Reaching Little Garden

Jayr POV - Blue Star, Grand Line, Paradise - 20 GAP

After a few moments, Mihawk snaps out of his stunned state, and with a loud, hearty laugh he comments, "Wahhahhahha! That was truly something impressive, Jayr... I didn't even know it was possible to do something like that! You basically took the power of my flying slash and sent it back at me with the added power of your own attack. It's an ingenious and terrifying idea!"

Then he puts Yoru on his back and jumps out of that small piece of floating ice landing right in front of me, then he asks, "What is the name of that technique?"

I also put away the Tactical Arms as it is clear that our fight is over, and then I reply, "I call it the Backlash Wave. And it is quite a hard and complex technique to pull off but the result speaks for itself, the resulting power of a successful attempt is way more than the simple addition of the two forces."

While saying that, both Mihawk and I look back at the floating pieces of the destroyed half of the icy island I created for this battle, then Mihawk nods and says, "Indeed... It is truly a powerful technique, but just as it is powerful, it also has quite a few restrictive requirements, isn't it?"

I nod and explain honestly, "That's quite true, first of all, the one who wants to use the Backlash Wave, must be capable of finding the weak spot, rift, scar, or gap of an opponent's technique, then one must be able to swing his blade at exactly that spot, rift, scar, or gap with extreme precision. Moreover, the one intending to use the Backlash Wave must also have a stronger will than his opponent to be able to engulf the opponent's attack in the twister and reverse its flow back on them." 

Seeing that Mihawk is attentively following my every word, I continue to explain, "But those aren't all the requirements yet as there are also strict requirements for your opponent too. First of all, the opponent must be at a certain minimum level of power, if he or she is too weak, your swing will simply overwhelm his attack, dispersing all its power or even destroying it, after all, one must swing his or her sword with a lot of power if one wants to produce the necessary force needed to produce the twister and reflect the opponent attack back. There is also the problem that if the opponent is too strong then he can easily reverse the flow of the Backlash Wave back to you making you harm yourself with your own technique or it can even be outright neutralized. And the last one is that this technique can only reflect energy attacks like the flying slashes, sword waves, energy beams, and the like..." 

I don't need to hide such information from him, especially since this is a technique I came up with just a few minutes ago while using the homonymous ultimate technique of Inuyasha as a basis for it, the Bakuryuha (Backlash Wave). 

But I have to admit that even if it was an impulsive decision to use this technique, I quite like it and it is indeed very powerful, especially if one considers that I only used my physical power to pull it off, and could very easily become a lot more powerful if I enhance it with my Spiral Cosmo.

Hearing all that, Mihawk stares at the pieces of the destroyed icy island and mutters, "I see... there are a lot more requirements than I thought, and they are quite strict too, but if one is able to meet all of them the power that this technique can produce is truly out of this world, especially if it grows exponentially stronger the stronger your opponent's attack is..."

After that, Mihawk looks at me and lowers his head, then he says, "Jayr, thank you for this wonderful fight I truly enjoyed myself, it was quite a long time since I had such fun. And also thank you for showing me such an amazing technique. You have truly opened my eyes showing me that I can still improve and that the true peak of this world is still far away." to which I reply, "There is no need for such formalities, it was fun for me too as I got to use the Tactical Arms again after a long time."

Then I look at the sky and see that it is almost dinner time, so I quickly invite Mihawk to join us, "Anyway, do you want to join us for dinner? I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed by the taste of my and my girlfriend's cooking." just as he seems about to refuse, I add, "I let you taste an exceptional red wine from my home it is called Barolo. It's made from Nebbiolo, a small, thin-skinned red grape varietal generally high in acid and tannins. It is aged for at least two years in oak and one year in bottle, then there is the more prestigious Riserva label which requires five years of age to acquire this labeling. Just for context, Riserva means that it is made with riper grapes and undergoes longer periods of aging than non-riserva wines. This often results in a flavor that many consider better. They're the kind of bottles you "reserve" only for special gatherings. And it is this kind of bottle that I want to let you taste."

As soon as Mihawk hears this, he quickly changes his stance and says, "I'll be honored to join you and the member of your crew. Thank you for your invitation."

I nod and soon, we head back to the Athena's God Bidoof, and on our way there, I explain, "By the way, we are no crew. All the people on the ship are simply members of my family, like my lovers, my kids, or simply close friends."

Hearing that, Mihawk comments mildly surprised, "Really? I thought you were some kind of Pirate, a Bounty Hunter, or even some World Government's Agent seeing how powerful you are and how advanced and strange your ship is." but I shake my head and explain, "Nope, I'm simply a doctor happily exploring this world with his family and helping those he meets on his path."

