Primordial Hunting Ground

Chapter 27: Primordial Hunting Ground

"Roar!"

The hundred-meter-long One-Horned Sea Serpent opened its gaping maw, a foul wind rushing from it as it lunged to bite Sabo out of the sky.

Sabo didn't retreat.

He gripped the specially made Alloy Staff in both hands, quickly coating it with Armament Haki. Then orange-red flames burst from his palms and curled up the staff, tracing the shape of a coiling fire dragon.

"Take this, you giant loach."

Sabo twisted in midair and put his whole body into the swing. Like a bow drawn to its limit, he brought the staff crashing down toward the sea serpent's massive horn.

"Flame Dragon: Horn Breaker!"

"RUMBLE!!"

The Alloy Staff, wreathed in Haki and blazing fire, slammed into the sea serpent's hardest horn.

With a deafening crack, the horn—strong enough to pierce a warship—instantly filled with fissures, then shattered with a thunderous crash.

The raging flames poured through the broken base of the horn and into the sea serpent's skull.

The Sea King's enormous body stiffened before it could even cry out. Then it crashed back into the sea like a collapsing mountain of flesh, hitting the surface with a tremendous splash and falling completely unconscious.

"Beautiful."

Standing at the bow, Ace chuckled as he watched the enormous prey float belly-up on the water.

Sabo stepped onto the deck with Geppo, adjusted his hat, and let out a long breath.

"Logia powers really do have incredible destructive force."

"Combined with Haki, they work even better than I expected."

"One hit and a Sea King that big went down?"

Carina stood in the doorway of the wheelhouse, watching the scene. Even knowing the two brothers were monsters, she couldn't help clicking her tongue in amazement.

"Yahahaha!"

Buggy planted his hands on his hips and immediately put on the air of a seasoned veteran.

"Not bad, I suppose!"

"Still a little lacking compared to Vice Captain Rayleigh's swordsmanship back in the day, but for a vice captain chosen by yours truly, that strike was passable!"

Sabo smiled and shook his head, letting the boast go unchallenged.

"Buggy."

Ace turned and gave him a direct order:

"Since you're so full of energy, you can handle cutting up the meat."

"Take the best tenderloin and belly meat. Toss the rest of the organs back into the sea."

"Huh?!"

Buggy's eyes widened.

"You expect me to cut up a Sea King this big all by myself?"

"Your Chop-Chop Fruit is the perfect ability for processing ingredients this large."

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

"No work, no dinner tonight."

Buggy's face stiffened.

"Damn you, Tyrant Captain..."

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

His hands, still holding the knives, detached from his body and darted over the Sea King's enormous body like a pair of agile birds, slicing through it with quick, precise cuts.

He kept cursing, but his knives never wavered.

It had to be said: the Chop-Chop Fruit really did have its advantages for this kind of meticulous work.

In less than half an hour, several tons of premium sea-beast meat lay in neat piles on the deck.

By evening, the scent of roasting meat filled the Eclipse.

Ace sat by the bonfire, eating heartily.

He burned through energy far faster than ordinary people, and the Sea King's high-calorie meat was just what he needed to make up for the energy he'd spent training.

When he finished eating, Ace set down the bone in his hand and wiped his mouth with a towel.

He glanced at Buggy, who was still gnawing on meat, then at Carina, who held a glass of wine.

"From now on, the Eclipse is going into full battle-readiness mode."

At his words, the others stopped what they were doing.

Ace raised his right hand.

A cluster of crimson-gold Divine Fire quietly flickered at his fingertip.

"Doctor Crocus said this fire can instantly heal any physical injury."

"External wounds, internal injuries, torn muscles, broken bones—as long as you're still breathing, I can bring you back."

Buggy's roast meat fell from his hand and landed on the deck with a smack.

He suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Ace continued:

"So starting tomorrow, the three of you will double your current physical training."

"Once you've adapted, we'll double it again."

"Captain!"

Buggy's face went pale.

"We'll die! We'll definitely die!"

"Don't worry."

Ace looked at him.

"As long as you're still breathing, my fire can save you."

Buggy clutched his head, utterly distraught.

Ignoring his wails, Ace continued:

"Out on this sea, most people's strength is capped by their talent and the limits of their bodies."

"But you're different."

"As long as the training doesn't kill you, the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire can force you to break through your physical limits by destroying and rebuilding your bodies again and again."

As he spoke, his gaze settled on Buggy.

"Especially you, Buggy."

Buggy went rigid.

"Don't think eating a Devil Fruit means you can coast through life."

"Haki is the foundation of the New World."

"You've wasted too much time in the East Blue. You need to get back into shape."

"If you still 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 shuddered and hugged his head, close to tears.

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

"Who makes an apprentice train until he's half-dead?!"

Sabo took a bite of roast meat and added with a grin:

"You're not an apprentice anymore."

"You're the Eclipse's head steward."

Buggy was even more devastated.

