Rooaaar!!
Just as Liner finished his warning, a massive dinosaur lunged from behind Brogy, biting down hard on his backside.
Even Nami and Usopp couldn't help but cry out in worry.
"Hey, old man!"
"Are you okay?!"
But Brogy just laughed heartily. He turned, swung his massive axe with ease, and lopped the dinosaur's head clean off. Then, still grinning, he said:
"Gahaha! Looks like we've got ourselves a meal too! I'll treat you all to some food. Do you have any wine?"
"Uh… we actually do."
Liner was stunned—not just by Brogy's strength, but by the man's overwhelming aura of boldness. Other than Luffy, he hadn't felt this kind of spirit from anyone else since arriving here.
"You've got some serious presence, old man." Liner grinned back.
"Gahaha! Of course! I'm a warrior of Elbaf!" Brogy roared with laughter, banging his axe against the shield strapped to his waist.
Liner found it easy and refreshing to be around someone like this. With a broad smile, he said, "Then let us be the ones to treat you with wine, old man."
"Huh?" Nami had loosened up a little, but she wasn't nearly ready to trust someone they'd just met.
Usopp, however, suddenly grew unusually brave. Trembling but determined, he asked: "O-Old man… are you one of the legendary Giants?"
"Ah, that's right. You've heard of us?"
"I read about them in tall tales. I never thought they actually existed."
Usopp's voice grew steadier, his face lighting up with excitement. "They say the Giants live free and bold… That's the kind of warrior I've always admired most!"
"In that case, let's head back to the ship and grab some wine, Nami, and Usopp."
Liner led the two back to the Merry, hauling out several large barrels of alcohol.
Back in Loguetown, Liner hadn't bought this much. But by chance, Zoro had scored two fine swords for free, so the budget Liner had given him was instead blown entirely on booze.
"We'll leave a few barrels for that drunkard. The rest we'll take with us."
Leaving three behind, Liner and the others followed Brogy deep into the forest, toward his dwelling.
Not long after the Straw Hats made landfall, Little Garden welcomed two more uninvited guests.
"Damn it! We grabbed the wrong person," growled a dark-skinned man with a massive afro. "And now we've gotta come to this godforsaken place to fix it."
"Halalalala, don't be so angry, Mr. 5." The blonde woman in a tight skirt, Miss Valentine, giggled lightly. "It's just a few thirty-million-beli rookies. We'll clean them up and be done in no time."
In the depths of the primeval forest, Mr. 5 strolled with a black coat draped over his shoulders. Behind him, Miss Valentine swayed her hips as she followed, umbrella twirling casually in her hands.
Soon, they arrived at a strange white wax house. Entering, they found someone already waiting inside.
"Mr. 3. You sure look relaxed."
"Well, if it isn't the two failures themselves," the man with the "3" styled into his hair smirked, sipping calmly at his coffee. "This is my break time. Work matters can wait until I finish this cup."
Such composure—if Liner had been here, he would've sighed in admiration: this guy really does have the makings of a right-hand man.
Mr. 5 stayed silent until the man finally drained his cup. Then, Mr. 3 spoke.
"I already know about your mission. But right now, the real problem isn't the Straw Hats."
He pulled two bounty posters from his coat, each bearing the face of a giant.
"The Straw Hat brats, even with their so-called thirty-million bounty captain, have already made contact with Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy. That is the problem."
"Over a hundred million?!" Miss Valentine slammed her hands on the table, eyes wide.
Mr. 5's brow furrowed tightly as well.
Only Mr. 3 remained unbothered, speaking slowly as he dropped the bigger bomb: "These bounty posters… were issued a hundred years ago."
The wax house fell silent. After a long pause, Mr. 5 finally relaxed slightly.
"They're not staying here forever. We can just wait for them to leave before making our move."
"That's exactly the issue."
Mr. 3 stood, brushing his chair back as he explained: "The magnetic field of Little Garden means the Log Pose takes a full year to reset. They won't be leaving quickly."
He paused before continuing. "I have two Eternal Poses. I'll try to lure them into the forest and kill them there. If they don't give chase, I'll just force the fight—and then feign defeat, leaving behind an Eternal Pose as bait."
"I see… So that's your plan."
Mr. 3 smirked faintly. "As long as we avoid dragging in those two giants, this will be easy. We'll set the ambush in the jungle."
"Suit yourself. The Straw Hats are nothing I can't handle alone."
"Tch. Arrogant fool."
Mr. 5 sneered and left with Miss Valentine in tow.
Meanwhile, in the center of Little Garden…
Two enormous skeletons stood tall, draped in moss and tangled with weeds—silent evidence of battles fought a hundred years past.
Beneath the bones, Brogy laughed wide, downing half a barrel of wine in a single gulp, as though it were a cup.
Liner, Nami, and Usopp had followed him here. Brogy roasted the dinosaur they'd hunted earlier, while they gifted him fine wine in return.
As they ate and drank together, Usopp listened in awe to Brogy's tales of adventure.
"Gahaha! It's been ages since I last drank like this. What a joy!"
"Haha, as long as you're happy, old man."
Liner raised his cup and drank deeply. "That way, when I ask you for a favor later, I won't feel bad about it."
"Gahaha! No worries. Tell me what it is. If I can help a friend, I'll give it my all!"
"Then let me thank you in advance."
Liner held nothing back. With a man as open as Brogy, being straightforward was the best way. Tricks or schemes would only backfire.
He explained his powers simply and asked if he could harvest Brogy's body to create a new undead.
"Gahaha! That's all? No need to feel bad about such a small thing. You don't even need me to do anything."
Brogy grinned and tipped back half the barrel of wine in one gulp. Then, stretching out his massive hand, he said, "Go on. Do it!"
"Then I won't be polite, old man."
Liner summoned a flame of blue fire in his palm and placed it against Brogy's hand. Slowly, the fire began crawling up the giant's massive arm.
Nami and Usopp watched with wide eyes. They had seen Liner's powers before, and they knew—if he could create undead of this scale, their crew's power would skyrocket.
"Oh-ho? This fire of yours is interesting. Doesn't even burn! Gahaha!"
But while Brogy laughed, Liner's face grew grim.
"…It failed."
His brows furrowed as he looked at the towering warrior. Normally, he could harvest from those stronger than him—up to a point.
By now, his own body was far from ordinary. He wasn't Brogy's equal, sure, but he should've been close enough to succeed.
Yet something was missing.
Liner pulled the flame back, frowning.
"What's wrong, boy?"
"Ah… nothing. Let me try again."
This time, he prepared to enter his transformed state. With the boost from his undead powers, he should be able to bridge the gap…