Soon, I and Mihawk return to Athena's God Bidoof, and at the same time, I also make sure to melt the icy island back into seawater, making all the traces of my fight with Mihawk disappear into nothingness.

Once inside, I quickly introduce Mihawk to everyone, of course, Koby, Vivi, and Igaram are the only ones very nervous to be in his presence, especially Koby as he learned from Igaram that Mihawk was once known as the "Marine Hunter", the girls on the other hand didn't have any problem with him.

After the introductions, we all head to the dining room where Eri sets the table with Koby and Vivi's help, while I and Seika prepare the dinner.

Since I'm going to bring out the Barolo for our guest, I decided to prepare some dishes that match well with that kind of red wine and choose the Risotto with Truffle and the Ossobuco.

The first dish, the Risotto with Truffle is a northern Italian dish made with starchy short or medium-grain rice, oftentimes arborio or carnaroli, cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency, stirring the rice while cooking releases the starches in the rice, giving risotto its signature texture.

Meanwhile, the second dish, the Ossobuco is a wine-braised veal shank which, just like the Risotto, is a classic of northern Italian cuisine and one of Milan's most cherished signature dishes.

The word "Ossobuco" translates to hollow bone, and the cut of veal used for this dish is sliced horizontally through the bone and exposes the marrow, which is what gives the dish its buttery richness. 

Slow-cooked in beef broth until the meat becomes soft enough to cut with a fork, Ossobuco is finished with a topping of gremolà or gremolata, a zesty herb relish made with mashed anchovies, minced garlic, parsley, and lemon zest.

Both of these are classics of the Piedmont region, which is exactly where the Barolo comes from, making these dishes a perfect match for the wine.

Soon the meal is ready, and we quickly bring it to the table, then I also bring out the bottle of Barolo and after opening it, I pour it into Mihawk's glass while saying, "You will recognize this great wine from its transparent ruby ​​color, which veers towards orange as it gets older."

Mihawk, just like an expert connoisseur, raises his glass a little, gives a visual inspection of the wine under a neutral light, and comments with a slight smile on his face, "Indeed, only the best Déesse that I have tasted before can boast such clear, fantastic transparency."

Then Mihawk brings the glass closer and starts to smell the wine, and after a few seconds he says, "This an absolutely fabulous, ethereal bouquet, full of red berries such as raspberries and cassis, cherry liqueur, dried flowers, spices, leather, green pepper, anise, nutmeg, and licorice. But I also recognize several more fragrances like hazelnuts, leaves, and truffles... This is quite unique." 

Then he finally tasted it and commented, "On the palate, it is elegant and measured but somewhat earthy, with tannins that give structure and persistence to a fruit laced with delicious notes of licorice and coffee. Jayr, you keep surprising me. This is absolutely the best wine I drank in all my life!"

Then we start to peacefully have a meal together, and at some point, Igaram, Vivi, and Koby also get used to Mihawk's presence and let go of their nervousness, especially since even if he can come off as a rather blunt and cold individual at times because of his apathetic behavior, Mihawk is capable of showing care and compassion to others, and can also be a pleasant company when he wants to.

After the dinner, Mihawk once again thanks me for both the fight and the dinner, and then he jumps back in his small boat, the Hitsugibune, and heads off to continue his journey.

Jayr POV - Blue Star, Grand Line, Little Garden - 20 GAP

After the little surprise event with Mihawk, we resume our journey toward the next island, and this time, it is a completely calm and peaceful one, so, we finally reach our destination after a couple of days. 

We are standing on the deck of the Athena's watching as the island gets closer, and Vivi quickly starts to explain, "That island is known as Little Garden, it is a Prehistoric Island and as such is still in the age of the Dinosaurs. Not much is known about Little Garden, other than it seems to develop very slowly."

This is followed by Igaram who adds, "That is because the Grand Line can have so many climates, Little Garden's climate is one of a dense prehistoric jungle. This has led it to be behind the average island in the Grand Line by millions of years. Moreover, due to the extreme climate and dangers of the dinosaurs, no human has been able to stay there the entire year for the Log Pose to reset without dying. The climate is unbearable for many humans who plan to stay long, as well as providing ideal conditions for fatal illnesses to survive, some thought previously extinct. As well as dense jungle and humid heat, Little Garden's lack of change can also be put down to the length of time it takes for a Log Pose to set which is one year."

While they are explaining that, to the girls and Koby, I carefully look at the island that continues to grow bigger as we get closer.

