After Souta Kiryuu finished extracting Erik's blood, he tossed the unconscious man aside and turned toward the elderly figure still calmly reading a newspaper.
"Crocus, ship's doctor of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—greetings." Souta spoke casually as he approached, his tone making it clear this was little more than a passing courtesy.
"I've come to deliver a message, at the request of one of my men."
He didn't pause for Crocus's reaction before continuing.
"Brook is not dead. He now serves under me. He did die once, but thanks to the Yomi-Yomi Fruit, he revived. The only thing left of him now is his skeleton."
Ignoring the shock in Crocus's face, Souta produced a unique Den Den Mushi.
"This is Brook's personal line. He'll contact you when he has the chance."
He handed it over without ceremony, already turning to leave Twin Cape. In Souta's eyes, the old man's medical skills weren't worth much compared to Vegapunk's genius. There was no reason to invest too much interest here.
As for Crocus's claim to have reached Laugh Tale—the Final Island—Souta felt no excitement. Knowledge of the Void Century meant little. Power was what truly mattered. Even the Roger Pirates had returned empty-handed despite uncovering the truth.
Once the Seraphim matured through several successful batches, and once the Kiryuu Pirates expanded in full, Souta would have the power to stand toe-to-toe with the World Government itself.
"Wait, Captain Souta!"
Crocus called out quickly, but Souta didn't waste another moment. He hoisted Erik's limp form and launched skyward, vanishing into the clouds.
"…What a terrifying man," Crocus muttered, watching the massive dragon silhouette shrink in the distance. Swift, decisive, and merciless.
Then his eyes softened. "Brook… so you're still alive!"
Excitement welled up in his voice. He immediately summoned Laboon, eager to share the news. Perhaps now the forlorn whale would finally stop ramming against Reverse Mountain—now that it could speak to Brook once again.
After leaving Loguetown, Souta had already contacted Kuma, instructing him to bring the Ark Maxim to Little Garden. Their goal: harvest the bloodline factors of the ancient dinosaurs and use them to cultivate more powerful Ancient Zoan artificial fruits.
With Kuma's ability and the Ark's speed, they should have already arrived. After all, the distance from Skypiea to Little Garden was not vast.
By the time Souta flew in carrying Erik, his crew was already hard at work—capturing dinosaurs and drawing their blood.
At once, a small figure rushed toward him.
"Papa Souta! I roasted a T-Rex leg for you! Come eat!"
Bonney bounded over, eager to show off her accomplishment, paying no mind to Erik's sorry state. Laffitte, as thoughtful as ever, immediately flew over to take charge of the prisoner.
"Thanks for your hard work." Souta laughed warmly, ruffling Bonney's hair before heading toward the blazing campfire.
"Captain Souta!"
"Boss!"
His crew members called out cheerfully as he passed, and he returned their greetings with a grin.
"At last, a little peace." Souta sank down beside the fire, tearing into the enormous dinosaur meat. Since the founding of the Kiryuu Pirates, it seemed they had known nothing but battle—or the road to battle. Few chances had come to simply explore and enjoy an island.
Aside from the moon, Little Garden was the rare exception—a place of leisure. True, they were still collecting dinosaur blood, but compared to the perils they usually faced, this felt almost like a holiday.
"The giants of the island have already noticed us," Kuma reported in his steady, calm voice. "The two from Enies Lobby are also here. They wish to meet you in person."
Bonney laughed joyfully nearby, playing with Bege and Enel as they hunted dinosaurs together. She hadn't had this much fun since Skypiea or the moon. To her, adventure itself was joy—the thrill of the unknown on every new island.
And for Kuma, Bonney's happiness was his own.
"They haven't left yet? Then I'll meet them later," Souta replied through a mouthful of meat, savoring the rich flavor. Dinosaur flesh was far better than expected.
He mused aloud, "So Kashi and Oimo still haven't convinced Dorry and Brogy to return to Elbaf. Those two blockheaded captains… even after a century, still locked in their duel."
In truth, Souta couldn't blame Kashi and Oimo. They were mere crewmates, not leaders. A hundred years ago, Dorry and Brogy had disbanded the Giant Warrior Pirates over that duel—why would they listen now?
"They're impossible to persuade." Souta smirked.
"Any other groups on the island?" he asked casually, remembering that Baroque Works had once set their sights on the giants' bounties. Perhaps some of their hunters were already lurking.
Baroque Works had even targeted Laboon once, planning to slaughter the whale and use it as food. They truly would stoop to anything.
In the first half of the Grand Line, their bounty hunters dominated entire routes, preying on rookie crews entering the seas.
Crocodile, the Sand Crocodile himself, had grown rich through such schemes—funneling money into weapons from Doflamingo and into dance powder, fueling rebellion in Alabasta.
Even after losing his Warlord status, he remained wealthy enough to fund Buggy, who used the resources to create the "Buggy Delivery Service." Later, when Crocodile demanded repayment, he twisted the debt into the foundation of Cross Guild. Ironically, a single poster crowned Buggy as one of the new Emperors of the Sea.
"For now, nothing else unusual," Kuma replied. "I've already swept the island once. There's no immediate threat."
"Good enough. Just small fry anyway." Souta shrugged. Crocodile himself was no longer worth his concern—Souta could crush him whenever he wished. The only intriguing subordinate Crocodile had was the Explosive Fruit user, who showed some potential.
"If I've got time, I wouldn't mind trimming down the Warlords by one more." Souta smirked.
Before he could finish his T-Rex leg, the ground began to tremble. Heavy footsteps echoed from afar, growing louder with each passing moment.
The four giants were approaching. Souta's earlier dragon transformation had already caught their attention, and now they came of their own accord.
"Look, more giants! See, Mansherry? They're the exact opposite of you little folk!" Bonney laughed gleefully, setting the Tontatta princess on her shoulder to show her.
If the Kiryuu Pirates could truly recruit giants, Bonney thought, that would be the coolest thing ever.