Chapter 55: The Little Garden!
The Vermillion Wing drifted silently into the mouth of the massive river, propelled not by the wind, but by the gentle coastal currents and Nami's precise navigation.
As they left the open blue sea behind, the atmosphere shifted instantly and violently.
It was as if they had crossed an invisible barrier into another era. The fresh, salty ocean breeze died, replaced by a heavy, oppressive humidity that clung to the skin like a wet blanket. The air was thick, carrying the pungent, earthy scent of rotting vegetation, sulfur, and ancient, damp soil.
The sunlight, which had been blindingly bright on the open waves, was now filtered through a canopy of green so dense it nearly blotted out the sky.
On the deck, the relaxed atmosphere of the fishing trip vanished. The rescued civilians huddled together, their eyes darting nervously toward the riverbanks.
From the depths of the jungle came sounds that no human ear should have heard in the modern era.
SCREEEEEE!
A high-pitched shriek tore through the air, followed by a low, guttural rumble that vibrated in the chests of everyone on board.
GROOOOWL...
"What... what is this place?" one of the villagers whispered, clutching her child tight. "The trees... why are they so big?"
She wasn't exaggerating. The vegetation on this island defied all logic. Ferns, usually ankle-high plants, towered like skyscrapers, their fronds casting long shadows over the ship. Mushrooms the size of umbrellas dotted the riverbank, and vines as thick as pythons hung from the canopy, dripping with unknown sap.
"Wow! Look over there!"
A young girl, one of those rescued from the bandits, suddenly pointed toward a break in the trees. "Is that... a long-necked lizard? It's huge!"
Everyone turned to look.
In the distance, rising above the treeline like a living crane, was a majestic, gray neck. It moved slowly, stripping an entire branch of leaves in a single bite. The ground shook slightly as the creature took a step, revealing a body the size of a mountain.
"Idiot! That's not a lizard!"
An old, well-traveled fisherman who had spent his life on the Grand Line dropped his pipe. His voice trembled, not with fear, but with a fanatical, unbelievable excitement.
"That's... that's a Brachiosaurus! A dinosaur!"
"Dinosaur?" Nami gripped the railing, her eyes widening. "You mean the creatures that went extinct millions of years ago? Why are they here?"
"They exist only in the oldest legends... and on this specific island," the old man whispered.
Suzaku stood at the bow of the ship, his arms crossed, the crimson captain's coat draped over his shoulders fluttering in the damp breeze. He looked at the prehistoric landscape with a knowing smile.
"This environment... the accelerated plant growth, the trapped climate, the ancient beasts..."
He rubbed his chin, his eyes gleaming. "There's no mistake. We've arrived at the island where time has forgotten to move forward. The Little Garden."
"Little Garden!"
Nami, having secured the anchor, ran down from the helm. Her navigator's brain was firing on all cylinders. "I've read about this! It was mentioned in the explorer Louis Arnot's book, Brag Men! It's said to be a land that still retains the prehistoric landscape of the ancient world... and rumors say it's inhabited by the Giant Race!"
"Giants and dinosaurs," Suzaku chuckled. "A man's romance. Let's go ashore and confirm it with our own eyes."
"I'll stay to guard the ship."
A cool, calm voice cut through the excitement.
Ram, the pink-haired older sister, stepped forward. Her maid outfit was immaculate, a stark contrast to the wild jungle. Her red eyes scanned the dense foliage, analyzing the threats hidden within the shadows.
"This environment is teeming with high-level biological signatures," Ram stated, her tone professional and brooking no argument. "It is not safe. Someone needs to secure our retreat and protect the Vermillion Wing."
She glanced at the group of civilians huddled near the cabin. "These people are non-combatants. If a beast attacks while you are away, they will be slaughtered. I will remain here to ensure that does not happen."
"Elder Sister..."
Rem looked at Ram hesitantly. Her blue eyes wavered. On one hand, she wanted to stay by her beloved sister's side. On the other hand, the delicious scent of unknown beasts—top-tier ingredients—was drifting from the jungle.
"But... Rem wants to see the dinosaurs too," Rem murmured, fidgeting with her fingers.
