The distant sound of a ship's anchor dropping echoed across Little Garden, and I couldn't help but grin. Through my Observation Haki, I sensed several distinct presences aboard—young, energetic, and completely unaware of what they'd just walked into. After eight months of dinosaurs and century-old giants, some fresh entertainment had finally arrived.
"Well, well... looks like my peaceful morning routine is about to get interesting," I muttered, shouldering my bow and making my way toward the shore. My daily archery practice could wait.
From high up in the canopy, I watched the newcomers disembark. A boy in a straw hat bounced around with infectious enthusiasm, while a blue-haired princess-looking girl tried to maintain some semblance of dignity. The rest of their crew scattered across the island like excited children at a carnival.
Straw Hat Pirates, I realized with growing amusement. Right on schedule.
My enhanced hearing caught fragments of their conversation as they split up to explore. The straw hat boy—Luffy, apparently—was heading straight toward Dorry's territory with the princess. Perfect. I'd been wondering when something would finally disrupt the giants' monotonous routine.
But as I tracked their movements, a nagging feeling tugged at my memory. Something about their arrival felt... familiar. Not in a good way.
After they left, I dropped from the trees and began trailing them. Dorry's booming laughter soon guided me to their location.
The red giant sat beside his usual bonfire, gesturing wildly as he regaled the newcomers with tales of Elbaf. Luffy hung on every word while the blue-haired girl—Vivi, I caught from their conversation—looked around nervously. Smart girl. Little Garden wasn't exactly tourist-friendly.
Time to make my entrance, I decided, stepping out from the treeline with practiced nonchalance.
"Gegyagyagya! More visitors!" Dorry's voice boomed across the clearing. "Luffy, Princess Vivi, meet Rouge! He's been keeping me company for these past eight months."
I straightened my posture and snapped into a crisp military salute. "Sir! Rouge reporting for duty, sir! I've been maintaining surveillance of this strategic position for exactly eight months, seventeen days, and—"
Then I broke into laughter, dropping the act entirely. "Pfft! Haha, sorry, sorry! I'm just messing around. The name's Rouge, and I'm what you might call... a wizard." I wiggled my fingers dramatically, tiny sparks dancing between them.
Luffy's eyes went wide as dinner plates. "WIZAAAAARD?! That's so cool! Can you do magic tricks? Can you make food appear? Can you—"
"Luffy," Vivi interrupted with a tired sigh, though I caught her stealing curious glances my way. "We really should focus on finding the others and getting the Log Pose to record."
I tilted my head thoughtfully. "Actually, since you brought up the subject of leaving... any chance I could hitch a ride? Eight months with just dinosaurs and these two giants for company gets a bit lonely. I promise I'm excellent entertainment value!"
Dorry's laughter shook the trees. "Gegyagyagya! Rouge has been stuck here. He's a good lad—strong too."
"Really?!" Luffy jumped up excitedly. "Of course you can come! The more the merrier! We're gonna have so much fun!"
Vivi looked ready to object, but before she could speak, Luffy produced an enormous barrel from seemingly nowhere. "Here, Dorry! This is for being such a great host!"
My blood ran cold. The barrel. Oh, shit.
Memory crashed back like a tidal wave—the wine bomb, Dorry's internal injuries, the sabotaged duel. My playful mood evaporated instantly as I shot to my feet.
"Wait, wait, WAIT!" I lunged forward and snatched the barrel before Dorry could accept it. "Just... give me one second here."
"Oi! What are you doing?" Luffy grabbed my collar, glaring indignantly. "That's our gift!"
I carefully carried the barrel toward the forest edge, ignoring his protests. "Trust me on this. Everyone just... stay right there and watch, okay?"
Setting it down about fifty meters away, I raised my ring hand and took careful aim. "Confringo!"
The fireball struck the barrel dead center. Instead of the usual explosion I expected, the blast was massive—far bigger than my spell alone should have produced. Smoke and debris scattered in all directions as the entire area erupted in flames.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Luffy's voice cracked with outrage. "You just blew up our perfectly good sake!"
