Capítulo 24: Little Garden
Their business on Whiskey Peak concluded. They'd recruited Sukura the doctor, replenished their water and sake supplies, and even accumulated some Log Pose readings. No reason remained to linger any longer.
"Anything left undone on this island?" Kanata inquired.
"Nope," Sukura curtly replied.
Despite being born and raised here, he apparently held no particular attachment to the place, lacking any kindred spirits. Come to think of it, Devil Fruit users were treated like monsters outside the Grand Line. If this island, the very gateway to that sea, held similar prejudices, then Sukura's desire to treat them could indeed be considered eccentric.
In that sense, he certainly lived up to the label.
"I always intended to leave this island eventually. This simply expedited the process."
"You planned to set sail?"
"Naturally. My research would stagnate remaining on that island. Besides, the mere prejudice against ability users led to me receiving the same treatment. Such foolishness cannot be cured."
Though not an ability user himself, it was easy to imagine how Sukura wouldn't be viewed favorably by the locals for wanting to treat "monsters." Kanata understood, having faced similar treatment herself. Being ostracized as a monster came with numerous disadvantages.
Of course, Kanata had managed to run a successful business despite those disadvantages.
"I neglected to mention, we...or rather, I am a wanted criminal. The Navy Headquarters is after me."
"What? You tell me this now..." Sukura was shocked to hear this. "I'm a pacifist through and through. Never fought a day in my life."
"I figured as much. You just focus on your medical duties. We have others capable of fighting."
However, Sukura was their only doctor. While Kanata and Junshi could handle basic first aid, entrusting serious procedures to a professional brought a different level of reassurance. Considering their current predicament of being pursued by Navy Headquarters' vice admirals and admirals, the likelihood of sustaining injuries seemed high.
Delegating tasks to others was the key to success in life. Especially when it came to specialists.
"Still, it seems my face is quite well-known. At this rate, it won't be long before news of us entering the Grand Line reaches them."
"That town is unique. They gather information on bounty heads and the like with remarkable speed."
"You not recognizing a face plastered all over the newspapers is rather concerning in itself."
Being widely recognized did present numerous disadvantages. Of course, only Kanata's face was widely known, so disguises or simply remaining aboard the ship could serve as temporary solutions. But she wanted to avoid that.
Being hunted didn't mean she intended to live a boring life. Fighting when necessary was Kanata's way.
"Then let us set sail. While it may not be as turbulent as the initial stretch, everyone remain vigilant."
***
After several days at sea, their ship safely reached Little Garden. Unlike Whiskey Peak, this island showed no signs of human habitation. Additionally, the narrow river width forced them to anchor their ship at the coast.
Inhabited islands would have provided information on how long it took for the Log Pose to set, but that hope seemed slim here.
A jungle teeming with life, dinosaurs visible in the distance.
An ancient island where, due to the difficulty of navigating its surrounding waters, no contact with other islands existed, leaving civilization to remain undeveloped to this day.
While rare flora and fauna might abound, information seemed scarce, let alone food.
"Let's investigate the island for now."
"Aye, finding someone living here would be a blessing, but we shouldn't get our hopes up."
George, cigarette in mouth, surveyed the island. Even with binoculars, the dense foliage obstructed his view, though the volcano at the island's center remained clearly visible.
The discussion turned to who would explore the island, and it was decided that the three ability users – Kanata, Feiyun, and Samuel – would go.
"UHAHAHAHAHA!! An adventure! I like it!" Yelled Samuel.
"Finding people would be ideal...but even non-humans would be fine if we can communicate somehow." Feiyun glanced around.
"Can't you tell with your Observation Haki?" Kanata asked her.
"This island is quite large. There are two particularly strong presences, but they're not necessarily human."
Observation Haki could discern the relative strength and distance of others from oneself, but not their specific nature. Perhaps exceptionally honed Observation Haki could achieve such feats, but that wasn't a current necessity.
Equipped with lunchboxes and a Den Den Mushi for communication, the trio set off on their exploration. The compass being unusable proved a minor inconvenience, but they would manage. Kanata instructed those remaining on the ship to prepare a campsite on the shore, as today's exploration was intended as a brief overview.
