บท 27: The Gamble Log

The "Island of Nothing" lived up to its name - it had absolutely nothing on it.

That said, it wasn't completely devoid of vegetation, with sparse patches of nameless weeds growing underfoot across a desolate, wasteland-like landscape.

While lacking any distinguishing features, the island was expansive, covered in an endless stretch of brown earth. Dorry and Brogy had mistaken it for a continent, a testament to its sheer vastness.

Knowing the island's origins, its very soil color prompted everyone to contemplate in silence, a faint odor seemingly wafting through the air.

"...Just an empty wasteland," Kanata remarked dryly.

"Let's swiftly depart for the next island. We'll be waiting here awhile."

She grabbed Kuro by the scruff as he jokingly made to disembark, each crew member remaining aboard to pass the time freely.

Circling the perimeter instead of anchoring in one spot, they spotted another ship docked in the distance as they rounded the island.

Though supposedly on the same route from Little Garden, it was unfamiliar to them.

Had they used an Eternal Pose to reach this island directly?

Not appearing to be pirates, Kanata decided to pull alongside and hail them.

"Ahoy! What brings you here?"

"Hm? We're botanists from the South Blue, exploring this anomaly of an island devoid of vegetation on the Grand Line."

Their ship was a magnificent vessel about a size smaller than Kanata's own. The flag bore the emblem of some kingdom, corroborating their claim.

Allowing them aboard after sanitization gave an opportunity to converse while awaiting the Log Pose to record - though the few brought in had their eyes spinning from the sudden sterilization process.

Understandable, being unaware of the island's origins.

After a cursory explanation, the botanists frantically jotted down notes in a flurry.

"That's...incredible! Where did you hear such a tale?!"

"From the giants on the island we stopped at beforehand. We even encountered the so-called 'Island Eater' goldfish itself."

"Goodness! But we traced our Log here from the previous island too. Surely a goldfish of that magnitude would be widespread knowledge?"

"We came from an island called Little Garden. This very 'Island of Nothing' is an amalgamation formed from multiple consumed islands. Sometimes the Log will record the signatures of several islands simultaneously, while other times it may trace different paths here from various starting points."

"I see," the scholars murmured contemplatively, scribbling further notes.

Not all were strictly botanists - the crew seemed comprised of various academic specialists in fields like geology and marine biology.

Mysteries still abounded on the Grand Line, they explained, like the recently explored "Knock Up Stream" upwelling current phenomenon still under intense study and yet to be fully elucidated.

"This sea sure is filled with intriguing oddities," Kuro chuckled in amusement.

As their navigator, oceanic phenomena like currents were vital information for Kanata. She and Scotch eagerly probed the scholars on the latest research findings to incorporate into their travels.

Conversely, the academics avidly sought any insights from Kanata's own voyages to further their studies.

Though admittedly, the crew had only traversed two islands thus far - hardly a wealth of information to share.

"Still, young lady, the research materials and samples you possess are quite fascinating...where did you acquire such specimens, including supposedly extinct pathogens?"

"From Little Garden. I wouldn't recommend typical scholars set foot there, but we managed to survive the harsh environment."

Indeed, merely living there was a challenge, let alone conducting research amidst such hazards. No ordinary personnel could manage it.

"I see...you all must be quite capable to have endured there."

"Well, you could say...we're a hardy bunch," Scotch replied.

Naturally, all eyes turned towards Feiyun - her giant heritage alone made her formidable, not accounting for physical prowess. Following her gaze led to the muscular figure of Samuel as well.

Conversely, the physically unassuming Kanata was actually their crew's mightiest fighter, prompting a wry smile from Sukura. Appearances could be quite deceiving.

"The Log doesn't seem to be recording for at least another day. Why don't we have a small cultural exchange over drinks?" Kanata's suggestion was met with eager cheers. Though, true to form, the festivities remained confined aboard their respective ships rather than disembarking to land.

***

Two days later, with the Log finally beginning to record, it was time to depart for their next destination - wherever that may lead based on the periodic, intermingling magnetospheres imprinted.

While the island itself held little interest, the unexpected interactions proved quite educational for both parties over drinks and revelry. Even maintaining a disciplined rotating watch, the scholars marveled at the crew's orderliness amidst indulgences - a matter of simply being well-accustomed.

"That was certainly an insightful detour.," said Sukura to Kanata.

"Indeed, having scholars around was a pleasant change of pace. Just rewards for good conduct, I suppose."

Kanata and Sukura had gained a lot of knowledge over the two days of interaction, but the other crew members didn't seem too interested in those kinds of conversations. They had apparently passed the time fishing and such.

