Chapter XVII: A Reason to Fight

"All right, everyone, it's time to continue our Haki training!" Luffy announced. The statement was quickly met by two groans from Nami and Usopp and a curious look from Vivi. Luffy quickly explained the concept of Haki to Vivi, telling her that their crew was training in it and that she was welcome to join. Vivi politely declined, saying that she'd just watch for now. So, for the next hour, she watched them undergo their strange training regimens, wondering how this would help them unlock such a fantastical ability. Some of their methods seemed slightly…degrading. Moreover, Vivi wondered why Luffy and Zoro weren't taking part. When she voiced this inquiry, Luffy stated that they already knew all the basics and only had to work on their mastery. Whatever that meant.

Vivi was impressed, though. They kept this up for a few hours, only taking short breaks, before Luffy called them off and said they should prepare for lunch. "Can't train on any empty stomach," he said jovially as Nami and Usopp slumped to the floor and Sanji made his way to the kitchen.

Vivi looked at Nami and Usopp in wonder. She hesitated, and then spoke up. "If you two don't mind me asking, why do you train so hard? Who do you plan on fighting?" They looked surprised by the question, but nonetheless thoughtful. Nami was tempted to say something like, 'I'd like to know myself,' and Usopp wanted to respond, 'This is nothing for the Great Captain Usopp,' but they both held their tongues and gave the question the consideration that it deserved. Finally, Nami answered.

"It's not that we plan on fighting anyone in particular. It's just that I…" she said slowly. She frowned, trying to figure out what it was that she wanted to say. Usopp finished for her.

"I think it's because Luffy always goes out of his way to protect us, and I just want to be able to return the favor. The great Captain Usopp can't just sit on the sidelines forever, you know?" Nami nodded in agreement despite the great Captain Usopp part.

"I know I'm not a monster like some other members of our crew," she said, "but that doesn't mean I can't make a difference. Since he offered us training on a silver platter, I thought, why not?" She paused. "It doesn't seem like I'm making much progress, though," she said gloomily.

Vivi was a bit impressed by their answers. She herself was a pacifist, and didn't believe fighting could solve problems, which made the infiltration of Baroque Works especially difficult for her. But hearing their words, she couldn't help but think back to what her mentor and friend had once told her. It's not about fighting, it's about protecting.

Perhaps there was more depth to these pirates' strength than she had originally thought? Perhaps they didn't gain strength for the sake of fighting, but for the sake of protecting? If so, that was an important distinction in her mind. She was honestly starting to take a liking to them.

"Oh, by the way, Nami," Usopp started excitedly. "I've been doing some experiments with a lot of potential for application in combat. In addition to my new and improved Exploding Star, I came up with a pretty good idea for a weapon. It's a bit unconventional, but that just makes it even better. I could use some suggestions for it, and I think you could probably help. What do you say?" Nami looked surprised, but nodded.

"Sure, I'll take a look after lunch. I just wish I could come up with something similar in case this Haki business doesn't work out." She had a sad look on her face.

"Hah! Don't count us out just yet, Nami. If my theories pan out, I've got just the thing for you," he said. "Soon enough we'll be monsters in our own right!" Usopp crossed his arms and closed his eyes, nodding as he envisioned it. This caused Nami to cheer up a bit.

"Lunch is served, ladies!" Sanji called from above deck. "Right this way, if you will."

Vivi quickly found out that lunch with the Straw Hats was either eaten quickly or not eaten at all. Luffy's arms blurred out of sight as he stole food from everyone's plates indiscriminately. Sanji was having limited success in stopping him, and Nami and Usopp were having none whatsoever. Vivi could see the borderline hazardous rage building up in Nami. Only Zoro seemed to be indifferent. But then again, he was the only one defending his food successfully…for the most part.

Finally Sanji shouted, "Dammit, Luffy, if you can't keep to your own food, you don't get a single bite of the main course!" he asserted. Luffy looked as if he'd just been issued a death sentence, and his jaw dropped as he started sweating profusely. He pulled his arm, which was dangerously close to Sanji's plate, back to his side. He started pouting and turned his head away.

"Sanji's a jerk," he mumbled to no one in particular. When the main course arrived, they were finally able to dig in without worrying about their food disappearing before their eyes. Vivi took a bite and smiled.

"It's delicious!" she said gleefully.

"Thank you ma'am!" Sanji said with enthusiasm.

"Sanji's cooking is unrivalled!" Luffy shouted. "He can prepare anything! Even a weird otter and creepy vulture." Vivi froze.

"Otter and vulture?" she asked reluctantly.

