Primordial Hunting Ground

Chapter 27: Primordial Hunting Ground

"Roar!"

The hundred-meter-long One-Horned Sea Serpent opened its blood-red maw, bringing with it a foul stench as it lunged fiercely at Sabo, who was suspended in mid-air.

Sabo did not retreat.

He gripped his custom alloy staff with both hands, Armament Haki rapidly coating the weapon. Immediately after, orange-red flames erupted from his palms, spiraling up the alloy staff and tracing the outline of a fire dragon.

"Eat this, you oversized loach."

Sabo twisted his body in mid-air to generate force, his entire frame coiled like a drawn bow, and brought his staff crashing down toward the sea serpent's massive horn.

"Flame Dragon: Horn Breaker!"

"BOOM!!"

The alloy staff, wreathed in Haki and raging flames, slammed heavily into the serpent's hardest point—its horn.

Accompanied by a deafening, crisp crack, the horn capable of piercing a warship instantly filled with fractures before shattering into pieces.

Violent flames surged through the broken base and poured directly into the sea serpent's skull.

The Sea King didn't even have time to let out a cry; its massive body stiffened abruptly before collapsing like a falling mountain of flesh, hitting the sea surface with a thunderous splash and falling completely unconscious.

"Nice."

Ace stood at the bow, watching the giant prey floating belly-up on the water, and chuckled.

Sabo landed back on the deck using Geppo, adjusted his top hat, and let out a long breath.

"The destructive power of a Logia is truly astonishing."

"Combined with Haki, the effect is even better than I imagined."

"A Sea King this big, taken down with a single strike?"

Carina stood at the doorway of the wheelhouse, watching the scene; even though she already knew these two brothers were monsters, she couldn't help but click her tongue in secret.

"Wahahahaha!"

Buggy stood with his hands on his hips, immediately striking the pose of a seasoned veteran.

"That was... passable, I suppose!"

"Although it still lacks the finesse of Vice-Captain Rayleigh's swordsmanship back in the day, as the vice-captain chosen by yours truly, this strike is at least presentable!"

Sabo shook his head with a smile, choosing not to call his bluff.

"Buggy."

Ace turned his head and gave a direct order:

"Since you're so full of energy, the task of butchering the ingredients is yours."

"Cut off the fattest parts of the loin and belly, and toss the rest of the innards back into the sea."

"Huh?!"

Buggy's eyes widened.

"A Sea King this big, and you want me to cut it up all by myself?"

"Your Chop-Chop Fruit is the most suitable ability for processing large ingredients like this."

Ace leaned against the railing, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

"Those who don't work don't get dinner tonight."

Buggy's expression stiffened.

"You tyrannical captain..."

For the sake of dinner, he could only grumble as he pulled out several sharp kitchen knives and activated his ability.

His hands, clutching the knives, detached from his body and darted around like two agile birds, weaving and slicing rapidly across the massive body of the Sea King.

He didn't stop cursing, but his blades landed with precision.

It had to be said that the Chop-Chop Fruit truly held an advantage for this kind of delicate work.

In less than half an hour, several massive chunks of prime sea beast meat, weighing several tons, were neatly stacked on the deck.

By evening, the aroma of roasted meat permeated the Eclipse.

Ace sat by the campfire, eating heartily.

His caloric consumption far exceeded that of an ordinary person, and this high-energy Sea King meat was perfect for replenishing what he burned during training.

After eating his fill, Ace set down the bone in his hand and wiped his mouth with a towel.

He looked at Buggy, who was gnawing on meat, and then at Carina, who was holding a wine glass.

"From here on out, the Eclipse is entering a state of formal preparation for battle."

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone stopped what they were doing.

Ace raised his right hand.

A cluster of crimson-gold divine fire ignited quietly at his fingertips.

"Crocus once said that this flame can instantly repair any physical damage."

"External wounds, internal injuries, torn muscles, broken bones—as long as you still have a single breath left, I can pull you back from the brink."

The roasted meat in Buggy's hand hit the deck with a plop.

He suddenly had a very bad premonition.

Ace continued:

"Therefore, starting tomorrow, the physical training volume for the three of you will be doubled."

"Once you adapt, we double it again."

"Captain!"

Buggy's face turned deathly pale.

"People will die! You'll absolutely kill us!"

"Don't worry."

Ace glanced at him.

"As long as you have a single breath left, my fire will be able to save you."

Buggy clutched his head, feeling completely devastated.

Ignoring his wails, Ace continued:

"On this sea, the combat power of the vast majority of people is locked by their talent and physical limits."

"But you three are different."

"As long as it doesn't kill you, the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire will allow you to forcibly break through your physical limits through repeated cycles of destruction and rebirth."

He paused here, his gaze landing on Buggy.

"Especially you, Buggy."

Buggy stiffened.

"Don't think that just because you ate a Devil Fruit, everything is fine."

"Haki is the foundation of the New World."

"You've wasted too much time in the East Blue; you need to pick it back up."

"If you haven't learned Armament Haki by the time we reach the Sabaody Archipelago, I'll tie you to the anchor and drag you along."

Buggy shivered, holding his head in despair.

"I was just an apprentice on Roger's ship back then! Do you even know what an apprentice is?!"

"What kind of apprentice gets forced to train until they're half-dead?!"

Sabo bit into his roasted meat and added with a laugh:

"You're not an apprentice anymore."

"You're the chief steward of the Eclipse."

Buggy felt even more broken.

Carina's fingertip rested on the rim of her wine glass.

