Chapter 59: Recruitment!
The pale moonlight poured down like liquid silver, filtering through the ancient canopy of the Little Garden and mingling with the orange glow of the fiercely burning bonfire.
The atmosphere in the clearing was boisterous, a stark contrast to the deathly silence of the duel just hours prior. The prehistoric jungle, usually filled with the roars of dinosaurs, now echoed with the laughter of myths.
"Gebababababa!"
Brogy, the Red Ogre, picked up an enormous wooden barrel of liquor—one that would have been a bathtub for a normal human—and tilted his head back. He poured the amber liquid down his throat like a waterfall crashing into a canyon.
"Gah! That hits the spot!" Brogy wiped his mouth with the back of his massive hand, his beard glistening with oil and rum. "It's been a hundred years since I tasted West Blue liquor! This is exhilarating! Isn't that right, Dorry?"
"Ggyagyagyagya!"
Dorry, the Blue Ogre, tore a chunk of roasted meat the size of a cow from the spit. He chewed bone and gristle alike, the crunching sound echoing like gravel in a mixer.
"That's right, Brogy! Fine liquor and roasted meat are a warrior's best comfort! These little humans know how to throw a feast worthy of Elbaf!"
The two Giants laughed together, the sound vibrating through the ground and causing the pebbles near the fire to dance. The sheer volume of their joy was infectious.
Suzaku sat on a log, watching them with a satisfied smile. Around him, his crew was relaxed but busy.
"More glaze on the left flank, Ram," Rem instructed, holding a brush the size of a mop.
"Understood," Ram replied. She flicked her finger, and a gentle, controlled blade of wind pushed the flames, intensifying the heat exactly where it was needed to crisp the dinosaur skin.
Nami was sitting on a crate, happily calculating the value of the leftover dinosaur bones, while Albedo sat elegantly with a glass of red wine, looking bored by the rustic setting but content to be near Suzaku.
Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, Dorry took another large drink. But as he lowered the barrel, the boisterous smile on his rugged face gradually faded. The firelight cast deep shadows across his eyes, replacing the joy with a solemn seriousness.
The air grew heavy.
Dorry looked intently at Suzaku. His massive eyes, which had seen a century of battle, narrowed slightly.
"Kid... no, Captain Suzaku," Dorry rumbled, his voice deep and vibrating in everyone's chest. "The man who defeated us earlier today... the one in white. Is he your crewmate?"
Brogy, sensing the shift in mood, also put down his meat. He turned his head, his expression mirroring his friend's. The respect in their eyes was palpable.
Suzaku met the two giants' probing gazes with a frank, confident smile. He didn't flinch under the pressure of two legendary warriors.
"Of course," Suzaku nodded, gesturing to the silent figure leaning against a tree in the shadows. "His name is Ulquiorra Cifer. He is my partner, my sword, and an officer on my ship."
"I see..." Dorry murmured.
His gaze slowly swept over everyone seated around the bonfire. He looked at the delicate-looking Rem, the arrogant Albedo, and the unassuming Nami.
Monsters, Dorry thought. Every single one of them. Even the orange-haired girl smells of strange weather magic. And that winged woman... she feels even more dangerous than the white demon. To gather such strength... this Captain is no ordinary human.
He exchanged a meaningful look with Brogy. A silent communication passed between them—a warrior's understanding built over a hundred years of shared solitude.
They nodded.
Dorry turned back to Suzaku, his expression grave. "Earlier today, you said something that stopped our hearts. You said you knew the whereabouts of our crewmates. Our brothers, Oimo and Kashi."
Brogy leaned forward, the firelight casting long, dancing shadows across his face. "Please. Tell us the truth. Where are they? Did they return to Elbaf?"
Suzaku dropped his smile. He placed his cup down and looked them in the eye.
"I will tell you the truth, but you won't like it."
He took a breath and began to recount the history that the World Government had tried to bury.
"Fifty years ago, Oimo and Kashi grew worried about your duel. They left Elbaf to find you. But they were intercepted by the Marines. The World Government deceived them. They told your crew that you two had been captured and were being held in prison."
"Captured?!" Brogy roared, slamming his fist into the ground. The impact shook the trees. "Us?! By the Marines?! Absurd! We have never lost to the Government!"
"It was a lie," Suzaku continued calmly, his voice cutting through the Giant's rage. "But Oimo and Kashi believed it because they respect your strength. They were told that if they guarded the Gates of Justice at Enies Lobby for one hundred years, the Government would release you."
The crackling of the fire was the only sound for a long moment.
"So..." Suzaku finished, his voice cold. "For fifty years, your loyal subordinates have been working as gatekeepers for the World Government, protecting the very organization that lied to them, believing they are saving their Captains."
