The Sand Crocodile walked away, grumbling.
At Storm's request, the host of the Rain Dinners went to prepare for the feast.
Having successfully allied with each other and set off toward the same goal, how could such a joyous occasion not warrant a lively and lavish celebration?
Well, to be honest, it was mainly because Storm was hungry and wanted to eat a lot of meat...
Once the Sand Crocodile's figure completely disappeared from view, Storm turned his attention back to Robin.
"Wasn't what you just said a bit harsh on Crocodile?"
"How could it be, boss?"
Robin smiled slightly, skillfully shifting the topic.
"Besides, even if I did hurt Mr. Crocodile, what does it matter? I've already resigned.
"I'm now your subordinate, boss! What I want to express is very simple—
I am a subordinate of the [White Dragon]! How could I possibly fear a mere Sand Crocodile?" Robin neatly discarded the topic related to her former boss, biting her lip in anticipation as she asked.
"Boss, you just mentioned… Jaguar?"
"Jaguar D. Saul."
Seeing Robin so eager to pledge her loyalty, Storm decided not to keep her in suspense any longer and spoke plainly.
"Sixteen years ago, the World Government ordered the Buster Call on Ohara, the Island of Knowledge in the West Sea.
"Jaguar D. Saul was originally one of the five Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals responsible for executing the Buster Call.
"However, he abandoned his 'camp' and chose true 'justice,' and then he was…
"Completely frozen by the current Marine Headquarters Admiral, Aokiji Kuzan!"
Aokiji Kuzan...
The name seemed to awaken Robin's painful past, and she couldn't help but shiver.
The composed demeanor she had just displayed transformed in an instant into that of a trembling girl.
"Saul… Aokiji… he killed Saul…"
"He didn't kill him."
"...Huh?"
"I mean, Aokiji Kuzan did not kill Jaguar D. Saul."
Storm revealed this long-hidden secret.
"Saul not only survived the Buster Call incident but also 'saved' Ohara once again.
"After the Buster Call, Saul brought help from the land of giants and took the 'knowledge' that the scholars of Ohara had risked their lives to preserve to the land of giants—Elbaf."
"Saul…"
Robin covered her mouth with her hand, but tears still flowed uncontrollably from her eyes, quickly soaking much of her face.
Storm shrugged, stood up, and walked toward the direction the Sand Crocodile had left, leaving Robin alone in the space.
The sound of crying echoed within the pyramid for a long time.
When Robin reappeared before Storm and Crocodile, she exuded a sense of purity, as if she had been cleansed of all her burdens...
"White Dragon."
Crocodile looked at Robin's rabbit-like red eyes and couldn't help but question.
"What have you done to this woman?"
"Secrets."
Storm casually grabbed a large piece of Sea King meat and stuffed it into his mouth, finishing it in the blink of an eye.
The [Diamond Trophy] he had just obtained by defeating the Sand Crocodile had now been added to his [Strength] attribute.
[Strength: ★★★★★★☆] (Six and a half stars) "By the way, Old Sand—"
"Damn White Dragon! Don't call me Old Sand!"
"Okay, Old Fish."
Storm readily complied.
"Prepare another ship for me, and load it with plenty of alcohol. I'll be leaving Alabasta soon."
Old Fish...
Crocodile's forehead suddenly bulged with several twisted veins.
That name was even worse than "Old Sand"!
Damn White Dragon!
Crocodile took several deep breaths to suppress the anger rising within him.
"Where are you going?"
"To the Little Garden."
Storm did not hide it and spoke directly.
"There are two giants there, and their strength should be considerable.
"Didn't you notice those two big guys before, Old Fish?"
"Don't! Call me! Old Fish!"
Crocodile enunciated each word.
"The two giants in the Little Garden are brainless, only knowing how to fight all day.
"It's said they've been fighting for over a hundred years!
"I don't need such foolish subordinates who only have muscles in their heads."
"It's not just said; they have indeed been fighting for over a hundred years."
Storm chuckled.
"Besides, Old Sand, you think they're foolish? They might think you're weak! Those two giants are no ordinary characters.
"They are the two giant captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates from over a hundred years ago!"
...
A magnificent and enormous sailing ship slowly departed from the port of Alabasta.
At the bow of the ship was a fearsome figurehead of a Golden Banana Crocodile.
This was Crocodile's ship—Baroque Gustaph! Upon learning that the two giants in the Little Garden were the captains of the legendary Giant Warrior Pirates, Crocodile, who had initially been uninterested, chose to follow Storm to the Little Garden.
Robin, having changed her allegiance, naturally accompanied Storm as well.
She was also quite curious about the two giants from Elbaf...
