Nico Robin left. Before she did, she and Bane announced something to the other Bounty Hunters: Bane would soon be heading to Alabasta to join Baroque Works and become part of the organization.
This news brought the team, which had already begun showing signs of internal division, back together. From then on, they would all belong to the same organization, so there was naturally nothing to worry about.
After Nico Robin left, Bane and the others remained on Little Garden.
Zoro trained in his Sword Arts, Nami studied navigation on the Grand Line, while Bane ate every day. On this island, aside from his crew and the two giants, he ate every living thing he came across.
During their first few days there, the island's dinosaurs would actively attack whenever they saw Bane's group, hoping to prey on them.
But after Bane spent some time feasting across the island, those dinosaurs would immediately turn and flee whenever they saw this group of two-legged creatures. None of them dared act arrogantly anymore.
On the eastern side of the island, beside a massive cave, Dorry, the Blue Ogre of the giant race, was scattering large amounts of spices over his grill. Those spices had clearly been delivered by someone recently.
Just as the roasted dinosaur meat began to give off a tantalizing aroma, a rustling came from the small woods nearby. Then Bane emerged, dragging a huge wooden cart loaded with barrels of fine wine.
"You're finally here!" Dorry was delighted to see Bane.
In fact, Dorry and Brogy had noticed this group of humans from the moment Bane and the others arrived on Little Garden, but they could not be bothered to pay them any attention. It was not until the third day, when they sat resting after their duel, that Bane appeared before them.
Dorry and Brogy had originally had no interest in interacting with Bane, but the wine he brought smelled far too good!
Who knew how long it had been since the two of them, after fighting here for a hundred years, had truly enjoyed a proper drink?
Still, the two giants were rather stubborn. Perhaps because they had fought for a hundred years, they refused to drink with Bane together. So they agreed that Bane would drink with one of them each day, taking turns.
Although Bane had known about the situation before arriving and had stocked a huge amount of alcohol aboard his ship, it was probably still not enough. So over the past few days, he had already arranged for his underlings to travel back and forth to Whisky Peak, constantly transporting more wine.
Thanks to all that drinking, he now had an excellent relationship with both giants.
"Giants really do know their way around cooking. I could smell this from the camp," Bane laughed.
"I pulled out all my best skills to entertain you. You're quite impressive too, little one. This is the first time I've seen a human who can eat more than I can!" Dorry said with a chuckle.
The first time he ate with Bane, Bane had completely stunned him. No matter how much wine or meat he consumed, the guy never seemed to get full. He could eat even more than a giant.
And because of that kind of boldness, Dorry approved of Bane even more.
While Dorry roasted the meat, Bane unloaded the barrels of wine from the cart one by one and piled them beside their enormous dining table.
"Have you improved these past two days?" Dorry asked as he set the roasted dinosaur on the table.
"Yesterday, Brogy arm-wrestled me and only had a slight advantage. According to him, in three to five more days, he won't be able to beat me anymore," Bane said with a hint of pride.
The giant race's strength was undeniably formidable, and Dorry and Brogy were no ordinary giants. They were heroes among giants, making them even more powerful.
Yet even under such circumstances, Bane's raw strength was about to surpass both of them. It showed just how quickly and terrifyingly he had grown during his time on Little Garden.
"Really?" Dorry looked at Bane with surprise and doubt.
"Why not try it?" Bane held out his arm.
Dorry did not stand on ceremony. He grabbed Bane's arm, completely enclosing it in his palm. Then they exerted force at the same time. With a bang, the ground shattered beneath them, and both let out low growls as they competed in strength.
At that moment, Dorry could clearly feel that even when he used all his strength to pull Bane toward him, Bane truly seemed rooted to the ground, utterly unmoving!
After the deadlock lasted six or seven minutes, Bane's face reddened, and his body began to tremble as though he could no longer hold on.
Dorry was no better. Veins bulged across his muscular arm, his muscles rippled and quivered without stop, and his expression grew increasingly fierce. But in the end, he still managed to pull Bane one step toward himself, marking his victory.
Yet despite winning, Dorry showed no excitement at all. Instead, he said in shock, "You... Brogy was right. In just a few more days, we probably won't be able to beat you! Your growth is too fast, too terrifying!"
Bane braced himself against the table, breathing heavily. He raised a hand to wipe away his sweat and said, "I'm destined to become the strongest man on these seas. You should be proud that you can still beat me now. Hahahaha!"
"Hahahaha! You brat still talks as big as ever!" Dorry laughed as well.
Then the two began wolfing down meat and gulping wine, chatting about everything under the sun.
After talking for a while, Bane finally said, "When I win in a couple of days, don't forget our agreement."
Dorry froze at those words, then sighed. "I only wanted to swindle some wine out of you back then. I never thought you'd really get this close to doing it."
As he spoke, Dorry chugged an entire barrel of wine, then declared boldly, "But warriors of Elbaf never break their promises. Don't worry. Once you defeat me in strength, I'll teach you Elbaf Spear!"
Elbaf Spear was one of the giant race's signature techniques, enormously powerful. But to learn this combat art, one first needed an exceptionally strong body and overwhelming strength!
In the original story, aside from members of the giant race, only the two monsters Big Mom Charlotte Linlin and Beasts Kaido could use this combat art from the giant race.
Everyone else either did not know it or was not qualified to learn it.
The strength Bane had displayed was already enough. Dorry believed that Bane's raw strength had surpassed that of the vast majority of giants. But according to their agreement, Bane still had to defeat him first.
The same went for Brogy. When the time came, he would also teach Bane the combat art of Elbaf Spear.
There were many different variations within it, such as Giant Spear, Ikoku, Hakoku, and the combined attack Hakai.
It was a complete system of combat arts. However, according to Dorry and the others, there were many techniques Bane could not master due to his size. At most, he could use them as references.
Bane did not mind. He was currently in a period of growth—one could even call it an explosive period—but he truly had few trump cards. Learning techniques on Little Garden was simply meant to give him some finishing moves. He would be satisfied if he learned Hakoku, if nothing else.
Moving past that topic, Bane drank his wine and said, "You two old fellows have been fighting here for a hundred years. Isn't it about time you called it quits?"
"How can we end it without deciding the winner?" Dorry replied without hesitation.
"But the Giant Warrior Pirates declined and disbanded because of this. Some of your subordinates were even deceived by the World Government and are now guarding the gates at Enies Lobby," Bane said.
This was not the first time he had brought such matters up to the two of them. Dorry's expression grew somewhat hesitant upon hearing it.
"I should be going to Elbaf in a couple of years. Want me to have your people come pick you up then? Another two years of fighting should be enough. There's no point in continuing. Why not go back to Elbaf and fight there?" Bane casually asked.
Dorry ultimately sighed upon hearing that. "Then I'll have to trouble you."
"It's no trouble. Write me a letter of introduction to Elbaf later, so I can contact your acquaintances there when the time comes. And give me a permanent Log Pose too," Bane said casually.
Dorry did not think much of it and nodded. "Alright."
Before you continue