Chapter 69: A Strange Encounter in Little Garden [6K]

"Puchu..."

The little snowball beast was rubbed until it was dizzy, its soft, fluffy fur standing on end.

After coming to its senses, it affectionately pressed against Siano's cheek, seemingly enjoying it and wanting another go.

But at this moment, the little creature suddenly pricked up its ears in alarm, then rolled into Siano's arms with a "chu," clinging tightly to his lapels.

"Brother! What is that thing in your hand!"

Nami's excited shriek suddenly came from the cabin. The next second, the orange-haired girl rushed onto the deck in a flurry, her eyes sparkling with pink hearts:

"Let me hold it! Quick, quick, quick, let me hold it!"

Before Siano could react, she impatiently reached out and grabbed it.

"Chu!"

The snowball beast in her arms trembled in fear, but with nowhere to hide, it had to turn its head and desperately spray a puff of snow-white cold air—

Crack, crack, crack—Nami's reaching claws were instantly frozen into an ice sculpture.

"It fell from the sky and inexplicably decided I was its master."

Siano picked up the little rice ball and comforted it with a smile: "It's okay, don't be nervous. My sister, she's one of us."

Fell from the sky?

Nami believed this implicitly and exclaimed:

"The Grand Line is truly magical... Brother, you're so lucky. Damn it, if I'd known, I would have stayed on deck; maybe I would have been the one it chose as its master!"

As for her frozen arm... she didn't care at all. She shook her hand, and—hiss! Flames ignited on her arm, instantly melting the frost into water droplets.

Now it was the snowball beast's turn to widen its eyes.

It looked left and right at Nami's arm, unable to understand where those flames had come from.

Siano found it amusing and rubbed the little rice ball. It felt so good... Hmm, should he just call it "Mochi"?

This name should work for the previous forms, and he could change it after it evolved into Angewomon.

As for the ice skill the snowball beast just sprayed, that must have been "Diamond Storm," right?

Siano didn't really care about that.

Unlike Gin, the snowball beast was a Digimon; its attributes and skills would constantly change and evolve during the process.

There was no need to pay attention to the early skills; he was looking forward to the little guy reaching its Ultimate form soon.

By then, Angewomon would hover in the sky like a goddess, drawing her bow with one hand and firing a Holy Arrow with the other...

Tsk, that goddess-like grace was truly mesmerizing.

—Hmm, the ship's sniper, it’s decided—you, Snowball Beast!

Slap!

Siano slapped the sniper on the back.

The little guy didn't know that even though it was only in its Baby stage, it had already been entrusted with such a great responsibility. It was looking at Nami with curiosity, and after hesitating for a moment, it allowed her to hold it in her arms.

"Wow, so soft!"

Nami beamed with joy, teasing the snowball beast incessantly.

"Hey, Nami, weren't you supposed to take food to Nojiko? Why are you back so soon?" Siano asked curiously.

Nami didn't even look up, continuing to indulge in petting the ball: "Need to deliver it? She came out of seclusion herself! Look—" She gestured toward the cabin, "Isn't she coming now?"

Siano turned to look, and sure enough.

Nojiko was humming a light tune, steadily carrying a tray of breakfast, walking over with a light step.

Her hair tips were still damp with sweat, but her face was filled with irrepressible joy. The moment she saw Siano, the corners of her eyes curved into crescents.

"Brother!"

"Mastered Haki?" Seeing her high spirits, Siano didn't need to guess.

"Yeah! I've mastered both Imbuement and Hardening. Look!"

Nojiko happily raised her fists. Hum! A dark, black luster instantly dyed and covered her entire arm, looking as if it had been cast from ink.

"The strength is quite good."

Siano reached out and pinched it; it felt as hard as iron. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and praised her without reservation: "I don't think it'll be long before the title 'Black Arm' needs a new owner."

"Hehe, that's still a long way off."

Nojiko was humble in her words, but the corners of her mouth were almost reaching her ears. She let out a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and her shoulders relaxed:

"But... this way, I won't be holding everyone back anymore!"

A month ago in Loguetown, when fighting the four Marine Rear Admirals, she was the only one clearly at a disadvantage, which had been weighing on her mind.

If it were the current her going against them, hmph, it would be that Rear Admiral who ended up on the back foot!

"Eh?"

Just as she sat down to eat breakfast, she noticed the snowball beast and was instantly drawn to it.

By this time, the others had also arrived on deck with their breakfasts, and they all curiously gathered around.

The snowball beast understood that these were all its master's companions, so it wasn't shy and played happily with them.

However, there was one thing that made everyone marvel.

The little creature only let girls touch it. Zeff and Smoker had barely extended their fingers before it snorted and turned away, leaving the two of them looking awkward.

Apart from its master, it seemed unwilling to have contact with any other males.

