Little Garden
The wind blew fiercely, lifting dust and leaves across the ground of Little Garden. Sanji advanced without hesitation, his feet sinking into the damp earth as he followed the giant footprints. His heart raced.
'Nami-san... Vivi-chan... They have to be okay!'
Crossing a group of fallen trees, he saw them.
Nami and Vivi stood there in the clearing, eyes wide and worried. Karoo and Igaram were beside them, but Sanji didn't notice. Nothing else mattered.
His knees gave way. A crushing relief filled his chest.
"Nami-san! Vivi-chan!"
He ran, arms open, ready to embrace them.
Nami turned at the sound of his voice. Her face was marked by tension, but upon seeing him, her eyes softened for a moment.
"Sanji!"
Vivi touched her chest, taking a deep breath. "You're okay!"
Sanji knelt before them, hands trembling. "I was so worried...!"
His legs nearly failed him. He wanted to envelop them in his arms but restrained himself. He just looked at the beautiful faces he cherished so much.
Nami looked away. Her brow furrowed again.
"Sanji... Usopp..."
He blinked, confused. "What?"
Vivi pointed ahead. "Look."
Sanji followed her gaze and saw.
Brogy was running with Usopp slung over his shoulders.
"Uoooooh! Let's go, Brogy! The real duel starts now!"
Sanji frowned, incredulous. "What the hell is going on here?"
Nami crossed her arms. "They're dueling."
He glanced at her, expecting more explanation. "Dueling?"
Vivi nodded, her expression concerned. "Dorry and Brogy have been fighting for a hundred years. Every time the volcano erupts, they resume the duel."
Sanji looked up at the sky, seeing the dense smoke over the mountain. "What kind of idiot fights for that long?"
Nami huffed. "The kind of idiot who inspired that one."
She pointed to Usopp, who laughed excitedly while holding onto Brogy's helmet to avoid falling.
"This is amazing! I've always wanted to meet real warriors! I'm going to see the battle up close!"
Sanji sighed, massaging his temples. 'Idiot.'
"Didn't you try to stop that fool?"
Vivi crossed her arms, eyes still fixed on Brogy and Usopp disappearing among the trees. "Trying to stop Usopp from doing something foolish? Good luck with that."
Sanji lit a cigarette, exhaling the smoke slowly. "And Riser? Where did he go?"
Nami and Vivi exchanged glances before turning to Sanji.
"We don't know."
The blond frowned even more. "Tsk. That guy only shows up when he wants to."
Nami rolled her eyes. "You seem irritated."
Sanji took a deep drag. "I don't like that guy."
Vivi raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
He exhaled the smoke, eyes narrowed. "He's the type who doesn't play fair."
Nami sighed. "Whatever. The important thing is that the Log Pose is ready."
Sanji's eyes widened. "Already?"
She nodded, raising her wrist to show the stabilized compass.
"We can leave as soon as we find everyone."
Vivi let out a relieved sigh. "Great. That means we don't have to stay here longer than necessary."
Sanji extinguished the cigarette against his shoe sole, casting a glance toward the forest. 'Great or not, we're still missing people.'
"Then let's find those idiots before something happens."
Nami placed her hands on her hips. "The problem is that something always happens."
Sanji huffed, starting to walk. "And that's our bad luck."
---
BOOM!
The ground shook with the brutal impact between the giants' weapons. Dorry's sword clashed against Brogy's axe, creating a roar that echoed through the forest. The air vibrated, trees leaning with the force of the collision.
"UOOOOH!"
Brogy's war cry reverberated through the valley as he pushed his weapon against Dorry's.
"GEGYAGYAGYA! The duel continues, Dorry!"
Dorry dug his feet into the ground, smiling with sharp teeth.
"That's right, Brogy! Let's see who's stronger this time!"
BOOM!
Another impact, even more violent. The force of the clash was so intense that a gust of wind blew leaves and dust around.
Usopp, who was on Brogy's shoulders, felt the impact and lost his balance.
"AAAAAAAH!"
His body flew through the air in a wild spin. The world turned, the ground seeming farther away.
'I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!'
Before he could scream louder, something caught him in the air.
Luffy.
"Shishishishi! Gotcha, Usopp!"
The sniper clung to Luffy's chest like a castaway to a plank, heart racing.
"I ALMOST DIED!"
Luffy laughed, shaking him slightly.
