A few days later, the Grand Line.
The white sails adorned with black bat wings billowed in the wind. Caesar lounged on a deck chair, reading a newspaper, while Yamato sipped contentedly from a large coconut through a straw.
On the deck nearby, the new recruits panted exhaustedly from their grueling training, looking half-dead.
Ace, laden with weights, ran past Caesar while gasping for breath.
But the moment his figure was obscured by the newspaper, a burst of scorching flames erupted, shooting straight for Caesar's face under the newspaper's cover!
Boom!
"Ugh—!!!"
With a loud crash, Ace let out a yell as he smashed through the railing and plunged into the sea.
"Bepo!"
Caesar retracted his foot, crossing his legs again without even glancing up.
"Coming!"
Bepo leaped into the sea and fished Ace out.
"Win-loss ratio: 51 to 0!"
Deuce casually pulled out a small notebook, jotting down the score before grinning at Ace.
"You're past the halfway mark, Ace! Just 49 more matches, and you're officially part of the crew!"
"Tch, I'll win for sure!"
Ace wrung out his shirt, reviewing the lessons from the latest bout—though there wasn't much to review, given that he'd been kicked away in one hit.
Ever since learning that Caesar also wielded fire-based abilities, Ace had been challenging—or rather, ambushing—him with increasing frequency.
It wasn't that Ace was impatient. After days of training, he'd even mastered Two-Colored Haki, yet he still couldn't withstand a single move from Caesar in his base form. Anyone would feel frustrated.
Caesar chuckled at this, his grin slightly wicked.
Truth be told, Ace had made progress. Unlike the early days when a simple Armament Hardening strike would finish him off, Caesar now had to employ Armament Haki Flow to deal with him.
In another thirty or forty matches, Ace would likely master Armament Haki Flow. Then, Caesar would naturally escalate to Armament Emission.
Among the crew, Yamato and Ace were the ones Caesar valued most for their potential.
Yamato had already come into her own, but Ace still had a long way to go.
Armament Haki Flow was no challenge for Caesar, but for Ace, mastering it would elevate him to the level of a Warlord of the Sea—and a formidable one at that!
In truth, even without Conqueror's Haki Infusion, those capable of Armament Emission were exceedingly rare. Otherwise, Yamato wouldn't have worn Sea Stone Shackles for so many years.
Fortunately, under Caesar's guidance, Yamato had now mastered this technique. If the original Yamato had merely brushed against the threshold of Emperor-level strength, the current her could be said to have one foot firmly planted in that realm.
In the original story, she'd had no mentor, forced to learn through sheer trial and error—mostly error. But with Caesar's instruction, her progress had been swift. After all, those years of beatings hadn't been for nothing.
"Phew… I'm exhausted!"
Nami, having finished her weighted squats, stretched her legs and checked the Log Pose on her wrist to confirm their course before turning to Caesar.
"The weather's been great these past couple of days, huh? Not as chaotic as before."
"The magnetic fields of Reverse Mountain connect seven sea routes. With seven magnetic fields intertwined, the climate is naturally chaotic. It'll stabilize after passing through that section, but we still can't let our guard down," Caesar reminded.
Over the past few days, Nami had become familiar with navigating the Grand Line, and with Bepo's assistance, she appeared much more relaxed.
Boom—
No sooner had Caesar finished speaking than a gigantic dolphin with razor-sharp teeth burst through the ocean's surface, lunging straight for the ship!
The sudden attack made Nami pale with shock. She let out a scream and fell onto the deck.
"Whoa—that's one huge dolphin!"
Caesar lifted his eyelids slightly. "Yamato, it's your turn."
Before the words even settled, Yamato had already grabbed her Spiked Club and leaped into the sky.
"Horse Phantom Blade!"
Whoosh—
With a fierce swing of her club, a frigid blast instantly froze the dolphin solid!
Boom—
The frozen dolphin crashed back into the sea, sending towering waves that propelled the ship forward a considerable distance.
"Ha! I see an island!"
Bonney pointed ahead, and everyone turned to see the faint outline of an island in the distance.
"Full speed ahead! Prepare to land!"
Caesar stood up and called out, "Also, Little Garden is an ancient island with many extinct insects and viruses from the outside world. Make sure to take precautions."
"Got it!!"
The crew responded in unison.
Deuce trembled with excitement, his burning gaze fixed on the island.
