As the Going Merry continued on its journey through the Grand Line, the wind suddenly calmed to an abrupt halt.
"Did we accidentally hit the Calm Belt again?" Heart asked.
"I'll get the cannonballs..." Hilda grumbled as she was about to move before Nami stopped her.
"No, it's just a local weather phenomenon, we're still on course for the next island. Judging from the direction the Log Pose is pointing, our next destination is Little Garden."
"I hope the wind picks up soon. Time's running out even as we speak." Vivi said.
Down below, Luffy, Draco, Sonson, and Ben were helping Carue train with his new Devil Fruit powers.
"Well, since we have a lull in the wind, we might as well do some fishing for food," Sanji said.
"Fishing good for Ed!" Ed cheered.
"How are our prisoners doing?" Zoro asked.
"Behaving for the most part. The otter and vulture are still too terrified to try anything, and Gem and Mikita seem to have resigned themselves to failure." Usopp said. "Noire brought them lunch earlier."
"I gotta say, all things considered, this crew doesn't seem so bad despite your combined bounty exceeding Crocodile's," Vivi said.
"It's more the enemies the captains have defeated," Nami clarified. "Saw Tooth Arlong, Foul Play Don Krieg, Buggy the Clown, Kuro of a Thousand Plans."
"Don't forget Iron Mace Alvida and Crab Leg Ganzack!" Sonson chimed in.
"And Axe Hand Morgan," Kuina added.
"Speaking of which, I wonder how Koby's doing..." Luffy wondered.
The wind soon picked up again and the crew was off.
"So what sort of place is Little Garden?" Mifune asked.
"An explorer's paradise. The island is nearly untouched by civilization." Draco explained. "You've read books on dinosaurs, right?"
Double-D nodded. "Oh yes, plenty! Ed has his fair share of books as well."
Draco chuckled. "Well, Little Garden is one of the few places in the world, if not the only place, where dinosaurs still exist and thrive. It's considered a vacation spot for Giants, as well."
"We're gonna see dinosaurs, Double-D!" Ed cheered, picking up his sock-hatted friend in a tight hug.
"Ed...Oxygen...!"
Sanji rubbed his chin. "I wonder what dinosaur meat tastes like."
Hilda licked her lips. "Mmmm, my stomach's growling just thinking about it!
"Ho-Ho! Do you have the stomach for mighty dinosaur meat like what Rolf's Great Nano hunted in his day?" Rolf smirked. "Rolf shall show you how to hunt the beasts as Nano did!"
-OP-
The Going Merry was continuing its journey of ferrying the Straw Hats through the Grand Line.
"The weather's been amazingly calm lately," Nami noted.
"We're through the worst of it. Once you get past the seven magnetic forces of Reverse Mountain the weather becomes a lot more predictable." Draco said. "It can still get chaotic, though, so don't let your guard down."
Off to the side, Vivi approached Mifune, who had been observing the ocean as Fuu had been listening to Ed's recollection of stories.
"Mifune."
Sensing the princess, the swordsman bowed.
"Princess."
"I'm glad to see you survived." Vivi beamed, wanting to focus on the good before the bad.
"Well of course I did. I'm not allowed to die until I avenge the others." Mifune grumbled as he took a drink of sake.
Vivi's smile vanished.
"S-so he…?"
Mifune nodded. "Bastard faked that pirate attack to lure us over there, killed the others, and then made it look like they'd been in cahoots with the pirates. Zabuza had ordered me to stay behind, but…."
He fought back the memories of his mentors, his father figures, and the woman he regarded as a mother being cut down by the Warlord, who then had claimed they were plotting a coup against the royal family. A coup that…had you asked the people now, they would've supported, thanks to Crocodile's scheming turning their homeland into a borderline dystopia.
"Mifune, I…"
"It's fine. Like I said. I kill Crocodile? Then I can die." Mifune chuckled. "At least I've proven I wasn't lying when I said I'd be the greatest swordsman of the mist."
"Look! A dolphin!" Rosa gushed as she waved at the passing sea mammal.
Suddenly, the dolphin leaped over the Going Merry, shocking everyone when they saw how huge it was. However, Ben's eyes shrunk when he realized what this meant when it landed back in the water.
"Everyone to your stations! Tidal wave incoming!"
The crew scrambled as the dolphin hit the water, creating a large tidal wave. Vivi and Mifune were amazed at how quickly they could flip a switch from laidback to serious in just an instant.
"Unfurl sails! Hard to port!" Gin called out.
"Get us into the tidal wave!" Nami added. "We'll ride over it and take less damage!"
"AYE AYE!"
-OP-
Once the Merry was away from the giant dolphin, the crew returned to its laidback state as the journey to Little Garden continued. And this respite gave two big cute fat round sisters the time they needed to fully learn and share their story:
As Rosa explained, their parents had divorced and separated when they were toddlers, a decision their father later regretted, as he told her of her mother and sister. When he died a year ago, she had left home to find Hilda, only to find she had already left with Gottfried
"Hey, hey. No biggie." Rosa waved the whole affair off. "I mean, you had a mission to find World's crew. So, I tried to follow, but I ran out of Berri sooner than I expected. Ended up passing a tavern where Baroque Works was holding tryouts and…well, suddenly Dad's survival training wasn't so crazy."
"And your powers?" Ben asked.
"About a month ago, I ate theAbsorb-Absorb Fruit," Rosa explained. "It lets me absorb and assimilate literally any kind of non-living thing and adapt it to her body. Heck, I can even eat the objects to absorb them."
"Land ho!" Usopp called out. "Little Garden dead ahead!"
