Jin knelt to inspect the ore himself.
"This iron vein has already been mined once… but even now, there's still about five million tons of reserves left."
"Along with rich deposits of copper, silver, lead, gold, and trace amounts of rare earth elements."
Fifty billion Berries?
A complete steal.
Beside him, Little Ai finished a scan and cheerfully chimed, "Total value, off the charts. This spot was abandoned because of desertification—hundreds of miles of uninhabited wasteland, unbearable heat, no water, no infrastructure. Just too expensive to extract."
But for the Carrier, those problems didn't exist.
Jin activated the Munch-Munch Fruit embedded into the ship.
The strange, fantastical powers of Devil Fruits always bordered on the unbelievable—and this one was no exception.
What kind of facility was needed to smelt steel on Earth?
An entire complex of heavy industry.
Here?
With the Munch-Munch power, raw iron ore was devoured by the ship—then, within seconds, refined into pure steel.
Where humans had to burn fuel and expend energy…
The Carrier used Soul Crystals.
—
Ten days passed.
The ship refined nearly fifty thousand tons of steel and other metals, all stored within the subspace compartments in its hull.
Way more than the 2,000 tons needed for its next evolution.
The rest?
Jin planned to put it to good use.
He had ambitions.
He didn't just want a warship—he wanted a modern weapons program.
Imagine what guns from Earth could do in a world still using flintlocks and smoothbore cannons.
As someone who had once built a scale model of an aircraft carrier as a hobby, Jin had confidence. Give him enough time, and he'd be handcrafting AKs by himself.
Although…
He'd rather start with a sniper rifle. Precision. Efficiency. Much better against the big shots of this world.
And it wasn't like this world lacked inspiration. Certain technologies—bloodline factors, cloning research, even emotion suppression drugs—had their uses.
Jin had decided to go on a global voyage partly to collect these secrets. If he could buy them, great. If not…
Well, pirates weren't the only ones who plundered.
Three days later—
The remaining mineral requirements were extracted.
He checked the system again
…
[Next Evolution Requirements:]
Soul Crystals: 345 / 2000
Refined Steel: 50,000 / 2000 tons ✅
Gold: 12 / 10 tons ✅
Silver: 35 / 30 tons ✅
Rare Earth Metals: 300 / 300 tons ✅
Active Biomass: 1 / 10 units
Copper, lead, aluminum, and other elements were also collected, though not tracked in the current upgrade log.
Jin planned to use the Munch-Munch Fruit to experiment—maybe he could create his own super alloys.
If Wapol could create "Wapol Metal"…
Then surely he could do it too.
"All right. Enough mining. Time to go."
The days of swinging pickaxes were over.
The Carrier rumbled northward around the island, then dropped anchor on the western coast.
Mr.1 was waiting.
He handed over a sealed Devil Fruit, and a permanent Eternal Pose labeled Little Garden.
When Crocodile had mentioned the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, Jin suddenly recalled—weren't there two giants living nearby?
What better guards could he ask for?
As luck would have it, Baroque Works still had a Pose for Little Garden.
—
Three days later.
The Carrier hovered at the mouth of a wide river.
Jin, Maya, and Robin prepared to disembark.
What awaited them ahead was a lush jungle, towering trees tangled with ancient vines. The vegetation was thick and humid, the air filled with the calls of prehistoric beasts.
Suddenly—WHOOSH!
A massive winged creature soared overhead.
Its wings beat the air with such force that the forest below bent like grass in a storm.
"That was… a pterosaur?!" Robin gasped.
"This is Little Garden? What's 'little' about this place?!" Maya exclaimed.
"There's a wounded tiger over there—and it's the size of our ship!!"
"It's in pain…"
"Your Majesty, can I go help it?"
Jin nodded.
Without hesitation, Maya leapt from the deck, hopping from branch to branch like a dancer of the forest, and landed gracefully in front of the massive, white-furred saber-toothed tiger.
Robin watched with growing concern.
The beast bared its fangs, eyes bloodshot with pain.
It looked feral. Dangerous.
Was Maya not afraid of being mauled?
Just as Robin prepared to intervene, Maya pressed her hands together over her heart in a solemn gesture.
A silent prayer.
