The picnic ended without Zoro and Sanji resolving their argument.
Their routine bickering quickly escalated into a debate over whose catch was better. In the end, they both almost simultaneously threw down their prey and pointed into the dense forest. "Then let's have another round! Let's see who bags the more impressive beast next!"
With that, the two of them shot off like competing cannonballs, vanishing deep into the primeval jungle in an instant.
"Hey, wait for me, Zoro!"
Usopp cried out in panic. Looking at the deep, shadowy surroundings where beasts seemed ready to leap out at any moment, he dared not stay alone on the ship. Scrambling on all fours, he hurriedly chased after Zoro's direction and ran in.
Suddenly, only Luffy and the women remained on the riverbank.
"Wow, they ran off even faster than me."
Luffy looked left and right.
They sure ran fast.
Vivi, riding on her super spot-billed duck Carue, asked somewhat nervously, "Luffy, are we going in too?"
She didn't want to stay on the ship. It would just lead to overthinking.
But the Going Merry needed someone to guard it, right? If it got wrecked, that would be the end.
"We'll see as we go. No need to leave a guard. Merry can make the ship's presence disappear." Luffy patted Merry's little leg.
A Klabautermann had so many abilities.
Merry, sitting on his shoulder, muttered something under her breath. Then, the Going Merry began to shimmer and become indistinct. If you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't even know there was a ship there.
"So amazing." Nami was also surprised. It was as if the Going Merry had eaten an Invisibility-Invisibility Fruit or something.
Luffy tugged at his own hand, looking at Nami, who was practically glued to him, her arms wrapped tightly around him. "It is amazing. But I'm more amazing. I definitely won't let any dinosaurs get near you, so you can let go, okay?"
Nami gave him a resentful look.
You were the clingy one before, barging into my room late at night under the guise of 'studying', not sleeping. And now you're already tired and bored of it?
That's what she thought, but one of her hands still gripped the hem of Luffy's shirt, her body almost completely pressed against him. She kept her eyes shut, not daring to look around. The slightest rustle or sound made her jump, wishing she could turn into an octopus and wrap herself entirely around Luffy.
As for Robin, she didn't seem to consider herself a prisoner at all. She acted more like a sightseeing historian, observing the giant plant fossils and ancient rock layers with keen interest.
In Robin's eyes, this entire island was history, and she was quite fascinated by it. She hadn't come before due to lack of time. But now that she was a 'prisoner', she might as well go with the flow.
"Then our target is the giants!" Having already eaten dinosaur, Luffy's mind was now fixated on the giants. Robin said two giants had been dueling on this island for a hundred years. That meant they were fighting before his grandpa was even born.
They were practically living fossils.
However, they hadn't gone far when heavy footsteps echoed from ahead, and the ground shook slightly.
Nami clung even tighter, her voice trembling. "W-what's coming now?"
Luffy, far from being alarmed, grinned with delight.
A massive head peeked out from behind giant fern leaves as tall as buildings. It was a giant with an iron face-guard helmet, a long beard, and a bold, hearty smile.
"Yohohohoho! It's been a long time since guests came to this island. I am Dorry, Captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates."
He looked curiously at Luffy's peculiar entourage.
Observing the various 'attachments' on Luffy, especially Nami who was practically wrapped around him, he let out an even louder, booming laugh.
"Hey, there's something behind you."
Luffy sensed a huge creature charging.
"Hmm?"
Dorry paused, turning his head instinctively.
A massive T-Rex, looking as if it were starving, had crept up silently. It opened its gigantic maw and chomped down on the buttock covered by Dorry's leather skirt!
Vivi's jaw dropped.
That bite could probably shred iron!
But Dorry just let out a pained yelp, then swung his sword backhand.
The T-Rex's head rolled to the ground.
Dorry picked up the T-Rex head and heartily invited Luffy.
"Perfect timing. Haven't had lunch yet. Do you have any booze? How about we throw a feast?"
A feast?
That was a word Luffy could understand.
"Let's have a feast, giant mister!" Luffy laughed.
Since Sanji had run off into the forest for his contest, the cooking duties naturally fell to Luffy, who had learned a few basics.
He enthusiastically began processing the unfortunate T-Rex meat.
Although his technique was far less refined than Sanji's, even a bit rough, and his seasoning might have been haphazard, for a giant who had basically survived for a hundred years on simple roasts and island berries, the food Luffy produced—grilled meat skewers, a giant bone broth, pan-fried steaks... was unimaginably, god-tier deliciousness!
"Ohhhh! Not bad, not bad at all!"
Dorry ate with tears in his eyes, devouring everything, letting out huge sounds of appreciation with each bite. "A hundred years... I've never eaten anything this tasty in a hundred years."
Nami, Vivi, and the others had already sampled Sanji's dinosaur meat on the ship and were full.
Robin smiled, indicating she preferred fruit. Only Luffy, whose stomach seemed to connect to another dimension, kept eating heartily alongside Dorry.
After the food and drink, Dorry patted his stomach contentedly and began to introduce himself:
"I'm Dorry. I've been dueling that Brogy fellow here for almost a hundred years now, all over a silly little reason, yohohohoho... but that's the romance of a warrior!"
Luffy, full and satisfied, also sized up Dorry's massive frame, his eyes shining with excitement.
His Gear Third was developed based on the imagined size and power of a giant.
Now, seeing a real giant standing before him, he felt ideas for Devil Fruit development bubbling up in his mind.
Besides, this was already the scheduled Devil Fruit ability development time. That life-or-death voice in his head was already playing its prelude.
"So, how about we have a fight?"
Faced with Luffy's challenge, Dorry lowered his head, looking at this tiny figure who didn't even reach his finger's height. First surprised, a warlike fire then ignited in his eyes.
"Yohohohoho! An interesting little runt! You've got guts! Alright then, a giant never refuses a warrior's challenge!"
Nami's face fell. Can't you guys fight somewhere else?!
The battle began instantly.
Luffy immediately activated Gear Third. A massive rubber fist roared through the air, smashing towards Dorry.
"Oh?"
Dorry was pleasantly surprised. The fist had actually transformed into a giant's fist, and it looked quite powerful too!
He didn't dodge or block. Instead, he grew excited.
Dorry could see that while Luffy's strength and techniques were unique, they lacked a certain systematic force application technique and the true essence of a giant's might.
After all, Luffy had never been a giant. Perfectly using a giant's moves was a bit wishful thinking.
"Let me give you a proper lesson!"
Master Dorry, now online.
***
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