"Poyo!" Kirby cheered with Kaya and Noire.
"Look at those huge mountains!" Luffy said in excitement.
"You might need to get your eyes checked. Those are actually Sea King skulls." Ben clarified.
"But who could kill Sea Kings by the dozen like that?!" Double-D gawked in disbelief.
Draco hummed. "I wonder if those two boneheads are still going at it..."
"What do you mean?" Fuu asked.
"The last time I was here, we ran into a couple of Giants embroiled in an honor duel for the better part of a century," Draco explained. "Every time they fought they came to a draw, so they could never settle it."
Usopp couldn't help but look at the island in wonder when he heard that. Kaya and Kirby's interests were also intrigued for similar reasons.
-OP-
Meanwhile, on the nearby Kyuka Island, two figures were sitting at a table, the man pouring himself some tea.
"Ah, nothing like a cup of Earl Grey. It's a true privilege for officer agents like us to get a long vacation."
"Speak for yourself, Mr. 3. I'm bored." The small petite teenage girl grumbled.
"Don't call me by my code name in public, we don't want people finding out about us." Mr. 3 chided. "Out here I'm to be known by my real name of Galdino."
The girl looked up at Mr. 3's hair, which was in the shape of a three.
"If you say so...But it's not like people care what we call ourselves. The newspaper only has speculation about Baroque Works. That Transponder Broadcast didn't reveal everything. So it's not like you can't refer to me as Miss Goldenweek."
"Rules are rules, Marianne. Without them, we have no structure. By the way, what's that paper you've been staring at?"
"New orders from the boss. Turns out Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine have been compromised, as have the Unluckies. Currently no sign of Mister 9 and Miss Monday."
"Ugh, why couldn't it have been Mr. 2?" Mister 3 questioned in annoyance.
"You're just saying that because you want a promotion," Miss Goldenweek taunted.
"Well, regardless, it's not like we have anything to worry about with Mr. 5 being taken down. He was just an idiot with a Devil Fruit. Miss Valentine getting defeated, on the other hand, does leave room for concern. She was far more imaginative in the use of her Devil Fruit. Clearly, these enemies are not to be taken lightly."
-OP-
"You know what I don't get?" Eddy spoke up.
"What, Eddy?" Double-D asked.
"I don't get why it's called Little Garden when everything is so freaking big?"
"I think it's supposed to be ironic, Eddy."
"So how long until the Log Pose resets?" Luffy asked.
"It takes a year from this island. The Grand Line is set up like one big training course. We're meant to stay here and hone our abilities in the harsh jungle." Draco noted. "Unfortunately, we're not in a position to do that properly. After we get resupplied here we'll be using the Eternal Pose for Alabasta and heading there. Once the situation is resolved we can try and make up for lost time."
"We could certainly stand to restock our food supplies. We didn't get much from Whiskey Peak." Noire said.
A large screech was suddenly heard echoing through the jungle, causing Nami to shriek and jump into Nojiko's arms.
"What was that?!"
"Probably a pterosaur of some kind. Maybe we can get some prehistoric chicken wings." Draco suggested.
"Sounds delicious!" Ed smiled.
"INCOMING!" Gottfried cried.
The massive archeopteryx started to descend but was quickly taken out when Draco grew into hisKong Modeand snapped its neck with his large hands.
Sanji rolled up his sleeves. "Okay, time to clean this creature and prep it for the fridge."
But before he could do that, an explosion was heard, startling everyone.
"Is Gem trying to escape?!" Zoro called out.
"No, he's still bound with the Seastone net. And that blast certainly didn't sound like it came from the ship." Gin noted.
"Sounded more like a volcano erupting." Kaya realized.
Suddenly, a giant tiger emerged from the jungle and started eyeing the crew. It walked for a little bit, then collapsed from a deep wound it had suffered. Kaya couldn't help but nervously hug Kirby in the process.
"That does not look normal!" Nami said. "Why would a tiger, king of the jungle, fall over covered in blood!?"
"Trust me, Nami; Tigers aren't the kings of this jungle," Vivi said.
"The only logical explanation is that one of the dinosaurs got to this poor cat," Gin said as he looked the tiger over.
"We're not going out there, are we?!" Nami asked.
"If we can't handle a place like this, then why did we even come to the Grand Line?" Heart pointed out. "I'm willing to bet it gets way worse the further in we get."
"I'm heading out there regardless! I need to make sure I'm acclimated to my new powers." Carue said.
Usopp nodded. "This is just the sort of adventure I need to prove myself as a brave warrior of the sea. All ashore that's going ashore!"
Sanji and Noire got everyone packed up with a large lunch bag and they started heading out to explore the island.
-OP-
Meanwhile, inside the brig, Mr. 13 and Mister Friday had managed to open the cell and slipped out. Mikita/Miss Valentine looked over to Gem/Mr. 5.
"Think we should head out too?"
"Nah, we're safer in here. They don't know there's a Baroque Works base in this area. Granted I doubt anyone short of the boss could defeat them, but we definitely don't want to be there when the fighting starts."
Mikita nodded, then sat quietly before turning back to Gem.
"You wanna...maybe kiss or something?"
Gem stared at Mikita incredulously before sighing after she started batting her eyes cutely at him.
"Why not?"
-OP-
Luffy and Sonson took one side of the island with Nami, Vivi, Carue, Gottfried, Hilda, Axol, Nojiko, Mifune, Fuu, Ed, Rolf, and Gin. Draco and Ben took the other side with Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Penny, Kaya, Kirby, Ruby, Kuina, Double-D, Eddy, Heart, Rosa, and Noire.
"Remember to bring in any animals or plants that are edible," Sanji said.
