Chapter 190: Arrival at Little Garden: Giants, Gold, and Grit

“Sir, the Roger Pirates have entered the New World.”

On a cluster of floating islands, a crackling sound echoed through the air.

“Gya hahahaha!”

“Is it Roger?”

“Boys, let’s set sail!”

Golden Lion knew Roger’s strength well. In his eyes, as long as Roger gave him a hand, even Newgate and Karl together wouldn’t be able to stand against him.

With that, he could aim for the ultimate throne of the New World—the Pirate King’s crown.

Meanwhile, Karl was experiencing what it was like to set out on the sea alone. It was his first solo voyage, not a single soul accompanying him.

He lounged in the cabin with his hands behind his head, eyes half-closed, watching white clouds drift across the sky, completely at ease.

On either side of his wooden boat, golden oars—crafted from his Golden Light Spell—churned the water nonstop.

He wondered how much longer these peaceful days would last.

He’d lived in the One Piece World for so long that he’d even started a family, but part of him still felt slightly out of place.

Thankfully, he hadn’t run into trouble. In fact, to keep his whereabouts hidden, he’d even crossed the Calm Belt a few times, sailing straight for that ancient island ahead—Little Garden.

Back on Cake Island, everyone was busy too. As the 56 islands of the Sweets Sea became linked, a flood of carefully crafted goods began to spread across the New World. Quality at a fair price—that was the hallmark of Sweets Sea products.

Ral Island and Ireland had now become the main hubs for exporting these goods out from the Sweets Sea.

As for the 56 islands within the Sweets Sea itself, tours and visits were still strictly off-limits.

So most merchants could only buy goods on those two islands, which meant both places got even busier and more prosperous.

Of course, order on the islands was tight. After all, every pirate worth his salt in the New World knew the Sweets Sea belonged to Karl. Here, you played by his rules—or risked vanishing without a trace.

Time flew by, and in a little over ten days, Karl had reached the edge of Little Garden.

Little Garden got its name thanks to the two giants who’d been battling there for over a hundred years. For them, the island was like a backyard. That’s the story behind the name.

“Looks like I’ve come at just the right time.”

He glanced at the quiet island—no thunderous crashes to be heard. The two giants weren’t dueling today.

That would make his first steps at communication a whole lot easier.

He tied his boat to the shore and strolled into the island’s interior, amazed by everything—trees, leaves, flowers all towering several times taller than anything on the outside.

“Roar!”

From ahead and to the left, a Spinosaurus over 20 meters long charged him, jaws gaping and drooling with hunger. The poor beast looked like it hadn’t eaten in days.

Its massive frame was nothing short of intimidating. Wherever it stomped, it crushed the grass and trees beneath its feet.

“And why, exactly, did you pick me?” Karl had already used his Bone-Shrinking Art to keep himself just a little over two meters tall—not exactly a mouthful for a dinosaur.

But from the Spinosaurus’s point of view, this two-legged animal was practically brimming with powerful energy—one meal could fuel eight.

After ten days’ hunger, Karl looked like the perfect delicacy.

“Can’t tell if it’s my bad luck or yours.”

With a swift advance, Karl’s right hand manifested the ten-meter-long Heaven Splitting Halberd. He gave it a gentle sweep.

Boom!

The dino’s head was neatly sliced off. Even the trees within four hundred meters had their trunks sharply trimmed.

Whump!

The huge body crashed to the ground. The scent of fresh blood exploded skyward.

Rustling sounds swept through the forest—countless animals rushed closer, all impatient for a taste of this rare feast.

Karl didn’t stick around. He headed deeper onto the island.

Just after he left, a host of carnivores appeared and started digging into the fresh meat.

Karl was just about to search for the two giants when his Titan Strength warned him: the volcano nearby was about to erupt.

“In that case, I’ll just wait it out.” He changed direction and walked toward the volcano’s rim. Since eruption meant a giant showdown, might as well catch both at once.

Every eruption on this island meant those two giants clashed again; if he could get them together, he’d save time.

Karl used his Moonwalk to reach the volcano in a flash.

The moment he arrived, the ground and trees looked battered and scarred.

“Looks like this is definitely their usual battlefield.”

Karl crossed his arms and stood at the treeline facing the volcano, closing his eyes to rest while planning his next move.

He needed to figure out how to get the giants on his side.

Fight them? Or maybe tell them about the current state of the Giant Pirates—and how the Navy had tricked their crew into guarding Enies Lobby.

As for reason and moral persuasion, he tossed those ideas right away. Giants weren’t fools; neither logic nor guilt would work here.

After all, whether it was eight hundred years ago or now, the giants were known as the world’s mightiest nation for a reason. Not to be underestimated.

Rumble rumble rumble!!!

A faint smile played at Karl’s lips. Through the trees and his senses, he could tell—the volcano below was about to blow its top.

Boom!

A deafening roar rang out as lava erupted from the volcano. Molten rock began sliding downward, flooding the air with an intense wave of heat.

The lava crawled slowly down from the crater, blasting everything nearby with its scorching breath.

Boom boom boom!

Thunderous stomps echoed from both sides of the volcano, rumbling closer and closer. Dorry and Brogy were charging at each other at full speed.

Clang!

Their massive weapons collided with an earsplitting crash.

“Kababababa!”

“Dorry, this fight’s mine to win!”

“Giyagiyagi!”

“Brogy, I’d say it’ll go the other way!”

Neither would back down. Their giant weapons blurred with each swing, leaving afterimages that filled the air.

Neither used Observation Haki—relying on it in battle would be an insult to a true warrior. They wanted a real, bare-handed brawl. Of course, that also meant they hadn’t noticed Karl watching nearby.

Karl watched the two giants duel, utterly fascinated.

Both stood about 21 or 22 meters tall, just under three times Karl’s size.

No doubt about it, the Giants had Conqueror’s Haki.

Watching closely, Karl saw that every time Dorry and Brogy’s weapons clashed, a jet-black flash revealed the Armament Haki coating their blades.

Made sense—without Armament Haki, no weapon could survive a duel like this for over a century.

He’d heard somewhere that giants, because of their size, found it harder to awaken all three forms of Haki.

But the truth was, size had little to do with it. Armament Haki was tied to physique and strength, and giants had both in spades—no wonder they mastered it naturally.

Observation Haki lengthened a warrior’s senses. Due to their perspective, giants might be weaker here, but even so, theirs beat most humans hands down. That was just the resilience built into their blood.

As for Conqueror’s Haki, that was all about one’s spirit.

And any true giant hero—invincible in Giant Village since childhood—naturally nurtured that unstoppable spirit. Karl figured a good chunk of the giants probably awakened Conqueror’s Haki too.