Chapter 74: The Giant on the Little Garden

“Is there enough of this liquor?”

Dongli licked the wine residue on his lips, nearly agreeing on the spot—but remembering he hadn’t yet settled the score with Bloki, that fool, he shook his head and refused.

“Kid, I still have a duel unfinished; I can’t leave with you just yet.”

The giants were always straightforward.

Some people, you glance at once, and your heart feels at ease—just like this white-haired kid, who made Dongli feel an instant kinship.

Seven smiled with innocent charm.

“Here’s the deal: I’ll beat your opponent first, then beat you, and then you both come with me.”

“What do you say?”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a brief silence—then Dongli burst into loud laughter, clutching his belly.

“Hehehehe~”

“Beat Bloki? And then beat me?”

Having lived over a hundred years, Dongli had met countless people—but never had he encountered anyone who carried confidence as deeply as this white-haired kid, carved into his very bones.

“Fine, let’s eat meat first.”

Seven’s eyes sparkled with amusement: “Leave it to me—I’m the cook.”

This was an honest giant.

That made things much easier; Seven feared men like the silver coin—always scheming in their heads.

A gentleman may be deceived by reason; a rogue may be deceived by men. Dongli here was clearly the gentleman, and Seven was the rogue.

In this world, beyond keeping a necessary conscience, unnecessary moral lines must be flexibly chosen.

In a certain sense, removing Dongli and Bloki from the Little Garden was a kind act, utterly free of malice.

These two had been dueling on the Little Garden for eighty years; even if they fought another twenty, they’d still never determine a winner.

Better to waste time here than to leave the original members of the Giant Soldier Pirates—Oimo and Kasi—guarding the World Government’s gate. Bring them back to Elbaf.

As long as it weakened the World Government, even wasting time was worth it—Seven was all in.

Pulling out his knives, Seven skillfully skinned, tendon-removed, bone-cleaned, and carved the Triceratops, then built a bonfire...

When Mihawk and the others arrived, what met their eyes was: the giant sitting beside Seven, staring fixedly at the roasting meat while frantically wiping drool.

Such a familiar scene made Mihawk almost unable to look—he’d been tricked this same way two years ago.

Now, the captain was luring another person aboard.

But such a tall giant couldn’t fit in any cabin; he’d have to sleep on the deck of the East Sea Emperor—unless another giant ship were built nearby.

After a moment’s thought, Mihawk’s mind suddenly cleared.

Barzab Seven, have you already started planning for the Morning Star Pirates’ grand fleet?

No wonder he’s the man meant to overthrow the World Government.

As Mihawk drifted in thought...

Seven pinched a handful of secret spice and evenly sprinkled it over the sizzling, oil-dripping meat; the charred aroma mingled with the spice’s rich fragrance, spreading through the air.

In moments, low growls echoed from the jungle, branches shook violently, and herds of ferocious beasts surged toward the scent, a dark tide of creatures threatening to surround the entire clearing.

Seeing this, Dongli rose and grabbed his greatsword.

Seven reached out and said:

“Big guy, no need to go through all that trouble.”

On this sea, if you wanted to clear an area efficiently, nothing except the three ancient weapons surpassed the effectiveness of Conqueror’s Haki.

Seven’s Conqueror’s Haki, though not yet strong enough to knock out a Marine Vice Admiral, was more than enough to handle this pack of prehistoric beasts.

Nearly solid black-red lightning, centered on Seven, engulfed the entire island in an instant, knocking unconscious nearly all living things on it.

“Conqueror’s Haki?” Dongli’s face turned grave.

Only now did Dongli realize: the kid hadn’t been joking—he truly intended to defeat him and Bloki.

And he had the power to do it.

As Dongli hesitated, Seven handed him a roasted Triceratops leg.

“Wait too long, and there won’t be any left for you.”

Within the range of his Observation Haki, a slightly shorter, fat giant wielding a greataxe and round shield was charging toward them at full speed.

Seven had no intention of lingering long on the Little Garden; defeating the two giants and revealing the truth was enough.

If they wanted to join, all the better.

If not, we’ll talk later.

He was only seventeen—he had plenty of time.

Though the East Sea Emperor seemed small compared to Dongli and Bloki’s twenty-meter height, boarding wasn’t a problem—just that they’d have to sleep on the deck.

“Captain, this meat is delicious.”

The glutton Jin Ni’s cheeks were bulging—no one could tell if she was praising the Triceratops meat or Seven’s cooking skills more.

Dongli grinned; among this group, he liked Seven and Jin Ni best—both loved devouring meat in huge bites. The others were too refined, too feminine.

“Bloki loves Triceratops meat, but I think the Plesiosaur tastes better.”

By the bonfire, with two gluttons and the giant Dongli eating, Seven had to start preparing a second Triceratops—or there wouldn’t be enough to go around.

“Is Bloki your companion?”

“Yes,” Dongli nodded.

“Also my dueling opponent.”

The others didn’t think much of it, simply assuming it was friendly sparring between two comrades—just like Seven and Mihawk often did with sword techniques.

But Seven, with his godlike perspective, knew the full history of this duel on the Little Garden.

“I heard you’ve been dueling for eighty years?”

Hearing this, the others were stunned: What grudge? Why duel on this island for eighty whole years?

Such companions... truly stubborn.

“Hehehehe,” Dongli scratched his head.

“Something like that—I don’t remember clearly.”

“All I recall is, back then, a little girl asked us—who caught the bigger prey? We argued for days and couldn’t decide, so we settled it with a duel.”

At this, everyone fell silent.

Only the crackling of the bonfire and the sound of Seven threading meat broke the quiet.

“All because of that? For eighty years?”

Jin Ni simply couldn’t comprehend it—she even reached a ludicrous conclusion: giants only grew bodies, not brains.

Otherwise, how could they duel for eighty years over something so trivial?

Like if she and Big Bear had a fight and then ignored each other for eighty years on the ship—absurd.

Fortunately, giants lived long lives—typically three to four hundred years—so eighty years was only about one-fifth of their lifespan.

Mihawk lowered his head silently.

Two years ago, even as wise as he was, he’d been tricked aboard by the captain. With these two giants’ intellect, they’d be utterly unable to escape the captain’s grasp.

As the group chatted, heavy footsteps and booming laughter approached from afar.

“Gaba-ba-ba-ba!”

“Dongli, you had good food and didn’t call me?”

Moments later, when the group saw the fat giant with the greataxe, staring fixedly at the roasting meat, their earlier suspicion was confirmed—

Giants didn’t have brains.

Both giants were being lured aboard.

Sensing all eyes fixed on him, Bloki awkwardly scratched his head.

“Huh? So many little guys?”