"With rare plants and animals, there might be rare diseases as well. We should minimize skin exposure."
This would be difficult for Feiyun and Samuel, though manageable for Kanata. Exploration gear in a humid rainforest quickly sapped stamina. Of course, that's why she'd chosen a giant and a Zoan-type ability user.
Ignoring the advice, Samuel rolled up his sleeves, exposing his bare arms. Kanata sighed, but there was no point in nagging if he wouldn't listen. Feiyun, on the other hand, was fully covered.
"Hey boss, doesn't that fruit look edible?" Samuel pointed ahead.
"You'd eat a fruit with such a poisonous color?" She was startled.
He responded, "Devil Fruits looked kinda like that too, right? We won't know until we try. Feiyun, grab one for me!"
"This one?" Feiyun plucked a round, purple fruit from a tall tree and handed it to Samuel. It looked undeniably toxic, but he was about to bite into it without a care when Kanata stopped him at the last second.
With an Iron Claw to Samuel's face and a vein pulsing on her forehead, Kanata hissed in his ear, "Don't create unnecessary work."
"...S-sorry..."
Even after Kanata released him, Samuel writhed in pain for a while, but upon recovering, he discarded the purple fruit with a look of regret. If it had been edible, they could have taken it back to examine, but with their length of stay uncertain, it was best to postpone time-consuming tasks.
Occasionally kicking away dinosaurs that appeared, Kanata and her companions ventured deeper into the jungle.
"We've walked quite a distance, but haven't reached the other side."
"Maybe circling around from the sea would have been faster?"
"If we were just looking at the exterior, perhaps."
In any case, the coastline showed no signs of habitation. Observation Haki detected no human presence either, so exploring the interior seemed more worthwhile.
With a volcano visible in the distance and dinosaurs roaming freely, this island seemed a harsh environment for humans to inhabit.
Reaching the island's central region, Kanata and Feiyun stopped simultaneously.
"What is it, boss?"
"...Who's there?"
Kanata turned her head to the side, assuming a battle stance. Feiyun followed suit, clenching her fists and bracing herself. But the newcomer appeared unfazed.
A man clad in a worn sword and helmet, with a long, distinctive goatee. Most notably, he was a giant, even taller than Feiyun.
Before the three could react, the man raised his sword high and declared, "I am Dorry, the strongest warrior of Elbaf!! Gegyagyagyagyagya!! Welcome, humans. It's been a while since we've had guests. I shall extend you a warm welcome!!"
Kanata and Samuel exchanged surprised glances at Dorry's introduction, relaxing their stances as he seemed non-hostile. Feiyun, on the other hand, stared at Dorry with sparkling eyes.
"D-Dorry!!? You can't be...of the Giant Warrior Pirates!?"
"Oh? You know of me?"
"O-of course!! I hail from a village on Elbaf myself!"
For the giants of Elbaf, the Giant Warrior Pirates were legendary. Pirates who had once rampaged across the world's seas, leaving their mark. Dorry, one of the two captains, known as the "Blue Ogre."
Though they were active sixty-six years ago, many of their former crew members had returned to Elbaf, and for giants, sixty-six years was hardly a significant amount of time.
Of course, for Feiyun, it was all before her time.
"Gegyagyagyagyagya!! So you're from Elbaf! What a rare occurrence!"
True to his word of hospitality, Dorry turned and gestured for them to follow. Along the way, he felled a Plesiosaur with a single stroke, skillfully butchered it, and set the meat to cook over a fire. Apparently, he preferred it roasted whole.
Kanata and Samuel weren't familiar with Dorry, but for someone from Elbaf, he was a legend. They listened quietly as Feiyun, her eyes filled with admiration, asked him several questions.
"So, you came to the Grand Line pursued by the Navy?"
"Yes. How long does it take for the Log Pose to set on this island?"
"One year."
Kanata choked on her water, sputtering in disbelief. "One year!? It takes that long...?"
"You see those tiny human bones scattered around? Most who come to this island die before their Log Pose sets."
For giants, a year was a fleeting moment, but for ordinary humans, it was a considerable length of time.
Some succumbed to hunger.