But since the island was the "Island Eater's" territory, they didn't seem to catch many fish.

The soil had become contaminated from the Island Eater's consumption, leaving the land barren and unsuitable for plants to grow properly. This island was truly uninhabitable by humans. According to what the scholars said, soil remediation would be difficult as well.

"I thought it was full of interesting things though," said Kanata

"The great sea of the Grand Line has many different islands. My homeland is even a country built on the back of a giant elephant," said Zen.

"Whoa, I really want to see that!" She became elated.

"It's a nice place. But since we Minks are natural-born warriors, if we cause too much ruckus we get promptly subdued."

Among them, Kanata thought Zen was exceptionally strong, but he only humbly deflected without affirming or denying it. They'd find out when they visit. For the sake of broadening their horizons, visiting many islands wasn't a bad thing.

Junshi was also interested. "A nation of just warriors...intriguing."

"Junshi-dono seems to lack a bit of restraint," said Zen.

"What do you mean? Even I crave a worthy opponent to get my blood boiling at times. It's been boring just sparring with the same partner lately."

On the other hand, Junshi and David had reacted to Zen's words about being "natural-born warriors."

Junshi had also reached the basic level of using the Ryuo technique. It seems he seeks worthy opponents to hone his skills, as just sparring with the same person had apparently become uninteresting. He must have been frustrated that he couldn't reach the level of deflecting or receiving the giants' blows, as he frequently sparred with Kanata but could never defeat her even once. Everyone agreed that going forward, he should prioritize fighting enemies.

"Well, we got to hear some good stories. It helped further our research too."

When one of the scholars cheerfully requested a handshake, Kanata obliged, prompting the other scholars to crowd around wanting handshakes too.

Finding it bothersome, she left the rest to George, causing them to grimace in unison. But they still seemed grateful for the cooperation with their research, maintaining a friendly atmosphere. It seemed they would remain on this island a while longer, but Kanata's crew would depart first.

"See you around if we meet again!"

"Bye Kanata-chan! Let's meet again!"

"Come visit us again!"

Their parting greetings gradually became more suggestive, but Kanata just gave a wry smile and waved back. Perhaps because it was an all-male crew, their responses to Kanata were quite overt. Female crew members must be quite rare. Though for scholars, it shouldn't be that uncommon. Then again, the only scholars Kanata knew of were the archaeologists from Ohara.

***

The climate had stabilized with clear skies and gentle winds. It seemed they had entered a region with a stable climate a few days after leaving the "Island of Nothing", so judging by that, the next island shouldn't be too far. While unknown what kind of island it would be, Kanata hoped it wouldn't be anything like Little Garden again.

After entrusting the Log Pose recording needle to Scotch, Kanata was drinking tea inside the ship when George rushed in looking flustered.

"Hey Kanata! There's a sea beast behind the ship!"

Though flustered, Kanata showed no particular interest, simply saying "Leave it be."

What appeared while meowing "Nyaaa!!" was a sea beast called a Sea Cat. Boasting a size about the same as their ship, upon making eye contact with the giant Feiyun, the beast seemed startled, backing away with a jolt. Having appeared behind the ship, the distance between them gradually increased.

"...An enemy?"

Intently watching, Feiyun made the Sea Cat wary, as it slowly retreated back into the sea without doing anything else. She disappointedly gazed at the surface, looking to see if anything else would appear. Only waves rippled across the sea's surface, with no sea beasts or kings emerging, until the silhouette of a new island came into view.

"...Looking from afar, I can see a desert. The climate seems warm with low humidity. A desert nation perhaps." Kanata made a displeased expression.

Considering her abilities, an island with such a harsh climate would be challenging. Though when fighting seriously, she could even change the climate itself. It was just a matter of exerting the proper restraint becoming difficult.

Recently she didn't rely on her abilities much. The main reason being a lack of opponents strong enough to warrant using her powers, but even besides that, for the sake of training her Armament Haki, she often fought with just a spear and fists. Also, she disliked the heat.

"Let's move along the island's outskirts. There should be a port somewhere."

Without too much delay, they found and docked at a port town called "Nanohana." This island was called "Sandy Island", and the name of the nation was "Alabasta" - one of the major civilized nations of the Grand Line.

Nanohana served as both a port town and an oasis, making it a suitable place to procure supplies.

They needed to disembark to restock items they frequently ran short on.

"So hoooot..."

The moment they disembarked, Kanata was overwhelmed by the high temperature and intense sunlight. She could cool her surroundings with her abilities, but that didn't protect against the direct heat from the sunlight. She wore a jacket to prevent sunburn, but even in the shade it was unbearably hot.

