West Blue,
Ohara.
Once a verdant island nation cloaked in dense forest, now lay in ruin.
The Tree of Knowledge once the towering symbol of wisdom had long since fallen.
The World Governnt's Buster Call had already withdrawn, leaving behind a land that should have been utterly deserted.
And yet, several massive ships now sat moored at the island's edge.
A few giants, wielding large fishing nets, were dredging the lake.
They weren't hauling up fish, but books countless volus.
Despite having been subrged, the books remained surprisingly well-preserved.
Each one was carefully bundled, packed, and transported away in batches.
Behind a rocky outcrop, a figure with a disproportionately enormous head stuck out his tongue as he peered from the shadows.
Standing behind him was a man with long hair draped in a deep green cloak, holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand.
"You haven't changed a bit... still rocking that massive head of yours."
He smiled faintly. "It's been a while, Vegapunk."
The scientist Vegapunk turned his oversized head with visible relief upon seeing the man.
"Oh, it's you… Dragon. What are you doing here?"
"I had so ties with Professor Clover."
He paused, then narrowed his eyes. "Though... it's strange. There are still people watching this place. Isn't that a problem?"
Dragon's senses were sharp he had long since noticed the ones stationed around Ohara.
He hadn't revealed himself, but the giants certainly weren't inconspicuous. Their presence likely had already drawn so attention.
"Are they from the World Governnt?" Vegapunk asked, concern tightening his features.
If so, these books so crucial could be in danger.
But Dragon shook his head.
"Doesn't seem like it. More like hired thugs from so pirate crew. Not even close to looking like official forces."
"I see…"
Dragon turned to glance at the giants salvaging books in the distance. "You seem awfully concerned about those giants."
"Of course. These books are priceless. I can't let them just take them."
"They're not thieves. I checked them out they're..."
The two strolled and chatted, but suddenly.
Dragon froze mid-step, turning sharply toward the distant sea.
"What is it, Dragon?"
Startled by his sudden reaction, Vegapunk looked around, alard.
But Dragon didn't answer.
He clenched his jaw, his gaze locked on a dark silhouette approaching from the sea.
As the shadowy ship closed in with an almost spectral quiet, a line of cold sweat slid down Dragon's face.
"No... no way..."
"The surveillance squad… they were left behind by that guy?"
"Yes," ca the voice, crisp and casual. "I left them."
Clang!
Boom!
Smiling with a closed-eyed grin, a man caught Dragon's Haki-infused Dragon Claw with one hand fingers tightening ever so slightly.
The pressure alone forced Dragon's devastating claw technique capable of tearing steel and shattering the ground to buckle under the grip.
"Coming at like that? You've got no manners, Dragon."
The man stood tall in a blood-red suit beneath a sweeping black coat. A blade and a gun hung from his waist.
His expression remained calm and amused, even as Dragon stood bristling with tension.
Vegapunk had wisely darted far from the scene. A battle at this level? He wouldn't survive the aftershocks.
Fortunately, Dragon had reacted on instinct, not intent. The Haki around his hand quickly dissipated, and he withdrew.
The man Ozz released his grip.
To him, Dragon's Dragon Claw, rooted in brute strength, wasn't even half as strong as his own monstrous power.
Had Dragon dared to et him barehanded without Haki, Ozz had no doubt he could've crushed every bone in his hand with ease.
"'Black Gun' Dotor Ozz... What are you doing here?" Dragon asked gravely.
Ozz didn't answer.
Instead, he vanished with a blink and reappeared beside Vegapunk, tilting the scientist's huge head in his hands with curiosity.
"Whoa... your head's actually this big?"
Ozz murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "How many brains you got in there... no wonder you'll need such a massive container soday."
"B-Black Gun... Ozz..."
Vegapunk gulped, tongue sticking out nervously. Behind his little spectacles, his eyes shimred with awkward helplessness and a touch of sweat.
"Relax. I'm not here to kill you…"
Sensing the extre tension in both Dragon and Vegapunk, Ozz raised a hand as if to explain but paused mid-sentence.
"Oh... so there are female giants in Ohara now? Haven't seen one in ages!"
His eyes lit up as he spotted a particularly tall and stunningly built female giant among the group retrieving books.
The last ti he'd seen one, he was just a kid during a trip to Elbaf with Captain Roger.
Back then, he, Shanks, and Buggy had bounced around on those enormous white trampolines the giants used for play.
Those were the days...
True noob protection mode...
Compared to Dragon and Vegapunk, he was clearly more intrigued by the giants and any news about Uncle Gaban.
In an instant, Ozz disappeared again, appearing before the female giant with a wide grin and waving.
But the reaction he got wasn't friendly.
Especially from Hajrudin, who launched a reflexive punch on instinct.
Yet just a ter from Ozz's face, the punch froze in mid-air, like it had hit an invisible wall.
"Is this how you all say hi?" Ozz muttered, sighing.
Not that he blad them. When soone barely the size of a bug suddenly appeared beside you, instinct said punch first, ask later.
"Stop! He's not our enemy!"
Luckily, Gerd the female giant recognized Ozz and called out just in ti.
Not that it mattered. Hajrudin literally couldn't move.
From the mont his punch flew, Ozz had already locked him down with his "Don't Move" ability.
Unless your Haki was overwhelmingly stronger than his or your stamina far exceeded histhere was no resisting it.
Even a giant's raw strength was useless when frozen by spatial power.
"You're... Ozz, aren't you? Uncle Gaban's told us about you! I've seen your bounty poster too!"
Gerd bead as she greeted him.
"Oh? Uncle Gaban still talks about ?"
Ozz's interest was piqued. He released Hajrudin from the spatial hold and turned to Gerd.
"Yeah! He used to tell us stories all the ti about his days sailing with you all," she said with a smile.
But Ozz had already stopped listening to the tales.
As Gerd spoke, he hovered lightly in the air his gaze inevitably drawn to sothing else.
That trampoline.
The white, bouncy trampoline that swayed with every step.
Bigger than his entire body.
After all, he was still barely into adulthood young, full of fire.
And that... was a test of will.
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The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
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