Little Garden…
He had waited far too long for this legendary island!
Soon, they entered the island's inland river. The banks were lined with enormous trees, thick vines hanging from their trunks, and glimpses of insects much larger than those in the outside world could be seen among the leaves.
Buzz—
A beetle the size of a soccer ball landed on the deck.
Everyone froze for a second—then Ace, Deuce, Barto, Yamato, and Bonney instantly erupted into action!
"Whoa!!"
"That's one huge beetle!"
"This thing's gotta be worth at least a million, right?"
"Quick, catch it!"
"Hmph…"
As they all lunged for the beetle, Law scoffed and raised a hand. "Room!"
Swish!
The beetle ended up in Law's grasp, while the others crashed headfirst into each other.
"Ow! That hurts—!!!"
Barto and Deuce clutched their heads, each sporting a fresh scratch.
Yamato glanced at them, concerned. "Hey, you guys okay? Who hurt you?"
"..."
The two looked at the Ogre Horns on Yamato's head and sighed in unison.
"I didn't expect you to like this kind of thing either."
Robin looked at Law in surprise—she had assumed he wasn't interested in anything outside of medicine.
"Bepo's the one who likes it."
Law kept a straight face as he handed the beetle to Bepo.
Bepo took it blankly. "But Captain, don't you like it too?"
"Shut up."
"My bad…"
"How sneaky!"
Bonney raised a tiny fist, but Law pretended not to hear as he turned away.
Nami shuddered at the sight of the giant beetle in Bepo's hands. "Speaking of which, if even the bugs are this huge, why is this place called Little Garden?"
"Because to the island's inhabitants, this place is like a small courtyard," Deuce explained.
"Alright, time to go ashore."
Caesar planted a foot on the railing. "Who's staying behind to guard the ship?"
"I'll do it."
Issho spoke up.
Most of the time, it was Kuma who guarded the ship, but for an island with such exploratory fun, it was better to let this father-daughter pair go together. After all, there was no casino on this island, so he had little interest in it.
"Alright, everyone, get ready! We're heading out!"
Soon, the group anchored the ship, furled the sails, and ventured inland.
Bonney skipped along behind Caesar, chirping, "Caesar, Caesar! Where are the giants?"
Caesar used his Observation Haki to sense their presence—two giants resided on opposite sides of the island.
"This way," Caesar pointed to the left. "Let's find one of them first."
As they trekked deeper into the island, they hadn't gone far when the bushes suddenly rustled.
Noticing the movement, Nami quickly ducked behind Caesar, gripping his shoulders as she shouted at the bushes, "What's there?! Show yourself!"
"Oi, oi..."
The others stared at her in exasperation—she really knew how to act tough under someone else's protection.
BOOM!
The ground trembled as a massive figure slowly emerged before them.
Its fierce eyes gleamed like headlights, and three enormous curved horns menacingly pointed at the group—it was a triceratops!
"Whoa! I've never seen a dinosaur before!" Ace gaped at the colossal creature.
"Prehistoric creatures… they really do still exist!" Deuce trembled with excitement.
Nami's voice wavered as she awkwardly muttered, "Uh… sorry for yelling earlier..."
CLANG!
Before she could finish, Yamato swung her spiked club, slamming the triceratops' head straight into the ground!
"What if I yelled?! Huh?!"
Nami immediately regained her confidence.
"Hahaha, I never thought I'd get to eat dinosaur meat one day!" Yamato laughed heartily, resting her spiked club on her shoulder. "And a real dinosaur, not a Devil Fruit user."
"That sounds kinda dangerous… Have you met a dinosaur Devil Fruit user before?" Deuce asked curiously.
"The Three All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates, along with some of the Flying Six, are mostly Ancient Zoan users—dragon-dragon fruits," Caesar explained, glancing at Yamato. "Speaking of which, wasn't Sasaki a triceratops user?"
Yamato nodded. "Ah, yeah, that's right!"
Deuce gulped. "The Four Emperors' crews… are all monsters like this?"
RUSTLE—
Not long after, the trees ahead shook again, casting a shadow over the group.
"Another dinosaur?"
Dr. Wolf looked up at the shadow. "I'm no biology expert, but if possible, I'd love to study it… Huh? What's that?"
The massive shadow blotted out the sunlight, and the group finally saw its source—a burly giant with a thick beard, a wide mouth, and enormous nostrils!
