Occasionally, you could see giant beast bones half-buried in the fallen leaves -- clearly not left by ordinary beasts.
This place seems truly isolated, untouched by the outside world for centuries, preserving the look of ancient times.
Roar——!!!
A deafening roar suddenly exploded, causing the entire forest to fall silent.
Immediately followed by the heavy "thud thud thud" of footsteps, making the ground tremble slightly, the canopy overhead shook violently, rustling.
Swish!
Two large Saber-toothed Dragons, suddenly poking their heads out from the dense foliage, their amber eyes locked firmly onto the group.
They opened their bloody mouths, emitting greedy gurgling sounds, thick saliva "splat splat" dripping onto the bushes.
"Wow!" The three girls instantly huddled together, letting out exaggerated exclamations, "They're dinosaurs!!!"
So, in this world, there really are dinosaurs!
"Hey."
Shano casually raised his head, casting a glance at those big creatures, "You scared my sister. If you don't want to become ingredients, don't do anything foolish."
Buzz!
A terrifying aura, like ripples, quietly emanated from him, making the surrounding air suddenly freeze, even the rustling of leaves stopped.
After meeting his seemingly ordinary glance, the two Saber-toothed Dragons immediately froze, cold sweat cascading down.
They suddenly let out a whimper of fear, their thick tails tucked between their hind legs, turned around, and sprinted away.
The heavy footsteps quickly turned into a panicked escape, disappearing into the depths of the forest in the blink of an eye.
"..."
Smoker, who was ready to take action, paused slightly, returning the half-drawn Jitte to his back.
Did the Captain just use a little Supreme King and scare them like that?
Such a convenient ability is really enviable...
If only I could also Awaken the Supreme King.
Is there a possibility?
He lit a cigar, shaking his head self-deprecatively.
Already thirty years old, I probably shouldn't hold onto such wishful fantasies anymore.
But, on the other hand.
Previously, I was always a member of the Navy, a soldier whose top duty was to obey orders, the hardest to Awaken this "King's Disposition".
At the vast Navy Headquarters, there are many strong ones, but only Marshal Sengoku and Old Man Garp have Awakened the Supreme King.
Now that he has left the Navy, following that man, once again chasing my own path of justice on this great sea.
Once the fog of confusion in my heart is entirely dispelled, maybe… there could be such a day.
At this thought.
Smoker's mouth curved into a smile.
"Hey, Smoker."
Shano's puzzled voice came, "What are you spacing out for, didn't you notice? Hurry up and get rid of the thing on your shoulder."
On my shoulder?
Cigar in mouth, Smoker turned his head in confusion.
Only to see a giant cockroach measuring eighty centimeters in length quietly perched on his right arm.
Its shiny black shell glistened with an oily sheen, its slender antennae quivering lightly.
Seeing him look at it, it even cocked its head in response, the wings "clicking" twice, as if ready to fly onto his face the next moment.
"..."
The cigar fell from his suddenly stiffened lips.
Thud!
The once infamous White Hunter, eyes rolled back, toppled straight over, scattering a heap of fallen leaves.
——————
"Hey, wake up, wake up!"
A rough hand patted his face.
Cold, shaking…
But Smoker's eyelids only quivered slightly, refusing to open in the end.
"How do you reckon he managed to become a Navy Captain with such little courage?"
Zeff sighed, shouldering Smoker as he continued onward with the others.
Really, it's just a cockroach.
In the adverse conditions of the kitchen while drifting at sea, he stomped on and sprayed with insecticide so many they could pile into a mountain.
Such giant cockroach really is a different matter...
The person with closed eyes on his back twitched at the corner of his mouth, wishing to never wake for a lifetime.
So embarrassing, even the little girls merely screamed, yet he simply collapsed, and he was thinking about the Supreme King just a moment ago...
Boom——!!!
Another deafening crash, this time louder than the previous.
The entire forest shook, the ground trembling like an earthquake.
"Oo oo oo!"
Nami's eyes sparkled, excitedly glancing around: "Are there more dinosaurs? What will it be this time? Tyrannosaurus? Brachiosaurus? Or…"
"Not a dragon, but a person, little girl."
A warm voice, loud as thunder, suddenly came from above the group.
Shadows cast down, covering the sky and blocking the sun, everyone instinctively looked up, and saw a gigantic face peering down at them, a long beard hanging, the eyes under the helmet showing a friendly smile.
"This, this is…" Nami stared in fright.
"Gi, Gi…" Nojiko stammered.
"Giant! There really are giants!!!" Kuina yelled in surprise.
"Hee hee hee, thank you so much!"
The Giant raised his left hand, surprisingly holding two struggling Saber-toothed Dragons, his thick fingers easily pinching their napes, like lifting two disobedient kittens.
"These two were quite cunning, always hiding deep in the forest unwilling to show themselves, but they were just startled by you into rushing right at me!"
He laughed heartily, the sound making the leaves rustle, casually beheading the two Saber-toothed Dragons with a single stroke.
"Now there's plenty of meat, my cooking skills are pretty good, how about I treat you to some roasted meat, oh… by the way, did you bring any wine? If there's wine to go with the meat, it'll be exquisite!"