"Not a bad idea. I'll be sure to get one you couldn't possibly capture." Zoro said.
Sanji glared. "Oh, is that right?"
"Oh great..." Kuina groaned in exasperation. "When Zoro gets like this, there's no telling how long the grudge will last."
"Then it's agreed; We compete over how many kilos of meat we get," Zoro said, lightning flashing between him and Sanji as they glared at each other.
"Deal," Sanji said. "Hey, Mifune! Let's switch teams!"
Mifune just stared blankly at Sanji before shrugging and trading places with him as the two groups split up.
"So how would an island still have dinosaurs after millions of years?" Penny asked as Ben and Draco's group made it through the forest.
"Sea travel is difficult in the Grand Line. So many of the islands have developed their own individual culture." Draco explained. "Some are highly advanced with technologies normally not seen outside the Grand Line. Others remain in an ancient state, unchanging for tens or even hundreds of thousands of years. Little Garden maintains a climate perfect for saurian life despite the rest of the world cooling to a point where reptiles regressed in evolution."
"So how many of these dinosaurs are edible?" Zoro asked.
"If it has meat on its bones I'm sure Sanji and I can make a meal out of it," Noire noted.
"Good, because I see my first prey right now," Zoro said.
A giant triceratops had emerged from the trees and was staring down Zoro. He quickly drew his swords and easily killed the giant saurian.
"I'd say this gets me a good headstart."
"I'll scout ahead," Kuina said, transforming into her Full Beast Form and flying off to scout the island.
-OP-
Elsewhere, with Luffy and Sonson's group, Sanji had used his powerful legs to kill a tyrannosaurus.
"This should be perfect for tonight's main course."
Hilda's stomach rumbled loudly, making her blush and giggle sheepishly. Fuu couldn't help but give a playful smirk as she squeezed a bit of the other girl's big belly.
"Man, I think you can put away several T-Rexes before getting full, big girl."
"H-Hey, cut it out~" Hilda laughed.
"By the way, what about the two Giants Thomas was talking about?" Axol wondered.
As if on cue, one of said Giants wound up approaching the group. He was clad in Viking attire, which consisted of red overalls with golden button straps, fur linings, a leather strap around his right shoulder and another as a belt, yellow pants with black stripes and fur linings at the bottom, yellow shoes, and a red helmet with two horns. He had a blond beard shaped like an axe's blade, beady eyes, a wide grin, and a pig-like nose.
"Okay, that...is big," Nojiko said.
"Kabababa! Welcome! It's been a long time since this island has had visitors." The Giant laughed in a welcoming manner when he recognized the group.
Nami was looking apoplectic, but everyone else looked either calm or, in Luffy, Sonson, and Ed's case, excited.
"A real-life Giant!"
The Giant chuckled. "First time on the Grand Line, I take it. You didn't happen to bring any alcohol, did you?"
"We should have some on the ship. Not sure if it's enough to quench a giant's thirst." Gin said.
"Hey, is that a T-Rex bitin' your behind?" Gottfried asked.
The Giant turned his head, and sure enough, a tyrannosaurus had tried to take a bite, only for the giant's skin to be too tough for its jaws. He nonchalantly got out a massive axe and swung it, cutting the saurian's head off.
"Thanks for the help there."
The events were too much for Nami, who wound up fainting on the ground with her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her entire face turned blue.
"We just lost Nami..." Vivi noted as Nojiko and Hilda squatted down and began fanning the poor Navigator.
"Move over, maybe I can help," Fuu said as she started taking Nami's temperature, her powers at the ready.
"So what's your name, big fella?" Carue asked.
"The name's Broggy! The strongest warrior of Elbaf! Kabababa!" The Giant introduced with a hearty laugh. "Well, since it looks like I've got some meat, how about I treat you to lunch as guests?"
"HECK YES!" Luffy, Sonson, and Hilda cheered.
"Rolf has heard the tales of Elbaf from Nana but to meet a Giant here...Rolf's eyes sting at such majesty!"
"And hey, we happen to have a little extra," Fuu said, gesturing to the other dead tyrannosaur.
"Say, that's some fine hunting. Which of you did that?" Broggy asked.
Sanji smirked proudly. "That would be me."
"One solid kick to break its jaw. That's some real power in your legs." Broggy noted. "Not the first time I've met a human with enough power to rival a Giant. Size means nothing when it comes to strength, after all."
"You also happen to be staring at a bonafide Fishman!" Axol said with a smile.
Broggy nodded. "Been years since I saw one. They pass by the island from time to time."
"A-Are we going to be okay...?" Nami whimpered, having since recovered a little bit.
"Oh don't worry. Giants are friendly. And they don't eat humans or fishmen." Vivi reassured.
Broggy laughed. "Of course not! That would be wrong on so many levels."
-OP-
Meanwhile, the other half of the crew had run into a pod of brachiosaurus. One of which had just been decapitated by another giant wielding a sword. He was clad in Viking attire with a helmet that went over his eyes.
Draco grinned as the rest of the group was gobsmacked by what they had just seen.
"Hey there, Dorry!"
The giant Dorry looked over to Draco and gave a hearty laugh.
"Gyagagaga! Well if it isn't little Draco, all grown up I see. Last time we met you barely reached my ankle, now you're taller than my kneecap. They grow up so fast."
Draco smiled before frowning. "I guess this means you and Broggy haven't settled things yet. So where is he?"
"Should be somewhere on the other side of the island. We only meet when it's time to duel."
"Uh...Draco...your friend?" Heart spoke up over the other shocked members of the group.
