NIHM: Ch. 12

Originally, he should have just left. But just now, he had discovered something quite interesting.

Z spread out his Observation Haki as his figure flickered through the jungle. Each time he appeared at a new location, he would occasionally rescue some ordinary people from the jaws of beasts, while also witnessing various gruesome deaths of pirate crew members at the hands of wild animals.

He quickened his pace, his body flickering even faster. He arrived at a place, an area with a solitary dwelling. Every piece of the structure bore obvious signs of rough craftsmanship, along with heavy materials made from resources found on the island.

These things only deepened the curiosity in his eyes.

The next moment, his figure flashed again toward another location.

Just as Z was following the signals picked up by his Haki, a massive longsword came sweeping toward him with overwhelming force.

Facing this savage strike, he suddenly accelerated and dodged it with a leap. But the next instant, a giant battle axe came crashing down on him.

The swing had a wide range and high speed. He found it difficult to dodge, or rather, he decided not to dodge anymore. He raised his fist and punched toward the direction of the axe.

A surge of invisible force bolstered his punch. Though small compared to the axe, he forcefully blocked the blow and even knocked its wielder back several steps.

With several thunderous steps, the massive figure staggered backward. Z flickered quickly and landed on a high tree branch, his gaze fixed on his attackers.

Giants.

Two giants, each over twenty meters tall. Their immense size made even dinosaurs look like baby chicks in comparison. To treat this island like a personal garden, perhaps only these two giants from Elbaph had the right.

"What are you doing here?" A thunderous voice questioned him, and two massive eyes locked onto him.

Even as a Marine Admiral, Z didn't underestimate them. "Don't misunderstand. I didn't come for you. I'm just curious, who was it that helped the Marines deal with that group of pirates?"

As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously shifted to the figure standing on Brogy's shoulder, Kazuha, who was also curiously observing Z.

He looked at Z with caution.

Earlier, when he was chasing the last pirate captain to finish him off, he had spotted Z on the ship. His instincts told him this man was extremely dangerous, so he decisively fled toward the two giant godfathers. He hadn't expected the man to follow him here.

However, he didn't notice that Dorry and Brogy, after hearing the Marine's words, exchanged glances, apparently coming to a tacit understanding.

The next moment, Kazuha felt Brogy's massive hand sweep across his shoulder. Before he could react, he was sent flying.

He responded quickly by instantly vanishing and reappearing at a distance.

This scene made Z's eyes light up with interest.

But Kazuha, still confused, looked toward Brogy.

Before he could speak, the giant said, "Everything was done by him. It has nothing to do with us. You can take him."

"Yes, we don't even know him," Dorry added, further distancing themselves, pretending they didn't recognize him at all.

"..."

Seeing this, Kazuha, who had always known these two giants wanted to return to their old deathmatch lifestyle, instantly understood. They were trying to get rid of him, the burdensome tagalong holding them back.

However, the two of them were terrible actors. Their performance was full of holes, almost laughably flawed. Anyone with a shred of sense should have seen right through it.

But when he looked at the purple-haired man, the guy actually wore a face of sudden realization, as if he really believed it.

What the hell.

He suddenly had a feeling… This might be the turning point of his life.

---

The next morning, under the tearful farewell gaze of Dorry and Brogy, Kazuha boarded the Marine warship.

Before the ship had even fully left the bounds of Little Garden, he could already hear the hearty laughter echoing from within the jungle, followed by the thunderous sounds of battle.

Sure enough, he was nothing but burden. There was nothing more satisfying than fighting freely with no restraints.

What? You're wondering what exactly happened in just that one night?

Well, not much really.

Dorry and Brogy just said something that Kazuha simply couldn't refuse.

Onboard the Marine ship, he sat in a lounge cabin, examining the package the two giants had given him before parting.

Inside were mostly plain treasures like gold, silver, and jewels. These were spoils from pirates who had once foolishly tried to challenge the authority of Dorry and Brogy, only to end up defeated and stripped of their loot.

But beyond the treasure, there were two things that caught his real interest.

The first was a sword. Its scabbard was rusted, and the rope wrapped around the hilt had rotted and come undone. But when he slowly drew the blade, its edge was still sharp, completely free of rust. A pale blue blade, with serrated-like patterns... when he tested it on a wooden chair and table, the cut was so smooth it met almost no resistance.

He didn't know the name of this blade, but he had a strong feeling that this was at least a Grade Blade, possibly even one of the famed named swords.

The second item was an iron box. It was a heavily rusted iron box.

According to Dorry and Brogy, they had found it beside his mother's body when they first discovered him.

Inside, there might be clues about his origins.

He didn't care much about his identity in this world, but he couldn't forget the gentle smile of that woman just before her death when he first arrived here.

The box was heavily corroded, but he broke the rusted lock and opened it.

Inside, he found a pendant, and something that made his heart leap with excitement: A Devil Fruit.

It was pineapple-shaped, with a green-blue base and intricate patterns.

He stared at the fruit for a long time, but ultimately didn't eat it out of curiosity.

People say there were no weak fruits, only weak users, but if someone was strong enough, why the hell would they need to eat a Devil Fruit with side effects?

If you ate it, it meant you were not strong enough.