Soon, only a few people remained on the coastline. While Skull and Brook stayed behind to help with preparations, the rest of the crew dispersed and rushed eagerly into the island's mysterious interior.
When Kuma heard Jerry and the others discussing their general travel plans, his eyes flickered with interest, and he asked with barely contained excitement, "Oh? Are you planning to leave the Grand Line and return to the Four Blues next?"
Jerry nodded casually—there was no point in concealing their whereabouts since they had no intention of hiding their movements anyway.
"That's right. I don't have anything particularly urgent to handle, so we might as well take a leisurely tour. It would be wonderful if we could see beautiful scenery I've never encountered before and catch fish species I've never seen before."
Noticing that Kuma seemed hesitant to speak, Jerry couldn't help but ask, "What's on your mind? Is there something bothering you?"
"Well... actually, I wanted to give Bonney a present," Kuma admitted, scratching his face with obvious embarrassment. "In six months, it will be her ninth birthday. When I think back to her eighth birthday celebration, it feels like it was just yesterday."
"Hmm, time certainly flies quickly," Brook observed with a philosophical sigh. "In what feels like the blink of an eye, only bones are left of me. Though I suppose I've been nothing but bones for many years now! Yohohoho!"
Nodding appreciatively at Brook's comment, Kuma continued thoughtfully: "However, there are World Government agents monitoring her constantly, so perhaps I shouldn't trouble you with this. I can try sending things through official channels instead."
Jerry shook his head dismissively, indicating that this was a simple matter that wouldn't cause any problems.
"Hey, we're planning to visit South Blue anyway, so we can easily help you deliver letters and gifts, right? No problem at all."
"Besides, are you really confident that anything you send through official channels will actually reach Bonney's hands after being filtered through World Government surveillance?"
Kuma was visibly stunned—he had never considered this possibility before. In his mind, the World Government shouldn't interfere with something as innocent as delivering a father's letter to his daughter.
"Alright then, thank you very much," Kuma said gratefully. "I have several letters and a small gift here. When you pass through the Sorbet Kingdom in South Blue, just give them to Queen Dowager Conney—she'll make sure Bonney receives them safely."
"Let me write one additional letter to explain the situation. Please wait just a moment."
Kuma immediately pulled out pen and paper and began composing his message with careful deliberation.
"Boss Jerry, are you sure this is wise?" Skull whispered, pulling Jerry aside with obvious concern.
Jerry chuckled confidently. "It's perfectly fine. I've already dealt with CP0 agents—why should I worry about some CP operatives in South Blue? Besides, if we want to avoid exposure, I can always deliver everything discreetly. It's really no trouble at all."
Kuma was taking his time with the letter, not because he was experiencing writer's block, but because he had so much he wanted to express to his daughter after their long separation.
After considerable time had passed, Kuma carefully folded the papers and returned to his ship to collect all the items he wanted to send. He then bent down and handed the gifts and letters to Jerry with the reverent care one might show the most precious treasures in the world.
"Is this everything? Let me help you package it properly," Jerry offered, producing a decorative gift box as if performing a magic trick.
After Kuma expressed his heartfelt gratitude, the small group continued their casual conversation on the shoreline, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and warm sunshine.
A short while later, the sound of chaotic, heavy footsteps echoed through the dense forest surrounding them. Before anyone appeared, Ace's hearty laughter rang out from deep within the jungle.
"We're back! Hahaha! We met two incredible new friends—let's have a feast together!"
"Oh my! They really are giants!" Brook and Skull exclaimed, craning their necks upward even further than usual.
While chatting with the nearly seven-meter-tall Kuma had required them to look up constantly, seeing two giants over twenty meters in height forced them to tilt their heads back at even more extreme angles. If they continued holding banquets and conversations in this posture, Jerry thought wryly, they'd probably cure any neck problems that modern phone users might develop.
Ace enthusiastically introduced both parties to each other. The cheerful giants Dorry and Brogy stared down at the massive goldfish lying on the beach with obvious fascination shining in their four bright eyes.
Brogy, whose magnificent beard resembled that of a legendary warrior, walked slowly around the enormous catch and exclaimed with genuine admiration, "Did your friend really catch this sea monster?"
"Haha, what do you think? I didn't exaggerate, did I? Come on, let's start the party!" Ace grinned and threw his hands up in celebration, his infectious enthusiasm spreading to everyone present.
"Yeah! Let's feast!" Deuce and the others who had returned with the giants all echoed in agreement. It seemed that during their exploration of the island, they had become quite friendly with both Dorry and Brogy.
This rapid bonding was fairly typical for Little Garden. Apart from their daily ritual duels whenever the island's central volcano erupted, Dorry and Brogy generally acted very hospitably toward any pirates who visited their island without hostile intentions.
For Deuce in particular, this encounter represented the fulfillment of a childhood dream. He had always wanted to set sail and explore the world to see legendary giants with his own eyes. While he had glimpsed Little Oars from a distance and had even seen the massive ancient giant Oars on Thriller Bark, distant sightings couldn't compare to the thrill of close personal contact.
Moreover, the prototypes for the giants described in the adventure stories he had loved reading since childhood were ordinary Elbaf giants exactly like Dorry and Brogy, not the unique specimens they had encountered elsewhere.
Combined with Ace's characteristically carefree and generous personality, they had apparently walked straight into the middle of one of the giants' fierce daily duels, somehow managing to interrupt the fight and establish immediate friendship. This had led to the current scene where both enormous warriors had been invited back for an impromptu celebration.
Seeing the growing festive atmosphere, Jerry called out to Kuma to join their feast as well.
Perhaps because Little Garden's magnetic field required a full year to properly charge—an impractically long wait for most travelers—or for other logistical reasons, very few outsiders ever visited this prehistoric island. Thanks to this isolation, the assembled group was able to enjoy themselves on the coastline without any worry about being disturbed by unwanted visitors or government interference.
During the banquet, they learned that the two giants had been conducting their epic duel on Little Garden for nearly a hundred years, and had actually forgotten the original reason for their conflict long ago.
However, the traditional beliefs and honor code of the Elbaf Giants could never be abandoned. Both warriors firmly believed in the guidance of their war god and had sworn to decide their final victory on this very island, regardless of how long it might take.
Everyone exchanged amazed glances, simultaneously impressed by the giants' incredible perseverance and faith, while also feeling somewhat speechless that they could have completely forgotten what had started their century-long battle in the first place.
Deuce expressed his confusion directly and asked, "Isn't the bond of your friendship more precious than anything else? Is it really worth fighting to the death and determining superiority for a reason that's been completely forgotten?"
"Worth it? Gagyagyagya! For our people, nothing is more precious than honor—even dying gloriously in battle!" Brogy raised one massive arm high and laughed thunderously, while Dorry nodded in firm agreement beside him.
"Honor..." Deuce murmured to himself, trying to understand their perspective.
"Haha, come on! You glorious giant warriors need to eat first!" Jerry interrupted, carrying an enormous piece of fragrant barbecue toward them. "If you're too hungry, you won't even have the energy to fight properly, let alone squat down to our level!"
Jerry began sharing the meat from their giant goldfish catch without hesitation. After all, he had taken all the necessary photographs to document his achievement, and now he wanted everyone to enjoy this delicious feast and share in the celebration together.
The aroma of perfectly cooked sea monster meat filled the air as the unlikely gathering of pirates, giants, and a Warlord prepared to enjoy one of the most memorable meals of their respective journeys.
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