"You... are not worthy of being compared to me!"
"Click!"
The den den mushi made such a sound and was then hung up.
"..."
Time, as if, stopped at this moment.
Crocodile's office was terrifyingly silent.
Creak!
The office door suddenly opened, and a bearded man grinned, saying with a laugh.
"Mr. Crocodile, someone in the casino downstairs said they wanted to take a picture with you. Would you like to..."
Mid-sentence, the man suddenly shivered, feeling cold all over, his eyes filled with extreme fear and dread.
Just being looked at by Crocodile's murderous, angry gaze, he was so frightened that he instantly lost all his strength and collapsed to the ground.
The next second.
"Ah ah ah ah..."
Amidst a series of screams, the man finally turned into a dried corpse, all his moisture absorbed.
Crocodile looked at Luffy's wanted poster on the table and muttered in an extremely deep, angry voice.
"Straw Hat..."
As he spoke, he grabbed it and crumpled it in his hand, then it turned into a handful of loose sand, scattering on the ground.
On the going merry!
Vivi looked at Luffy with a serious and worried expression and said.
"You were too impulsive just now, Luffy!"
"If you anger Crocodile, you will be in danger."
Luffy looked at Vivi and asked in a low voice.
"Vivi, do you think if he wasn't angered, he would let you go, let us go?"
"Eh?!"
Vivi was stunned at his words.
Upon hearing this, she realized that he probably wouldn't let them go.
Luffy walked over, gently patted Vivi's shoulder, and said softly.
"Relax, Vivi!"
"Your fear of Crocodile is too deep."
"He's just a Shichibukai, there's nothing to be afraid of."
"I promise you, I will definitely help you save your country from his hands."
Vivi stared blankly at Luffy. She recalled what Nami had told her, and thought of the unconditional trust the people on this ship had in Luffy.
Perhaps...
She could also trust Luffy once, just like Nami and the others?
"Whew..."
Vivi let out a long breath, smiling apologetically, and said.
"I'm sorry, I was too nervous."
Seeing Vivi relax a little, Luffy also smiled.
"I see an island!"
Just then, Nami's surprised cry came from the bow of the ship.
She followed the direction of the Log Pose, looking at an island gradually appearing ahead.
Soon, surprised and emotional voices rang out on the ship.
"Is that our next destination after leaving Cactus Island?"
"Our second island after entering the Grand Line!"
Just as everyone was feeling emotional and expectant, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.
"If you land on that island, people might die!"
"..."
In an instant, the ship became incredibly quiet.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Robin looking at them with a calm expression.
Soon, voices rose one after another.
"D-dead people? What does that mean?"
"Could it be that the island is very dangerous?"
"Are there monsters? Are there zombies? Or... or cannibals? Ugh! I don't want to be eaten by cannibals!"
"Why can she say such terrifying things with a calm expression?"
Robin remained expressionless, explaining in her usual tone.
"That island is called [Small Garden]."
Everyone was puzzled by her words.
"Small Garden?"
Robin nodded.
"It's a primeval forest from the Jurassic era, with various fierce beasts and dinosaurs on the island."
Upon hearing this, Nami, Usopp, and Vivi were so scared they leaned back in shock, their eyes turning white.
"Dinosaurs! How scary!"
"Is it called [Small Garden] because of these large beasts?"
"Now that you mention it, we really are small compared to those dinosaurs!"
Robin shook her head and said.
"No! It's called [Small Garden] because the island is as small as a garden to the people who live there."
"There are... giants in there!"
Upon hearing this, the trio's fear escalated to another level.
"Gi-giants?!"
"That huge island is as small as a garden? How terrifying!"
"It's over, we won't be eaten by giants, will we?"
Seeing the trio's reactions, everyone else was speechless and complained.
"I say, you guys, aren't you being a bit too dramatic?!"
"Weren't you all trained to be strong by Luffy? Dinosaurs aren't that scary, are they? Haven't you already fought Sea Kings? Just leave the giants to us!"
"Especially you, Usopp! Haven't you eaten the Explosion Fruit? Why are you still so timid? When dinosaurs come, just blow them up!"
Nami and Usopp were stunned for a moment when they heard this, and they straightened their bodies.
Nami: "That makes sense! Dinosaurs don't seem to be as big as Sea Kings, right? What am I scared of?"
Usopp: "Right! I've eaten the Explosion Fruit, what's there to be afraid of?"
Only Vivi was crying there.
