attention, odds were it had limited the spell's effectiveness. He had no way to be sure but he still thought it was better to try at least.

''Good call, this should help.'' Nami added.

''Sanji, lunch boxes please!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''Give me a few minutes.'' The cook returned. ''You two better keep Vivi-chan safe!''

''We got it!'' The three soon left with Carue in tow. While the duck was as happy as Nami and Usopp with this idea, he would still not leave Vivi go into danger if he could help it.

Zoro looked around for a moment ''Miguel's got the right idea about the supplies. I want to take a walk so I'll see about picking stuff up. Considering the situation, I'm likely the only one who can find something.''

''Someone's confident...'' Usopp had no intention of disembarking whatsoever. Why did this crew lack self-preservation instincts?

But Sanji took umbrage to the declaration ''What's that supposed to mean?''

''You heard me, I'll have the best chances hunting.''

''Like hell! I bet I can find something far better than you ever would!'' The cook retorted.

''You wish!'' Eyes blazing as they glared at each other, Zoro fumed ''Let's have a contest to settle this. Whoever brings back most food wins, got it?''

''Absolutely. Prepare to lose, Mosshead!''

''Who the hell are you calling Mosshead?! I'll show you, Dartboard brow!''

''Wha-hey, wait!'' Nami had been so confused that things spiraled this way that she'd only just realized what this meant. ''You can't just leave us here!''

''C-come baaaack!'' Usopp wailed.

Vivi looked on with interest as Miguel gathered some plants and fruits in his personal dimension. Carue suddenly walking past her, calling out ''What's wrong?''

Both came over to look, the duck indicating a strange, large plant that resembled a rafflesia. Vivi almost jumped when the plant suddenly twitched, releasing strange blue pollen in Carue's face. Her attempt to pull her pet away came to a halt when the silvery aura flashed again, neither were surprised at this point. Stardust Refraction had proven to be quite effective, namely because of Luffy.

It had taken Vivi and Carue a total of five minutes to learn just why the crew wanted Miguel to come with their group. The captain had somehow stumbled across two more dinosaurs, somehow managing to aggravate the second into chasing him and eventually Carue until Miguel took them all away from there. Then they'd just barely avoided a swamp when he'd decided to rocket himself into a tree and then he'd somehow angered the strange bees living there, Miguel once again getting rid of them. Thus, Vivi was devoutly thankful he'd offered to come at all.

Luffy's yelp made the three look back to find the rubber teen trapped in some vines while a couple of pterodactyls flew close as he attempted to stop them.

''How...scratch that, when?'' Vivi gaped, okay, this was beyond ridiculous! They had just turned away for barely a couple of minutes!

Not even blinking, Miguel requipped his wind sword, conjuring a fierce gale that served to scare the pterodactyls before cutting the vines. ''Has trouble always been following you like a shadow? Because I'm genuinely wondering how you lived to see ten.''

Vivi shot him the teen an annoyed look as he laughed, why didn't anything faze him?!

Luffy stood up, grinning ''Thanks! This island really is fun!''

''Well, you and danger seem to be best friends, of course you'd enjoy this.'' She hung her head as Carue glared at the boy.

''You guys really need to loosen up.''

''You do that enough for everyone and then some!'' Irked, the blue haired girl walked past him as he stopped to look at a small dinosaur like creature near the river.

''Hey, Miguel, you haven't gotten any meat. How about we grab that one?''

Miguel had in fact been avoiding any meat for one simple reason ''We don't know anything about the animals here, any meat we could get may not be safe to eat. We don't have a doctor, remember? I'd rather not risk anyone getting sick.''

As much as he loved meat, Luffy wasn't about to contest that logic. Vivi nodded approvingly ''You really should concentrate on that more than your apparent obsession with a musician, Luffy-san. There's a lot of stories about people falling to dangerous illnesses in the Grand Line's chaotic climates and environments. Although, I can imagine it won't be easy finding a doctor willing to join a pirate crew...''

''Oh, how about in your home?'' Luffy wondered.