The island itself is circular shaped, and on each end of the island are 2 identical mountains, that are, in fact, the skulls of two Sea Kings hunted down by the Giants Dorry and Brogi and the main reason behind their fight. 

Moreover, if I remember well, each Giant has a camp at the base of a Sea King Skull Mountain, these camps are mostly logs and a large fire, where the Giant's weapons as well as their food can be found. 

Since it is a Prehistoric Island, many of the trees and plants are clearly fauna from a Prehistoric Era. 

The island also houses many volcanoes, some even erupting at regular intervals, the most famous is one volcano that erupts once every hour as the Giants battle every day and start and stop when the volcano erupts.

At the same time, Igaram adds, "While it is true that the harsh conditions of this island are what cause so many people to die on it before the Log Pose can set to another island. Those aren't the only reasons. What isn't known by many is that the main reason is that the sea near this island is inhabited by a giant goldfish called Island Eater. Only some of those who live in Arabasta know about its existence, and the only reason for that is that it was documented that it had produced feces large enough to be mistaken as an island, and one of them happens to be known as Nanimonai Island, which is very near our Sandy Island."

This new information shocks Koby and Vivi, while the girls only feel disgusted at the idea of feces big enough to be mistaken as islands.

After a while, we finally reach the island, and the Athena's God Bidoof slowly enters the river flowing through the island which will allow our ships to easily dock inland so that we can finally explore this island.

Once the Athena God's Bidoof stopped near the shores of the river, I looked at everyone and asked, "So who wants to visit this island with me, and who wants to remain on the Athena's God Bidoof?" 

To my question, Nikita is the first to raise her hand while exclaiming, "There is no way I'll miss this Jurassic Park experience!" followed by Eri, Tio, Kharna, and Galen.

Hearing that, I nod, then I look at Koby and say, "Oh by the way, Koby you have no choice, your next training will consist of exploring and surviving on this island alone for 3 days, you won't be allowed to return to the Athena's God Bidoof until all 3 of these day pass."

Seeing his nervous expression, I smirk then add, "I'll give you some advice if you want a safe place to pass the night, it's better to head to one of those huge Sea King Skull Mountains, as at the base of each one of them you will find a safe camp inhabited by a Giant, but be careful that while they can be considered good-natured and won't attack you on sight, they are still famous pirates from over 100 years ago so if offended they will for sure react."

This piece of news shocks Igaram, Koby, and Vivi, especially the last two as they exclaim at the same time, "What!? There are Giants on this island!?"

To which I nod and quickly reply, "Indeed, there are a pair of Giants fighting on this island. In fact, they have been living on this island for quite a long time. They are both quite strong too, as they are Giant Warriors of the Elbaf Island, a place whose power even the World Government is wary of as the Giant has one of the strongest combat powers that you can find, thanks mostly to their huge size."

After saying that, I grab Koby and without any hesitation, I throw him toward some "random" point while yelling, "Good luck, Koby! Have fun these 3 days and be careful of the velociraptors!" of course, Koby doesn't reply as he is too occupied in screaming out in sheer terror.

Quickly after that, Vivi can't help but ask, "Jayr-san, isn't that way too cruel? How will Koby even survive that!?" but I shake my head and reply, "Not really. I have trained Koby since the beginning, I know better than him what he is truly capable of, and this will be only a little bit difficult for him, and that is mostly because he lacks experience. Moreover, going through some hardship is good, it strengthens the character. In fact, I was quite lenient compared to what I went through. When I was 6 years old, my Grandfather threw me in a place called the Amazon rainforest where I had to survive all alone for 1 month trying to get out of there."

Then I look back at the vegetation in front of us which looks quite similar to that one I remember fondly and continue to explain, "It is a huge thick forest where it is quite easy to lose oneself, and even though there's a huge amount of food within the trees unless you're an expert hunter who has been trained within the jungle, then it may as well not be there. Moreover, the tropical weather provides the perfect environment for infection to spread, and something as small as a cut on your finger could quickly make you very ill." 

I smirk thinking about how difficult was to deal with such things using only the resources I found in the forest, while I continue to narrate, "The water within jungle streams tend to have high amounts of parasites and harmful insects, with mosquitoes being the main culprit. With how thick the trees are, you would be lucky to travel more than 4 or 5 kilometers each day, and with the Amazon being 5.5 million km², there's a huge amount of it where it simply wouldn't be possible to escape from. And let's not talk about the many dangerous, venomous, and ferocious animals living there... Haa, it was quite the distressing, exciting, and enlightening experience, especially since it was one of the more comfortable ones compared with the ones that followed after..."