Draco chuckled. "Guys, meet Dorry. One of the two strongest warriors of the giant nation of Elbaf, the other being his best friend Broggy. Of course, each would claim that they're the sole strongest warrior."
"Gyagagaga!" Dorry laughed. "Pleased to meet you all. So what brings you out to this ancient island?"
"We happen to be a pirate crew," Zoro explained.
"Oh, has Draco become a captain like his father?" Dorry asked.
"Yup! And this is Ben, one of the three other captains of our crew!" Draco said as he brought Ben over.
"The other two captains of our merry band of misfits are probably on the other side of the island with this Broggy you mentioned."
Dorry nodded in understanding. "Well, since you've come all this way, how about I treat you to lunch? Especially since we have a large pile of meat just ready for the spit."
"We can see that..." Double-D said, looking a bit green at the dead brachiosaurus.
"I dunno, I'm looking forward to that meat!" Rosa grinned, licking her lips as her belly roared.
Suddenly, a small blur raced forward in front of the Straw Hats.
"Back off, jerks! This is our lunch!"
The blur was a small boy, no older than ten. He wore a red and black shirt and had yellow spiky hair
"Awwww!" Rosa and Ruby cooed together. "So cute!"
"EY! I AM NOT CUTE!" The boy snapped. "GET EM, HOBBES!"
He pointed to the toy Tiger at his side, his eyes then going back to the Straw Hats, a grin on his face before…
"CALVIN!"
The boy paused at Dorry's shout as the giant put his hand between the Straw Hats and him. "I appreciate you defending our food, but these are friends of ours!:
"Oh…whoops…HOBBES TOLD ME TO DO IT!"
He pointed to the stuffed Tiger, which hadn't moved at all.
"You totally did tell me to attack! Watch, attack, same thing! When we're pirates it is! Oh, you did not just…!"
"Um…Dorry, right?" Ben asked, trying to be as polite as possible. "Who's the kid?"
"Calvin; I guess you call him me and Boggy's apprentice. He washed up here with Hobbes about…" He paused to think. "…Four years ago. Spends three days with me, then goes over to spend three with Boggy. Ah yes, Hobbes as well. Not going to lie, that tiger has done a grand job keeping us all alive."
The Straw Hats looked down at the stuffed toy, then the giant and little boy.
"Draco, don't take this wrong, but…?" Ruby started, but the conversation was forgotten as Draco used his fire powers to cook the meat. Ruby sighed and started cutting it up, Calvin taking two more slices.
Now, for some reason, if you looked like Calvin and Doggy's eyes, in Hobbes's place you'd see a tall tiger standing on two legs, giving the Straw Hats the look over.
"Relax Hobbes," Doggy explained. "Draco is the son of Whitebeard and wouldn't ally with Morganners. You and Calvin are safe."
Hobbes sighed in relief, then grinned playfully at Calvin.
"First real company and when you attack…they gush. So much for 'manly pirate hero.'"
"Drop dead, Hobbes."
-OP-
Luffy and Sonson's group had joined Broggy at his camp. Sanji was helping Broggy cook up the meat as Luffy, Sonson, Hilda, Ed, and Rolf helped themselves to large chunks.
"Sooooo gooooood!" Hilda moaned in pleasure.
"Man, Draco wasn't kidding about the dinosaur meat thing!" Fuu noted as she took a bite of her own meat.
"Oh, so you know little Draco?" Broggy asked. "He must be about as tall as my shin after so many years."
"Yeah, he's one of our four captains!" Axol smiled. "Along with Luffy, Sonson, and Ben, they are the Four Great Captains and we are their pirate crew!"
"Pirates, eh? Me and my old friend Dorry used to be pirates as well a century ago." Broggy said. "Back then I was known as Broggy the Red Ogre. Dorry was known as the Blue Ogre. And together we were co-captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates."
Over at Dorry's camp, he was telling pretty much the same story.
"You see, the village of Elbaf has its rules. One rule is that when we start a fight in the village and both sides can't back off, we are judged by Elbaf's god. It is said that he always gives divine protection to the righteous one and lets them survive."
"He and Broggy started such a fight about a century ago. They've been here fighting duel after duel ever since." Draco explained.
"You know, you and Broggy never told me and Hobbes about how you two started fighting," Calvin noted.
Dorry scratched his head in confusion. "It's been so long, I don't actually remember. Giants can live for three times as long as humans, but that doesn't improve our memories any."
Zoro then realized something. "Aw crap! I forgot about my challenge with the shit cook!"
"Let it go, Zoro. Having a fight over who has the bigger haul from a hunting trip is just stupid." Kuina said.
That seemed to spark something in Dorry's mind as he snapped his fingers.
"Ah! I just remembered! The Sea King skulls on the island! Me and Broggy caught those. Then a little farm girl from a human village we visited asked which was the biggest. We laid them out side by side, but neither of us could agree which was bigger and we got into an argument over it. That's why we've been dueling for so long."
"That's it?" Eddy asked. "I mean...seriously?!"
"Well, bigger feuds have been started over less..." Double-D muttered.
Broggy had come to the exact same realization when Nojiko told Sanji about how the hunting game was stupid.
"So is there a way for you to stop the duel?" Nami asked, "It sounds like it started from something pretty stupid."
"Hmm, well there are two ways to cancel the duel. The first is if one of us agrees to back down from the argument. Sadly, that's not an option after tens of thousands of draws." Broggy said. "The other is if it can be proven that neither side was righteous in the original argument."
Suddenly the volcano in the center of the island erupted.
"And now's as good a time as any to see if that can be done. Every time the central volcano erupts me and Dorry set out for our duel. An outsider perspective might be just what we need to see if this matter can be resolved."