"The World Government..." Rem whispered, her clear blue eyes full of disgust. She gripped her carving knife tightly. "Rem truly hates such despicable methods. Playing with people's loyalty is unforgivable."
Albedo let out a disdainful snort, swirling her wine. "Typical of weak rulers. They rely on deception because they lack true power. Disgusting insects."
Nami covered her mouth, her eyes shimmering with sympathy. "Fifty years... they've been waiting for fifty years?"
The two Giants sat in silence.
Their expressions froze. The joy of the feast vanished. Their faces darkened, shadows hiding their eyes.
The air around them began to twist. It wasn't Haki, but the sheer, raw pressure of their rage was suffocating. The bonfire flickered wildly as if afraid. The nearby trees began to creak under the atmospheric stress.
"Deceived..." Dorry whispered, his voice trembling not with sadness, but with fury.
"For fifty years... they enslaved our brothers..." Brogy growled, his teeth grinding together with the sound of crushing rocks.
Suddenly, Dorry and Brogy simultaneously raised the barrels of liquor in their hands. They looked at each other, seeing the same fire burning in their partner's eyes. The duel was over. They had a new enemy.
They turned to Suzaku. They didn't bow, but their posture shifted to one of respect and allegiance.
"Captain Suzaku!"
Their voices thundered in perfect unison, creating a shockwave that blew the flames of the bonfire sideways.
"Please take care of us from now on!"
They declared their loyalty with the force of a vow.
Dorry immediately added, his voice resolute, "However! We have a request! Before we sail under your banner to the New World, we must first go to Enies Lobby!"
"We must rescue our comrades!" Brogy shouted, crushing the thick wooden barrel in his hand into splinters. "Kashi and Oimo are good lads! They are stupid, loyal fools! We cannot let them suffer for our sake any longer! We will tear down the Gates of Justice!"
Hearing this, Suzaku broke into a brilliant, satisfied smile. This was exactly what he wanted.
He stood up abruptly.
"Of course!"
Seeing him rise, Albedo, Rem, Nami, and even the silent Ulquiorra straightened up.
Suzaku raised his cup high. His crimson coat fluttered in the heat of the fire.
"I have always treated my comrades like family! An attack on one is an attack on all! From this day forward, you two are Captains of the Giant Division under the Suzaku Pirates! Go forth! Reclaim your title! Go to Enies Lobby and tear those gates down! Bring your brothers home!"
"OOOOOOOH!"
The roar of the Giants shook the stars.
"Cheers!"
The voices of the crowd converged into a warm current, soaring toward the heavens. The pact was sealed in wine and fire.
"Rem," Suzaku instructed with a smile, turning to his maid. "The mood is too good to stop now. Go to the ship. Bring the rest of the meat from that Five-Color Giant-Toothed Fish I caught. And call everyone else on the Vermillion Wing over! The rescued villagers, O-Kiku, everyone!"
"The feast must continue!" Suzaku laughed. "And soon, I will treat you all to a unique fireworks display to celebrate the birth of the Giant Division!"
"Rem understands!"
The blue-haired maid curtsied and vanished into the forest with a burst of speed.
Before long, the clearing was filled with people. The crew of the Vermillion Wing, the rescued girls, and the villagers from the Sky Island gathered around the fire. O-Kiku looked at the Giants with shy curiosity, while Ram quietly organized the food distribution with military efficiency.
By this time, Suzaku had cleared an area in the center of the clearing. He held an antique-looking firework tube that he had pulled from his System Inventory—a celebratory item from a previous gacha pull.
Under everyone's expectant gaze, he bent down and lit the fuse.
Hiss—
The spark traveled down the line.
BOOM!
A brilliant beam of light shot through the night sky, screaming upwards until it pierced the canopy.
CRACK-BOOM!
It burst open thunderously at the highest point of the dark sky. Streams of golden light overflowed, cascading down like a glittering waterfall. For a moment, it looked as if the stars themselves were falling.
"Wow!" Nami gasped, her eyes reflecting the gold. Her orange hair shone with a warm luster under the fireworks' glow. "It's beautiful!"
Before one bloom ended, another began.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Crimson wreaths that looked like burning rings of fire. Azure whirlpools that spun like galaxies. Emerald patterns that formed the shape of a soaring bird. They unfolded one after another, decorating the ancient, prehistoric sky like a beautiful dream.
Ulquiorra stood silently beneath the shadow of a tree, watching the lights. He didn't understand the utility, but he didn't look away.
Ram gently held her sister Rem's hand. The twins stood side by side, their silhouettes illuminated by the flashes. Both pairs of similar eyes reflected the magnificent display.
"It's warm, Nee-sama," Rem whispered.
"It is," Ram agreed softly. "It is not bad."
O-Kiku and the rescued girls had long forgotten their fear of the Giants and the jungle. They looked up, their faces finally showing the pure, astonished smiles belonging to their age, the trauma of their kidnapping momentarily washed away by the light.