"But you didn't! What were you doing up there?"
Usopp took a deep breath, still trembling.
"I... I was learning from the giants! But... but I almost became a pancake!"
Zoro, beside them, watched the fight with crossed arms.
"Tsk. You never learn, huh?"
Usopp slowly released Luffy, still pale.
"I... I just wanted to see how real warriors fight!"
Luffy turned back to the battle, eyes gleaming.
"This is amazing! They're really strong!"
BOOOOM!
Another blow. The ground cracked with the force of the collision. Sparks flew from the giants' worn weapons.
Dorry stepped back a bit, breathing heavily.
"Our weapons no longer have their old edge, Brogy."
Brogy smiled.
"Gababababa! But that doesn't change anything! As long as we have strength, we'll keep fighting!"
While Luffy and Usopp were still fascinated by the fight, Zoro looked away, feeling something catch his attention.
Amid the exposed roots of a fallen tree, something strange gleamed under the filtered forest light.
He approached slowly.
It was a fruit.
But not an ordinary fruit.
Its purple skin spiraled with strange patterns, and the texture seemed dense and irregular.
Zoro frowned.
'Hm. Strange. But it looks interesting.'
Without much thought, he picked up the fruit.
The weight was different, and the smell had something peculiar, but he didn't care.
"What's that, Zoro?"
Luffy approached, looking curiously at the object in the swordsman's hand.
"A fruit. I grabbed it because it looks cool."
Luffy tilted his head.
"Shishishi! Looks like a Devil Fruit!"
Zoro raised an eyebrow.
"Devil what?"
Usopp's eyes widened.
"A DEVIL FRUIT?!"
Zoro looked at the fruit, then at Luffy.
"This is one of those things?"
Luffy nodded eagerly.
"Shishishi! If you eat it, you'll gain an incredible power!"
Zoro turned the fruit in his hand, analyzing it with disinterest.
"I don't need that."
He tossed the fruit aside without ceremony.
PLOP!
It fell to the ground, rolling until it stopped near the roots of another tree.
Usopp swallowed hard.
"You... you threw away a Devil Fruit like it was nothing?!"
Zoro crossed his arms.
"I don't need shortcuts to get stronger."
Luffy just smiled.
"Shishishi! That's just like you!"
BOOOM!
Another colossal impact brought the three back to reality.
Dorry and Brogy continued exchanging blows, their battle laughter echoing like thunder across the island.
Luffy jumped with excitement.
"This is getting better! Let's get a closer look!"
Zoro huffed but followed right behind.
Usopp hesitated, looking at the fruit lying on the ground.
---
The impact of the blows made the earth tremble. The air vibrated with the giants' strength, while leaves and dust danced in the cutting wind that reached them.
Riser remained motionless, his golden eyes gleaming. His Observation Haki captured every detail, every nuance of the distant battle. But his attention wasn't on the giants.
'The fruit.'
He saw Usopp pick it up and store it, unaware of what he was holding.
'He has no idea what he possesses.'
The wind whipped the group. Alvida, beside him, laughed excitedly, watching the blows clash with absurd force.
"This is a real fight! These giants know how to have fun!"
Miss Valentine trembled, holding Goldenweek firmly against her chest.
"If they keep this up, the island will collapse!"
Goldenweek squinted, trying to shield herself from the strong wind.
"I don't like this..."
The ground cracked with each impact. The hot, dry air made their hair flutter, but Riser didn't move. His gaze settled on Nami.
Her skin was pale.
'She's not well.'
His eyes quickly analyzed. Her breathing was irregular, fingers slightly trembling.
'Fever? Or... something worse?'
A giant's shout made the wind blow even stronger. The clash of weapons generated a wave of dust that enveloped them for a moment.
Valentine gritted her teeth, trying to maintain balance.
"This is getting dangerous!"
Goldenweek buried her face in her shoulder, her voice muffled.
"I want to leave..."
Alvida planted her club in the ground to steady herself.
"Ahahah! This is amazing!"
The dust slowly settled. The battlefield was revealed again, the giants preparing the next attack.
Riser looked away from the fight, returning to the fruit.
'What would a coward like Usopp do with something like that?'
His eyes gleamed slightly.
'Nothing useful.'
Another impact made the trees creak, branches breaking around.
But Riser had already decided.
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A new life, a new Clark Kent — with all the memories of his past life intact.