Suzaku noticed her dilemma. He smiled gently, reached out, and took Rem's small, gloved hand in his.
"Don't worry, Rem," Suzaku said softly, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Ram is the most reliable housekeeper in the multiverse. The ship is safe with her. Besides, I need your combat strength—and your cooking skills—with me."
He looked at Ram. "I'm counting on you, Ram. If anything gets too close... blow it away."
"Understood, Suzaku-sama," Ram curtsied elegantly. "Please return safely. And take care of my foolish little sister."
"Rem isn't foolish!" Rem puffed her cheeks, but she didn't let go of Suzaku's hand.
However, the moment of sweetness was interrupted by a heavy, dark pressure approaching from the right.
Albedo.
The Great Overseer had been watching Suzaku hold Rem's hand with narrowed, golden eyes. The jealousy was palpable, radiating off her like heat waves.
She didn't say a word. She simply stepped forward with an elegant, predatory stride.
Swish.
She linked her arm through Suzaku's left arm, pressing her generous curves firmly against his bicep. She interlaced her fingers with his, locking him in a grip that was far tighter than necessary.
"If Rem is going, then naturally, the Head Wife must accompany you as well," Albedo declared, smiling sweetly at Rem, though her eyes were cold. "To ensure our Lord is properly entertained... and protected."
Suzaku found himself in a familiar predicament: Rem on his right, looking innocent and happy; Albedo on his left, clinging to him like a possessive vine; and the silent, brooding Ulquiorra trailing behind.
"Right," Suzaku laughed nervously. "Let's... let's go explore."
Leaving Ram to guard the ship, the strange party stepped off the gangplank and onto the spongy, moss-covered earth of Little Garden.
The jungle was a sensory overload. The humidity was suffocating, instantly making clothes stick to skin. Mosquitoes the size of hawks buzzed in the air, only to be swatted out of existence by invisible flicks of Albedo's wings.
"It's so hot," Nami complained, fanning herself with her hand. "And it smells like... sulfur?"
"Volcanoes," Suzaku explained, pointing to the distant peaks shrouded in smoke. "This island is active in every sense of the word."
Just as they were pushing through a thicket of ferns taller than Albedo, a rustling sound stopped them.
Rustle... Rustle...
A small, herbivorous dinosaur—roughly the size of a cow—peeked its head out from behind a giant leaf. It looked like a miniature triceratops without the horns. It blinked its large, innocent eyes, sniffing the air. It had never seen humans before, so it lacked the instinct to run.
It stretched its neck out, nostrils twitching, trying to smell the strange intruders.
"Aww!" Nami's eyes softened. "It's actually kind of cute—"
"Lord Suzaku."
Rem's voice cut in, completely devoid of sentimentality.
The blue-haired maid tilted her head, her sapphire eyes gleaming with a terrifyingly professional light. She wasn't looking at an animal; she was looking at a walking steak.
"Look at the muscle definition on its hind legs," Rem analyzed, her tone serious. "The skin is thick, which implies a layer of subcutaneous fat. Given its diet of prehistoric ferns... the marbling should be exquisite."
She turned to Suzaku, drool practically forming at the corner of her mouth. "The meat looks very good, doesn't it?"
Nami froze. "Rem? It's cute..."
"Cute things often taste the best," Rem countered with a terrifyingly innocent smile.
Nami blinked, then her eyes turned into Berry symbols. "Wait... rare dinosaur meat? That would sell for millions to the gourmet nobles!"
She pointed a finger dramatically. "Get it! Catch it, Rem! If it's delicious, we can sell the leftovers!"
"Rem understands!"
The maid nodded obediently. Her execution was swift and merciless.
She stepped forward. The dinosaur tilted its head, confused.
Rem gently raised her fair, small hand. The humidity in the air instantly crystallized.
"Ice Magic: Huma."
Snap.
A wave of bone-chilling cold erupted from her palm. The moisture in the jungle air froze instantly, creating a jagged spear of ice that encased the dinosaur in a split second.
The creature didn't even have time to cry out. It was instantly sealed in a block of transparent, blue ice, preserving its confused expression perfectly. It was now a sculpture—and a frozen dinner.