A hum ''I can certainly ask but it'll still take time to get there. By the way, Miguel-san, I've been wondering...would you happen to be related to Arcadia Alexander and Maria by any chance? I was thinking you seemed familiar.''

Luffy eyed her curiously ''Vivi, you know Miguel's mom and dad?''

''Oh! That makes sense, actually, he looks so much like them...''

The quartermaster looked amused ''I get that a lot. I'm guessing you read the books?''

A nod ''They were fascinating, just thinking of how they traveled and all the adventures they had was amazing.''

''I grew up hearing a lot of stories about them and I'd always wondered what the life of an adventurer would be like. Never imagined I'd become a pirate but so long as it's with Luffy and the others, it's just fine with me.''

Luffy beamed ''Well, I'm glad you're here. You fit in with our crew just great!''

His smile widened at this and the three soon continued to talk as they continued to traverse the jungle. At one point, they were found by three dinosaurs but between Luffy and Miguel, there was no problem handling them. While Vivi had seen their strength first hand in Whiskey Peak, seeing them handle dinosaurs so easily was something else.

A looming shadow apprared, the unusual shape left them assuming yet it was another dinosaur so what happened next threw them all for a loop.

The tall giant dressed in viking like armor with an ax held in one hand, looking curious ''Oh, what do we have here?''

The new arrival, Dorry, was friendly, if anything he seemed quite happy to find new faces around here. In fact, he'd even invited them to lunch, having cooked some dinosaurs he hunted earlier. His home was in the northern mountains and it was clear that he'd been around here for sometime, navigating the dense jungle with long ease of practice.

Much to general relief, it turned out that the new arrival was actually rather friendly. Not only did he help them with the dinosaurs but he also invited them to have lunch at his home.

As usual, Luffy took everything in stride, taking another bite of the frilled meat Dorry offered. ''So good! Nice work!''

A laugh ''Thanks, I was surprised at first but dinosaur meat really did turn out to be delicious.''

''Can't we get some of this stuff?'' The teen tossed Miguel a pleading look.

''Remember what I said before?'' He proceeded to tell the curious Dorry about their plans for supplies.

''Oh, I see. You were right to be careful, some of them really aren't fit for consumption. We found that out the hard way, the last time I recklessly tried eating one, I wound up with a stomach ache for almost two days.''

Luffy was all set to argue but Vivi elbowed him ''Think, Luffy-san, if it did that to him, what would happen to a human?''

''Exactly.'' Dorry nodded to her. ''We're a lot more durable than you guys after all. Besides, I've seen a few people come about here and they were so reckless even mishandling some of the food got them killed. Even if you're strong, don't go being so reckless.''

Well, that certainly took the wind out of Luffy's sails...

''By the way...'' Dorry was curious. ''...are your friends going to be all right with those little portions?''

''Appreciate the concern, but we'll be fine. Luffy's appetite is in a league of its own.'' Miguel offered.

''Ah, I see. Well, not like your pirate goodies weren't delicious but they do seem tiny.''

''I guess so but no big deal, my crew's cook made them so if you badmouth his work, I'd have to beat you up.'' Vivi and Carue froze up at Luffy's brazen declaration but Dorry just laughed.

''You sure are funny! You're certainly the first to be so friendly with me, others just freaked out or tried to run even when I didn't want to hurt them.''

''Sounds like a bunch of scaredy cats.'' Luffy commented mid-bite.

Miguel had read some stories about giants before but Dorry was nothing like the ones in the books, not that he was complaining ''You're a long way from home. Isn't Elbaf in the New World?''

''That's right. Though it's been so long since I've been there...'' He proceeded to explain how there was another giant (Broggy) and how they had a fight. But since they came to a tie, Elbaf's tradition decreed that they have to battle until a victor is decided and leave the matter to the God of Elbaf.

''You've been at this for a hundred years?!'' Luffy's jaw dropped, verbalizing their shock.

