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Following Brogy toward his residence, Ikki and the others passed through a jungle teeming with ancient creatures. Dinosaurs, saber-toothed tigers, and other prehistoric beasts roamed freely, but the moment they saw Brogy, they froze in place, clearly intimidated by the towering giant.
After their initial fear subsided, Nami and Tashigi began to look around with growing curiosity, taking in the sights of this unique Ancient Island.
Before long, the group arrived at Brogy's residence.
The structure had an unusual appearance, resembling a giant beast sprawled on the ground. It was crude but sturdy, perfectly suited to a giant of Brogy's size.
"Everyone, this is my temporary home," Brogy announced with a hearty laugh. "Sit wherever you like while I get a fire going for the barbecue!"
Ikki wasted no time. He found an open area, pulled out a few chairs from his storage, and sat down comfortably.
Smoker, puffing on his cigar, gave Ikki a stern look. "Ikki, don't forget our mission. We don't have time to waste here."
Ikki smirked. "Why so serious, Smoker? I know the mission's important, but we can't just be all business all the time. A little break won't hurt."
Tashigi, nodding in agreement, added, "That's right, Captain Smoker! It's okay to enjoy things that interest you while on a mission. It helps keep the mind sharp!"
For Tashigi, her interest was clear—famous swords.
Even though she didn't possess any legendary blades herself, Tashigi never wavered in her dedication to studying them. She spent her free time researching their histories, compiling detailed notes on their current owners, and dreaming of reclaiming those that had fallen into the wrong hands.
Her passion for justice and her love for swords often blended, as one of her goals was to retrieve famous blades from criminals who misused them.
Smoker, however, had little patience for her sword obsession. While he respected her talent for swordsmanship, he found her single-minded focus frustrating, especially when it distracted her from other duties.
Smoker shot Tashigi a disapproving glance, causing her to nervously adjust her glasses and look away.
Ikki laughed at the interaction. "Sister Tashigi," he teased, "how about joining our private Marine crew? We're much more relaxed, and our Fleet Admiral isn't as uptight as Smoker!"
Smoker scowled. "..."
Tashigi, shaking her head earnestly, replied, "No, I can't leave Captain Smoker. If he went on duty alone, civilians would mistake him for a pirate. He'd even scare the children... It'd be too pitiful for him!"
Smoker's expression darkened further.
While her words were well-meaning, they hit painfully close to home. Smoker was well aware of his gruff appearance. Between his constant cigar-smoking, perpetually serious expression, and refusal to wear the standard Marine uniform, he often gave the impression of being anything but a Marine.
Without a squad of Marines accompanying him, people frequently mistook him for a rogue pirate.
"If he's alone and cuffed, with Marines following him," Ikki joked, "he might even be mistaken for a captured criminal!"
When Smoker first took up his post in Loguetown, he unintentionally terrified a lot of children. Many ended up in tears at the mere sight of him.
Resolving these incidents often fell to Tashigi, whose gentle demeanor helped calm things down. Otherwise, anonymous complaint letters would pile up, filling the Marine branch's mailbox.
Ikki burst out laughing after hearing Tashigi's recounting of the events.
He had read in the original story that Smoker scared children, but he hadn't realized it was a recurring problem.
Hearing Ikki and Nami's laughter, Smoker's face turned slightly red as he awkwardly looked away.
Trying to change the subject, Smoker's eyes landed on Brogy, who was tending to the barbecue fire. He approached the giant and asked, "Mr. Brogy, if I'm not mistaken, you were one of the two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates. Why are you here?"
Brogy froze momentarily, then let out a booming laugh. "Kabababa! I didn't expect a young Marine like you to know my name! So, what's your plan? Are you here to capture me and claim the reward?"
Smoker shook his head. "I don't think I could capture you even if I tried. Besides, the World Government has written you off as dead since you haven't been seen in a hundred years."
"Kabababa!" Brogy laughed heartily before replying, "Well, they're not wrong! I've lived here for a century. The reason I'm still here is a dispute with my friend. In Elbaf, when two warriors have a disagreement, the only way to resolve it is through combat. The victor proves their point."
Smoker furrowed his brow. "So, it's Blue Ogre Dorry that you're fighting with?"
"Kabababa! That's right. Seems you know quite a bit about us!" Brogy said, clearly impressed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Luffy, Vivi, and Usopp encountered Dorry, the Blue Ogre.
Like Brogy, Dorry was incredibly hospitable. When he saw Luffy playing with several long-necked dinosaurs, he couldn't help but warm up to the energetic boy. He invited Luffy and his group to his home for a party, even allowing Karoo the duck to tag along.
Luffy, ever the sociable adventurer, quickly struck up a friendship with the jovial giant. They chatted and laughed as though they'd known each other for years.
However, the cheerful atmosphere was abruptly interrupted by the sudden eruption of Little Garden's volcano.
Dorry's jovial expression turned serious as he stood up, gripping his massive weapon. On the other side of the island, Brogy's demeanor similarly shifted.
The two giants, weapons in hand, began heading toward their designated battlefield.
The news of their impending duel quickly spread throughout Little Garden, the ground trembling with each of their steps.
Not far from the battlefield, two figures observed the scene through telescopes.
"Mr. 3, are you sure you have a way to deal with these two giants?" asked Miss Golden Week, her voice curious yet skeptical.
Mr. 3 stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Dealing with them head-on would be difficult. These two are far too powerful. The only way to bring them down is to strike from within."
In the original story, Mr. 3 had teamed up with Mr. 5 to injure Dorry severely using underhanded tactics, even planting a bomb in his drink.
But Mr. 3 knew his current limitations. His bombs were large and cumbersome, unlike Mr. 5's explosives, which could be triggered with something as small as a piece of his booger.
"It's impossible to rely on explosives right now," he muttered. "And using my wax to immobilize both of them would take too much time to set up."
After weighing his options, Mr. 3 decided to abandon his attempt to capture the giants for now. "We'll need more senior agents to handle these two. For now, it's better to regroup and plan another attack later."
Mr. 3 prided himself on his intelligence and would never act without a solid plan. However, as he lowered his telescope from the giants, he found something—or rather, someone—that caught his attention.
A mischievous grin spread across his face as he shifted his telescope toward Luffy, who was laughing and chatting with Dorry.
"No need to deal with the giants now," he declared. "I've found a new target—a thirty-million-berries head! Monkey D. Luffy!"