"Looks like it's a girl."

Nami was amused, pinching the snowball beast's cheek and laughing, "I just don't know what it will look like when it grows up. Will it be like Gin, scaling up proportionally into a super, super big Mochi?"

"Roar!"

Gin, who was sunbathing, immediately let out a dissatisfied low growl and shook its majestic mane.

What a joke!

It was clearly a round, chubby ball when it was young, but now it was the heroic Silver Wolf King. How could that be described as a simple proportional scaling?

Then it resentfully snuck a glance at Siano.

Siano didn't notice its gaze. Watching this lively scene, he shook his head with a smile. He picked up his coffee cup, left the bow deck to the others, and quietly retreated to the stern.

While sipping coffee in the quiet environment, he continued to browse the remaining three items.

[Dark Magician Girl Summoning Card]

[Type: Consumable]

[Price: 3000 Points]

[Description: An original card from Yugi Muto's deck in the Yu-Gi-Oh! world. After use, it can summon a phantom of the Dark Magician Girl once. The phantom exists for 24 hours and can act freely under the player's control, but in world planes where card duels do not exist, it cannot cause any physical destruction or impact.]

[Seller's Note: Despair, accept the reality of losing your Rare card, poor Yugi Boy~]

Did this person transmigrate into Pegasus?

Siano shook his head and gave up on the purchase.

He used to be a card gamer, but he was even more of a pragmatist.

If it were one or two hundred points, he might have collected it for the sake of it being an original card, but three thousand points?

The price was too steep; forget it.

[Korin's Senzu Bean]

[Type: Consumable]

[Price: 3000 Points]

[Description: Senzu beans grown by Korin on Korin Tower in the Dragon Ball world. Two-bean pack. After consuming one, you will be in a state of satiety for ten days. Senzu beans possess powerful restorative properties, allowing extremely fatigued or weak individuals to instantly recover their stamina and readjust their bodies to their optimal state.]

[Seller's Note: None, lost contact.]

Senzu Bean!

Siano's spirits lifted, and he added it to his cart without hesitation.

Look at that, how generous and practical the seller from the Dragon Ball world is. For the same three thousand points, compared to the previous one, the actual value is worlds apart!

This thing is a life-saving artifact in battle; as long as you have one breath left, it can pull you back from the gates of hell.

And there are two of them.

Great value for money, must buy!

The final tenth item was lackluster, so Siano ignored it. In the end, he only bought two items, but he was very satisfied with both.

A total expenditure of 7000 points, with 37000 points remaining.

"The spending was quite high this time."

He closed the system panel and finished the remaining coffee in his cup. "But it doesn't matter; I'll be able to replenish it soon."

Blue Ogre Dory, Red Ogre Brogy.

Little Garden, where these two legendary giants from a hundred years ago resided, would be arriving soon...

Three days later.

"Everyone, look! An island—!"

Nojiko's cheerful voice came from the lookout tower, startling several seabirds perched on the mast.

Mochi, who was napping on Gin's head, jolted, its round body springing up, and it began to scan its surroundings vigilantly.

"Finally here?!"

With a series of creaking door sounds, everyone rushed out, and the once-quiet deck instantly became lively.

Ten days—a full ten days, drifting on the vast ocean.

Even Kuina, who was the most accustomed to loneliness, would occasionally stare at the boundless sea after finishing her meditation, let alone the lively Nami and the others.

At this moment, everyone was crowded at the bow, looking out with excitement like a group of children seeing a candy store.

Sure enough.

In their field of vision, a lush, forest-covered island had appeared.

"Is this Little Garden?"

Nami couldn't help but turn her head and ask curiously while marking the island's location on the sea chart, "Hey, Uncle Zeff, are there really two huge giants on this thing!"

"Didn't I tell you? Because of the rumors about the Island-Eating Goldfish, very few people come this way. I bypassed it back then, so I haven't seen them with my own eyes yet."

Zeff grinned, "But this time, I can make up for the regret and explore this island properly with everyone."

Everyone nodded with giggles.

Giants?

Who's afraid?

With a captain like Siano who gave them extreme peace of mind, let alone some mysterious island with giants.

Even if it were the gates of hell, everyone would dare to follow him in! [116] ...

……

Soon, the *Rakumu* docked.

The atmosphere of a tropical rainforest rushed toward them, and the temperature rose rapidly.

"What is this, this damn weather..." Nami tied her orange hair up high, fanning herself incessantly, "How can there be such a hot island!"

Gin and Mochi were already panting with their tongues out, two furry balls lying pitifully in the shade.

Especially the little snowball beast, which was dripping with white, ice-cream-like stuff, making one worry if it would melt into a puddle of water if left in the sun.

"You two stay behind to guard."