Some became dinosaur fodder.
Others died challenging Dorry or the other giant.
It was a stark reminder of the different time scales humans and giants operated on, Kanata thought, wiping her mouth.
"But fortunately, we're not in a hurry. We have no Eternal Pose, and hiding from the Navy for a year wouldn't hurt."
"As it happens, I do have an Eternal Pose," said Dorry.
"You do?"
"Indeed. But it leads to our homeland, Elbaf. The other giant and I are currently engaged in a duel over it...perhaps you'd like to try taking it by force?" Dorry grinned mischievously at Kanata.
She shrugged in response. "Unfortunately, I have no desire to fight a captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates."
Observation Haki confirmed their strength – Dorry and the other giant were formidable. She had little desire to engage them.
This required returning to the ship and discussing it with the others, Kanata decided, biting into the dinosaur meat.
Plesiosaur meat was surprisingly delicious, and Samuel ended up overeating to the point of immobility.
Meanwhile, back at the ship, George and the others were met by the other giant – Brogy.
"GABABABABABA!! I am Brogy, the strongest warrior of Elbaf!! Guests, do you have any liquor!?"
George couldn't believe his eyes. "He's huge...even bigger than Feiyun. Do all giants grow this large?"
Junshi responded, "Who knows. Even without growing, that guy can become ridiculously big...we do have liquor! We can share some, but let's talk a bit first!"
"Oh, that's a small price to pay!"
While George seemed intimidated, Junshi and Kuro were no longer fazed by giants.
They'd planned to camp on the shore that night, so all the equipment had been unloaded from the ship. They decided to talk there and began preparing dinner.
It was agreed to exchange liquor and information over lunch, so they roasted the Triceratops meat Brogy had hunted in the jungle. He skillfully carved it, roasted it whole, and then dug in.
Since it was difficult for giants to cook for humans, the cook had to show off his skills. Though all that involved was grilling meat.
"Well, this is delicious."
"GABABABABA!! It is! This dinosaur meat is truly exquisite!"
Perhaps taking a liking to Kuro's boldness, Brogy seemed to be in a very good mood.
They naturally heard about the one-year Log Pose setting time, but even George thought a year on the same island would be tiresome.
While the presence of dinosaurs was a concern, they posed little threat to Kanata, Junshi, and the others. Securing food wouldn't be a problem.
Securing drinking water was left to Sukura's expertise, but the main issue was the limited supply of medicine in case of illness or injury.
"Prevention will be key. An ancient island like this might harbor extinct diseases. We must be cautious."
"Hey, we're pirates, right? Can't we just raid ships that come here and steal their medicine?"
"It's unlikely. How many would choose the Whiskey Peak route and end up on this island out of all seven possible paths?"
Even in this unpredictable sea where ships often vanished, pirates with meager bounties would likely be hunted down on Whiskey Peak.
In that sense, the Grand Line was indeed a harsh sea. One needed luck, navigational skills, and strength at the very least to even progress.
"Indeed, you're the first to arrive here in quite some time."
They knew from the start that this wouldn't be an easy journey, but being stalled on the second island was unexpected.
On the other hand, this island, rarely visited even by the Navy, was the perfect hideout.
"While we're here for a year, let's all train our bodies to be combat-ready, at least to a basic level," Junshi proposed.
"I suppose it's better than leaving all the fighting to you guys." George agreed.
"That's fine, but focus on being able to escape in a pinch. Lectures on mental preparedness can only go so far. Some things need to be ingrained in your body."
Most enemies could be dealt with, but training everyone to a basic combat level would prevent panicking during escape attempts.
Of course, everyone except Sukura had some combat experience. This was more about preparing for the Navy officers and captains they were likely to face. Beyond the rank of captain, the level of strength increased dramatically.
"We'll be training for a while. Both Kanata and I could be rendered helpless against a Navy admiral at our current level."
"GABABABA!! It's good to have ambition to improve!"
Though unaware of the specifics, Brogy understood the urgency of their situation. As he ate his meat, he made a suggestion.
"You offered to share your liquor, which I haven't had in a long time. In return, I'll be your training partner." Holding his hand-axe, Brogy snorted.
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