"Roar!!!"
Just as Lina's warning faded, a huge dinosaur charged out from behind Brogy and sank its teeth into his backside.
Even Nami and Usopp couldn't help crying out in concern when they saw it.
"Hey, old man!"
"Are you okay?!"
Brogy, however, was still grinning. He turned around and brought his axe down, casually severing the dinosaur's head. Then he laughed and said,
"Gwahahaha! Now we've got food, too. I'll treat you all to a meal. Do you have any booze?"
"W-we do, actually."
Lina was stunned—not just by Brogy's strength.
More than that, Brogy had a bold, hearty presence about him. Since arriving, Lina had only seen that sort of thing in Luffy.
"You sure are a man of spirit, old man," Lina said with a smile.
"Gwahahaha! I'm a warrior of Elbaf!" Brogy roared, banging his axe against the shield hanging at his waist.
Lina liked being around people like him. It was easy and carefree, so he laughed heartily and said, "We'll treat you to a drink, old man."
"Huh?" Nami had let her guard down a little, but she wasn't ready to make friends the moment they met.
Usopp, on the other hand, had somehow grown bolder. Mustering his courage, he asked with a nervous stammer, "O-old man, are you one of the legendary giants?"
"Ah, that's right. You know about us?"
"I've read about them in adventure stories. I just never thought they really existed."
Usopp's voice gradually steadied, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face. "They say the giants are all free-spirited and unrestrained. They're the warriors I've admired most!"
"In that case, let's head back to the ship and get the booze, Nami, Usopp."
Lina took the two of them back to the Going Merry, and they carried out several large barrels of liquor.
Lina hadn't bought this much in Loguetown. By a stroke of luck, Zoro had gotten two fine swords for free, so he'd saved the money Lina gave him and spent it all on liquor instead.
"Let's leave these few barrels for that drunkard. We're off."
After leaving three barrels behind, Lina and the others followed Brogy to his base deep in the forest.
Not long after the Straw Hat Crew landed, Little Garden received two more uninvited guests.
"Damn it! We caught the wrong people." A dark-skinned man with an afro grumbled, "Now we have to make a trip to this godforsaken place after all."
"Harororo, don't be so upset, Mr. 5." Miss Valentine, a blonde woman in a tight skirt, giggled. "They're just a few pirates with a bounty of thirty million. We'll take care of them in no time and head back."
In the primeval forest, Mr. 5 wore a black coat. Behind him, the woman in the tight skirt carried an umbrella with both hands behind her back, swaying her hips as she strode along.
Before long, the two arrived at a house made of white candles. They walked right in, where someone was already waiting for them.
"Mr. 3, you sure are taking it easy."
"Well, look who it is—the failed mission duo." The man with a braid shaped like the number '3' on his head took a leisurely sip of coffee and replied coolly,
"It's my break right now. We can talk about work after I finish my coffee."
If Lina had been there, he would surely have marveled at how effortlessly Mr. 3 exuded the bearing of a future right-hand man.
Mr. 5 said nothing, waiting quietly until the other man finished his coffee. Only then did Mr. 3 speak in his usual calm voice.
"I already know about the mission, but the Straw Hat Crew isn't the real problem." Mr. 3 pulled a wanted poster from his coat. It showed the faces of two giants. He continued, "The Straw Hat Kid and his crew have bounties of no more than thirty million, but they've already made contact with Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy. That's the biggest problem."
"Bounties over a hundred million?!" The woman in the tight skirt slapped both hands onto the table and cried out.
Mr. 5's brow furrowed as well.
Only the candle man, Mr. 3, remained unruffled. He calmly delivered an even more shocking revelation: "And these wanted posters were issued a hundred years ago."
The room built from white candles fell quiet for a while. Only then did Mr. 5's tightly furrowed brow relax.
"It's not like they're going to stay here forever. Why not wait until they leave, then make our move?"
"That's the problem."
Mr. 3 rose from his chair and turned to the afro-haired man. "Little Garden's magnetic field means the Log Pose needs a year to record the route to the next island."
The candle man paused, then continued, "I have two Eternal Poses. I'll try to lure them into the forest and kill them. If they don't pursue me, I'll start a fight myself, then pretend to lose and leave the Eternal Poses behind."
"I get what you mean."
Mr. 3's lips curled into a smile. "As long as we don't get those two giants involved, it'll be much easier. Should we lie in wait in the forest?"
"Do whatever you want. I can handle the Straw Hat Crew by myself."
"Tch! What an arrogant bastard."
The afro-haired man scoffed and left with the woman in the tight skirt.
The scene shifted to Lina and the others, at the center of Little Garden.
Two enormous skeletons lay there, sparsely covered in moss and weeds. They had clearly rested there for a very long time.
Beneath the giant bones, Brogy grinned broadly. The large barrel of liquor in his hand looked like a cup, and he could drain half of it in a single gulp.
Lina and the others had followed him there. Brogy had roasted the dinosaur meat he'd hunted when they first met, and they'd offered him fine liquor in return.
They ate and chatted, while Usopp listened to Brogy's old adventure stories, thrilled.
"Gwahahaha! I haven't had a drink in ages. This is wonderful!"
"Haha, as long as you're enjoying yourself, old man."
Lina raised his cup and took a hearty drink. "That way, I won't feel awkward asking you for a favor later."
"Gwahahaha, no problem. Go ahead and ask. If I can help a friend, I'll do my best."
"Then I'll thank you in advance, old man."
Lina didn't hold anything back. When dealing with someone as forthright as Brogy, being direct was best; beating around the bush would only backfire.
He briefly explained his ability to Brogy, then asked if he could collect a sample from his body.
"Gwahahaha! There's no need to feel awkward over something so small. You don't even need me to do anything."
Brogy grinned, gulped down half a barrel of liquor, then held out his hand to Lina. "Go ahead!"
"Then I won't hold back, old man." Lina let blue flames spring from his hand and placed them against Brogy's. Soon, the flames crept little by little up the giant's arm.
Nami and Usopp watched with anticipation. They knew about Lina's abilities and had seen them in action. If he could create a powerful undead like this, their crew would gain a huge boost in strength.
"Oh? Your flames are interesting. They don't burn at all, gwahahaha!"
But unlike Brogy, who was laughing heartily, Lina's expression was grim.
"Collection failed."
Lina frowned and looked at Brogy's massive body. He could collect from people stronger than himself, but there was a limit; they couldn't be too much stronger.
Yet his own physical abilities were already extraordinary. Although he was still far weaker than Brogy, he should have been strong enough to manage it.
Why did it still feel like he was just a little short? At that thought, Lina withdrew the blue flames.
"What's wrong, young Lina?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I'll try once more."
He planned to try again after entering his transformed state. As long as he could receive the attributes of the undead he held, it should work.
Before you continue