"Ah, that's what the main course is. It's a healthy blend of otter and vulture meat. Apparently, Luffy got them from Whiskey Peak. It was pretty easy to prepare, even if the meat itself is an unconventional consumption," Sanji said. Vivi felt a bit dizzy as she stared down at the plate in front of her. She was eating…the Unluckies. That felt…strange, to say the least. Sanji grew concerned. "Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

Vivi shook her head frantically. She brought herself out of her stupor and continued eating, not really caring that much all of a sudden. It really was delicious. Sanji just shrugged and sat down with everybody. After lunch, Nami informed everyone that they should be arriving at Little Garden soon before disappearing below deck with Usopp. Luffy and Zoro said they were going to train a little. For the next half hour, Vivi was lost in thought, worrying about the state of her country. She didn't know how much the situation had changed since she last checked with Igaram. She wondered where he was right now. Was he on his way to Alabasta as well?

Nami and Usopp came back up again, and she suddenly realized how long she'd been spacing out. "That's amazing, Usopp! Your theories are pretty sound," she heard Nami say. "Do you really think you can make something like that?"

"Of course," Usopp said confidently. "I once built a great cannon that could destroy islands with a single blast. This is nothing in comparison." Nami ignored Usopp's habitual lying in favor of thinking about the potential that the weapon he was working on could have.

"Hey, look," Sanji said, looking out over the sea.

"What? Did you spot the island?" Nami asked.

"Nope. Just a dolphin," Sanji replied. They all looked in the direction he was pointing.

"Oh,Oh, wow, that's so cool!" Luffy said. "It's huge!" Nami looked at him in confusion. Huge? As the creature drew closer, she soon realized what he was talking about.

"Just a dolphin…" Sanji repeated as the marine mammal that was five times bigger than the Going Merry flipped over their ship. It disappeared into the water and soon resurfaced, swimming right towards them. It looked like it was about to ram the ship, but Luffy held his hand out at it and it slowed down, coming to a slow cruise next to them.

"Good boy," Luffy said, to the exasperation of the others and the sheer amazement of Vivi.

"How did you do that, Luffy-san!? Why did it listen to you?"

Luffy grinned. "It probably knows that I'm gonna be the Pirate King and decided not to take any chances," he said jokingly. Vivi was surprised at that announcement.

"Pirate King? Are you after One Piece Luffy-san?"

"Sure am," he said proudly. "Just watch. I'll be the first to get to Raftel…" he trailed off as an odd, wistful expression made his way onto his face. It seemed out of place on him. Vivi was about to ask what was wrong when Zoro spoke up.

"Hey, we've reached the island," he said. Everyone looked over the water to their destination.

"So, that's the second island of the Grand Line," Nami said.

"To be honest, I'm a little worried about what Miss All Sunday said," Vivi said.

"I wonder if there are monsters here," Usopp said fearfully.

"If there are, bring them back to the ship," Sanji suggested. "We're low on food since we didn't get to stock up at the last town."

As the ship cruised through a small canal leading into the uninhabited island, an eerie feeling overcame Nami. "This place looks like some sort of tropical jungle," she pointed out. "Why is it called Little Garden?" She took a look around, unable to quite shake the feeling that something was strange about the place. She suddenly heard a loud animal call, and turned her head upwards to see a gigantic reptilian bird bearing down on them. Usopp shrieked, and Nami tensed up as it swooped down in her direction.

"Mutton Shoot!" Sanji's kick sent it shooting through the air until it collided with a tree in the forest. The tree collapsed on top of it. "Shitty bird," Sanji mumbled. After that they heard a loud roar, and turned to see a tiger bigger than a mammoth making its way towards the canal. Sanji got ready for combat again, but as the tiger came closer, it collapsed onto the ground bleeding.

"What's with this place?" Usopp asked. "What could take down a tiger that big?"

"Probably something bigger," Luffy commented.

"Right," Usopp said. "I think I've just come down with "I-can't-get-on-this-island-itis."

"We should probably stay here until the Log Pose sets," Nami decided. Luffy completely ignored her.

"Sanji! Prepare our pirate lunchboxes. I can just smell the scent of adventure," he said with a grin. Nami rounded on him.

"Didn't you hear me just now, idiot? We don't know what's out there!" she protested.

"We also don't know how long it will take for the Log to set," Luffy replied. "It could be a while. We might as well make use of our time."

"Hey, would you mind if I came with you?" Vivi asked.

"Sure!" Luffy said as he accepted two small boxes of food from Sanji.

"You too, Vivi…" Nami said helplessly as she sulked.

"I really need to unwind and get my mind off of things," she said. "Come on, Carue, let's go." Carue looked at her like she'd just told him to jump into a pit of fire before obliging.

Before leaving, Luffy seemed to hesitate about something. He turned to the crew. "By the way, the conditions in this jungle seem really intense. Make sure to take precaution against the elements." Nami's jaw hung loosely. Was Luffy telling them to be cautious? That was…extremely out of character. As the three set out, Sanji called after Luffy.