"Waaah… I haven't been trained by Luffy… I can't fight dinosaurs!"
Seeing Vivi crying and helpless, Luffy smiled, walked over, patted her, and said,
"You just follow me later! With me here, you'll be fine."
Vivi immediately stopped crying, grabbed Luffy's arm tightly, pursed her lips, looked at Luffy pitifully, and nodded repeatedly like a rattle drum.
...
As they approached Small Garden, everyone could clearly see the island's appearance.
Overall, it looked like a tropical rainforest, with towering trees, various strange plants, and continuous roars of beasts and chirping of insects.
"There seem to be many different types of plants here. I want to collect and study them to see if I can find some novel plants or new varieties that can be cultivated for use, and then plant them on our ship."
Nojiko was excited.
Ever since Luffy helped her learn a lot about botany, her interest was piqued, and she had always wanted to find an opportunity to put her knowledge to use, which is why she was so excited now.
"The ship is almost out of food. I'll go hunt some edible wild beasts and see if there are any other edible wild fruits."
Sanji spoke about what he was going to do.
"Usopp just made me a Clima-Tact, so I'll find some fierce beasts and try out my new weapon! Nojiko, I can protect you nearby."
Nami gave Nojiko a confident smile and a thumbs-up, and the latter also smiled and nodded at her.
Then, the next second, Nami looked at Uta with pleading eyes.
"Uta, come with us! Only with you here can I feel at ease! If several dinosaurs come at once, we'll be eaten."
Uta looked at Nami, who had changed her expression at light speed, and nodded with a smile.
"Okay!"
Zoro's mouth curved into a smile, and his eyes held excitement.
"Didn't they say there are giants on this island? I'll go see if they're strong."
Seeing that everyone else had formed teams, Usopp immediately hugged Zoro's leg.
"I'll go with Zoro! On the way, I'll find an opportunity to adapt to the Explosion Fruit's ability and see if I can develop new abilities by understanding the 'Improved Buggy Bomb'."
Even with the Explosion Fruit, Usopp was still timid.
Finally, only Robin, Luffy, and Vivi remained.
Luffy and Vivi had already agreed to team up on the ship.
He looked at Robin and asked,
"Robin, do you want to be alone or come with us?"
Robin looked at Luffy curiously and asked,
"Alone? You allow me to be alone, aren't you afraid I'll leave you halfway and go back to Crocodile?"
Luffy said indifferently,
"If you leave, I'll just bring you back."
"Besides, I want you to be my companion, not a prisoner. I won't restrict your freedom."
Robin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said,
"Then I'll be alone! I'll just look around this island; maybe I can discover some interesting history."
Luffy nodded in approval.
Then, he said to everyone,
"Crocodile said he would chase us down halfway, so each of you be careful and check if their people are on the island."
"If there are, capture them, and then we'll see if we can get some useful information."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
Then, they each scattered according to their plans.
...
Inside Small Garden.
Luffy, Vivi, and Karu, two people and one duck, walked through the dense, towering forest.
From time to time, continuous roars of beasts and dinosaurs echoed, and Vivi and Karu would tremble in fear with those roars.
"Vivi, you and Karu are too nervous. Relax, you'll be fine with me here."
Luffy looked at Vivi, who had been tensed up the whole time, and couldn't help but say.
Since getting off the ship, she had been in this state of high tension.
Vivi forced a stiff smile and said,
"Ha… haha! I'm already relaxed!"
Roar!
Just then, a dinosaur's roar suddenly came from beside them.
"Wah!"
"Quack!"
Vivi and Karu simultaneously let out a scream, and both the person and the duck leaped up like springs.
The next second, Vivi was clinging to Luffy.
Karu, meanwhile, was tightly hugging Luffy's calf.
Bang!
Luffy casually threw a punch and sent the dinosaur flying.
"Alright, it's fine now!"
"Su… sugei!"
Vivi exclaimed.
Only then did she get off Luffy.
...
In the forest, Luffy, with Vivi, sat on the head of an incredibly huge long-necked dinosaur.
All the surrounding scenery was visible at a glance.
"Ahhh! Too… too high, Luffy!"
"This dinosaur really won't eat us, will it?"
Vivi looked nervous, shrinking into Luffy's arms and trembling.
"Quack!"
Karu was also trembling beside them.
"Vivi, don't worry, I'm here!"
"Look around you, it's beautiful."
Luffy sat behind Vivi, gently patting her to comfort her.
...