"Excellent preservation," Suzaku praised, patting Rem on the head. "We'll pick it up on the way back. Let's keep moving. I sense something bigger ahead."
The group ventured deeper into the jungle. The trees grew thicker, the shadows darker.
They eventually emerged into a massive, natural clearing—a killing field.
ROAAAAAR!
A deafening roar shook the leaves off the trees. The ground trembled.
In the center of the clearing, a primal hunt was unfolding. A massive, blood-red Tyrannosaurus Rex—easily forty feet tall—was chasing a pack of panicked Ornithomimids.
Its jaws snapped shut with the force of a hydraulic press, crushing a smaller dinosaur in a spray of blood. It swallowed the prey whole and turned, its yellow eyes locking onto the new intruders.
It was the apex predator of this island. The King of the Jungle.
"T-T-T-Rex!" Nami shrieked, hiding behind Ulquiorra. "It's a T-Rex! Run!"
The Tyrannosaurus let out a guttural growl, lowering its massive head. It smelled fresh meat. It took a thundering step toward them, opening its mouth to unleash a roar that would paralyze its prey with fear.
Ulquiorra Cifer didn't move.
He stood with his hands in his pockets, his posture slouched and indifferent. He watched the charging beast with the same expression one would use to watch paint dry.
"Survival of the fittest," Ulquiorra murmured, his voice flat. "A natural law. Boring."
The T-Rex roared—
And then, it stopped.
Ulquiorra had simply raised his eyelids slightly. He didn't release a Cero. He didn't draw his sword. He just allowed a fraction of a percent of his spiritual pressure—his Reiatsu of Nihility—to leak out.
To the T-Rex, the world suddenly turned grey.
The dinosaur's primitive brain, driven purely by instinct, screamed. It didn't see a small pale man. It saw a black hole. It saw the end of all life. It saw a predator so far above the food chain that it didn't even register as biological.
The massive beast stiffened mid-step. Its roar died in its throat, turning into a pathetic, high-pitched whimper.
The T-Rex trembled. It took a step back. Then another.
Then, the King of the Jungle turned tail and ran. It smashed through the trees in a desperate, panicked retreat, fleeing from the small, emo-looking man as if the devil himself was chasing it.
"It... it ran away?" Nami blinked, sliding down to sit on the ground. "Without doing anything?"
"It has good instincts," Suzaku noted dryly. "If it had taken one more step, it would have been erased."
Ulquiorra closed his eyes again. "Trash."
Just as the group was about to continue, the ground suddenly jumped.
THUMP!
It wasn't a vibration from a dinosaur. It was a seismic event.
THUMP!
"Is... is it an earthquake?" Nami stammered, holding onto Suzaku's leg.
"No," Suzaku's eyes narrowed, his Observation Haki expanding outward. "This rhythm... it's footsteps."
THUMP!
The trees at the far end of the clearing began to snap like matchsticks. Birds flew into the sky in a massive flock, screeching in terror.
"Something is coming," Albedo hissed, her wings spreading instinctively. "Something large."
From the dense canopy, two figures emerged.
They didn't just walk out of the forest; they towered over it. They were mountains in the shape of men.
One wore a blue Viking helmet and carried a massive broadsword. He had a long, braided beard.
The other wore a red Viking helmet and wielded a colossal battle axe. His beard was wide and fan-shaped.
They were easily twenty meters tall. Their laughter echoed like thunder rolling across the valley.
"Gebabababa!"
"Ggyagyagyagya!"
The two giants stepped into the clearing, their massive weapons resting on their shoulders. They looked down at the tiny humans—who were barely the size of their toes—with amusement.
"Oh?" The Giant with the red helmet (Brogy) boomed. "We have little guests, Dorry."
"Indeed, Brogy," the Giant with the blue helmet (Dorry) rumbled. "It's been a hundred years since we've had visitors who didn't run away screaming."
Suzaku looked up, craning his neck to see their faces. A grin spread across his face.
"The Warrior Chiefs of Elbaf," Suzaku announced. "Dorry the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre."
The legends of the Little Garden had arrived.
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