"Old Sand, your ship is amazing!"
Storm stood on the deck of the Baroque Gustaph, silently activating his [Clay-Clay Fruit] ability.
"This size is comparable to the Navy's large warships! It's just a bit slow…" As soon as Storm finished speaking, several oversized ceramic propellers were installed at the bottom of the Baroque Gustaph, spinning at incredible speed.
The sailing speed of the entire ship skyrocketed.
Crocodile had intended to light a cigar.
But the sudden surge in speed caused him to stagger.
The cigar didn't catch fire, but his eyebrows nearly did! "White Dragon!"
Crocodile steadied himself and crushed the cigar in his hand.
"What have you done now?"
"We're going to accelerate again—"
Storm ignored Crocodile.
He covered the hull of the Baroque Gustaph with a layer of sturdy ceramic for stabilization.
Then he directly activated the power of the [More-More Fruit].
More-More Fruit・Double Speed! The sailing speed of the Baroque Gustaph doubled instantly.
With the increased speed, Crocodile couldn't even bother to scold Storm for being a bastard; he was too busy trying to maintain his balance.
But before he could fully adjust, it was More-More Fruit・Fivefold Speed! Then again—
[More-More Fruit・Tenfold Speed]! Under the effect of the [Tenfold Speed] acceleration, Storm keenly sensed that the ship had reached a stable balance.
If they continued to accelerate, the Baroque Gustaph would likely fall apart...
"This speed is just so-so…"
Storm then looked at the Sand Crocodile beside him.
"Hey? Old Sand, what happened to your hairstyle? How did your slicked-back hair turn into a hedgehog style?"
"...I'm going to kill you!!"
...
The distance between Alabasta and the Little Garden isn't very far.
Even an ordinary old-fashioned sailing ship would take five or six days to travel between the two islands.
The Baroque Gustaph was not slow to begin with.
With the addition of the "ceramic propellers" and the [More-More Fruit・Tenfold Speed] boost,
In just a short half-day, the Baroque Gustaph arrived at the nearby waters of the Little Garden.
Storm secretly deactivated the effects of the two Devil Fruits.
The Baroque Gustaph continued to sail a distance before finally slowing down to a stop on the surface of the nearshore waters of the Little Garden.
Boom—Boom—
A slightly distorted rumbling sound echoed in the air.
In a foul mood, Crocodile looked toward the Little Garden not far away.
Even from this distance over the sea, he could hear the sounds of battle coming from the island...
The two giants on the island were indeed stronger than he had imagined...
"Old Sand, guard the ship!"
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon soared into the sky from Storm's shoulder, instantly growing to a massive size.
"I'll head to the island first!"
Crocodile watched the White Dragon fly into the sky, gritting his teeth as he turned to Robin beside him.
"You! Guard the ship!"
After dropping this line, the Sand Crocodile also took off with a gust of sand, heading toward the Little Garden.
Robin watched the two former bosses fly away in succession, unable to resist resting her chin on her hand.
"Giants, I really want to meet them too…"
The sea breeze carried away the whispers of the Devil Fruit child.
Storm rode the Blue-Eyed White Dragon, arriving at the Little Garden first.
Behind him, Crocodile desperately unleashed "Sandstorm," also "flying" from the sea to the island.
Storm paid no attention to the Sand Crocodile behind him.
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon flew straight toward the central area of the Little Garden.
Two towering giants, each over twenty meters tall, were engaged in a fierce battle in the center of the island.
Every clash of the giants' weapons erupted with deafening booms.
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon was enormous.
The Red Ogre Brogy, who was fighting, could not ignore this colossal creature and laughed heartily.
"Ha ha ha! Dorry, it seems like a dragon is flying toward you from behind!"
The Blue Ogre Dorry, who was battling the Red Ogre Brogy, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Gah ha ha! Brogy, I won't fall for such an old trick again after turning a hundred!"
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon flew closer and closer.
Red Ogre Brogy took a few steps back, voluntarily halting the fight.
"A dragon! It's really a dragon!"
This time, before Blue Ogre Dorry could respond,
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon let out a thunderous roar that split the heavens.
"Roar—"
The earth-shattering dragon roar instantly caught Blue Ogre Dorry's attention.
He turned around, sword in hand, just in time to see a small black dot leap down from the sky above the White Dragon.
In mid-air,
Storm unleashed an endless amount of clay, wrapping himself up, and his body
began to expand explosively.
Boom! The moment Storm landed,
A towering white giant stood proudly on the ground of the Little Garden!
It's over...
The computer suddenly shut down.
There was clearly no power outage; I lost my draft! The update is late, and it's not my intention...
It's over, over, over, over, over...