"Well, how about that? Dinner and a show." Hilda smirked.
-OP-
Meanwhile, the Unluckies had reached a large wax building. Mr. 13 knocked on the door, being let inside as Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek regarded the two creatures.
"The boss has been wondering what happened with you two. You're lucky he considers you indispensable or you'd be on the chopping block." Mr. 3 said. "What about those two weaklings?"
Miss Friday shrugged. Mr. 13 started digging through his pockets and freaked out when he didn't find anything.
"You lost your sketch equipment?" Mister 3 asked. "Unfortunately we didn't bring any."
"The pirates who captured you must have confiscated them," Miss Goldenweek suggested.
"Well, at least there's good reason to arrive at this island," Mr. 3 said as he brought a couple of old wanted posters, depicting a younger Dorry and Broggy. "Their bounty was never canceled, so we can cash in. It might even be worth more given these posters are at least a century old."
Mr. 13 looked at Mr. 3 in confusion.
"Those two happen to live on this island. Superb criminals execute their crimes by using their superb brains. So let's put all four of our superb brains together and work on getting those bounties. Shall we?"
The Unluckies both grinned maliciously as they prepared to make their leave.
"Pardon me miss?"
Miss Goldenweek tensed as she turned to see a hooded individual holding out a Devil Fruit.
"W-who the…?!" She started, only to see her colleagues frozen mid-pace, as was everything else. "What are…?"
"I mean you no harm." The Merchant said. "In fact, if you're interested? This fruit will give you the power of the stars you adore so much."
Miss Goldenweek's fear turned to intrigue. A Devil Fruit related to stars?
"…What's the catch?" She asked. She wasn't naïve; no one just GIVES away a Devil Fruit!
"None beyond my entertainment…and the promise you use the most with it." The Merchant said as he placed it down and turned to leave. "That…and maybe choose the right company. Good day, young lady."
With that and a blink, time flowed again and he vanished as quickly as he had come. Miss Goldenweek hurriedly grabbed the fruit to catch up with the others.
-OP-
Because of Elbaf's rules, the two mighty giants did at least have to go through with the duel before any negotiations could be made. The titanic battle shook the ground and turned nearby trees to splinters and any boulders they hit to rubble. Usopp was in awe at the incredible bravery and skill the two friends displayed.
"This is intense. Every hit is designed to be a mortal blow, never giving an inch. Now this is a real battle between men! Both of them flying a warrior's flag in their heart, one they don't want anyone to destroy."
"Yeah, it's so cool!" Calvin beamed. "I never get tired of watching them fight!"
"Some might call it stupid, and it probably is. But they have a warrior's pride, so they won't let that stop them until someone gives them a very good reason." Luffy noted.
"Wow, an insightful line from Luffy. Is the world coming to an end?" Ben smirked.
"This is who you want to be, isn't it?" Kaya asked Usopp with a smile.
Usopp nodded. "This is exactly the image of my dream. To be a brave warrior of the sea! Whatever village they came from, I wanna go there someday."
"That's gonna take a while. If I remember correctly, Elbaf isn't even in this half of the Grand Line." Draco said.
"Everyone!" Penny suddenly spoke up. "My sensors have picked up two hostiles nearby!"
Rolf looked up. "The nefarious beasts! They have escaped!"
"Rosa, Mifune, come with me!" Hilda said urgently. "We're checking Merry to make sure they didn't tamper with anything!"
The two nodded and followed Hilda as the duel continued. Vivi realized what Rolf was talking about and noticed the Unluckies.
"Oh no! Does this mean Baroque Works has our faces now?"
"Doubt it. We made sure to confiscate all their drawing equipment." Nami said.
Suddenly, the fight ended in a draw as the two giants punched each other in the face.
"IT'S A DRAW!" Calvin cheered, jumping in the air.
"That's the 73,466th draw so far," Broggy noted.
"Yeah, it seems we still can't settle it with just fighting," Dorry agreed.
They both fell over, exhausted. Then their serious faces turned into grins as they laughed together before getting up. It was then that Broggy noticed Draco amongst the group as he came over.
"Hey, it is Draco! Luffy over there mentioned they were on the same crew."
"Good to see you again, Broggy," Draco smiled before his face turned serious.
"Guys, we have a problem! Someone rigged one of our alcohol barrels to explode when ingested!" Rosa called out as she, Hilda, and Mifune ran back over.
"Now who would go and waste good alcohol like that?" Dorry wondered.
The group then heard two new voices laughing, coming from a certain otter and vulture that had landed.
"Heads up, gang!" Carue cried.
The supersonic duck got in front of everyone and quickly began swiping his wings, sending razor-sharp feathers as Miss Friday opened fire with miniguns under her wings. By the end of it, none of the Straw Hats or Giants were touched.
"Whoa!" Fuu yelped, noticing some of the feathers that hit the ground had two halves of a bullet next to them. "That's some fine featherwork!"
Mr. 13 quickly pulled out a couple of clawed shells for defense, only for Carue to flap his wings and create a razor wind to slice the shells in half.
"Thay, this power is pretty keen! Now I can really put the SONIC in supersonic duck!"
Mr. 13 and Miss Valentine paled, now realizing that they had officially bitten off more than they could chew as Carue grinned.
"Now lookie here!" he started, stretching his wings out and flinging wind blades they narrowly dodged. "I can understand trying to take over Alabasta. I can understand working for Crocodile! Hell, I can understand the trying to off giants and silencing kids! But making Vivi cry? Go underground and fight for her people when she should be enjoying her teenhood?! UNFORGIVABLE!?"
