Lorne stepped onto the soil of Little Garden, met by a blast of hot, humid air thick with the scent of decaying vegetation and pungent sulfur.
His ears were filled with the sounds of insects he had never heard before and the distant, muffled roars of beasts; the entire world exuded a wild and primitive vitality.
He got his bearings and began walking leisurely toward the smoking volcanoes at the center of the island.
Less than a hundred meters into the edge of the jungle, the ground began to shake violently without warning.
Roar!
Deafening roars exploded from the dense forest to his side.
Immediately after, seven or eight ferocious-looking carnivorous dinosaurs, each over seven meters long, burst through the tangled vines and massive thickets. Their crimson eyes locked onto Lorne, and saliva dripped from their gaping maws.
Lorne continued walking calmly, but an invisible pressure suddenly radiated from him like ripples on a water surface.
The pack of dinosaurs, which had been charging fiercely, came to a dead stop. Their eyes instantly rolled back, their massive bodies stumbled a few steps under their own momentum, and then, after a series of short whimpers, they collapsed one after another, completely losing consciousness.
Only a few dinosaurs further back, possessing slightly stronger wills, were lucky enough not to faint instantly, but their eyes were now filled with terror as they looked at Lorne.
They let out several whimpers of submission, tucked their tails, and fled back into the depths of the jungle even faster than they had emerged, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Using Conquerors Haki against these simple-minded beasts works surprisingly well."
Lorne murmured to himself, glad to have saved himself the trouble of a physical fight.
He continued forward. Along the way, various ancient creatures attracted by this outsider launched fearless attacks from every corner of the jungle.
There were packs of Raptors launching ambushes with razor-sharp claws.
There were giant Pterosaurs with wingspans exceeding ten meters diving from the sky, attempting to snatch him away.
There was even a true Tyrannosaurus Rex, its body as massive as a small hill and far larger than the previous dinosaurs, lunging at him with its bloody maw open.
It was Lorne's first time seeing a living dinosaur with his own eyes, and he couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
He dealt with these nuisances easily, but he didn't discard all of them.
Frost condensed into tough ropes, dragging several of the largest dinosaur carcasses behind him, leaving a clear trail on the ground.
After all, why waste ingredients that delivered themselves to his door?
He was also quite curious about how these ancient creatures tasted.
Pushing through like this, Lorne soon crossed a fern forest that had been grazed bare.
The view ahead suddenly opened up to a relatively wide clearing, in the center of which a massive bonfire was roaring.
An exceptionally burly figure was sitting on a natural giant rock. His frame was so enormous that the surrounding towering ancient trees seemed slender in comparison.
He was clutching a fragrant, roasted dinosaur leg and tearing into it with large bites, grease dripping down his thick beard.
Seemingly sensing Lorne's arrival and the "ingredients" he was dragging behind him, the giant figure set down the roasted meat and looked toward Lorne with a hint of curiosity and surprise in his eyes.
"Geggeggeggegge!"
A hearty and unique laugh echoed through the woods, making the leaves rustle.
"How wonderful! It's been a long time since an outsider came to this island!"
The giant grinned at Lorne and the dinosaurs he was dragging.
"You brought your own meat! Perfect. My cooking skills are quite good—let me treat you to some barbecue!"
He paused, his massive nose twitching as he sniffed deeply, then asked expectantly:
"Oh... by the way, little guy, do you have any alcohol? Barbecue is best when paired with booze!"
Lorne was affected by the hearty laughter, and a trace of a smile appeared on his face.
"Warrior of Elbaf, I have heard much of your fame."
He responded calmly, "I do indeed have alcohol."
A look of surprise flashed across Giant Dorry's rugged face; he hadn't expected this little squirt to know about Elbaf.
"Oh? You know quite a bit, little guy! Gehahahahaha!"
He was stunned for a moment before bursting into even louder laughter, clearly pleased by Lorne's words.
Lorne didn't say much more. With a thought, he pulled several massive oak barrels out of his storage space.
With a casual toss, a barrel filled with over a hundred liters of rum traced a parabola through the air toward Dorry.
Thud.
The heavy barrel landed steadily in the clearing before Dorry, kicking up a ring of dust.
Dorry looked at the barrel—which to him was roughly the size of a'small cup'—and reached out with a massive hand, easily picking it up.
He pulled the cork and, without even bothering to smell it, tilted his head back and aimed the barrel at his mouth.
Gulp, gulp~
The spicy liquor rolled down his throat, and in just a few moments, the entire barrel of rum was drained dry.
"Haaa~"
Dorry let out a satisfied exhale and tossed the empty barrel aside, a magnificent grin on his face.
"Excellent! I haven't had a drink in ages! Little guy, you're quite to my liking!"
He happily slapped his iron-like chest with his massive palm, producing a muffled sound like a beating drum.
"I am Dorry. And you?"
"Lorne."
Lorne gave his name.
"Lorne? Good! I'll take you as a friend!"
Dorry announced happily, pointing toward the bonfire.
"Sit! There's plenty of meat here! Today, we won't stop until we're drunk!"
Lorne didn't stand on ceremony. He walked to the bonfire, found a relatively clean rock to sit on, and tossed the dinosaurs he had dragged along to the side.
Just as Dorry was excitedly preparing to put the Tyrannosaurus Lorne brought onto the fire to show off his proud barbecue skills, a sudden change occurred.
Rumble, rumble~!
The entire island suddenly shook violently, the intensity far exceeding any vibration caused by running beasts earlier.
The tallest volcano in the center of the island erupted violently without warning!
Billowing black smoke mixed with volcanic ash, forming a massive pillar that shot into the sky and obscured the sun. Red-hot lava poured down from the crater like a boiling blood-red waterfall, staining half the sky crimson.
Seeing this, the hearty smile on Dorry's face vanished instantly, replaced by a solemn expression.
He slowly stood up, his massive frame casting a giant shadow.
He silently turned and picked up his massive longsword and scratch-covered round shield leaning against a nearby rock wall.
"The volcano has erupted..."
"It seems it's that time again."
He turned to look at Lorne sitting by the bonfire, a hint of apology on his massive face.
"Sorry, Lorne."
"You eat first! I'll be right back!"
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