Dorry's grin remained ''While it may seem like a a long time to a human our lifespans are much longer. It's just the way things are, this is too important to let slide and as warriors, we abide by the honorable code of our homeland.''

Vivi's expression made it clear that she wasn't convinced ''Is there any reason for either of you to hate the other?''

''Absolutely not.'' Dorry replied.

''But then why do you fight? You don't have to, you can talk things through. It sounds like you and that other giant could be friends...''

''Things are never that simple.'' Miguel refuted. ''Sometimes people don't believe words can sort things out, it's never that simple. But I don't see why they'd have to hate each other for it. It's just how they do things, they're willing to go that far for their code. People have their own beliefs and values and even if we see things differently, no one should judge them for that.''

The giant gave a pleased hum ''I couldn't agree more.''

A loud rumble reached their ears, Dorry looking at a mountain in the distance, standing when he saw smoke. Miguel quirked a brow ''What just happened?''

''That's a signal, it's time for another battle.''

Vivi's eyes widened ''You're doing this yet again? There's no need!''

''Your friend summarized it quite well. This is for our honor.'' Dorry began walking away with his weapon in hand ''You're free to stay and rest if you wish or you could come along and watch, my friends. We generally make sure no one gets hurt.''

Luffy perked up with interest, watching certainly sounded appealing. Dorry was great, he wondered what the other giant was like.

''Luffy-san, this is...''

''He told you, they don't hate each other. It's just how they do things.'' He reminded ''You don't have to understand or agree but they feel this strongly about it and he's happy, isn't that enough?''

''It's how they choose to live.'' Miguel added ''Everyone has the right to choose their own path, regardless of what others may think. Even if no one understands, your life is your own.''

After talking it over, the group agreed to catch up to Dorry and they arrived in time to find him in the thick of battle.

The fighting seemed to be intense and neither warrior was giving an inch. It was easy to forget that they had done this so many times before as they were clearly fighting with all they had. One could easily discern their prowess from a single glance, to say nothing of their power.

The result seemed to be another tie and both giants took that amiably. It wasn't long before they were relaxing like friends, and that was when Broggy noticed his rival's guests. ''Oh, are you friends with those other two humans? A girl with orange hair and a long nosed guy.''

Luffy perked up ''Yeah! So Nami and Usopp decided to go out and have fun too!''

''Somehow, I think their impression of this place is anything but fun.'' Although even as he said it, Miguel was confused. The two clearly had no intention of stepping off Merry earlier. What changed?

Vivi was tempted to voice her agreement but she didn't think her words would even penetrate the rubber teen's skull. The fact that he'd been so animated during their veritable death trap of a journey so far only reinforcing the sentiment.

''So you know where they are?'' Luffy clarified, Broggy humming in thought.

''Well, I left them at my home but the long nosed kid seemed interested in our fight so he might have followed me. He was especially interested once I explained everything...''

Vivi had a more pressing issue in mind ''Do either of you by any chance know when the log pose resets on this island?''

''It takes a year.''

''What?!'' Carue's beak dropped as the princess and captain spluttered in shock.

''Most of the humans who wind up trapped here either become dinosaur food or they die from heat and starvation.'' Dorry added. ''There were also a few fools who tried to attack us when they heard about the log but we took care of them.''

''Oh yeah, you guys were fighting for a log pose too...'' Luffy wondered if this could help.

But the giant knew where this was going ''Yes, it's like I told you. That's the goal behind our battle, an eternal pose that leads to Elbaf.''

His shoulders slumped ''That's no good...I can't stay here for a year, I'd go crazy!''

''We've got a bigger problem, Luffy.'' Miguel reminded.

''Right, we need to get to Alabasta. My country could be destroyed!'' Vivi added.

''I'm sorry to hear that.'' Broggy offered sincerely. ''If there's anyway we can help...''

''Thank you but I'm not sure how...'' Vivi returned.

Dorry looked at Miguel ''You're a wizard, right? Don't you have anything that could help?''