"Protect Vivi-chan, Luffy! And bring back some good game if you can!" Luffy called out a quick confirmation and they left.

"I think I'll go do some hunting too," Zoro said as he jumped off the ship and over the water. He paused, and then turned back to Sanji. "Why don't you go scout for potential enemies?" he asked. "Since that Robin woman knew where we were going, it's possible that they've already sent assassins here. I'll keep a look out as well."

Sanji nodded at the idea, and then jumped off the ship himself before walking out in a different direction.

"And…we're alone," Nami stated sardonically. Usopp looked equally disturbed. "And I can't shake this unsettling feeling," she added. Usopp looked at her questioningly. "Little Garden…I swear I've heard that name before, but I can't quite place it."

"hey,Vivi, check this out!" Vivi strolled over and looked closely at the object in his hand. "It's an octopus shell!" he said.

"This is an ammonite," Vivi said in wonder.

"Right. Octopus shell," Luffy replied.

"Luffy-san, where did you find this?" she asked curiously.

"The stream here is full of them."

"But how could that be? These are supposed to be extinct!"

"It's probably a prehistoric island," Luffy suggested.

Vivi considered that for a moment. It seemed pretty farfetched, to be honest. "What makes you say that?" she asked.

"Well, there's a dinosaur over there," he said trivially as he pointed.

Vivi's eyes widened as she turned towards what he was pointing at. Towering above the trees, about 20 meters away from them…was a brontosaurus. How the hell did I miss that?

Nami could honestly say that she hadn't been as terrified as she was right now in over eight years. She looked up at her looming death with tears in her eyes. Usopp wasn't faring much better.

"What's wrong, little humans? Didn't you hear me? I asked if you had any sake," the giant boomed.

"Y-yes!" Nami choked out. "Yes, we do!" A large grin spread across the giant's face, which only served to multiply their terror.

"Ooooohh. So you have some. That's great!" he said as he leaned down to meet them at eye level, oblivious to their fear. Suddenly, he shouted at the top of his lungs, quite literally scaring the color out of their faces. The giant turned around to see a very bold T-Rex biting his ass. With one swing of his axe, he decapitated it. A dam suddenly broke, and Nami and Usopp cried out in fear for their lives. The giant, unbeknownst to them, mistook their shouts for battle cries, and proudly let loose one of his own as he raised his axe. "I am Elbaf's strongest warrior, the great Brogy!" he declared. He then looked down at Nami and Usopp, who were lying on their backs on the deck of the Going Merry. "I have some good meat now. How's about I treat you to a meal, little humans? It's not often I have guests." But the two didn't respond, and Brogy looked on in confusion, although he didn't stop grinning.

Luffy jumped up and down in mid air using Geppo as he waved his hands in front of the dinosaur's face. "Hey, hey dinosaur! Over here!" he shouted.

Vivi watched in a mix between fascination and shock in the face of what was currently happening. How can he fly, first of all? The dinosaur spared Luffy an apathetic glance before continuing to munch on leaves, ignoring him. Luffy pouted before landing on its head and started jumping up and down to get it's attention. This seemed to annoy the dinosaur, which attempted to swallow him. Vivi was frightened for a split second before Luffy's legs pushed against the air again, and he flew out of the dinosaur's range before landing back on its head. The dinosaur evidently had a short attention span, because it went back to eating leaves.

"Hey, little human!" a booming voice called out. Vivi turned toward it and stilled in fear. She understood then why this place was called Little Garden. To the being before them, it would be just that. A giant? But why? What was he doing way out here? Up until now, Vivi was even sure if they truly existed.

Luffy turned towards the new arrival from atop the dinosaur's head. "Hey, how's it going?" he asked casually. The giant laughed a hearty laugh before answering.

"Going well, going well! Can't complain," he said jovially. "I was hunting for some food, and that dinosaur you're standing on looks really tasty. Were you gonna eat that?" Luffy jumped off the dinosaur's head and landed next to Vivi, who was wondering what kind of situation they were in right now, and motioned for the giant to continue. The giant promptly decapitated the brontosaurus before catching its head in his hand. "I am Elbaf's strongest warrior! The great Dorry!" the giant shouted before turning to Luffy and Vivi. "hey,little humans, why don't you come over to my place? I have some good food and drink."

Before Vivi could think of a way to politely decline, Luffy shouted up at him. "Sure! Sounds great!" The giant let out another hearty laugh before leading the way.

Brogy, who had assumed that Nami and Usopp were just worn out from their journey and carried them back to his home, looked down at the still terrified duo with a smile. "The meat is cooked. Dig in!" he said as he dropped a colossal hunk of meat down next to them.