Carina's fingers paused beside the rim of her glass.

Unlike Buggy, she didn't cry out. She quickly grasped the value of the arrangement.

On the Grand Line, your own strength was the most reliable asset.

If Ace's fire really could remove the cost of extreme training, this regimen would give the Eclipse an edge over ordinary pirate crews.

"I understand, Captain."

Carina nodded solemnly.

"I'll see it through."

"Good."

Ace withdrew the Divine Fire and picked up another piece of roast meat.

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

She immediately stood and raised her spyglass to look into the distance.

"Captain, I can see an island ahead."

"It's our first stop on this busy route."

"The City of Gourmet and Hunting, Bacchus."

"Sounds interesting."

Sabo stood and looked into the distance.

Carina opened the intelligence booklet she'd bought on the black market and quickly skimmed through it.

"This is a very unusual island."

"Outside, there's a bustling commercial port filled with wealthy people from the Four Seas, nobles, and high-end restaurants."

"But inland, there's a dangerous, ancient hunting ground."

Her finger swept over the information in the booklet.

"They say it still preserves the natural ecosystem of ancient times, with enormous dinosaurs and mutated beasts roaming everywhere."

"Plenty of thrill-seeking wealthy people pay pirates or bounty hunters a fortune to take them inland hunting, then enjoy the finest game in restaurants near the port."

"Dinosaurs and giant beasts?"

Ace's eyes lit up.

It sounded like an energy supply station made just for him.

Besides, ordinary chefs couldn't handle creatures of that size.

If the island really was known as the City of Gourmet and Hunting, perhaps they'd come across some interesting creatures.

"Full speed ahead."

Ace stood and spoke into the sea breeze:

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

The next morning.

The Eclipse docked safely at Bacchus Island's bustling harbor.

The port was alive with noise and activity.

Well-dressed merchants, nobles with bodyguards, well-equipped bounty hunters, and brokers peddling information about game crowded the docks until they were nearly impassable.

"Sabo, Carina, Buggy."

Ace stepped off the ship and surveyed the port.

"Go to the outer market to buy supplies, and find out how power is divided on this island while you're at it."

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

Instead of heading for the grand-looking restaurants, he turned his gaze toward the island's interior.

Giant trees shrouded it, and the distant roars of beasts echoed from deep within the jungle.

"I'm going to have a look around inland."

"I'll see if I can bring back some truly top-grade ingredients."

After giving them his instructions, Ace stepped over the perimeter fence and entered the ancient hunting ground alone, surrounded by its primitive atmosphere.

Deep in the jungle, towering trees blocked out the sky.

The air was heavy with the smell of damp earth and a faint trace of blood.

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

Suddenly, the bushes ahead shook violently.

With heavy footsteps, a Tyrannosaurus more than thirty meters long charged out, roaring. Its body was covered in dark blue-green scales.

It still had half of some unknown creature dangling from its jaws, and its bloodthirsty, slitted pupils locked onto the seemingly tiny human before it.

"Thirty-meter class."

Ace stopped and looked up at the giant beast.

"Not bad size. Its muscles should be pretty dense, too."

He had no intention of dodging. He slowly clenched his right fist, preparing to take out this piece of fresh meat with a single punch.

Just as Ace was about to swing—

"Whoosh!"

A sharp sound suddenly sliced through the air from above the canopy.

"Hey, big guy!"

"Don't smash its tenderloin with those clumsy fists of yours!"

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

At the sharp, irritable scolding, a tall woman dropped from above like a bird of prey.

Ace looked up slightly.

His Observation Haki caught her movements clearly.

She was a woman nearly one meter ninety tall.

Her dark red high ponytail streamed through the air. She wore a fitted black tank top and a heavy, dark brown leather apron. All kinds of kitchen knives hung from it, clattering together as she landed.

Most striking of all were the two knives in her hands.

In her right hand was a Black Steel Bone-Cleaver almost half as wide as a door.

In her left, she held a slender, razor-sharp Silver Bone-Trimming Blade in a reverse grip, its curve strangely twisted.

One heavy, one light.

One hard, one soft.

"Get down, you big lug!"

The red-haired woman leaped over Ace's head, her slit pupils, like a cat's, fixed intently on the Tyrannosaurus's neck vertebrae.

She brought down the Black Steel Blade in her right hand with a heavy rush of wind, smashing straight through the Tyrannosaurus's tough neck scales.

Then, like a viper striking, the Bone-Deboning Blade in her left hand slipped between the vertebrae. With an almost artistic precision, she drove it straight into a vital spot.

"Squelch—!"

Blood sprayed.

The thirty-meter beast, whose scales even cannon fire struggled to pierce, had its defenses cleanly dismantled under the woman's double-blade assault, as if it were a slab of meat on a chopping block.

Its massive body crashed to the ground.

The red-haired woman landed steadily atop the Tyrannosaurus's corpse and casually flicked the blood from her blades.

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