''Anything I can think of depends on our own knowledge and we'd still need a log pose there...'' He could help direct the ship with water and gravity magic but they still had no idea where to go. Vivi hadn't taken the island hopping route before so even she didn't know how long it would take to get there. ''...at this rate, I don't know what to do besides sailing and hoping we can find something. I can try to fly the ship, though I'm not sure how far I can take it but maybe the log pose could change after that.''

''That might be our best shot.'' Vivi didn't like it either, knowing how it could be risky, but what else could they do?

Luffy was momentarily distracted when he noticed the barrels beside Broggy ''What's that stuff?''

''Oh, I found this just a short while before running into your friends. Actually, I thought they might be yours but looks like I was wrong. They're full of a drink from the sound of it, probably sake.''

''Are you sure you don't want to drink that? You don't even know where it came from.'' Miguel pointed out.

Broggy just let out a laugh ''It's just fine. This isn't the first time we found supplies lying about, this probably washed to shore after that recent storm.''

With that, he proceeded to drink. But that was when things went terribly wrong.

It wasn't long before the whole thing blew up just as the giant was drinking. Dorry yelped in shock while the others recoiled as Broggy let out a choked gasp before he collapsed.

''BROGGY!''

''What happened?!''

''That drink...it was some kind of trap...'' Vivi concluded, frowning.

''Just what is going here?'' Dorry demanded, outraged. ''You guys...just who are you, really? We've seen our fair share of dirty tricks before but this is a new low...''

''Hold on, we...'' Miguel started.

Vivi's eyes narrowed as she stepped in front of him ''Awfully quick to past the blame, aren't you? How do we know you aren't covering for yourself?''

The giant looked indignant but his retort was cut off with Miguel's hard look ''Vivi, that's going too far.''

''But...''

''Yeah, you heard him, they fight with honor!'' Luffy turned to Dorry ''How is it our fault? Miguel just tried to warn you guys about taking those barrels!''

''Then explain what happened! You claim it was neither of us but then why did this happen?! Give me one good reason I should believe you!'' In his anger, he lashed out and would have hit Miguel (who had gone to check on Broggy) with the giant mistaking his healing magic for something worse. Fortunately, Luffy intervened in time and took the worst of it, taking practically no damage because of his rubber body. The force of the blow wound up knocking them both down.

He helped Miguel, who was holding the side of his head ''You okay?'' The latter nodded, concentrating his magic to heal himself instead. ''What was that for?! He just wanted to help your friend!''

Miguel shook himself, continuing to examine him before looking at Dorry. He knew very well that anger could only make things and truth be told, he couldn't really blame Dorry for being upset. Thus, he knew what to do. ''I can heal him.''

The giant stared ''You would...?''

''Please, there's no need to fight!'' Vivi interjected. ''We don't know what's going on but we don't want to hurt either of you.''

''Yeah, I bet there's someone else on the island.'' Luffy growled. ''And when I find them, they're going to pay for messing with you guys! You're proud warrios and they messed up your fight, I won't let them get away!''

''You guys...'' Dorry lowered his head, realizing his earlier impression of the group was accurate. His emotions had just gotten the better of him. ''...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have...''

''It doesn't matter, we're fine.'' Luffy waved the apology off.

''Right, we have to get to the bottom of this.'' Vivi stated.

''Allow me to help you.'' Dorry stood. ''I won't let the low lives behind this dirty trick escape!'' They nodded back and Dorry turned to Miguel ''I don't have the right to ask anything of you but please...''

The wizard gave a reassuring smile ''It's okay, I'll help him.''

''Thank you.''

Miguel's eyes found his captain ''Be careful, I'll catch up with you guys as soon as I can.''

''Right, it'll be okay!'' He returned. ''Now let's go find those jerks!''

And we're done!

Well, I hope this was good. I didn't want to just follow canon so I hope you like my own version of this arc so far. I needed some time to work on my plans and while I'm not there yet, I sort of have an idea about how to handle the Alabasta arc. Still a work in progress though, I've gotten pretty far with the Drum arc too. All in all, we're looking pretty good.

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