He then blitzed and pecked the Unluckies on the head before cutting off a branch to beat them with it. He then jumped and flapped his wings, sending out razor feathers that seemingly missed. Just as the Unluckies were about to retaliate, Carue smirked and pointed below them.
Looking down, the otter and vulture realized there was no ground for them to stand on. And with that, a quick clutch and a comedic scream, the Unluckies fell to the ground with a bloody squelch, razor-sharp feathers waiting for them at the bottom.
"Well, now Rolf shall feast on the hides of these beasts that dared prey on the honorable duel of Giants!" Rolf said as he hoisted up the corpses to clean and prep.
"Good job, Carue!" Vivi said as she hugged her friend. "Here. Your favorite."
She got out a special toasted bread that got Carue excited like a dog being offered his favorite treat.
"Oh boy, oh boy! Katorean Bread!"
He picked up the toasted bread and gobbled it down, making Vivi giggle as she petted him on the head.
"Luckily they only got one barrel," Mifune said as he brought an alcohol barrel over. "And they rigged it with various bits of biomatter from an unconscious Gem."
"That violates so many laws..." Double-D said in disgust.
Dorry took one of the untainted barrels and chugged it.
"Ah! It's been forever since I've had a good drink."
Broggy grinned. "Tell me about it. So, I'm guessing you also remember why we started this duel in the first place?"
"Yes, the Sea Kings we caught. I talked it over with these people and we figured the best way to call the duel off is to figure out how to declare it a permanent draw." Dorry said.
"I think the answer is right in front of your faces," Draco spoke up. "You've been fighting... How many duels now?"
"Their last one was the 73,466th. And it ended in a draw." Calvin said. "Trust me, I did the math...and I HATE math."
Ben nodded. "And that right there is the crux of the problem. Neither of you can seem to triumph over the other. Almost like Elbaf's god can't label either of you as righteous in this argument. You're both equal in strength."
That seemed to turn on a light bulb in the two giants' heads. They turned and looked over to the two giant Sea King skulls. Stripped of flesh after a century, it was more clear that they were indeed the exact same size.
"Could it be...our duel has been a draw from the beginning?" Broggy realized.
"That's why it's taken a hundred years to settle it! Elbaf couldn't choose which of us was righteous because our argument was moot from the start!" Dorry said.
The two friends hugged each other in relief, crying tears of joy.
"We don't have to kill each other!"
"We can go back to the sea together!"
"WE CAN FINALLY REUNITE THE GIANT WARRIOR PIRATES!"
"YAA-HOO!" Calvin cheered before hugging Hobbes.
"Awww, I love a happy ending!" Ed smiled.
"Hey..." Fuu suddenly spoke up. "Has anyone seen Mifune?"
-OP-
"Shouldn't the Unluckies have reported in by now?" Miss Goldenweek wondered.
"Hmm, yes. Something must have happened to them." Mr. 3 noted. "Even if we assume their plan to use something of Mr. 5 to rig the alcohol to damage Dorry the Blue Ogre enough for capture failed, they should have at least let us know."
"I wonder what's taking them..."
Suddenly, something sliced through Mr. 3's wax house, startling the two. A tall shadowy figure landed down with a familiar set of swords strapped to his back.
"Y-You...!" Mr. 3 gasped. "Mr. 7?!
"That was the name I gave you, yes," Mifune said as he took out the twin Kiba swords. "But you should address me by my REAL name...Nobunaga D. Mifune."
He then walked forward, a feral grin on his face…which then softened when he saw Miss Golden…No. Marianne. Marianne cowering.
"…Get out of here, kid."
"W-What?"
"I'm only out to kill Crocodile. Not a kid. Now, scram."
Marianne hesitated. She stood no chance against Mifune. But Mr. 3 was also there…
"Fuu and Rosa should be around. They'll take care of you…" His feral grin returned "While I take care of this overcomplicating wannabe."
Marianne wisely bolted as quickly as she could, winding up in Fuu's arms.
"Mifune, what's going on?!" Fuu asked as she and the Straw Hats and Giants came over.
"You!" Mr. 3 pointed at the group. "You just ruined a superb and ingenious plan! We were going to rake in a good 200 million Berris taking down those giants!"
He shrank down when Dorry and Broggy glared at him.
"You were the one who intended to sabotage our honor duel?!"
"That carries a hefty penalty by Elbaf's rules!"
"If you're going to deal with this idiot, allow me..." Bamia said as she stepped forward. "As the Quartermaster of this crew, I don't take kindly when things are sabotaged."
"Yeah, Sis has that compulsive need to make sure everything is in place when it comes to supplies." Luffy clarified to the others.
Mr. 3 smirked. "How about you cool off!?CANDLE LOCK!"
He smirked when his wax creation locked Bamia's arms together. However, Mifune dashed past her with the Kiba swords, and the wax crumbled to bits.
"You forgot about me, asshole."
"Miss Goldenweek!"
Miss Goldenweek quickly got out a paint set as Mister 3 started generating wax with hisWax-Wax Fruit. Miss Goldenweek started spreading various color paints around while Mr. 3 created numerous wax models of himself, all painted by Miss Goldenweek to look like him.
"CANDLE CLONES!"
"What's going on?" Nojiko asked.
Mr. 3 chuckled. "Miss Goldenweek is a skilled realist painter. And her real ability should be kicking in now."
Suddenly, everyone except Draco, Ben, Mifune, Penny, and Gottfried started experiencing different emotions. Luffy and Sonson were laughing, Sanji and Double-D were crying, Usopp and Eddy were raging, etc.
"The paint... She's using paint to hypnotize them!" Penny realized.