As Luffy repeatedly and effortlessly resolved dangers around them, taking Vivi on various tours and excursions,
Vivi gradually relaxed from her initial nervousness.
Later, when she heard dinosaur roars nearby, she would even proactively remind Luffy and report their location to him.
Under Luffy's protection and companionship, a genuine smile gradually bloomed on Vivi's face.
...
"Luffy, over here!"
Vivi called out loudly to Luffy, pointing him in a direction.
A smile hung on her face, with no trace of fear in her eyes; she looked incredibly relaxed and happy.
Bang!
Luffy flashed over to the direction Vivi pointed and punched the dinosaur away.
"You worked hard, Luffy!"
"Have some water!"
Vivi smiled and handed Luffy a small, barrel-shaped cup, which contained a drink Sanji had prepared for everyone before they left.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp…"
Luffy took the cup and drank heartily.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Just then, a series of violent sounds echoed near them, and the ground continuously shook with the sounds, like an earthquake.
Vivi instinctively let out a cry of surprise.
"Wha… what's happening?"
"Quack!"
The two people and one duck looked in the direction of the sound.
They saw an incredibly tall figure stepping towards them.
Upon discovering the two, the figure immediately lowered his head to look.
Luffy, Vivi, and Karu now clearly saw the giant figure's appearance.
The person was a giant with a long beard, wearing an iron helmet, and holding an iron sword and shield.
Seeing such a tall giant for the first time, Vivi couldn't help but instinctively hide behind Luffy again.
Although she wasn't as nervous and scared as before, facing something that looked intimidating still made her a little afraid.
"Hehehehehehe…"
The giant let out a unique laugh, then looked at Luffy and said,
"It's been many years since I've seen humans. Will you… be my long-awaited guests?"
Luffy recognized the other party as one of the two giants on this island, Dorry the Blue Ogre, and nodded.
"Yes!"
Vivi quietly asked from behind him,
"Luffy, he's a giant, is it okay to just agree to him?"
Luffy replied,
"It's fine, he has no ill intentions."
Hearing Luffy say this, Vivi immediately breathed a sigh of relief and no longer hid behind Luffy.
This peculiar transformation was something even she herself hadn't realized; she had begun to unconditionally trust and rely on Luffy.
...
Inside a massive camp.
Luffy sat cross-legged, with Vivi and Karu beside him.
Dorry sat opposite them.
Luffy and Vivi were eating roasted dinosaur meat caught by Dorry.
Dorry, on the other hand, held the outdoor bento Sanji had prepared for Luffy.
Dorry held the bento between two fingers, it was about the size of his fingernail, and he laughed heartily.
"Jie jie jie jie jie…"
"I'll take your pirate bento, but it's just too small a portion."
Luffy, eating large bites of the roasted dinosaur meat in front of him, which was bigger than him, said indistinctly,
"That's because you're too big, but this bento was prepared by the best cook on our ship, and it tastes really good!"
Dorry laughed heartily again upon hearing this.
"Jie jie jie jie jie…"
"Is that so! Then I thank you."
With that, he opened his mouth and poured it in.
"Jie jie jie jie jie… It's really delicious, this taste! If only there were a bit more."
Luffy suddenly remembered something and said,
"Oh, right, we still have sake on our ship! You haven't drunk it in many years, have you? I'll go get it for you."
Dorry's face immediately lit up with excitement upon hearing this, and he laughed joyfully.
"Jie jie jie jie jie…"
"Thank you so much, my friend!"
Luffy left for a while and brought several barrels of fine sake for Dorry.
Afterward, the two ate and drank, chatting idly.
However, most of the time, Luffy was listening to Dorry tell his story.
It was basically about how he came from Elbaf and had been fighting another giant, Brogy, here for 100 years, having long forgotten the reason for their battle.
Later, Luffy and Vivi visited the two giants' duel together.
During this time, they also discovered that Zoro and Usopp were with the other giant, Brogy.
It seemed they were also treated as Brogy's guests.
Usopp, in particular, looked at Brogy with admiration, recognizing him as his master.
Because the duel caused too much commotion, the entire Straw Hat crew was drawn to it.
Luffy, on a whim, had everyone hold a lively feast with the two giants.
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone lay contentedly on the ground.
"Hey! Dorry, Brogy! Do you know how long it takes for the Log Pose to record the magnetic field on this island?"
Nami raised her hand and glanced at the unchanged Log Pose on her arm.
Then, two relaxed and leisurely voices simultaneously echoed in everyone's ears.
"One year!"