Just as Mario finished securing a knot around Mr. 3's wrists, a new voice, laced with arrogant disbelief, cut through the jungle air.
„What the hell is this???"
Mario sighed internally, not even needing to look up. From the dense foliage emerged the other half of the Unluckies' backup: Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine. They stood frozen for a moment, taking in the surreal scene—their two powerful colleagues, utterly defeated and being trussed up like game by a lone, unknown man.
„Crap," Mario muttered under his breath, tying off the final knot. „I forgot about these two idiots. They must have been on their way to meet up." It was a minor miscalculation, but an annoying one.
Recovering from their shock, the new arrivals assumed their signature battle stances. Mr. 5, with an air of disgusting nonchalance, dug a finger into his nose.
„Hmph. It seems we have some trash to take out." He produced a booger, ready to flick it with explosive force. Beside him, Ms. Valentine giggled, popping open her parasol. „One, two, three!" she chirped, her body becoming light as a feather, ready to ascend and become a human bomb.
But Mario was done playing around. He had a schedule to keep.
He didn't give them the chance to launch their attacks. In a single, fluid motion, he raised both hands, index fingers pointed.
Fwoom-Paff! Fwoom-Paff!
Two consecutive Tobu Shigan shots, fired at an impossible speed. The compressed air bullets crossed the distance before either agent could process the movement. They struck with twin, dull thuds—one squarely on Mr. 5's forehead, the other on Ms. Valentine's temple. Their eyes rolled back in perfect unison, and they collapsed to the ground, joining their unconscious comrades.
„Phew," Mario exhaled, shaking out his stinging fingers. „How could I forget. Well, it doesn't matter now."
He looked down at the four unconscious bodies littering the forest floor. „Now what to do… hm." An idea formed. „Well, I'll just tie them up too and bring them to where Dorry and Brogy are fighting. The crew will be there eventually."
As he set about fashioning more rope from sturdy vines and bark, a sharp, familiar pain lanced up his legs from the Soru usage and throbbed in his fingertips from the Shigan. His body was still paying the price for every technique. „Not perfect," he grumbled to himself, flexing his hand, „but I'm getting used to it."
With a length of now-completed, heavy-duty rope, he efficiently bound Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine, then linked all four agents together in a single, miserable chain. Getting a good grip, he began to drag them through the jungle, their bodies bumping unceremoniously over roots and rocks as he hauled his captives towards the island's center. He didn't particularly care about their comfort; he had a message to deliver, and they were the proof. The Baroque Works threat on Little Garden was being delivered, packaged and neutralized, directly to the giants' doorstep.
After a laborious trek, the cacophony of battle guided Mario to a massive clearing. The ground itself trembled with each impact, and the air thrummed with the sheer force of the clash. And there they were. Dorry and Brogy, two living titans, their duel a spectacle of raw, joyous power.
Swords the size of ancient oaks met with a concussive BOOM that sent shockwaves through the very atmosphere, their booming laughter echoing their attacks. It was a ritual, a friendship, and a war all in one.
The sight was shocking, but not for the reasons one might expect. Mario wasn't shocked by the danger or the violence; he was awestruck by the sheer, impossible scale. Giants. Real, living, breathing giants. No amount of manga panels or anime episodes could prepare him for the visceral reality of their presence, the way their footsteps felt like minor earthquakes, the way their voices were like thunder. He stood at the edge of the clearing, his four captives forgotten for a moment, utterly captivated.
"OIII MARIO!!!"
Luffy's unmistakable voice, brimming with excitement, cut through the thunder. Mario turned to see his captain sprinting towards him, with Vivi and a frazzled-looking Karoo close behind. On the opposite side of the clearing, he spotted Nami and Usopp; the sniper was staring, jaw unhinged and eyes wide with a mixture of terror and reverence, completely mesmerized by the giants' duel.
Luffy skidded to a halt, his attention immediately snagged by the bundled pile of humanity Mario was dragging.
"What do you have there?" he asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
Vivi's gaze followed Luffy's, and her face paled. "MR. 3 AND MS. GOLDENWEEK! AND ALSO MR. 5 AND MS. VALENTINE???" she gasped, her voice trembling with disbelief. Even Karoo let out a stunned, strangled quack, his wings flapping nervously.
"Huh? Didn't we fight against these guys?" Luffy scratched his head, pointing at Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine. "Well, those two are new."
Mario offered a casual, almost sheepish smile. "Well, as I was taking a walk, I stumbled onto these guys and overheard a pretty sinister plan. So I had to stop them." He gave the rope a slight tug. "They wanted to collect the bounty on the two giants. It was a wicked plan, so... I took them out."
"TOOK FOUR BAROQUE WORKS NUMBERED AGENTS DOWN? ALONE?!" Vivi's voice rose to a shrill pitch, her composure shattered. Her mind raced, trying to reconcile the calm man before her with the feat he had just described. These were officers of a criminal organization led by a Warlord, each with a dangerous Devil Fruit power, and he had dispatched them as if he were merely taking out the trash. The sheer, understated power it implied was staggering. Who exactly was this man?
„Wohoo! As expected from our Quartermaster! Shishishi!" Luffy cheered, his trust and pride in his crewmate absolute and unshaken. He clapped Mario on the back with a rubbery thump, completely unfazed by the monumental feat. Seeing his captain's unwavering confidence, Vivi simply let out a long, defeated sigh, deciding to stop questioning the impossible and just accept that the Straw Hat Pirates were a law unto themselves.