"It's myColor Trap. I can paint symbols on or near a person to make them feel different emotions." Miss Goldenweek explained. "Green of Calm,Blue of Sadness,Red of Anger,Yellow of Joy. If I wanted I could create a black symbol to make you all turn on each other."
"Oh sweetie, you shouldn't have said that..." Draco smirked. "Because if there's one thing I know...it's that paint isn't waterproof!"
Draco's mouth then bulged as he spat out a torrent of water that washed away all the paint, including the ones on the wax clones. Miss Goldenweek gasped as her palette was washed clean of all paint.
"Awwww..." Fuu pouted. "And here I was hoping to use myPharm-Pharm Fruitto create a special medicine that could undo and make you all resistant to the effects."
"Well, next time, for sure!" Hilda smiled reassuringly. "Let's get smashing!"
Thanks to their large numbers, the Straw Hats were able to tear apart all the fakes until they zeroed in on the real Mr. 3, who panicked as he formed a wax armor set for himself.
"CANDLE CHAMPION!"
"Impressive. Who knew you could make something like that with wax." Double-D noted. "Then again, wax sculptures are a thing..."
"Just try and get through this. You're going to pay. Pay for ruining my chance to unleash my belovedCandle Service Set!" Mr. 3 declared. "As the upper layers start to burn the wax slowly drips onto the victims, solidifying them inside and out and wax figures, creating a lovely display of despair!"
That shitty technique?" Mifune scoffed. "What's the point of it anyway? Why not just kill them if you can create enough wax to cover them inside and out?"
"Such asinine thinking!" Mr. 3 admonished. "For a superb mind such as I, to create the most beautiful form of death is an art! But I wouldn't expect such a simpler mind to understand."
"Oh really...?"
Mr. 3 barely had time to see a maddened Mifune swing Shibuki, the tags instantly destroying his armor as Ben closed the gap and delivered a brutal punch that had the genius cough up blood…which then started to harden and crystalize around him. His eyes watered in terror for a few brief moments before Ben grinned and dispelled all the blood.
"Think you get the picture now, savvy?"
"See what you're putting your victims through? A true superb assassin has no need to be artistic." Mifune pointed out. "If you want to kill someone, fine. But don't try to be artsy about it. If you can kill a person, just do it. Otherwise, you're just wasting time and will likely wind up failing sooner or later."
Mr. 3 was freaking out at being surrounded when suddenly a whirlwind of sand hit the area around him. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Mr. 3 made a run for it.
"What was that?" Vivi asked.
"A Devil Fruit user, most likely. Some sort of sand manipulation." Noire noted.
Zoro nodded. "And judging from the fact that they used that power to help Mr. 3, they're part of Baroque Works."
This was almost lost when Mifune let out a growl.
"You okay, Mifune?" Fuu worriedly asked her friend.
"I know that sand anywhere..." The Swordsman growled."Crocodile..."
"Why didn't they save the kid?" Heart asked.
"I'm sixteen!" Miss Goldenweek clarified in annoyance.
"Coulda fooled us." Kuina chuckled as she messed with the kids' hair.
"Mister 3 was probably more valuable to the group than Miss Goldenweek," Vivi suggested. "He's actually weaker physically than Mr. 4, but he's far more intelligent to compensate."
"Why bother? She's a slimey girl!" Calvin gagged.
"You didnn't have any problems with us." Ruby Heart smirked along with Rosa.
"What, you don't like us?" She cooed cutely, making Calvin tense.
"Y-you guys are okay…I guess…" Calvin started, fighting back a blush as all the Straw Hats chuckled at him before his anger returned. "But she tried to help kill Doggy and Boogy! With stupid paint!"
"Listen here, ya little…!" Marianne glared at the boy, who glared back,
"What ya going to? Paint me to death?!"
"I might, can, and have!"
"Bring it on, I ain't scared to hit a girl! These hands are rated E for every…!"
BONK!
"Knock it off!" Axol and Ruby both demanded, the former then offering Marianne a canvas and some markers.
"Go nuts."
Marianne looked at Axol. Then the canvas. Then the markers. Then Axol again
"W-what should I..?'
"Anything." Axol smiled, motioning everyone else away. "No interruptions. No orders. Just…do."
Tentatively, worriedly, Marianne began to draw an outline then began coloring it. She and the others lost track of time as she lost herself in her art, finally enjoying it after so long. A smile overtook her face as she worked….
When she was done; she had created a beautiful picture of herself, Miss All Sunday (Sanji's oogling of whom went ignored) and the Straw Hats having a picnic in a grassy field at sunrise.
-OP-
Mr. 3 managed to return to the remains of his wax house and got out a Transponder Snail.
"Mr. 3 to Mr. 0 reporting."
"Confirmed, Mr. 3. I felt the special sand trap I placed on you going off. I take it the mission failed."
"Yes, apologies for that."
"This is why I told you not to waste time with artistic assassination methods, you idiot. You're lucky you're indispensable to my operation."
Mr. 3 winced. "What are my further orders?"
"Right now the schedule for my plan is too far along to continue bothering to wipe out the opposition. 'Do you have the Eternal Pose for Alabasta?"
Mr. 3 looked through the wreckage and found the Eternal Pose.
"Yes, it seems the Unluckies delivered it before being compromised. Thankfully it seems to be intact after that damn duck slaughtered them."
"I'll wait until you return for a full debriefing on how the hell you uttered that sentence. For now, just return to Alabasta. We'll finish our operation there."
"And the others?"
"Consider them compromised, but take no further action. Leave their fate up to those rookie pirates."
Mr. 3 nodded. "Very well. I'll return at once."
