Little Garden, the prehistoric island.
In a natural harbor along the island's inland river, Bane and the others' ships were docked. A temporary camp that looked highly professional had already been set up. After all, Bounty Hunters needed to know a thing or two about surviving in the wild, and among these several hundred Bounty Hunters, there were always specialists in certain fields.
Not only was the camp large and well-organized, but cannons dismantled from the ships had been positioned at several key points around it. Two patrol squads of thirty men each also circled the camp's perimeter.
It couldn't be helped. Little Garden was an undeveloped island, and everything on it radiated a primitive, savage air. No one could afford to let down their guard.
Just yesterday, while sailing in along the inland river, Momoo had nearly been eaten by two Mosaurs. Fortunately, Bane had noticed in time and saved Momoo.
After landing on the island, they had also suffered a string of dinosaur attacks, causing quite a bit of chaos.
Of course, those dinosaurs that had attacked them had now become barbecue ingredients.
At the very center of the camp stood an enormous grill. A Tyrannosaurus Rex had been butchered into several sections and laid across it, sizzling as hot flames roasted the fat from its meat.
Not far away was a massive iron pot. It had originally been equipment Arlong's crew occasionally used to feed Momoo, but now it had been put directly to use as a giant soup cauldron.
A Mosasaur had been thoroughly cleaned and cut into pot-sized pieces, bubbling away in the broth. The rich aroma made everyone in the camp want to drool.
At the same time, an ancient tree had been felled and cut into the shape of a long, thick wooden table, becoming the camp's dining table. A large group of Bounty Hunters sat around it, drinking fine liquor and wolfing down roasted meat.
At the heart of the long table sat Bane, Zoro, and Nami.
Zoro was already close to being unable to eat another bite. As he drank "Mosasaur fish soup," his gaze drifted into the distance, as though he had something on his mind.
Nami had stopped eating long ago. She did not eat much to begin with, and in order to maintain her figure, she kept herself on a strict diet.
Her section of the table had already been cleared and covered with a tablecloth, upon which many navigation books had been laid out. Nami sipped fruit wine as she read a navigator's manual.
Naturally, these books had all come from Whisky Peak. Some had been given to her by the Bounty Hunters, while others she had bought herself in town.
Their origins were even more varied. There were books from all four seas, east, west, south, and north. Most had originally been loot taken by Pirates before eventually falling into the hands of Bounty Hunters like them.
Zoro and Nami had finished their battle with the food, but Bane had not. Since waking up, washing up, and sitting down here in the morning, he had eaten nonstop all the way into the afternoon. Plates and skewers had piled up around him like mountains, and seven or eight burly men had to take turns clearing his table and bringing him fresh food. It could even be said that half of that Tyrannosaurus Rex had gone into his stomach.
This unbelievable sight left the Bounty Hunters throughout the crew stunned, making them feel more and more that Boss Bane was no ordinary man.
Forget everything else—his digestive ability alone was absurd. A man just over two meters tall had eaten most of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a single morning. Was that even reasonable?
As Bane crazily stuffed himself with Tyrannosaurus Rex, Zoro seemed to set aside his concerns. He looked at Bane and asked, "So? Do the dinosaurs here have a better effect on your physical growth?"
Their main purpose in coming to Little Garden had been to test whether the food here could provide Bane with greater benefits. They had even decided that if Bane truly could gain something from this place, they would stay here for a while.
But after Zoro asked, he found that Bane merely shot him an annoyed glance, then gave a cold snort. Bane had no intention of answering and continued stuffing himself.
Under normal circumstances, Zoro would definitely have picked a fight with Bane over that. But this time was different. Faced with Bane's disdainful attitude, Zoro awkwardly scratched his neck before continuing, "It's been several days already. Are you still angry? Can't you be a little more generous?"
"And you've got the nerve to ask me that?!" Bane immediately flared up. He slammed the Tyrannosaurus Rex leg bone in his hand onto the table, snapping the bone in half. Several burly men nearby hurriedly backed away in fright.
Before Zoro could speak, Bane angrily said, "Nothing bad happened in the end, but do you know that your impulsiveness nearly got all several hundred of us killed?!"
This encounter between Zoro and Mihawk had not been the calm meeting from the original story, followed by a normal challenge.
This time, they had run into each other directly at sea, and Mihawk had attacked their ship immediately. No one could tell what the World's Greatest Swordsman was thinking. Normally, they should have fled at once and avoided his edge.
But because of Zoro, Bane and the others had been forced to face Mihawk. Fortunately, Mihawk truly did appreciate Zoro. After a single exchange, he no longer intended to kill Bane and the others, and he coolly drifted away with the current in his little boat.
"As a swordsman, who could resist drawing his blade upon meeting the World's Greatest Swordsman?" Zoro said helplessly.
Although he had his own reasoning, he knew he had truly been in the wrong this time. Before Bane could scold him again, he quickly said, "I was wrong, all right? I admit it. From now on, I'll listen to you, Senior Brother!"
Bane had originally wanted to snap back at him a few more times. But seeing the brat voluntarily call him Senior Brother and look as though he truly understood his mistake, Bane merely grunted twice and let the matter go, returning to his meat with huge bites.
Seeing this, the underlings around them all breathed sighs of relief. Only Nami had not paid attention to the two of them at all. Clearly, she had believed from the bottom of her heart that Bane would definitely forgive Zoro.
Only after Bane stopped exploding did Zoro ask again, "So you still haven't given me an answer. How does it feel?"
"Can't you tell from the fact that I've been eating nonstop from morning until now?" Bane tore into the roasted meat with his teeth. The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile as he said, "This place is incredible. These dinosaurs, which have continued breeding and surviving since prehistoric times, have even richer nutrients than Sea Beasts. They satisfy me even more than the Sea Kings I ate before. And that's the feedback I'm getting after my physique has already grown far stronger than it used to be!"
After a brief pause, Bane raised the marrow bone in his hand and laughed loudly. "So we need to stay here for a while. I'm going to eat all the dinosaurs here into extinction!"
Bane felt that this place was his land of fortune, so he was going to eat his way into becoming a little tyrant in Little Garden!
"Then that works out perfectly. I can spend this time properly learning about the Grand Line. These books are useful too," Nami said in support, looking up.
Zoro followed suit. "Sounds good. Mihawk gave me some pointers, and I've been unable to settle my mind these past few days. This is a good place to calm down and train."
"However, these living histories passed down from prehistoric times are quite rare nowadays. Only a few prehistoric islands like this remain in the entire sea where they can still be seen. Wouldn't it be far too extravagant to let you eat an entire island's worth into extinction?" A sultry yet intellectual voice suddenly reached their ears.
Nami had not yet realized anything was wrong. Hearing that, she even agreed. "Exactly. You should leave some of their bloodline behind. Hm? What's wrong with you two?"
When she looked up, she saw that Zoro across from her had a grim expression, one hand already resting on the sword at his waist.
Only then did Nami see clearly that on the tree Bane was leaning against, a woman had somehow bloomed from its trunk!
Bane did not even turn his head. He continued eating the roasted meat in his hand. Only after finishing every last bite amid the strange silence did he slowly say, "Nico Robin, have you thought through what will happen when a woman with a seventy-nine-million-Belly bounty appears in the camp of a group of Bounty Hunters like us?"
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