Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

The Merry cut through the thick fog that lingered on the sea, and as the view opened up, a heavy and ancient atmosphere swept over us.

It wasn't the typical sea breeze of an island, but a primal scent mixed with decaying leaves, damp earth, and the odor of some enormous creature.

The air seemed thicker than anywhere else, and with each breath, my lungs felt a heavy, oppressive pressure.

"This is...the little garden?"

With a "splash," the anchor was thrown into the water, and the Merry slowly came to a stop on the shore.

Ronan stood at the bow of the ship, his gaze sweeping across the ridiculously large island called "Little Garden" with lightning speed.

What comes into view is a suffocating green.

The trees were as thick as pillars supporting the sky, their canopies soaring into the clouds as if to pierce the heavens.

Each fern leaf on the shore was wider than the deck of the Merry.

In the face of this vast plant kingdom, the Going Merry looked like a toy model that had wandered into the land of giants.

"As expected of an ancient island, it's truly a blessed land."

Ronan took a deep breath and could even feel the abundant energy floating in the air.

In the eyes of martial artists, this place is practically a natural medicine storehouse:

"The fact that the plants here can grow so huge indicates that the earth's spiritual energy is extremely abundant, and even the oxygen concentration is far higher than outside."

"If we could cultivate in seclusion here, we would definitely achieve twice the results with half the effort."

"cut."

Nami crossed her arms, and although she was also stunned by the sight before her, she still habitually retorted to Ronan:

"You talk like you know this place like it's your own, when it's clearly the first time for everyone here."

"Haha, just hearsay." Ronan laughed heartily, offering no further explanation.

Luffy lay sprawled on the prow of the ram's head ship, his eyes wide and round like saucers, gleaming with a light that only appeared during adventures:

"We've finally arrived! This is the little garden! Amazing—!"

"Hey... who came up with this name anyway?"

Zoro, his hand on the hilt of his sword, looked up at the dense, towering jungle, a smile of excitement playing on his lips.

"How is this 'small'? It's practically a monster's lair."

"It doesn't look... as cute as its name suggests."

Nami swallowed hard and instinctively took a step back.

"The Roots... are essentially a mysterious forbidden land, a wild and untamed jungle!"

Usopp's legs were already trembling. He raised his slingshot, waved it at the air twice, and said in a trembling voice:

"Is...is there going to be monsters?!"

"For example, man-eating plants, or three-headed wolves..."

"monster?"

Ronan smiled slightly, tapping the deck lightly with the ebony stick in his hand:

"Look at the tall trees and extremely rich vegetation here, all for the purpose of maintaining ecological balance."

"There will definitely be huge herbivores, and even larger carnivores that prey on them."

"Ah?!" Usopp and Nami screamed at the same time.

Just then, Luffy suddenly turned around and shouted towards the kitchen, "Sanji—!! Bento!!"

Sanji, who had just come out of the kitchen, was taken aback, still holding a frying pan in his hand: "Huh? A bento? We've only just landed, and we haven't even decided whether to go ashore yet."

"You need to log in!"

Luffy raised his arms and shouted excitedly, "This is an adventure! I'm going to explore!!"

Luffy took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring: "Hehehe, I smell it...it's the smell of adventure!"

"Wait! Where do you think you're going?! This place looks dangerous!" Nami shouted in despair, trying to stop the troublesome captain.

But Ronan laughed along, his eyes gleaming: "Nami, don't stop us. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us."

He turned to look at Zoro and Sanji, his tone becoming more serious:

"Zoro, Sanji, you must have noticed it too, right? Since entering the third stage of body tempering, ordinary food is no longer enough to satisfy our bodies' energy needs."

Zoro and Sanji exchanged a glance and nodded.

Indeed, lately they felt like their bodies were a bottomless pit; no matter how much ordinary sea monster meat they ate, the hunger persisted.

"With such lush vegetation here, there must be very old medicinal herbs growing here, and there may even be 'miracle drugs'."

Ronan pointed to the deep jungle, "Moreover, the beasts bred in this environment must have incredibly vigorous blood and energy."

"We need to find some powerful beasts to extract their essence and marrow. We're running low on the materials needed for our medicinal bath, and this is a good place to restock."

"I see." Zoro's eyes lit up as he rubbed the Wado Ichimonji in his hand. "So, the stronger the beasts here, the better it is for our training, right?"

"Perfect."

Sanji exhaled a smoke ring and elegantly straightened his tie:

"Luffy has almost eaten up all the food supplies on the ship. Since this is an ancient island, there should be many rare and exotic ingredients that we've never seen before."

"I'll go hunt a few big ones and bring them back, and while I'm at it, I'll make a beauty feast for Miss Nami and Vivi."

Seeing these three battle maniacs whose minds were filled with "hunting," "training," and "ingredients," Nami and Usopp huddled together, trembling.

"Hey... what do you people think this terrifying place is?!"

Just then, Vivi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Um... can I go with you?"

"Huh?" Nami turned around in surprise. "Vivi? Why are you like this too?!"

Luffy, however, didn't mind at all, grinning and saying, "Sure! Sure!"

Weiwei lowered her head, her voice somewhat low: "Just staying here... looking at the sea, I'm afraid I'll start having all sorts of wild thoughts."

"Now that we've made up our minds, let's set off."

……

A moment later, the group was ready.

Sanji's specially made "pirate bento" exudes an enticing aroma of meat, and Luffy carries it in his huge backpack.

Ronan carried an ebony staff, Zoro had three swords hanging at his waist, Sanji had his hands in his pockets, and Vivi rode on Karu. The group set off in a grand procession onto the land of the small garden.

As soon as we entered the jungle, the light dimmed instantly.

The enormous canopy blocked out the sun, with only scattered rays of sunlight piercing through the gaps in the leaves like sharp swords, dappling the moss-covered ground.

Strange bird calls filled the surroundings, along with the low growls of unknown creatures in the distance.

"Wow...this mushroom is taller than me!" Luffy exclaimed in amazement as he looked at a giant, colorful mushroom by the roadside.

"Don't eat random things, Luffy."

Ronan casually plucked a leaf that resembled a banana leaf fan, crushed it in his hand, and smelled it.

"This is a typical tropical rainforest climate, hot and humid, and full of miasma. The more brightly colored something is, the more likely it is to be highly poisonous."

"Ronan, look at that." Zoro suddenly stopped and pointed to a large tree in front of him.

There were several scratch marks on the trunk of that tree, some as deep as half a meter.

The claw marks were enormous; a single mark was longer than Zoro's entire body.

"Looks like we're in luck." Ronan stepped forward, reaching out to stroke the rough claw marks, feeling the lingering aura of violence within them:

"These are reptile claw marks, and they're huge."

"Judging from the depth and force of the scratches, this guy's physical strength is terrifying... and its bone marrow is definitely top-grade."

"BOOM—!!"

Just as Ronan finished speaking, a deafening roar came from the depths of the jungle.

That's the sound of a volcanic eruption!