Kaido looked at Shanks' warning gaze and scoffed, "Don't look at me like that, Red-Haired brat. Although I also want to find Shin'ya as soon as possible, there's no need to go looking for him now. At their speed, we can wait another half a month for him."
Kizaru, who was clipping his nails, saw there was nothing to do for the time being. He glanced at Crocodile with a lazy grin. "This is truly terrifying. Everyone's a monster. Little brother Crocodile, the meals for the next half a month will be troublesome for you. Tsk~ This is truly terrifying~" With that, he strolled toward his room.
Seeing this, the others also returned to their respective quarters. Watching them leave, Shanks said to Crocodile, "Don't go causing trouble for Luffy. You don't want to delay their sailing speed, do you? Otherwise, we'll be stuck here for dozens of days."
Crocodile's face darkened. "Relax, I'll call back the assassins I sent after them right away. Even if it's just to get you freeloaders off my back sooner, I won't bother the Straw Hats."
Shanks left, satisfied. Crocodile seethed, knowing he couldn't take them on. Shaking his head with a sigh, he picked up a Den Den Mushi and made a call.
On the assassins' end, as the Den Den Mushi rang out with a cheery, "♪ I'm gazing afar, above the moon~ ♪", Mr. 5 picked it up. "Hello~ Boss, we're almost at Little Garden. Don't worry — watch me take care of them."
"Take care of what? Abandon the pursuit of the Straw Hats. All of you return and wait for orders," Crocodile barked before hanging up.
Then he glanced toward the door. "Nico Robin, come in."
"Click," the door opened.
Robin stepped in. "Boss, what is it?"
Crocodile gritted his teeth. "Find the Poneglyph of Alabasta as quickly as possible. I want the location of Pluton — fast."
"No problem, Boss." Robin nodded and left.
Crocodile's scowl lingered. If you couldn't read Poneglyphs, I'd have handed you over to the World Government long ago. Don't disappoint me.
---
Back on Luffy's side — thanks to Crocodile's call, Mr. 5 and company withdrew, so no one ran into any trouble as the Straw Hats reached Little Garden.
"Everyone, we've arrived at Little Garden! Get ready — we need to resupply!" Nami shouted from the ship's bow.
Everyone cheered. "Ah~ Finally!"
Usopp emerged weakly, holding a 20-centimeter stick, and handed it to Nami. "Here, this is the weapon I promised to make for you back in Loguetown. The material's from Shin'ya's wood ability, so it's tougher than a normal weapon."
Nami gratefully took it. "Thank you, Usopp."
Soon after, the Going Merry docked at the island's shore.
"I'll assign tasks. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji — you go hunt for food. Shin'ya, you're on protection duty. Vivi, Usopp and I will gather firewood and fresh water." Nami instructed.
"Haha! Alright! Zoro, Sanji — want to see who can catch more meat?" Luffy grinned.
"Sure. I'll get twice as much as this curly-browed guy," Zoro taunted.
"Tch! Only twice? I'll catch five times as much, Marimo-head," Sanji shot back.
Zoro: "Ten times."
Sanji: "Twenty times."
Their foreheads knocked together as they argued.
Luffy ignored them, already wandering into the forest.
Their antics made Vivi uneasy. "Nami… can they really handle Crocodile? This doesn't feel very reassuring."
Nami clenched her fist and walked over.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
A flurry of punches rained down on their heads, leaving them on the ground twitching.
"Still arguing? Luffy's been gone half a day already — he's probably caught a whole herd of prey by now. If you two don't get moving, I'll smack you again!"
(Damn, Nami got Armament right from the start.)
Paling, they sprang up and saluted. "S-sorry! We'll go right now!"
Zoro grumbled, "Hmph. I'll head this way. Find your own spot, curly-brow."
"As if I'd want to walk with you!" Sanji retorted as they split off.
Nami turned and grinned at Vivi. "Don't worry — they might act like idiots, but they're serious when it counts. Besides, we've still got Shin'ya. Isn't that right, Shin'ya?" she teased, glancing his way.
Shin'ya turned his head, ignoring Nami's antics.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease. These trees are huge — the animals must be fierce. Make a few clones to watch over us, okay?" Nami requested.
"Fine. I'll send three clones with you," Shin'ya agreed. "I'm going to check out that volcano. The clones will keep you safe."
Soon, three clones followed Nami's group, each heading in a different direction.
---
Meanwhile, Luffy wandered until he reached a pond, spotting a shelled octopus. Grinning, he scooped it up and dropped it in a bamboo basket.
Boom, boom, boom…
The ground trembled. Luffy squinted in the direction of the noise.
A towering, long-necked dinosaur appeared.
"Whoa~ Sea Kings can come ashore now?" he wondered.
Then excitement lit his face. "You're lunch!"
Luffy lunged onto the dinosaur's back, sprinted up to its head, and shouted, "Gum-Gum… Gatling!"
Bang bang bang bang…
A flurry of punches dropped the beast. Luffy grabbed it by the tail and kept walking.
---
Elsewhere, Sanji muttered, "Weird… feels like something's following me." He looked around but saw nothing. "Maybe it's just my imagination."
A massive drop of water splashed onto his head. Sanji looked up — and a T-Rex lunged.
With a swift backflip, he sneered. "You piece of meat, trying to bite me, huh?" He crouched low. "Diable Jambe: Collier Shoot!"
His blazing kick floored the T-Rex.
"One down. I bet Zoro's still empty-handed. Hah!"
---
Meanwhile, a thoroughly lost Zoro stumbled into a Triceratops nest. Man and beast locked eyes.
After a moment, Zoro grunted. "What even is this thing? Wonder if it's edible… whatever. One-Sword Style: Purgatory Onigiri!"
Ignoring honor, he ambushed the dinosaur, dispatched it, and hoisted it over his shoulder as he got even more lost.
---
Back at camp, Nami, Vivi, and Usopp had gathered firewood but still hadn't seen Luffy and the others return.
Bored, they wandered into the ship's library to research the island.
After a while, they stumbled on a book about Little Garden.
Vivi's face turned pale. "This… this is the Island of the Ancient Times? How did we end up here?!"
Usopp gulped. "Is… is that bad?"
Vivi trembled. "This place's been stuck in prehistoric times for thousands of years! There are dinosaurs and poisonous insects everywhere. Dinosaurs we can handle — but if we get bitten by a poisonous insect, without a doctor aboard, we're done for."
Nami nodded, face grim. "There are way too many poisonous insects here. We need to find Luffy and the others — fast."
"I'll go find Shin'ya's clones and tell him to bring them back right away!" Usopp said, bolting for the door.
Just then, the volcano erupted, belching thick ash and molten lava.
Animals and insects fled in terror. A deadly insect landed on the Going Merry's deck — and pass out from the smoke.
At the same moment, two booming voices echoed through the jungle. Two towering giants charged toward one another, weapons in hand.
They were none other than Dorry and Brogy, the legendary captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates.
---
Drop Reviews & Powerstones.