I turned back with my most innocent smile, brushing soot off my hands. "Did you see that boom? That was way bigger than my little fire spell should make. That barrel was packed with enough explosives to level half this clearing."
The implications hit Vivi first. Her face went pale as she whispered, "Baroque Works..."
"Bingo!" I pointed at her with mock enthusiasm. "Someone really doesn't want our giant friend here fighting at full strength. Wonder who that could be?"
Dorry's expression darkened, his massive hand tightening around his weapon. "So someone seeks to dishonor our sacred duel... This cannot stand."
The volcano's rumble interrupted our conversation, sending tremors through the ground. Right on schedule.
"Gegyagyagya! The duel begins!" Dorry rose to his full, intimidating height.
"Vivi, Luffy, you should witness this historic battle!". I couldn't resist grinning. "Oh, this should be fun. Trust me on that one."
"Hell yeah!" Luffy bounced on his feet. "A giant battle! This is gonna be awesome!"
We followed Dorry toward the traditional dueling ground, though I kept my senses stretched wide. Baroque Works agents were definitely on this island, and they wouldn't give up so easily.
Halfway there, we encountered a long-nosed boy stumbling through the underbrush, panic written across his features.
"Luffy! Thank God!" He rushed toward us, nearly tripping over his own feet. "I can't find Nami anywhere! A huge dinosaur appeared and she ran off, and now I've looked everywhere but—"
I tilted my head with exaggerated concern. "Oh no. Did she die?"
"WHAT?!" Luffy's scream probably scared every dinosaur within a mile radius. "Nami's dead?! No way!"
The long-nose—Usopp, I gathered—went white as a sheet. "It's all my fault! I should have protected her better! What if she really is—"
"Relax, relax!" I waved my hands dismissively, unable to keep a straight face any longer. "I'm just messing with you guys! Those oversized lizards are way more scared of humans than we are of them. Trust me, I've been hunting them for months."
Vivi stepped forward, still looking shaken. "Luffy, this is serious. If Baroque Works is really here, then Nami might actually be in danger."
"Mm-hmm." I nodded sagely. "Probably best to assume the worst and hope for the best. But hey, if they've got her, we'll just have to take her back, right? Lets go, they might also come there."
The sound of clashing metal echoed across the island as we reached the dueling grounds. Dorry and Brogy were already locked in combat, their massive weapons creating sparks visible from miles away. The sheer scale of their battle made everything else seem insignificant.
"Whoa..." Luffy's eyes reflected the firelight from their weapons. "This is incredible!"
I kept half my attention on the duel while scanning the surrounding area with Observation Haki. There—movement in the underbrush. Someone with ill intent, positioning themselves for...
Interference.
I drew my bow and aimed in one fluid motion. "Now this is just rude."
The energy arrow crackled to life, far more potent than usual. Eight months of constant training had definitely paid off. I released it just as a figure emerged from the bushes, clearly intending to sabotage the fight.
The arrow struck with devastating force, sending the would-be interferer flying backward with a satisfying crash. Steam rose from the small crater where they landed.
"COOOOOOL!" Luffy's amazed shout nearly drowned out the sound of the ongoing giant battle. "That was awesome!"
I lowered my bow with a casual shrug, trying not to look too pleased with myself. "Hahaha, anyone sneaking around during a sacred duel probably isn't up to any good."
From the smoking crater, groans of pain confirmed my target was down but not dead. Good enough.
"Well," I said cheerfully, "this is turning out to be quite the entertaining day after all!"
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Author Notes
Hey everyone! 👋 Author Zero here—yeah, I know, kind of a cheesy name, but I'm too lazy to change it 😂.
So, This fic here started as a little idea, I was writing for fun, but then I thought—why not share it?
Right now I'm not sure how far I'll take this story, so your feedback really matters. If you're enjoying it, let me know in the comments!
And if you'd like to support it, feel free to toss in your Infinity Stones—uh, I mean Power Stones—to help keep this adventure going.