Chapter 18: Little Garden
As the ship sailed smoothly on the vast waters of the Grand Line, the soft sounds of waves lapping against the hull filled the air. Vivi stood beside Nami on the deck, her voice tinged with a hint of concern as she explained, "Just remember to never underestimate this sea." Her warning hung in the air, serious and earnest.
"Cool, you're like a booger monster!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement as Lucas transformed into Goop. After Lucas had turned into Wildmutt, Luffy's curiosity about Lucas's abilities had only grown, leading him to show off Lucas's transformations to Usopp.
"That's amazing, I've never heard of someone who can turn into multiple monsters!" Usopp said, his voice filled with awe.
"See, I told ya!" Luffy said pridefully, a triumphant smile on his face.
"It's like they aren't fazed by this at all," Vivi remarked, watching them with a mix of bewilderment and amusement.
"Fufu, well of course it's only natural for me to do so because I'm awesome," Lucas said boastfully, striking a confident pose.
"Can you turn into something else?" Usopp asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Let me think..." Lucas replied, a mischievous glint in his eye. He then morphed into Four Arms, the Tetraman. "What do you think?" he said, flexing his upper arms while crossing his lower ones. "Pretty cool, right?"
Usopp and Luffy's faces lit up with gleams of amazement. "Gotta say, it is somewhat impressive," Zoro commented, his usual stoicism barely masking his own fascination.
"Astonishing, just how many of those monsters can he turn into?" Igaram thought, watching in awe.
"Now you have four arms, that's really amazing, super cool," Luffy said, marveling at Lucas's transformed body.
"Who wants drinks?" Sanji's voice came from the kitchen. As he came down, he noticed Lucas's monstrous form. "What's with the monster?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"It's not a monster, it's Lucas. Pretty cool, right?" Usopp replied as Lucas turned back to normal.
"I mean, I guess so," Sanji replied, handing out the drinks.
"Oh, look!" Igaram said, pointing to an island appearing over the horizon, growing bigger as they approached.
"I think we've arrived at our second island," Lucas said. Luffy was immediately filled with anticipation and excitement, while Nami checked her log pose to ensure they were headed in the right direction.
"Can't wait to check it out!" Luffy said, his voice bubbling with enthusiasm as the island came nearer.
As the ship sailed upstream, entering the island, the crew couldn't help but notice the gigantic flora. The plants were enormous, dwarfing anything they'd seen before. "Uhh, what's with this place? Whoever named it Little Garden sure has a funny way of naming things," Nami said, her eyes wide as she gaped at the towering trees. Just then, a loud screech rattled her, and a giant lizard-like bird flew above them.
"A flying lizard!" Luffy exclaimed, his voice filled with wonder. Not long after, a giant tiger roared in the distance, making it clear this was no ordinary island.
"No, no, no! We can't stay here, we gotta leave now!" Usopp and Nami said in a panic, their faces pale with fear.
"Then what about the log pose?" Lucas asked, trying to stay rational amidst the chaos.
"Fine then, we'll simply wait for the log pose to record the magnetic field of this place, then get out of here," Nami replied as the ship came to a stop.
"There's no way we'll be safe here," Usopp added, his voice trembling.
"Come on, we're already in the Grand Line, so there's no use being scared all the time," Lucas said, trying to be the voice of reason.
"Easy for you to say!" Usopp replied loudly, his anxiety evident.
"Yeah," Nami backed him up, sharing his concern.
While they squabbled, Luffy's excitement was palpable. He couldn't contain his smile. "Sanji! Prepare for me a lunchbox," he called out, leaving Sanji confused.
"Make it a pirate lunchbox!" Luffy added, his enthusiasm unflagging.
"You're going out?" Sanji replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I can feel it, the adventure awaits," Luffy said, urging Sanji to hurry.
"Can I come as well?" Vivi asked, her voice filled with determination.
"Princess, surely you mustn't. It's not safe," Igaram cautioned, concern lining his face.
"I'll come along as well," Lucas said, stepping up. "There, I'm sure with them by my side, I'll be fine," Vivi insisted.
Reluctantly, Igaram agreed. "Fine then, I'll come along as well," he said persistently.
"Well then, we're off!" Luffy declared, marking their goodbyes as they left.
"Just sitting here won't do any good, so I'll head out too," Zoro said, getting up.
"Hey, swordsman, while you're out there make sure to catch some meat for us," Sanji said, his tone challenging.
"Sure, I'll make sure to catch something you'll never be able to," Zoro replied, "Is that so?" Sanji replied with a competitive spark in his eyes as he and Zoro headed out, turning this into a hunting competition.
"It's huge!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement as they came across a towering, long-necked creature.
"It's a dinosaur," Vivi said in shock, unable to believe her eyes. "Amazing! It may be that…" she began, trying to explain the reason behind these ancient creatures still existing on the island. But her words fell on deaf ears as Luffy and Lucas had already taken off, riding the dinosaurs.
"Don't ride them!" she yelled, her voice filled with urgency, but it was too late. Both Luffy and Lucas were already having the time of their lives atop the giant beasts. "This is fun!" Lucas said, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Eh…! Ahhhh!" Vivi, Igaram, and Carue panicked as they watched Luffy get swallowed by the dinosaur he was riding. Their hearts raced in terror.
But, luck was on their side. A giant appeared out of nowhere, slashing the dinosaur's neck and freeing Luffy. "Gya gya gya!" The giant laughed heartily. "You sure did surprise me there!" he said, his laughter echoing around them. "It's been a while since I've had guests. Come, let us dine together," he said, walking away with Luffy in his hand.
Carue passed out at the sight of the giant, and Igaram, along with Vivi, were left in stunned silence. "Ma ma maa! Ahem. My word, to think I'd see them in such a place," Igaram exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. Vivi, still in shock, nodded in agreement, unable to find her voice.
They followed along to where Luffy and Lucas were with the giant. "I'm Dorry," the giant introduced himself as they sat down to dine together. The group conversed animatedly while they ate, as they learned more regarding Dorry and why he's here.