Suzaku turned around.
In the alternating light and shadow of the fireworks, he saw the joyful expressions of his partners. He heard the hearty laughter of Dorry and Brogy as they clapped their hands like thunder. He saw Albedo smiling softly at him.
In this moment, an unspeakable sense of fulfillment surged within his chest.
It wasn't about the System. It wasn't about becoming the Pirate King.
It was this.
The warmth of the bonfire. The beauty of the fireworks. The laughter of his partners. These vibrant faces and this unreserved trust provided him with a solid fixed point on this vast, chaotic ocean.
This is it, Suzaku thought. Bonds are the strongest anchor. Where the heart finds peace, that is home.
Three Days Later.
The early morning sun spread a sheet of gold across the calm sea.
On the shore of Little Garden, a miracle of engineering—and brute force—sat bobbing in the water.
Under Ram's efficient command and the collective effort of the crew, a large wooden ship capable of carrying the massive bodies of the Giants had been constructed in record time.
It wasn't pretty. The hull was rough, made from unpolished iron-wood trees cut down by Ram's wind magic. The nails were driven in by Albedo's bare hands, bending steel like clay. The shape was secured by Rem's ice until the tar set. But it was exceptionally sturdy, a testament to the monster trio's efficiency.
Suzaku stood at the bow of the Vermillion Wing, the sea breeze sweeping past his clothes.
He surveyed his assembled partners. The time for parting had come.
"Everyone," Suzaku's voice was clear and steady. "We will temporarily split into two groups."
He turned his gaze toward the silent Arrancar.
"Ulquiorra. You will travel with Dorry and Brogy. Your mission is to guide them to Enies Lobby and ensure the rescue operation is successful. Do not destroy the island completely... unless necessary."
Ulquiorra nodded slightly. "Understood. Destruction will be kept within parameters."
Suzaku then looked at Nami, Albedo, Rem, and Ram beside him.
"As for me, I will take the rest of you to restock. We have a lot of mouths to feed, and our supplies from the Sky Island are running low. We need to hit a major port before we continue our journey."
He waved his arm, pointing toward the south. "We will reunite at Sabaody Archipelago! At that time, it will be the moment we sail together toward the New World!"
"Gebababababa!"
"Ggyagyagyagya!"
Dorry and Brogy gripped their massive weapons, battle intent burning in their eyes. They stood on their new raft-ship, looking like gods of war.
"Don't worry, Captain!" Dorry shouted. "With Ulquiorra's strength combined with ours, we will tear Enies Lobby apart if we have to! We will rescue our comrades and wait for you at Sabaody!"
"We will bring good wine!" Brogy promised.
The Giants' ship began to drift away, pushed by the current and the Giants' massive oars.
Watching the ship shrink into a black speck on the horizon, Rem frowned slightly. She looked up at Suzaku, a hint of genuine worry in her clear blue eyes.
"Suzaku-sama... will they be okay?" Rem asked softly. "Enies Lobby is a government stronghold. And... will they be able to find a suitable island along the way to buy a Log Pose? Giants aren't exactly known for their navigation skills."
Before Suzaku could answer, Nami laughed. She walked over and put her arm around Rem's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Rem!" Nami's tone was relaxed and assured. "Think about it. Dorry and Brogy were Captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates a hundred years ago. They sailed the Grand Line before Log Poses were even standardized! Their instincts are better than any compass."
Nami winked, a hint of mischief in her voice. "And as for navigation tools... Ulquiorra is with them. He can fly! Wouldn't it be easy for him to just 'borrow' a Log Pose from some inconspicuous pirate crew passing by? Or... ask politely with a Cero?"
Suzaku laughed, nodding approvingly. He reached out to gently pat Rem's head.
"Nami is right," Suzaku said, his gaze sweeping across the boundless sea with absolute confidence. "With their combined strength—two Giant Captains and an Espada—we absolutely don't need to worry about them."
He grinned, his eyes flashing with amusement.
"The ones who truly should worry... are the pirates unfortunate enough to run into them along the way! And the Marines at Enies Lobby who are about to have a very, very bad day."
The sea breeze blew, dispersing the worry clouding Rem's brow. She smiled.
"You're right, Suzaku-sama."
"Alright!" Suzaku turned back to the helm, his expression shifting to one of anticipation.
"Ram, raise the anchor! Nami, set a course for the nearest island with a major market! We have a mountain of gold to spend and a ship to restock."
"Aye, Captain!" Nami cheered, her eyes turning into Berry symbols. "Next stop: Jaya Island! Mock Town! Let's go shopping!"
"Set sail!"
The Vermillion Wing caught the wind, leaving the prehistoric garden behind and speeding toward the lawless paradise of Jaya.
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