The titanic clash in the clearing reached a fever pitch, the sound of metal against metal ringing like a cathedral bell announcing the end of a sacred rite. The ground shook with a final, tremendous impact.
„By the way, Mario," Luffy said, turning back to the fight, „where are Zoro and Sanji? I believe they would LOVE to see this!" His eyes sparkled as he gestured wildly at the giants.
„See those giants?! They are warriors of Elbaf! REAL GIANTS! And let me tell you, they are amazing!" He then launched into an enthusiastic, if slightly garbled, retelling of Dorry and Brogy's century-long duel, their friendship, and their honor. Mario listened patiently, a soft smile on his face.
He knew the story by heart, but hearing it from Luffy, filtered through his unique perspective and boundless enthusiasm, made it feel new and even more grand.
Finally, with a deafening BOOM that silenced even the jungle's creatures, the fight ended. Both giants, their strength utterly spent, collapsed to their knees, their massive forms shaking the earth. For a moment, there was silence, and then...
"GABABABABAAAA!" Dorry's laughter boomed, rich and full.
"GEYA GEYA GEYA GEYA!" Brogy's followed, a hearty, rumbling echo.
The two thunderous laughs filled the clearing, a sound of pure, unadulterated joy and mutual respect that was more powerful than any battle cry.
„That was great! I almost had you!" Dorry roared, his chest heaving.
„You wish, you old sea cow! This is the 1000th battle that has ended in a draw!" Brogy retorted, a wide grin splitting his bearded face.
The clearing fell into a contented quiet, broken only by the heavy, satisfied breaths of the two giants and the chirping of birds returning to the trees. The spectacle was over, leaving behind a sense of awe and camaraderie.
***
Luffy plopped down on the grass, still grinning, and the rest of the crew gradually gathered around Mario and the pile of unconscious agents.
Nami, looking relieved to see everyone in one piece, was the first to speak. "So, let me get this straight," she began, hands on her hips, "while we were running from dinosaurs and having our lives flash before our eyes, you were... what, casually taking a stroll and collecting Baroque Works agents like souvenirs?"
Mario gave a modest shrug, a playful glint in his eye. "The forest paths are very scenic. I just happened to run into some unfriendly hikers who needed... directions to a nap."
Usopp, finally tearing his eyes away from the giants, puffed out his chest. "A wise decision on their part! They clearly sensed the immense, latent power of the great Captain Usopp's loyal lieutenant and wisely chose surrender! A tale I shall recount with great embellishment!"
"Shishishi! See, Vivi?" Luffy laughed, stuffing a piece of meat he'd produced from his pocket into his mouth. "I told you Mario was strong! He's our Quartermaster! He handles the boring stuff so we can have the fun adventures!"
Vivi, sitting next to Karoo who was nervously eyeing the giants, managed a small, genuine smile. The initial shock was wearing off, replaced by a dawning gratitude.
"I... I see that now. Thank you, Mario. You've saved us from a terrible ambush. And you've saved them," she added, glancing at Dorry and Brogy.
"It's what crew does," Mario said simply, his gaze sweeping over his friends. He looked at Zoro and Sanji, who had just emerged from the treeline, bickering about whose hunted dinosaur was bigger, but stopping short at the sight of the captured agents. "We look out for each other. And we protect the good adventures, like this one," he said, nodding towards the giants.
Luffy's smile widened. "Yeah! This was an awesome adventure! We met giants, Mario beat up some bad guys, and we got a new story!" He leaned back, looking up at the sky. "Being a pirate is the best."
„Well, I think that's all we needed to see here," Nami said, her voice tinged with both wonder and a navigator's practical urgency. „And Luffy had his adventure. Mr. Dorry, Mr. Brogy, it was an honor, but we need to go. We have some... urgent matters to settle." She held up her wrist, showing the Log Pose.
„How long until this sets for the next island?"
Brogy let out a rumbling chuckle. „Hmm, for a small island like this, that would be... a Year."
The word landed like a physical blow.
„A YEAR???"
The cry came from everyone in perfect, horrified unison. Usopp's eyes bugged out, Sanji's cigarette nearly fell from his lips, and Zoro grunted in annoyance. But the most profound reaction was from Vivi. All the color drained from her face, her hands flying to her mouth as if to stifle a scream. A year? Her kingdom, her father, her people—they didn't have a year. They might not even have a month. The hope that had been kindled in her heart was suddenly guttering, threatened by the immutable laws of the Grand Line.
„No, no, no!" she whispered, her voice cracking with desperation. „We need to go as fast as we can! We need to stop Crocodile!"
It was in the midst of this chaos that Mario suddenly stiffened, his hand slapping against his own forehead with a loud smack.
„I'm an idiot," he groaned.
All eyes turned to him. Luffy blinked. „What's wrong, Mario?"
„I was so focused on neutralizing the threat... I forgot to loot the bodies." He strode over to the unconscious form of Mr. 3 and began patting down his striped suit with a practiced efficiency that drew a raised eyebrow from Nami. After a moment, his search was rewarded. His fingers closed around a small, cool, glass orb. He pulled it out, holding it up for all to see.
There, floating serenely in the center of the Eternal Pose, was a single, unerring needle, pointing with absolute certainty away from Little Garden.
„We don't have to wait a year," Mario announced, a triumphant grin spreading across his face as he tossed the Eternal Pose to a stunned Nami. „We can leave for Alabasta right now."