Siano smiled and rubbed the two furry balls, "If there's any abnormal situation..."

"Puchu!"

Mochi suddenly stood up, trying hard to put on a fierce expression, but because it was too hot, it flopped back down with a *plop*.

"Don't need you, idiot!"

Nami felt sorry for them and hurriedly pulled out an electric fan, "Just have Gin contact us; its nose is sharp, and it can find us by following our trail in no time."

The electric fan had been modified by Smoker and contained ice cubes, blowing out a cool breeze, which finally settled Gin and Mochi down.

The rest of them changed into cool summer clothes and stepped into the forest, treading on the soft, humus-rich soil.

As they walked along.

The deeper they went into the forest, the more they could feel that rough, primitive, wild sensation.

In the hot and humid environment, giant trees that ten people could barely embrace were covered in vines, ferns grew taller than a person, and the sunlight was filtered by layers of tree crowns, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.

Occasionally, they could see huge animal bones half-buried in the fallen leaves—these were clearly not left by ordinary wild beasts.

This place seemed truly isolated from the world, having been undisturbed by the outside for hundreds of years, preserving the appearance of the ancient era.

Roar—!!!

A deafening roar suddenly exploded, and the entire forest fell silent.

Following that was the heavy sound of "thump, thump, thump" footsteps, shaking the ground slightly, and the tree crowns above their heads swayed violently, rustling.

Swish!

Two huge saber-toothed dragons suddenly poked their heads out from the dense forest, their amber pupils locked tightly onto the group.

They opened their blood-red mouths, greedy gurgling sounds coming from their throats, and thick saliva dripped "plop, plop" into the bushes.

"Wow!" The three girls instantly huddled together, all letting out exaggerated exclamations, "It's a dinosaur!!!"

So in this world, there really are dinosaurs!

"Hey."

Siano looked up nonchalantly and glanced at the two big guys, "You scared my sister. If you don't want to become ingredients, don't do anything stupid."

Hum!

A terrifying aura like ripples quietly spread from him, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze suddenly, even the leaves stopped rustling.

After meeting that seemingly ordinary glance, the two saber-toothed dragons suddenly stiffened, cold sweat breaking out.

They suddenly let out a terrified whimper, tucked their thick tails between their hind legs, turned around, and ran for their lives.

The heavy footsteps soon turned into a panicked sprint, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

"..."

Smoker, who was just about to make a move, was slightly startled and sheathed the Jitte he had half-drawn back onto his back.

Did the captain just scare them like that with a casual use of Conqueror's Haki?

Such a convenient ability, it's truly enviable...

If only he could awaken Conqueror's Haki too.

Is that possible?

He lit a cigar and shook his head self-deprecatingly.

He was already thirty years old; he shouldn't be holding onto such lucky fantasies anymore.

However, having said that.

He had always been a Marine, a soldier whose duty was to obey orders, and it was hardest for such people to awaken this "quality of a king."

In the vast Marine Headquarters, there were many strong people, but the only ones who had awakened Conqueror's Haki were Fleet Admiral Sengoku and old man Garp.

Now he had left the Marines and was following that man, chasing his own path of justice on this sea once again.

When the fog of confusion in his heart was completely dispelled, perhaps... that day might not be impossible.

Thinking of this.

Smoker's mouth curled into an arc.

"Hey, Smoker."

Siano's puzzled voice came, "What are you spacing out for? Didn't you notice? Why haven't you chased away the thing on your shoulder?"

On my shoulder?

Smoker turned his head in confusion, cigar in his mouth.

He saw a giant cockroach, fully eighty centimeters long, quietly crawling on his right arm.

Its dark, shiny shell was oily, and its long, thin antennae were trembling slightly.

Seeing him look over, it actually tilted its head along with him, and its wings vibrated with a "click," as if it were about to pounce on his face the next moment.

"..."

The cigar fell from his suddenly stiffened mouth.

Thump!

The once-feared White Hunter rolled his eyes and fell backward, splashing up a pile of fallen leaves.

——————

"Hey, wake up, wake up!"

A rough hand patted his face.

Cold, trembling...

But Smoker's eyelids only twitched, and in the end, he didn't open them.

"What do you think, with this little bit of courage, how did he become a Marine Colonel?"

Zeff sighed, hoisted Smoker onto his shoulder, and followed the others to continue forward.

Really, it's just a cockroach.

Back when he was drifting on the sea, the kitchen environment was terrible; the ones he stepped on or sprayed with insecticide could be piled into a mountain.

Is this giant cockroach really the same thing...

The person with eyes closed tight on his back twitched his mouth, wishing he would never wake up for the rest of his life.

It's so embarrassing; even the little girls only shrieked, yet he actually collapsed directly, even though a second ago, he was still thinking about Conqueror's Haki...

