บท 501: Meeting the giant friends!
Soon.
After bidding farewell to Neptune and the others, Nicholas and his crew boarded a ship provided by Fish-Man Island and set off, ascending towards the surface.
As the new helmsman, and being very familiar with the nearby ocean currents, Jinbei naturally took the helm.
Bonney, seeing Jinbei at the helm, silently headed to the kitchen to help Katie with the food preparation. After all, she still wanted Nicholas to help her find Bartholomew Kuma and couldn't just sit idly by.
As the ship ascended, Fish-Man Island gradually became a small dot below.
Jinbei was tense and highly focused. Although he knew these waters well, his familiarity made him aware of their unpredictable nature. As the helmsman, he was responsible for the safety of the entire crew, so he had to stay extremely focused.
The others, in contrast, were more relaxed, leaning on the ship's railing and admiring the view outside the coated ship.
When the ship caught an upward current, its ascent speed increased dramatically.
"Now everything should be fine."
Successfully steering the ship into the upward current, Jinbei visibly relaxed.
All they had to do now was wait.
With a splash, the ship shot out of the sea like a flying fish, landing heavily and shattering the coating with a pop.
But once they surfaced, they were met with a thunderous storm, heavy rain, strong winds, and turbulent waves.
"Boom!"
From the dark clouds, deafening thunder roared, and lightning bolts struck the sea.
"What terrible weather."
Nicholas walked to the bow, looking up at the stormy sky.
The other crew members remained calm, as such harsh weather was nothing new to them.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Jinbei's eyes narrowed.
Ahead of the ship, a small vortex appeared on the sea. Jinbei's expression changed.
He knew this kind of vortex very well.
"Damn! We need to get out of here quickly, everyone hold on!"
Jinbei barely finished his warning before the small vortex expanded hundreds of times in seconds, swallowing massive amounts of seawater.
Bonney was stunned. She thought the weather in the first half of the Grand Line was bad, but compared to this, it seemed gentle.
This is the New World...
Facing this terrifying weather, Nicholas frowned.
Under Bonney's puzzled gaze, he slowly extended his hand.
Boom!
With a terrifying wave of power, a force radiated from Nicholas, sweeping the surroundings.
The storm stopped, the rain ceased, the dark clouds dissipated, and the terrifying vortex calmed and vanished.
"Incredible."
Jinbei and Bonney were stunned. Was this really human strength?
...
On the prehistoric island of Little Garden in the first half of the Grand Line, a large figure wearing a flower crown and a skirt made of flowers and straw was running and jumping on the grass. As he jumped, he picked flowers and smelled them, looking satisfied.
"Ah, running in the sunset is the youth I've lost!"
While spinning and jumping, Queen seemed to feel a long-lost thrill in his heart.
Soon, a joyful Queen picked up the firewood and fruits he had collected from the lawn and headed towards the forest. Before long, a small wooden house appeared before him. Outside the house, there were two plots of crops, and not far away, there were many vegetables and fruits growing.
"From today on, I'll live a happy life."
Ever since fleeing from a battle in the North Sea, Queen had drifted around, always seeking the most remote places to escape the Navy's pursuit. Over a year ago, he arrived at Little Garden, located in the first half of the Grand Line.
Here, he started a new life.
Today, however, Little Garden welcomed unexpected guests.
A ship appeared near the shore of Little Garden, flying the fearsome skull flag of the Beasts Pirates at its mast.
If any outsiders were present, they would surely wonder why a ship from the Beasts Pirates, currently causing a storm in the New World, would be here. Little Garden is in the first half of the Grand Line, far from the New World, and holds no strategic value.
Even more curious—
As the second-in-command of the Beasts Pirates, King was also on the ship.
"Is he here?"
Standing at the bow, King expressionlessly looked at a small piece of paper drifting towards the island ahead.
"If the Vivre Card points here, then he must be here. But is it really necessary to go to such lengths for him?"
Behind King, a man with a cigarette in his mouth, dressed in a red suit, shoes, and trousers, wearing black gloves, and a bright red horned helmet, spoke casually.
Clearly, if it weren't for Kaido's orders and King's presence, he wouldn't have wanted to come to the first half of the Grand Line. For a traitor to the World Government like him, anywhere outside the New World was too dangerous.
King glanced at Who's who next to him and said calmly, "We need more and better artificial Devil Fruits. That's why we came all the way from the New World. In the war Lord Kaido is planning, we need more power."
With that, King turned his gaze towards the large island ahead.
With Kaido, Bullet, and many Level 6 criminals joining forces, the Beasts Pirates no longer lacked high-end combat power. However, they were still short on mid- and low-level forces. Therefore, Kaido sent King to personally find Queen and further develop the artificial Devil Fruit project, even aiming to create artificial ancient Zoan fruits.
"Let's go."
As the ship docked, King led Who's who and many members of the Beasts Pirates onto Little Garden.
...
"This is Elbaf? It's incredible."
Yamato exclaimed, looking at the gigantic island and the enormous tree reaching towards the sky.
Jinbei, too, looked eager, "What will the world's strongest country be like?"
Nicholas gazed at the island ahead and said to Jinbei, "Dock the ship, Jinbei."
Under Jinbei's control, the ship slowly approached the shore.
"Who are you people!"
As Nicholas and his crew headed inland, a giant figure blocked their path.
Looking at the giant blocking their way, Nicholas stepped forward and said, "We're here to find Dorry and Brogy, as well as Oimo and Kashii."
"Are you friends of Dorry, Brogy, Oimo, and Kashii?"
Hearing the familiar names from Nicholas, the giant's hostility visibly lessened.
Nicholas calmly said to the giant, "Yes, so can you help us find Dorry and Brogy?"
"No problem, I'll take you to them. Their village isn't far from here."
The giant replied heartily.
"Thank you very much."
Then, the group followed the giant towards the village where Brogy and Dorry resided.
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