"That's OK…we're not hungry," Nami said carefully. It was a complete lie, but Nami and Usopp were currently entertaining thoughts of folklore in which giants fattened up their prey before eating them.

"Ah, are you sure?" Brogy asked, a smile still etched across his face. "Dinosaur meat is really good." The two nodded weakly to convey that they were sure, and the giant shrugged before lifting up the giant hunk of meat and biting into it.

"Um, Brogy-san? Can I ask you something?" Brogy looked over and nodded for her to continue. "How long does the Log Pose take to set on this island?"

"One year," the giant said with a straight face. This caused Nami and Usopp to fall off the log they were sitting on. "Make yourselves at home!" Brogy said as he laughed.

Luffy dug into the giant piece of meat that was currently his seat as well as his meal. Vivi wondered how he could eat so much. He had already consumed what had to be at least his own body weight, and he didn't even look full. "This is pretty good, giant guy!" Luffy called out.

Dorry laughed in appreciation. "Well, your pirate lunch box was really good too, even if it was a bit small!"

"You know it was! My chef Sanji made that. I'd kick your ass if you said it tasted bad," Luffy said.

"Hmm? Kick my ass you say?" the giant asked in an amused tone. For a second Vivi froze in apprehension, but Dorry just continued laughing. "You're a funny little human! I like you!"

They're getting along so well, Vivi thought in exasperation as Carue fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Um, Dorry-san?" Vivi asked nervously. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing alone on an uninhabited island?"

"Good question!" Dorry boomed. "The truth is, I'm not alone. A friend of mine is also staying here. We come from the giant's village of the Grand Line known as Elbaf. But our village has a certain law. If two warriors have a quarrel and can't come to an agreement, then we must settle our disputes in a righteous battle. This island has served as our battleground since our disagreement, and the one who is in the right shall triumph." Dorry tilted his head back and laughed. "But it's been 100 years! We just can't seem to settle our duel!"

"100 years!? You've been fighting for that long!?" Vivi asked in astonishment.

"It shouldn't come as a surprise. We giants have triple the lifespan of you humans," Dorry said.

"But that's not the point! Why would you want to continue fighting after this long? Is there any reason to keep trying to kill each other!?"

"Hmm, well we don't necessarily have to kill each other," he corrected. "But that will most likely be the case when one of us wins." Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, and they all turned to see that the volcano in the middle of the island had erupted.

"Oops, that's the signal," Dorry said. "Looks like it's time."

"But what was the quarrel in the first place? And how could you possibly hate each other so much that you'd continue this for—" Vivi didn't finish as Luffy held his hand out for her to stop.

"It's not about that. It never was," he stated.

"That's correct," Dorry confirmed as he charged toward the arriving Brogy. "The reason for our duel…" Birds flocked out of the vicinity as the two giants clashed, axe and sword to respective shield. "We forgot ages ago!"

Luffy stared at them with an unreadable expression as they fought it out, talking and reminiscing all the while. "Don't you long to return to our home of Elbaf, Dorry? I know I do," Brogy said in a nostalgic tone.

"That's exactly why I'll beat you! Today, victory is mine!" Dorry shouted with conviction.

"Dream on, my friend! Elbaf has chosen me as the victor!" Brogy shouted back. "If you're lucky, you'll survive your loss and we can both go back home!" They both let out loud laughs and continued in a flurry of strikes, dodges, and blocks. On one occasion Brogy managed to land a hit on Dorry's head, but Dorry adjusted his head so that his helmet would take the blow. On the other side of the forest, Usopp watched in awe.

"Come on, Usopp! This is our chance to escape!" Nami shouted. But Usopp just continued staring up at the two giants as they parried each other.

"I'm not leaving," he said quietly. Nami looked at him like his nose had just doubled in length. "Can't you see?" Usopp asked. "This is a true battle of pride between two warriors!"

Nami hummed. "Well, I'm not really interested in that, so I'll be seeing you."

"This is it. This is what I meant when I said brave warrior of the sea," Usopp said to nobody in particular. "I want to be just like them!" Nami looked at him with a worried expression before huffing and walking back over to sit on the log.

"So, you want to be a giant?" she asked rhetorically.

"Were you even listening!?" Usopp raged. They both looked back as the two giants disarmed each other simultaneously before resorting to ramming each other with their shields.

"73,466 duels," Brogy commented.

"73,466 draws," Dorry added. They both collapsed to the ground, panting heavily for a while. Eventually, they both started laughing.

"Hey, Dorry! I got some sake from our guests!" Brogy shouted with enthusiasm.

"Excellent! I haven't had any in so long! Pour me some, yeah?"

Unbeknownst to the two giants, four humans had recently arrived on the island, completely undetected. Or so those humans thought…