He headed for the shore and created a wax boat to sail off from Little Garden.
-OP-
With things winding down, Dorry and Broggy inspected their weapons.
"Seems even if one of us had dealt the other a death blow it wouldn't have been fatal. The blades have grown too blunt to deal more than a flesh wound to a giant." Dorry noted.
"We've been using them to successfully hunt the dinosaurs of this island for so long I guess neither of us noticed until now." Broggy realized.
"Well, I'm glad things have started to settle down here!" Luffy smiled.
Sonson nodded. "We should be heading on to Alabasta soon. We still need to get Vivi home."
"Hope you have an Eternal Pose to get you there. The normal Log Pose needs a whole year to record this island's magnetic field." Broggy said. "Both our camps are full of human skulls from those who weren't able to last the entire time. Either eaten by dinosaurs, suffering from the heat and dehydration, or else just trying to attack us."
"Thank goodness we were able to keep Calvin well-fed and hydrated." Droggy smiled as he patted the boy on the head. "Fortunately, not everyone ends up that way. I remember this one crew about twenty years ago that managed to stay the full year, just partying and enjoying plenty of dino meat with us. They even cheered us on during our regular duels. What was their captain's name again?"
"Roger, if I remember, Gol D. Roger. Said he was searching for a legendary treasure said to be at the end of the Grand Line." Broggy said.
Luffy beamed. "Yeah, the One Piece! We're looking for it too. To follow in Roger's footsteps."
"He did ultimately find that treasure, becoming King of the Pirates as a result." Ben nodded.
"Well, talk about a meeting of fate!" Dorry grinned. "Seems you're going on a similar route he took. Hopefully, your journey will be just as successful. And once we reunite our old crew, you can count on us to be your stalwart allies!"
"And…!" Broggy said, lifting Calvin and Hobbes upwards. "My boy? How would you and Hobbes like to join them?"
"Wha-what? Really?" Calvin asked. "B-but…!"
"You've grown as strong as this island will allow. If you really want to grow up and be like us, you need to see the world." Dorry smiled. "And yes, Hobbes is worldly, but he could do with some learning as well."
"HA!" Calvin cackled at his toy tiger. "Ya hear that Hobbes?! You DON'T know everything!"
"Never said I did," Hobbes replied. "And you do realize you'll have to work for your keep?"
"Well duh!" Calvin said. "I can sweep and mop and help wherever! I DID do the laundry around here!"
"…Are we seriously letting a kid on here?" Eddy asked.
"I see nothing wrong, beyond finding space." Penny smiled.
"…I've missed Apis," Hilda admitted. "A little sibling on board would be nice."
"It'll be like us sailing with Ace and Sabo!" Luffy beamed, motioning the boy on. "C'mon Cal! You and Hobbes are now honorary Straw Hat Pirates!"
Nojiko then noticed Nami seemed to be a bit woozy, moving to make sure she was okay.
"What's wrong?"
"I dunno, I got bitten by this weird bug a while ago and it's like I'm burning up..."
Broggy frowned. "You might want to find a good doctor quickly. The insects on this island carry ancient diseases that can wreak havoc on human bodies. Me and Dorry must have been bitten thousands of times over the last hundred years, but our larger bodies mean we can just sleep off the diseases like a human does a common cold."
"Thank goodness that Calvin never gotten bitten," Dorry added. "I don't know how we could have treated him."
"Looks like we're gonna have to wait a little longer before heading to Alabasta," Draco noted.
"Sorry, Vivi, but we can't risk the health of any member of our crew." Ben apologized.
Vivi nodded. "I understand. If I recall, the nearest port to here is Drum Island. Hopefully, we can find a doctor there."
Dorry picked up his sword. "If you're heading off the western coast, then me and Broggy can repay our debt to you for helping us resolve our duel."
"Right, there's a dangerous creature out in that sea called the Island Eater. It's swallowed many ships trying to leave the island before." Broggy said. "But we'll make sure it's claimed its last pirate crew for you."
"Well, looks like you're coming with us, kiddo." Ruby smiled.
"I told you, I'm sixteen!" Marianne huffed.
"Yeah, but I'm eighteen. I outrank you in the age department."
With that, Calvin jumped onwards, waving goodbye to his adoptive giant fathers as the ship sailed away.
"We'll meet again! Don't know where don't know when…All I know we'll meet again some sunny day!"Ed, Ussop and Hobbes all sang as the ship sailed away.
The Going Merry took off, and as it reached the edge of the island, a giant goldfish suddenly emerged from the ocean.
"I'm suddenly reminded of that one story you told me regarding a giant goldfish and how you mistook its droppings for an island," Kaya noted.
Usopp laughed. "Oh wow, you remember that one! I didn't really think it was one of my better stories."
"Poyo!" Kirby beamed.
"Well, it was one of Kirby's favorites." Kaya giggled, rubbing her son's head.
Just as the Island Eater was about to swallow the Going Merry, the two giants sliced it open, letting the ship sail out unharmed. The Straw Hats were free to continue on to the next leg of their journey. And hopefully, find Nami a doctor in case she really did contract a dangerous illness.
Dorry and Broggy looked at their destroyed weapons after killing the Island Eater and watched the Going Merry sail off into the horizon. Every volcano on the island erupted at once as if to signal the end of their hundred-year duel.
"It seems Elbaf is satisfied with the outcome we came to," Broggy noted.
Dorry nodded. "Now we can reclaim what we left behind, thanks to the Straw Hat Pirates. May the god of war Elbaf watch over their journey, and bring them countless victories!"
Knightmare Lord A/N:
Put both halves of Little Garden Arc together for this refurbished chapter!