The Giant Bird Returns, Burning!

Dunn was doing something no one else could imitate.

The flames on his body completely set the nest beneath his feet ablaze.

Deadwood, dry grass, and feathers made the perfect kindling.

In mere moments, the fire spread throughout the entire nest. Perched atop the giant tree, the burning nest looked like a colossal torch.

Standing amid the flames, Dunn didn't feel hot at all. Instead, he felt wonderfully comfortable.

It was like soaking in a hot spring, warmth spreading through his whole body.

Having just acquired this extraordinary power, Dunn really did want to study the Mera Mera no Mi's abilities.

But this was absolutely not the time.

He could figure it out after getting down to the ground.

Still, Dunn could imagine that if he relied solely on the Mera Mera no Mi, he might end up becoming another Ace.

Ace had become a renowned powerhouse on the seas thanks to his Devil Fruit, but his reliance on its power had led him to neglect developing his Haki, leaving people with the impression that he was weak.

Of course, maybe he'd just suffered from the disadvantage of the version he was in.

Devil Fruit abilities, Haki, swordsmanship, and physical strength—if he got the chance, he'd have to improve them all.

Standing in the burning flames, Dunn thought about it.

Haki, especially. You didn't have to be top-tier, but you couldn't go without it.

The only question was whether he, a transmigrator, could learn how to use it.

After all, he wasn't a native of this world.

If he couldn't learn it, perhaps he'd have no choice but to find somewhere in the Four Blues to lie low.

For a while, Dunn's thoughts were in disarray.

Then a loud crack rang out, and he caught an incredibly enticing aroma. Amid the smell of the burning nest, it stood out unmistakably.

Without thinking, Dunn took a step. The raging flames subsided and gathered toward him.

His gaze fell on the three eggs in the middle of the nest.

The blue shells had been charred black. One of them had cracked open from the heat, revealing egg white roasted to a golden brown.

The tempting aroma lingered beneath his nose. Dunn couldn't help swallowing as he stepped closer.

He'd been in this world for some time, and aside from a Devil Fruit, he hadn't eaten anything. And though he'd eaten the entire fruit, it had melted as soon as it entered his stomach.

In short, it hadn't filled him up.

So, standing beside the giant egg with its charred, cracked shell, Dunn reached out and broke the shell apart. He dug out a piece of egg white, golden and crispy on the outside, soft and tender within.

With just one bite, Dunn felt that nothing he'd ever eaten before could compare.

Especially after eating a Devil Fruit just moments ago.

An indescribable happiness welled up in his heart.

There was nothing like eating something delicious when you were hungry. It was pure bliss.

Dunn had barely eaten a few bites when a piercing bird cry came from the distance. His body jolted, and he whipped around toward the sound.

A giant bird with dazzling plumage was flying this way, its wings spread wide.

Its piercing cries rang out again and again.

Oh, no!

He'd burned someone's house down and eaten their children. What would happen now?

Almost instinctively, Dunn looked for somewhere to hide.

But the giant bird was moving too fast. In just a few breaths, it was above the nest, like a supersonic fighter jet, accompanied by a terrifying roar of rushing wind.

Dunn spotted the giant bird as it arrived.

Its plumage was incredibly vivid. With its wings spread above the nest, it seemed to blot out the sky.

Its head looked like a dinosaur's, except with a beak.

Boom!

The giant bird landed right on the nest, seemingly not caring that it had been burned.

Anger shone in its enormous eyes as it fixed its gaze on Dunn, who still held a piece of egg white in his hand.

I'm done for!

That was Dunn's first thought when he saw the giant bird.

What the hell is that thing?

That was his second thought.

The bird's appearance really challenged everything he knew. But then again, this was the world of the pirates.

Oh, right. Never mind, then.

Even with the giant bird's hateful eyes fixed on him, Dunn couldn't help letting his mind wander.

Humans really never learned until they were staring death in the face.

Roar!

The giant bird suddenly opened its beak and roared at Dunn.

In an instant, a gale carrying the stench of fish crashed into him.

Before Dunn could even react to the foul smell, the nest, where a few flames were still burning, burst into flames again in the gale.

The giant bird, perched in the nest, was startled by the sudden blaze.

But then it grew even angrier. Its long neck and head swung like a colossal meteor hammer, slamming down hard on the nest.

"Whoa, what the hell~~~"

Dunn hadn't expected the bird to be so ruthless. Didn't it want its three children anymore?

Though they were already cooked.

Dunn and the entire nest were sent flying. The nest broke apart in midair, and countless glittering golden objects flew out with it, scattering in every direction.

Boom!

Flames surged around Dunn, setting the dead branches and other debris falling around him ablaze.

In that instant, a giant fireball more than ten meters across appeared in the sky.

The giant bird that had smashed its own nest spread its wings and charged at the fireball, the wind howling around it.

The fireball was smashed apart by the bird, exploding into a sky full of fireworks.

Behind the flames burning across the giant bird's back, Dunn's body reformed. He floated in the air, feeling his strength ebb away.

Just as he'd thought, reconstituting his body after turning into fire took stamina.

When the giant bird had smashed apart the fireball he'd formed from all that burning debris, he'd felt it clearly.

How could he kill this bird?

Now they were locked in a fight to the death. Only one of them could survive.

But killing a beast this enormous wouldn't be easy.

Dunn had barely formed the thought when a gigantic mouth lined with countless teeth came at him.

Oh, right.

Birds could twist their necks around to reach behind them.

That was the only thought Dunn had after he was swallowed.

Boom!

The moment it swallowed Dunn, flames blasted out of the bird's beak like a jet. Its beak had become a flamethrower.

The giant bird cried out as it fell from the sky and slammed into the ground, thrashing and rolling desperately.

As it rolled, the flames on its body set everything around it ablaze.

"Boys, see that? There's definitely treasure over there."

Not far from the burning island, a pirate ship was racing toward it. The speaker was a pirate holding a cutlass, standing at the bow and shouting excitedly.

"Yeah!"

The pirates on board immediately cheered in response.

They'd seen a huge torch flare up on the island from far away, then witnessed flames fill the sky. Under the sunlight, they'd also spotted countless golden glints falling in the distance.

It had to be treasure.

Wasn't that why they'd gone to sea and become pirates?

So the fearless pirates charged toward it.

None of them had seen the angry giant bird that had just flown back.

Then the pirate ship drew near the island, and the pirates aboard were immediately captivated by the countless golden glimmers scattered across the beach.

Treasure!