"Jörmungandr, here. Let Little Croc eat this Devil Fruit!"
As Kakarot spoke, he took the Ancient Giant Devil Fruit out of his spatial ring.
The fruit resembled a mysterious treasure, covered in wondrous patterns and seven or eight times the size of other fruits, as though it held endless power.
With a gentle wave of Kakarot's hand, the fruit flew toward Jörmungandr like a meteor.
Jörmungandr made no attempt to stand on ceremony.
After all, she had now joined the Revolutionary Army's Heaven's Punishment Organization. As far as she was concerned, giving her little brother a fruit to eat was perfectly normal.
Besides, now that she had joined the Revolutionary Army, Little Croc could, in a sense, be counted among its fighting forces too.
Having Little Croc eat a Devil Fruit and further strengthen himself was undoubtedly a good thing for the entire team.
"Little Croc! Head up, mouth open!"
Jörmungandr called out loudly, her voice clear and strong as it echoed over the waters.
Hearing his big sister's call, Little Croc slowly raised his hundred-meter-wide mouth, a terrifying maw like an abyss.
The transparent wings marked with black patterns on Jörmungandr's back fluttered gently, scattering specks of black starlight like snowflakes.
Against that starlight, she flew lightly into the air and tossed the Devil Fruit in her hand precisely into Little Croc's mouth.
After Little Croc swallowed the Devil Fruit, the light in his eyes instantly grew more lively. Though a faint trace of simplehearted innocence and bewilderment remained, his increased intelligence was clearly perceptible.
Immediately afterward, a soft yet dazzling light enveloped his body.
Within the light, Little Croc's body began undergoing a wondrous transformation, gradually shrinking and growing taller.
His enormous, eight-hundred-meter-long body slowly transformed into an imposing form three hundred meters tall.
His body was covered in a suit of incredibly hard armor bristling with spikes,
and those spikes gleamed with a cold metallic luster in the sunlight, like sturdy battle armor bestowed upon him by heaven.
"Big sis, you're so tiny! Hahaha! I'm bigger than you now!"
A voice boomed down from high above like rolling thunder, its simplehearted, childish tone enough to make people chuckle.
Jörmungandr's face instantly darkened at his words, and she said in feigned anger:
"Little Croc!! Are you asking for a beating?! How dare you make fun of your big sister! I won't hunt Sea Kings for you anymore!"
Little Croc took no notice. He plopped down on the ground, still wearing a radiant smile, and said in his simple, guileless voice:
"Big sis, thank you for being so good to me, helping me turn into this and become smarter too!"
Little Croc clearly had not taken Jörmungandr's words to heart. He was filled with gratitude toward his big sister.
Looking at Little Croc's innocent expression, Jörmungandr could not help smiling softly. "My boss gave you this. You should thank him too!"
Little Croc nodded earnestly at that and declared loudly:
"Big sis, your boss is my boss. I'll listen to him!"
Standing on the ground, Kakarot and the others all smiled with gratification as they listened to the amusing exchange overhead.
Seeing this, Lina used her fruit ability to control a cloud, slowly raising it and carrying everyone steadily into the air until they were level with Jörmungandr.
Little Croc's eyes immediately lit up when he saw everyone on the cloud.
With his keen senses, he could clearly feel the many powerful presences emanating from it.
He grinned, revealing a row of sharp teeth, and said guilelessly:
"Hello, big brothers and sisters. My name is Little Croc, and I'm Big Sis Jörmungandr's little brother.
If you ever need anything, you can ask me. I'm really strong."
As he spoke, Little Croc waved his thick, powerful arms, as though showing everyone his strength.
Kakarot could not help laughing. Lina, Lilith, and the others could not hold back their laughter either, their faces filled with relaxed, cheerful smiles.
As they looked at Little Croc's endearingly simple appearance, they were certain that saying such things was not something he had known how to do from birth,
and they all understood that he might have picked it up from someone while growing up.
Everyone's gaze drifted in unison toward Jörmungandr, who floated nearby, a hint of teasing in their eyes.
Hearing Little Croc speak that way, Jörmungandr immediately flushed slightly, like a streak of sunset coloring the horizon. She looked toward Kakarot and the others in embarrassment, a trace of shyness in her eyes.
Seeing Jörmungandr like this, Kakarot could even picture a scene in his mind:
An enormous titan python coiled around a massive emperor crocodile, vividly recounting the novel and amusing experiences of her life in human society, while Little Croc listened with wide, round eyes, utterly engrossed.
"Little Croc, then it's settled! I have something to ask of you right now."
Kakarot did not stand on ceremony either. After all, he knew full well that beast kings and humans communicated differently. Beast kings preferred straightforwardness, without any beating around the bush.
His eyes held resolve and trust as he looked at Little Croc and spoke.
"Come with us to your big sister Jörmungandr's territory first. Once we're there, I'll tell you exactly what it is, all right?"
Kakarot added, his tone steady and strong, inspiring an involuntary sense of trust.
"All right, boss. Let's go now."
Little Croc agreed without hesitation and immediately rose from the ground. His enormous body resembled a small mountain, yet his movements were crisp and decisive.
Seeing this, Jörmungandr hopped lightly onto the cloud Lina controlled.
Lina nodded slightly and guided the cloud slowly toward the giant tree.
Little Croc's three-hundred-meter height did not seem particularly out of place in this ancient forest, which had existed for who knew how many years.
After all, this island was inhabited entirely by enormous beasts, and the trees were spaced very widely apart to accommodate their movements.
Some trees that stood five or six hundred meters tall even had gaps of two or three hundred meters between them.
Thus, never mind his current giant form-even in his original emperor crocodile form, Little Croc could have moved through this forest without obstruction.
The group encountered no delays along the way.
Soon, they returned to their original location. This time, Little Croc did not hesitate at all. With steady strides, he stepped straight into the area within five hundred meters of the giant tree.
Everyone seated on the cloud exchanged glances, a flicker of thought passing through their eyes as each formed their own guesses.
"Big Brother Kakarot, just tell me what you need. I'll make sure I do a great job."
Little Croc spoke as guilelessly as ever, his voice echoing through the area like muffled thunder.
"Little Croc, we'll be leaving this island after a while.
I'd like you to visit this place more often. Later on, I may ask you to do some things here. Would you be willing?"
Kakarot looked at Little Croc and spoke earnestly, his eyes full of expectation.
At this, Little Croc turned his gaze toward Jörmungandr, his eyes filled with reluctance to part. "Big Brother Kakarot, can't I go with Big Sis?"
"Little Croc, you're too big. We have no way to take you with us."
A regretful expression appeared on Kakarot's face as he spoke helplessly.
"All right! Then I'll stay here!" A trace of disappointment flashed through Little Croc's eyes, but he still nodded understandingly and agreed.
Of course, Little Croc was actually being so obedient because Jörmungandr had privately instructed him beforehand, using the dark element in a way that only the two of them could hear.
Jörmungandr knew Kakarot must have something in mind for this tree, and Little Croc's strength could also be useful at a critical moment. That was why she had spoken to Little Croc in advance.
Seeing Little Croc agree, Kakarot could not help letting out a soft breath.
With such a powerful fighting force as Little Croc staying here, when the critical moment came, whatever happened, they would have an extra layer of preparation and assurance.
Before you continue