She didn't wail like Buggy; instead, she quickly calculated the value of this arrangement.

On the Grand Line, one's own strength is the most reliable capital.

If Ace's divine fire could truly negate the cost of extreme training, then this training method would create a massive gap between the Eclipse and ordinary pirate crews.

"I understand, Captain."

Carina nodded seriously.

"I will persevere."

"Very good."

Ace retracted the divine fire and picked up another piece of roasted meat.

Just then, the Log Pose on Carina's wrist shifted slightly, pointing straight toward the horizon ahead.

She stood up immediately and pulled out her binoculars to scan the distance.

"Captain, I can see the outline of an island."

"That is our first stop on this bustling route."

"The City of Gourmet and Hunting, Bacchus."

"The name alone sounds interesting."

Sabo stood up and looked toward the horizon.

Carina opened the intelligence manual she had bought on the black market and quickly scanned through it.

"This is a very special island."

"The outer rim is a bustling commercial port, gathering wealthy merchants, nobles, and high-end restaurants from all four seas."

"But its interior is a dangerous Primordial Hunting Ground."

Her fingertips swept across the records in the manual.

"It is said that the natural ecology of the ancient era is preserved there, filled with massive dinosaurs and mutated behemoths."

"Many thrill-seeking tycoons pay exorbitant sums to hire pirates or bounty hunters to hunt in the interior, then enjoy top-tier game feasts in the restaurants on the outskirts."

"Dinosaurs and behemoths?"

Ace's eyes lit up instantly.

This was practically an energy supply station tailor-made for him.

Besides, ordinary cooks wouldn't be able to process behemoths of that caliber.

Since this island was known as the capital of gourmet food and hunting, he might actually run into someone interesting.

"Full speed ahead."

Ace stood up, facing the sea breeze as he spoke:

"Let's go see if the prey on this island is enough to fill our stomachs."

The next morning.

The Eclipse successfully docked at the bustling port of Bacchus Island.

The port area was clamorous.

Merchants in gorgeous attire, nobles with bodyguards, well-equipped bounty hunters, and brokers hawking information on prey crowded the pier until it was nearly impassable.

"Sabo, Carina, Buggy."

Ace stepped off the ship and scanned the port area.

"You go to the outer market to purchase supplies and, while you're at it, find out about the distribution of power on this island."

"After that, you're free to do as you please."

With that said, he didn't head toward the glittering, high-end restaurants, but instead cast his gaze directly toward the depths of the island.

The area was obscured by massive trees, and the faint sound of beast roars could be heard emanating from the depths of the jungle.

"I'm going to take a stroll in the interior."

"I'll see if I can bring back some truly top-tier ingredients while I'm at it."

After giving his instructions, Ace vaulted over the outer perimeter fence and walked alone into the Primordial Hunting Ground, which was thick with a primitive atmosphere.

Deep in the jungle, towering trees blotted out the sun.

The air was filled with the scent of damp earth and a faint metallic tang of blood.

Ace had been walking through the jungle for over ten minutes.

Suddenly, the bushes ahead began to shake violently.

Accompanied by heavy footsteps, a Tyrannosaurus Rex over thirty meters long, covered in dark cyan scales, roared as it charged out.

It was still clutching the severed limb of some unknown creature in its jaws, its bloodthirsty, slit-pupiled eyes instantly locking onto the seemingly tiny human before it.

"Thirty-meter class."

Ace stopped in his tracks, looking up to appraise the behemoth.

"Not a bad size; the muscle density shouldn't be too shabby either."

He had no intention of dodging, slowly clenching his right fist as he prepared to finish off this ingredient that had delivered itself to his doorstep with a single punch.

Just as Ace prepared to throw his punch.

"Swish!"

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly descended from the canopy above.

"Hey! You big lug!"

"Don't you dare smash its tenderloin with those crude fists of yours!"

"If you ruin the texture of the meat, I'll carve you up right along with it!"

Accompanied by a short-tempered, crisp shout, a tall female figure descended from the sky like a bird of prey.

Ace tilted his head slightly.

His Observation Haki clearly captured the opponent's movements.

It was a woman nearly one meter ninety tall.

Her dark red high ponytail whipped through the air; she wore a black tight-fitting tank top, with a dark brown heavy-duty leather apron tied over it. The apron was hung with various types of kitchen knives, which clattered together with a crisp sound as she landed.

What was most eye-catching were the two blades in her hands.

In her right hand was a black steel bone-cleaver nearly as wide as half a door.

In her left hand, she held a long, sharp, and strangely curved silver boning blade in a reverse grip.

One heavy, one light.

One rigid, one supple.

"Get down, you big lug!"

The red-haired woman vaulted over Ace's head, her feline slit pupils locked onto the T-Rex's cervical vertebrae.

Her right-hand black steel cleaver descended with the weight of a gale, shattering the T-Rex's tough neck scales upon impact.

Immediately following, the boning blade in her left hand struck like a viper's tongue, sliding into the gap between the vertebrae with the precision of an artistic scalpel to pierce the vital point.

"Squelch—!"

Blood sprayed everywhere.

The thirty-meter behemoth, whose scales could withstand even cannon fire, was dismantled with clean, decisive efficiency by the woman's dual-blade coordination, as if it were nothing more than a slab of meat on a cutting board.

The massive body crashed to the ground.

The red-haired woman landed steadily atop the T-Rex's carcass, flicking the blood off her blades with a casual motion.

She looked down at Ace not far away, her eyes filled with a hint of impatience.