"G-Giants!!" they all exclaimed in unison.
Kuma held Bonney in his hands, staring blankly at the towering figure.
"Wow! He's even taller than Dad!" Bonney gasped in disbelief.
Caesar studied the giant carefully—standing over twenty meters tall, roughly three times Kuma's height.
Ace patted Deuce's shoulder. "Well, you got your wish, Deuce."
"Ahh…"
Tears streamed down Deuce's face as he gaped at the overwhelmingly intimidating figure before him.
Although he had long known from Caesar that giants and Little Garden truly existed, it wasn't until this moment of actually seeing them that he truly felt that indescribable shock and the inexpressible satisfaction of achieving his dream.
"Finally... finally seeing them!"
"GABABABABABABA!"
Suddenly, the giant let out a roar that echoed throughout the forest, startling Nami so much that her face paled, and she instantly retreated behind Caesar again.
Barto tensed up, quickly positioning himself in front of Robin and Baby 5, ready to raise a barrier at any moment.
Law also seemed slightly nervous, tightening his grip on Ghost Cry.
Ace, however, remained completely unfazed, showing no reaction at all.
"It's been so long since I've seen humans!"
The giant's voice was full of excitement as he leaned down, grinning at the group. "Tell me, do you have any alcohol?"
"We do!"
With a wave of his hand, Caesar summoned a massive barrel of liquor in front of him.
"Oh? A Devil Fruit user?"
The giant's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he picked up the barrel, opened it, and took a sip. Suddenly, he roared again: "GABABABA! What excellent liquor! Thank you so much, travelers from afar!"
"My name is Brogy, captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates. Pleased to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Caesar, and these are my companions."
Caesar greeted him politely. "I heard that Little Garden is home to two giant warriors engaged in a century-long duel, so I brought my crew here to witness it."
"Oh? So that's why you've come!"
Brogy grinned widely. "In that case, allow me to properly host you! Follow me!"
With that, he turned and strode deeper into the island. Caesar quickly followed, and Yamato, forgetting about the triceratops she had just slain, eagerly hurried after them, her eyes shining with excitement.
"That's amazing... So that's a giant? He's so tall..." Bonney murmured, her eyes filled with wonder.
Nami whispered nervously from behind Caesar, "Hey, are we sure this is okay? Inviting us right after meeting us... Could this be some kind of trap?"
Robin smiled gently. "Don't worry. The giants value honorable combat. Even if they wanted to kill you, they'd do it openly, sword in hand."
"Eek—!"
Nami looked like she was about to cry. "Robin, don't say something so terrifying with such a calm face!"
"Hahaha! I'd actually love to fight a giant!" Yamato laughed heartily.
Robin chuckled lightly as she walked briskly behind Caesar.
Soon, the group arrived at the foot of a white mountain. Robin stepped forward to examine the texture of the cliffside before confirming, "This is the skeleton of a Sea King."
"Naturally..."
Wolf nodded. "Only the giants could hunt creatures of this size."
Clang—!
As the two were discussing, a flash of cold steel suddenly cut through the air.
Brogy swung his axe, effortlessly slaying a passing Tyrannosaurus rex, leaving Nami and Deuce utterly stunned.
Before long, a bonfire was lit, and massive cuts of dinosaur meat sizzled over the flames, dripping with mouthwatering fat.
With Kuma's help, Baby 5 seasoned the enormous dinosaur steaks while Caesar and the others sat around the fire chatting with Brogy.
After introductions were made, Brogy seemed particularly delighted when he learned that Deuce had set sail because of the legends about him.
"Kaba-ba-ba, it seems you're quite the impressive man yourself!"
"Hahahaha, not at all, I still have a long way to go!"
Deuce quickly waved his hands, though he couldn't hide his smile after receiving Brogy's approval.
Caesar looked up at Brogy and said, "Speaking of which, Brogy, aside from bringing my companions to witness the duel of the giants, there's something else I wanted to ask of you and your partner."
"Friends of the sea, no need for such formalities!"
Brogy grinned widely. "If you need help, just say the word!"
"Haha, really? To be honest, I wanted to learn your giant race's joint attack technique."
Caesar rubbed his chin. "If I recall, it's called... Conqueror of the Sea?"
"Eh?"
Brogy blinked in surprise. "Isn't it Conqueror's Nation?"
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