Chapter 156: Don't Speak Too Soon, Giant Uncle!
But the Archaeopteryx mother clearly didn't want to hear his explanation.
In this nest, aside from its own offspring, everything else... was food.
It let out a sharp cry, opened its mouth full of sharp teeth, and lunged at the little black dinosaur!
If that bite landed, given the little dinosaur's current size, it would likely be gone on the spot.
Ralph barely had time to think—
He kicked hard, sending the real chick beside him flying out of the nest!
"Chew—?!"
The chick screeched as it plummeted toward the cliff below.
"Gah—!!"
The Archaeopteryx mother let out a furious cry, forgetting about the little black dinosaur, and immediately spread its wings, diving down to rescue its own offspring.
And in that very moment—
Ralph scooped up the little black dinosaur.
Then, he leaped.
Jumping from the hundred-meter-high cliff.
Wind howled past his ears.
The feeling of weightlessness churned his stomach.
The little black dinosaur, held in his arms, wasn't afraid at all—instead, it let out excited cries:
"Ah-woo! Ah-woo!"
Gritting his teeth, Ralph adjusted his posture mid-air.
He had to use the last bit of his remaining stamina to activate one "Geppo."
Otherwise...
He'd be dead for sure.
But just then—
"Thump!"
He felt his body crash into something soft.
Not the ground.
...Huh?
Ralph quickly adjusted, redirecting his remaining stamina to activate Tekkai instead.
The dense branches cushioned the force of the fall, but the impact still left him in excruciating pain.
"Ha... ha..."
Branches snapped one after another.
Finally—
"Thud!"
He hit the ground.
"Ugh..."
Ralph groaned, feeling as though his bones were about to shatter.
But... he was alive.
Struggling, he sat up and checked the little black dinosaur in his arms.
The little creature seemed unharmed, wriggling out of his embrace and curiously looking around.
Then, it turned its head and nuzzled Ralph's cheek with its own.
"Ngh..."
Its voice carried a sense of attachment.
Looking at it, Ralph shook his head with a bitter smile:
"Forget it... let's just say I picked up a pet."
He pushed himself up, trying to stand.
But the side effects of his exhausted stamina, combined with the earlier impact, made his vision go dark, and he slumped back down.
"..."
He leaned against the tree trunk, panting heavily.
The little black dinosaur seemed to sense his weakness.
It turned around, bit onto the hem of Ralph's clothes, and began tugging with all its might.
But its size was too small—it couldn't budge him at all.
"Don't bother..."
Ralph said weakly.
But the little one was persistent.
It kept tugging.
One step, two steps...
Slow, but it was indeed moving.
Just then—
A series of heavy footsteps came from deep within the dense forest.
Along with... the sound of something being dragged.
Ralph looked up.
Through the gaps in the leaves, he saw a familiar figure.
Green hair.
Three swords.
And... dragging behind him, a massive, already-dead Triceratops.
Zoro.
He saw Ralph too.
Their eyes met.
Silence.
Then—
The corner of Zoro's mouth curled into a faint, almost-smiling smirk.
He let go of the Triceratops' tail and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Shing!"
Two swords were drawn simultaneously.
A cold gleam flashed.
The little black dinosaur in Ralph's arms immediately sensed the hostility.
It let go of Ralph's clothes, positioned itself in front of him, opened its mouth, and let out a fierce, though still childish, roar:
"Oof! Oof!"
Zoro raised an eyebrow:
"Oh? You caught a pet? I thought you were being hunted by this little thing!"
But he didn't let his guard down.
Because in that very instant—
"Gwaa—!!"
An angry cry came from the sky.
The Archaeopteryx mother, having rescued her child, had chased after them again.
Seeing Ralph, its eyes burned with fury as it dove down, its sharp beak aimed straight for him!
But Zoro was faster.
"Two Sword Style: Taka Nami!"
"Swish—!"
Two streaks of blade light crossed in the air.
"Thud!"
Blood splattered.
The Archaeopteryx let out a shrill, miserable cry, a deep, bone-exposing wound now on its wing.
It dared not fight any longer, turned around, and flew away, disappearing into the jungle.
Zoro sheathed his swords.
He walked up to Ralph, looking down at him sitting slumped on the ground, and the little black dinosaur still baring its teeth at him.
"Ralph, oh Ralph..."
Zoro's tone carried undisguised schadenfreude:
"So you've come to this day too."
He pointed at the massive triceratops behind him, then at Ralph:
"This time, not only did you lose the hunting contest..."
He paused, holding up two fingers:
"You also owe me a life."