Since Kanata was in such a state, Junshi and George took a few others to go buy clothes, food, and water for everyone. While not completely tattered, many of their clothes had become quite worn from their time on Little Garden. They had funds, but spending excessively would require considering ways to earn more money somewhere.

"So Kanata has things she dislikes too, huh."

"Even I have a thing or two I'm not fond of...Feiyun, are you okay with the heat?"

"I'm naturally insensitive to hot and cold." She didn't seem bothered at all by this heat, having spent winters on deck too. That was enviable in its own way.

Holding a parasol, Kanata waited on deck for George and the others to return. Since this was a World Government member nation, staying docked too long risked being spotted by the Navy. Though they didn't fly a pirate flag or have any markings on the sails. As long as they didn't get a look at Kanata's face, there were few risk factors.

After about two hours, George and the others returned having procured the needed items.

"Got clothes, food and water. Also, apparently the rainy season is coming up soon, so it'll be a bit cooler then."

"The rainy season, huh..."

In this desert nation with little water, people often survived the dry periods by storing up rainwater from the rainy season. At the same time, during this period the normally expensive water would become more affordable.

"Since we're here, let's do some sightseeing on this island until the log accumulates." #

"Sounds good. Let's look around."

If they could find some decent work, even better. Trade would be ideal, but trade between islands was extremely rare in the Grand Line's dangerous seas. It simply wasn't feasible to properly conduct trade.

Trading could be quite profitable, but for people like them, the end result would just be an ambush by the Navy. If they didn't have to worry about being pursued by the Navy, there would be many more opportunities.

"Let's go out for dinner in town tonight. Hopefully there's a place the giants can enter too."

"I don't mind eating outside as usual, I'm used to it."

"Don't be silly, everyone is treated equally here. If we can't find anywhere, we'll just buy food and have dinner on the ship."

They hadn't disembarked at all on the "Island of Nothing." Considering this a chance to stretch their legs, they decided to have a meal in Nanohana while waiting for nightfall.

The days were long, but once the sun set the temperature would drop significantly. With the low humidity, the daytime heat wouldn't linger. For Kanata, that meant much more comfortable conditions, so donning just a hood to conceal her face, they headed into town.

"We should've scouted for bars during the day."

"Yeah...being a port town, there are plenty of bars, but they all seemed pretty crowded."

Since it didn't seem feasible to find a suitable place in the town center, they decided to go to a large bar located on the outskirts. While probably not designed with giants in mind, it had a very large door and building that even Feiyun could enter by ducking down. The question was whether it would be crowded or not.

As Kanata and Kuro entered, the noisy bar briefly fell silent for a moment.

"...It's pretty full, but we should fit just fine milady."

"Well, let's settle here then. Hopefully the food is good."

Kuro, unusually dressed, signaled for the others waiting outside to come in. Kanata approached who seemed to be the bartender at the counter to confirm if this place was okay.

"Huh? Giants? I think you can come in, but... Well whatever, I don't mind. Not too busy today anyway."

"We appreciate it. Just prepare some drinks and food for us."

She handed over some extra money as a gratuity, but as she turned to leave the counter, her arm was grabbed.

"Hrm???" Looking back, some rather drunken men were snickering as they leered at her. Judging by the similar demeanor of the other patrons, this must be a regular occurrence. The kind of place locals avoid, it seemed.

"Hey sis, you're quite the beauty. How about being our drinking companion for the night?"

"Yeah, that'd be great! The booze would taste even better if a pretty lady like you poured it for us!"

Kanata let out a sigh, then picked up a liquor bottle with her free hand. Already drained from the intense daytime heat, this was the last straw that made her snap her usual restraint for just a moment.

"Oh, so you'll obediently serve us? Maybe we can move on to other activities later--"

CRASH!

She violently struck the man's head with the bottle, shattering it and sending shards of glass and liquor spraying everywhere as he collapsed to the floor bleeding from his head.

"Is that all you wanted?" she snickered.

"Y-You bitch...!"

"Who do you think you're messing with?! We're the infamous Desert Bandit group, the Gairei Gang!"

Riled up from the alcohol, the men drew guns and swords while shouting threats. The bartender hurriedly took cover under the counter, while Kanata just dismissively looked their way.

As they ranted about letting her off easy if she behaved and such, Kanata paid no heed, simply knocking them all unconscious with a burst of Conqueror's Haki.

"Bartender, that's the fee for the disturbance. And get rid of these nuisances for me."

Handing over money to the bartender who cautiously peeked over the counter, Kanata stepped over the fallen men to take a table and wait for Kuro and the others to return. She figured if she didn't properly sort this out, they might not even be able to properly enter establishments on this island.