She whispered softly, as though speaking not with words, but with spirit.
The tiger's snarling face softened.
A gentle growl escaped its throat.
It let Maya approach.
Robin was stunned.
"She can tame beasts?"
Jin stood beside her. "She's a shrine maiden—blessed by nature. And nature loves her in return."
He scanned the jungle, noting the towering ferns, the foliage as tall as buildings, and the looming sense of something predatory watching them from the shadows.
Little Garden…
Was not a garden for humans.
Its name came not from any flowerbed, but from the giants and dinosaurs who had once called it home.
This island was a living relic of the prehistoric era.
"We'll likely find ancient fungal species here too," Jin mused. "I should have Kuma gather samples to expand our fungal gene bank."
"And while he's at it… stock up on ingredients. That way, whenever we want, Kuma can teleport food to us."
He summoned Kuma with a wave.
Robin, now watching carefully, caught her breath when she saw who it was.
Bartholomew Kuma, sans his bear coat, strolled onto the deck with a massive basket strapped to his back.
He's the cook?!
Robin stared in disbelief.
She looked back at Jin.
Aren't you supposed to be a king allied with the World Government? Why are you surrounded by traitors?
—
Kuma quietly set off into the jungle.
Robin exhaled, calming her nerves. It was time to show her worth.
"I've studied the Grand Line extensively," she began, slipping into the familiar tone of a scholar.
"Each island, due to navigational anomalies, has developed its own distinct civilization."
"Some are thriving. Others, cut off for centuries. Some are primitive. Some technologically advanced."
"This island, Little Garden, is mentioned in Louis Arnault's 'BRAGMEN'—an old book of travelogues."
Jin chuckled. "Actually, this place was once called Elbaf's Outpost Island."
"But because of that book, people started calling it Little Garden."
Robin blinked. "Elbaf's Outpost?"
That… wasn't in the texts.
She bit her lip.
She had been trying to sound impressive—and got cut short.
Embarrassed.
"Wait—does that mean… there are giants here?"
Jin turned toward the jungle, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes."
"And one of them… is heading our way."
"Eh?!"
CRACKKK!
Trees split apart.
The earth shook.
From the shadows emerged a massive figure, stomping through the forest like a walking mountain.
"ROOOAR!!"
The injured saber-toothed tiger growled low, dragging its body in front of Maya as if to shield her.
Its tail lashed defensively. Its muscles tensed.
Robin gritted her teeth.
Danger!
Then—
The trees parted.
From between them emerged a colossal helmeted head, curved horns protruding from its sides, and a pair of eyes—wide and curious.
"A giant?!" Maya shouted.
The giant had a burly figure, thick arms like tree trunks, dressed in leather suspenders and a forest-green cloak. His beard flowed like moss across his chin.
Maya bowed respectfully.
"Hello, Mr. Giant!"
She kept one hand on the tiger.
Ever since awakening her Haki, she could sense emotion like a sixth sense.
This giant…
Meant no harm.
The giant smiled warmly.
"It's been a while since anyone visited! Welcome, travelers!"
"Do you… have any booze?"
"I can trade information, food, whatever you want."
Jin nodded. "Booze? Sure."
"HWAHAHAHA! Splendid!"
The giant danced in place, shaking the very forest.
"I am Brogy, strongest warrior of Elbaf! You are welcome here!"
Robin's eyes widened.
Brogy?!
From childhood, she had always paid close attention to anything related to the giant race.
That name…
"Wait… Are you the Red Ogre Brogy? One of the two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates from a hundred years ago?"
"Bounty: 100 million Berries?"
"And your companion… was the Blue Ogre Dorry!"
Brogy grinned.
"That's us!"
"We started arguing about who caught the bigger prey… and agreed to settle it with a duel."
"A glorious warrior's duel!"
"It's been a hundred years, and we're still fighting."
"Only the survivor gets to return to Elbaf."
—
BOOM!
Far off in the distance, the highest peak on the island erupted in a plume of flame and ash.
Brogy turned, eyes lighting up.
"HWAHAHAHA!"
"Looks like it's time for our next duel!"
"Your wine will have to wait!"
"A warrior's glory always comes before his drink!"
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