"No, counting this little dinosaur..."
"Two lives."
Zoro bent down, looking Ralph in the eyes, his smile malicious:
"I wonder what you'll use..."
"To repay me?"
Ralph: "..."
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But darkness filled his vision, and he passed out.
...
Ralph was awakened by a thunderous burst of laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! So that's how it is! A hunting contest? How nostalgic!"
The laughter was so loud it made his ears ring.
He opened his eyes.
And found himself lying in a... huge cave?
No, not a cave.
It was a crude shelter made from a giant skull and animal hides, just on an absurdly large scale.
"You're awake?"
A voice sounded beside him.
Ralph turned his head and saw Nami and Usopp.
The two were sitting next to him, expressions of relief on their faces.
"Thank goodness..."
Nami patted her chest, "You're finally awake, you scared us to death."
Usopp pointed beside them:
"Zoro brought you back. And... that little dinosaur."
Ralph followed his finger.
A big black head was right next to his face.
It was the little black dinosaur.
Seeing Ralph awake, it immediately happily rubbed its head against his face.
"Oof! Oof!"
Ralph patted its head and sat up.
Then, he saw Zoro.
The green-haired swordsman stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a giant bone, looking at him with a faint, amused smile.
And opposite Zoro—
Sat a giant.
A real giant.
Over twenty meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with fierce eyes and a full, bushy beard, looking extremely rugged.
He wore a horned helmet and leather armor, sitting there like a small mountain.
The thunderous laughter just now had come from him.
At the moment, the giant seemed to be talking to Zoro:
"A hunting contest? How nostalgic! Dorry and I used to have such competitions often too!!"
He looked at Ralph, laughing even louder:
"But your opponent is too funny! Just hunting, and you managed to exhaust yourself!"
The giant slapped his thigh:
"For a duel, you need to find an evenly matched opponent!"
Zoro had been in a good mood after winning the hunting competition and had even considered joining in on mocking Ralph.
But the Giant's next words made him frown.
"A single hunting competition doesn't prove anything."
Zoro said solemnly, "I believe there must be a reason why Ralph lost the competition."
He looked at the Giant with a serious expression:
"Giant uncle, you don't understand Ralph at all. Please don't question his strength so lightly."
After a pause, Zoro added, "Ralph exists as my rival."
The Giant was taken aback.
Then, he straightened his posture and nodded formally to Zoro:
"Apologies. You're right, I shouldn't question your partner so lightly."
He turned to look at Ralph, curiosity flickering in his large eyes:
"Your partner trusts you a lot. So, don't you want to give an explanation? After all, your duel ended in a rather imperfect conclusion."
Ralph scratched his head.
It was awkward.
He briefly described what had just happened:
First, he defeated four members of Baroque Works, then saved this little black dinosaur from the giant bird's beak, and finally had no energy left for the hunting competition.
It felt like doing a good deed without seeking recognition, only to be forced to brag about it.
After hearing this, the Giant laughed heartily:
"So your duel was interrupted by external forces! Then you must compete again!"
Ralph looked at Zoro.
The green-haired swordsman's eyes were indeed filled with fighting spirit.
But Ralph waved his hand:
"Forget it, a loss is a loss."
As soon as he said this, Zoro's expression darkened.
"What do you mean, 'a loss is a loss'?"
He stared at Ralph, "What's the point of my winning then?"
Ralph sighed:
"Verbal bets like this are meaningless anyway. How about... I admit you're better, okay?"
"What do you mean, 'admit I'm better'?!"
Zoro raised his voice, "We haven't even competed—how am I better?"
He gritted his teeth:
"I just want to win against you fair and square..."
"Why is it so difficult?!"
The atmosphere grew tense.
Just then, the Giant's voice chimed in:
"You humans are so strange... all kinds of people exist."
He shook his head, his tone carrying the unique boldness of the Giant Tribe:
"In Elbaph, we Giants have no weaklings who shrink back."
This was just an offhand remark.
But Ralph felt a sudden discomfort upon hearing it.
He simply didn't want to engage in meaningless duels that wasted energy.
But when it came to arguments, he never backed down.
"Don't speak so confidently, Giant uncle."
Ralph looked up at the Giant without a trace of fear, his mind racing as he tried to argue stubbornly,
"About 24 years ago, Harald, the king of Elbaph, pledged allegiance to the World Government, broke off his own horns to bear the sins of the Giant Tribe, and allowed himself to be dispatched by the World Government as an ally of the Navy to fight Pirates."
"Wouldn't you say... that counts as weakness and retreat?"