Everyone on the deck instantly became tense.
Without wasting another moment, they all followed Lucas’s gaze.
Yet, as far as the eye could see, there wasn’t a single person or even the outline of an island.
Hina didn’t bother thinking about it. With a cigarette clenched between her lips, she quickly climbed to the top of the mast and used her telescope to scan the distant sea.
"I see it!"
"There’s a huge island ahead. There are two enormous mountains on it."
"No... Those two mountains seem to be moving."
The mountains were moving?
Doll was momentarily stunned.
She had never imagined that they would actually encounter an island that didn’t appear on any Marine navigational chart.
And now there were even two moving mountains on it.
Could those two mountains be the special combatants Lucas had in mind?
The warship turned hard and surged forward, rapidly cutting through the waves toward the island.
As soon as they approached, they spotted a merchant ship with its flag lowered, anchored near the harbor entrance.
Looking at this island, which was practically a forgotten Little Garden, Lucas couldn’t help feeling fortunate.
The island was so remote and rarely visited that the two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, both of whom had once carried bounties exceeding 100 million Berries, had been able to remain here for so many years.
As for whether the two giants could qualify for Lucas’s list of special combatants...
The answer was yes.
Among the giants, strength had always been revered above all else.
And the ultimate standard for determining whether someone could become one of Elbaf’s strongest warriors was whether they could unleash Hakoku.
This devastating giant technique could pierce straight through an island with a single attack.
Even Big Mom and Kaido, two of the Four Emperors, had actively learned the technique.
That alone demonstrated how terrifying it was.
The two giants before him could already unleash Hakoku and tear through the sea with a single attack.
A hundred years ago, each of them had carried a bounty exceeding 100 million Berries.
Taking inflation into account, their bounties would probably be worth at least 300 to 500 million Berries in the present day.
Perhaps they could even reach 1 billion or more.
More importantly, the two giants had yet to master Haki.
If Lucas taught them the two standard forms of Haki afterward, their immense combat experience meant that mastering them shouldn’t be particularly difficult.
And once their combined technique, Hakoku, was infused with Ryuo...
Wouldn’t that basically turn it into the Eastern Wind Express?
Point it wherever you wanted, and it would strike exactly there.
Just imagine the opening exchange.
The two giants unleash a Ryuo-enhanced Hakoku together.
Who could possibly withstand that?
What Lucas hadn’t expected, however, was that someone had gotten there first.
Someone had already entered Little Garden.
Lucas leaped onto the island.
His Observation Haki instantly spread outward, locking onto the presence of the uninvited guests.
He glanced back at Doll.
"I’ll be right back."
The moment he finished speaking, Lucas vanished like a ghost.
Doll’s expression froze.
She immediately rushed after him.
She desperately wanted to see whether Lucas’s first special combatant target really possessed the qualifications he claimed.
If even the first candidate failed to meet the standard, could the rest really be reliable?
Little Garden — Central Region
Two enormous figures sat cross-legged on the ground.
They were roasting meat while laughing heartily.
"Little girl, I remember your name is Vivi, right?"
"You’ve come seven or eight times already, and every time you bring us good liquor. It’s honestly embarrassing."
"But as for your request for us to go to Alabasta and serve as its guardians... I’m afraid I can’t agree to that."
Blue Ogre Dorry raised a barrel of liquor roughly the size of a teacup to his mouth and drained it in one gulp before laughing loudly.
"Don’t forget, we promised Lord Luffy that we’d meet him in Elbaf."
"We are heroes among the giants. Of course we can’t remain in Alabasta as guardians."
Beside him, Red Ogre Brogy didn’t say anything.
He simply nodded vigorously in agreement.
Vivi wasn’t discouraged in the slightest.
She smiled and tore off a piece of meat from an unidentified leg, stuffing it into her mouth before speaking.
"Please don’t worry, both of you."
"You wouldn’t have to stay in Alabasta for very long."
"Just one or two years should be enough. By then, we’ll have finished rebuilding the kingdom."
"During that time, I only hope you can help us drive away any pirates who try to invade."
Standing behind Vivi, Igaram and Chaka remained silent as well.
Crocodile had indeed been defeated.
But Alabasta had also been left devastated.
The kingdom’s defensive forces had become exceptionally weak.
Many pirates believed they could take advantage of the situation and had begun attacking various coastal settlements.
Against these pirates, whose strength was far from negligible, relying solely on Pell and Chaka—two relatively inadequate guardians—was clearly not enough.
That was precisely why Vivi had thought of the two giants in Little Garden.
"Princess Vivi, this is bad!"
"A Marine warship has appeared outside!"
One of her attendants hurried over in a panic.
Igaram and Chaka’s expressions immediately stiffened.
They knew very well that Little Garden was an island that had effectively disappeared from the navigational charts.
Without a specific method of locating it, finding this place was extremely difficult.
Now not only had someone arrived...
It was the Marines.
And they clearly didn’t seem to be friendly visitors.
"Heh heh."
"It’s only the Marines."
Dorry laughed as he stood up.
"We haven’t fought the Marines in a hundred years."
"Besides, this island is filled with countless ferocious beasts. Without us clearing the way, it’ll take them quite a while to make it inside."
"You should leave first."
"We’ll deal with them."
However, the attendant who had come to deliver the urgent report immediately shook his head.
"No!"
"They’re not ordinary warships."
"It’s a specially built giant warship, large enough to carry giants."
"And it isn’t merely flying the Marines’ Justice flag."
"It also bears the flag representing an Admiral!"
An Admiral’s flag?
Vivi’s expression changed dramatically.
Her travels over the years had taught her exactly what the rank of Admiral represented within the Marines.
She believed that Dorry and Brogy could face an ordinary Vice Admiral without fear even if they fought together.
But against a Marine Admiral...
That would be another matter entirely.
More importantly, an Admiral had actually appeared in a place like this.
It was almost impossible to believe.
"Please, seniors, find a way to escape!"
"An Admiral represents the strongest combat power in the Marines!"
Vivi hurriedly tried to persuade them.
Dorry and Brogy were stunned.
As two of the greatest warriors of Elbaf, they naturally refused to flee from a battle.
More importantly...
They had just been underestimated by a little girl.
That was something they absolutely could not accept.
"Hmph!"
"Little girl, you were just asking us to go to Alabasta and serve as its guardians."
"And now you’re underestimating us?"
Blue Ogre Dorry snorted.
He grabbed the newly forged weapon beside him and spoke in a deep voice.
"Then I’ll show you..."
"The glory of the giants of Elbaf!"
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion of air erupted at the harbor entrance.
The very air flowing across the island seemed to stagnate for an instant.
The next moment—
A terrifying wave of Conqueror’s Haki, vast and overwhelming like an enraged tsunami, suddenly swept across the entire island.
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