Boom—!!!

Another deafening loud noise, this time even more violent than before.

The entire forest was trembling, and the ground was shaking violently as if there were an earthquake.

"Oh, oh, oh!"

Nami's eyes lit up, and she looked around excitedly: "Are there more dinosaurs? What will it be this time? T-Rex? Brachiosaurus? Or..."

"Not a dragon, it's a person, little girl."

A warm but thunderous voice suddenly came from above their heads.

A shadow loomed, blotting out the sky. Everyone looked up subconsciously and saw a huge face looking down at them, with a long beard hanging down and friendly laughter in the eyes under the helmet.

"Th-this is..." Nami was so scared her eyes widened.

"Gi-giant..." Nojiko also started to stutter.

"Giant! There really are giants!!!" Kuina even let out a scream.

"Hehehehe, thanks a lot, you guys!"

The giant raised his left hand, which was clutching two struggling saber-toothed dragons. His thick fingers easily pinched their necks, like he was holding two disobedient kittens.

"These two guys are very cunning; they've been hiding in the depths of the forest and refused to show themselves, but just now they were scared by you guys and ran in a panic, rushing straight to me!"

He laughed heartily, the sound making the leaves rustle, and with a casual swing of his sword, he cut off the heads of the two saber-toothed dragons.

"Now there's plenty of meat. My cooking skills are great; how about I treat you to roast meat? Oh... right, did you bring wine? If there's fine wine to go with the meat, it would be the most wonderful thing!"

"Wine, we really have plenty of that."

Siano was infected by this rough laughter and couldn't help but smile. He turned back and ordered: "Hey! Kuina, you and Uncle Zeff, go back to the ship and bring more strong liquor."

"Yes, Captain!"

Kuina responded immediately. Before leaving, she looked at the giant left and right, but couldn't help asking:

"Hey, Uncle, are you really the legendary giant from Elbaf?"

"Whoa! How amazing, little girl, you know a lot! It's been a long, long time since anyone mentioned the name of the village to me!"

The giant was a little surprised, then laughed heartily.

"Yeah, I'm Dory from Elbaf. Everyone used to call me Blue Ogre. As for you guys... you really gave me a scare! If I remember correctly, the last time someone came to this island was a year or two ago!"

In the center of Little Garden.

Here, two extremely huge white skeletons lay horizontally from north to south, covered in moss, having seemingly died many years ago.

Under the giant bones on the south side, a campfire was crackling.

Dory sat cross-legged, his thick fingers nimbly processing the internal organs of the saber-toothed dragon, then skewering them on an iron spit as thick as a tree trunk, and roasting them over the fire.

Grease dripped, and the aroma rose with the curling blue smoke.

Siano and the others were also sitting around the campfire. After the exchange and conversation with Dory just now, they were already very familiar with each other.

Giants from Elbaf generally don't have much guile, and Dory was the type who was generous and bold, making him very comfortable to be around.

"Wow, good wine! Strong and fragrant!"

Dory held the wine barrel and finished it in one gulp, smacking his lips with lingering aftertaste, "And I don't know why, but I always feel the taste is very familiar... Hmm, I remember now, it's a bit like the wine on our ship before, but it's more mellow and has a better aftertaste."

"Is that so?" Zeff was stunned, "This is the wine I brought from the East Blue, found on a particularly huge ship. Could it be the ship you guys used, Brother Dory?"

Zeff, with his big beard, calling Dory, who looked like a middle-aged man, "Brother," didn't feel strange to anyone present.

In fact, Zeff was even suspected of taking advantage.

Because, after the exchange just now.

Everyone already knew that this Blue Ogre Dory was the captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates, who had been regarded as a major enemy by the World Government a hundred years ago.

The bounty was as high as 100 million Berries.

It didn't sound very high, but that was nearly a hundred years ago!

Prices were not on the same level as they are now.

Compared to his companions, Siano was even clearer about the gold content of this 100 million Berries.

If he remembered correctly, in the timeline six years later, Blue Ogre and Red Ogre would set sail again, and the World Government would instantly raise their bounty to 1.8 billion Berries!

Even surpassing most of the Emperors' right-hand men.

"Ah, my ship?"

Dory scratched his head in confusion, "It should just be a coincidence. Back then, my partners took our ship and went straight back to Elbaf; they shouldn't have run to the East Blue."

He didn't care, so everyone else couldn't ask any more questions.

Dory continued to focus on sprinkling barbecue seasoning. The wine brought by these kind humans was of high quality, so he had to show off his skills and not let them down!

Boom!!

But just at this moment, the entire island gave off a movement like an earthquake. Everyone present, except Dory, stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

"What's going on again!"

Nami stood up angrily and looked around. What is going on with this island? It shakes every few days; can't people eat properly!