I look back and see both Igaram and Vivi looking at me with their eyes and mouths wide open unable to say anything for quite a long time.

Seeing that, I smile and say, "Come on, it isn't as bad as it sounds. Sure I was only 6 at the time, but I was already stronger than most grown men, and Grandfather made sure that I was fully prepared before throwing me there."

After saying that, Nikita, Tio with Kharna in her arms, Eri with Python wound around her neck, and I with Galen in my arms, land on the shores of this river and walk into the dense prehistoric forest starting our exploration of this island to fully admire and study the flora and fauna living here.

Walking for a few meters, we already have a meeting with our first prehistoric creature, it is a large feline animal that weighs around 160 to 280 kg, larger than lions and about the size of Siberian tigers, it is different from the usual living large cats, with proportionally longer front legs and a much more muscular build, but most important is its most defying feature, its upper canine teeth are long, flat and daggerlike, indeed, we are now face to face with a Saber Tooth Tiger, or more precisely with a Smilodon.

As soon as the creature lays its eyes on us, it quickly roars out loud in a threatening fashion, but before it can do anything else, Python simply lets out a hiss, which scares the prehistoric animal so much that it quickly flatten its ears to appear smaller, crouch low and lower its tail, even tucking it between its legs appearing totally submissive, so much that if I didn't know any better, I could have swore that Python just used Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) on it, but it is more likely that it is just its instinctive fear in front of a superior predator.

Soon, we all casually move closer to the still Smilodon where the kids start to pet while I, Eri, Tio, and Nikita, just watch over them while admiring the animal figure.

After a few minutes, we let go of the Smilodon and continued to explore the island where we encountered many more interesting prehistoric animals and plants, some of which I stored to make them grown in my Soulbound Territory as their propieties could be useful for both deal with poisons and illness.

Until now we have encountered, a couple of Archaeopteryx, a small, bird-like, raven-sized, dinosaur with colorful feathers, a family of Triceratops, two Tyrannosaurus rex, and of course the most iconic Velociraptors, all of which were easily subdued by Python allowing us to get close to study, admire, and pet them. 

Of course, during all this, I also made sure to keep an eye on Koby's situation using my awareness to make sure that nothing truly bad happened to him, sure, I want to let him experience some difficulties and make sure that he learns how to survive in the wildness, but that doesn't mean that I want to him to die, after all, Grandpa was always present throughout all the crazy situations that he put me through ready to act if there was truly the need for it, like when I was going through a similar training in the Sahara Desert and encountered a quite belligerent Djed, the Warriors of the Egyptian Gods Isis and Osiris, the wielder of the Seker Ikem.

Just before he could do or say anything, Grandpa appeared right beside me and resolved the situation with a peaceful combative negotiation, basically, he Great Horned him out of the way, luckily the situation didn't escalate into a war between Athena's Saints and the Osiris and Iris because the Djed in question was actually on the run because he stole something from the temple of Ra, in fact the incident, made it possible to forge an alliance between Athena and the Egyptyan Pantheon.

Anyway, Koby is still fine, he already had some very close encounters with the fauna of this island, but he was able to deal with them swiftly, so I didn't have to make any move to save or help him yet. 

I try to ignore his constant panic attacks whenever something unexpected happens but it is useless, so, I can only sigh and internally complain, 'Truly that kid still doesn't understand just how strong he has become in these few months. He is already at the level that can mostly guarantee his safety in any of the four Blues, that is, if he doesn't encounter some truly strong people on the level of Smoker... In fact, if I have to give him a Marine rank based on his current Strength he would be between the Ensing and the Lieutenant Junior Grade more or less, which is quite an achievement. I truly hope that this experience makes him realize truly how much he has grown.'

While thinking that, we continue our exploration of the island, meeting many more prehistoric creatures having fun, and simply enjoying this experience, then I notice that it is almost time for lunch so we quickly start to head back to the Athena's God Bidoof.

On our way back, I start to think about if I should get in touch with the Giants Dorry and Brogi, but then I end up deciding to leave them be and only focus on making sure that nothing too bad happens to Koby while he goes through his survival training.

Once back to the Athena's God Bidoof, I have a fun lunch together with everyone, minus Koby who is currently cooking a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and listen as Galen and Kharna happily tell everything they have done and seen, well, it is mostly Galen who speaks while Kharna adds or repeats some words on her own, and after that, I decide to spend some quality time with the girls while Bidi and Crateris take care of the kids.