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The next morning, bright and early, El led Linlin and the promising children from the Sheep's House, who came from various parts of the world and different races, to board a large ship provided by the giants.
They said their goodbyes to the two giant elders, Mountain Beard Jarul and Waterfall Beard Jorul, before departing from Elbaf. Their destination was the island where El had killed Carmel the day before—a place with fertile land and beautiful scenery, ideal for establishing a future base.
As for the bodies of the World Government agents, El had long disposed of them by commanding plants to toss the corpses into the sea, where they were devoured by sea beasts and Sea Kings. Thus, the scene wasn't particularly gruesome, certainly not enough to scare the children from the Sheep's House, who were still anxious and uncertain about their future.
"Tsk, tsk..."
"El, is this mess all from your battle with those World Government dogs? The aftermath is truly chaotic..."
Despite the clean-up, the disorderly and overgrown trees and vines left the giants who accompanied them—like Kashii, Raideen, and Oimo—slightly surprised.
"Big Brother El, are we going to live here now?" Linlin tugged on El's sleeve, curiously surveying the surroundings.
In fact, she had slowly realized that she might have been abandoned by her parents. But, being naturally carefree and open-hearted, she didn't stay on Elbaf's coast foolishly waiting for them to return. Instead, feeling a little lost, she clung to El even more.
"Yes, this will be where our dreams begin," El said confidently as he patted her head. "From today onward, we'll live here and build our own home from nothing."
As for the future Totto Land, it wasn't yet known by that name. But there was no rush—they would use this place as a base for the time being. Once they gained enough strength and manpower, they could occupy it formally.
"The place where dreams begin?"
"Our own home?"
The children from the Sheep's House, eyes teary, looked up in awe at El, who appeared as tall and grand as a small giant. Their once lost and confused expressions began to brighten.
"That's right! We will build our own dreamland here!" El spread his arms wide, smiling as he declared loudly.
"Yay!"
"That's amazing!"
"Big Brother El, we'll follow you!"
"Building a dreamland... is that real?"
The children from the Sheep's House, being just kids, couldn't hide their excitement. They waved their hands enthusiastically, their faces lighting up with smiles as they echoed El's words. The gloom that had weighed on them began to lift, and they started returning to their usual lively selves.
"El, you can definitely do it!" Gerd and Hajrudin, two of the giant children who had come along, smiled as they spoke in support.
Seeing the children from the Sheep's House stop crying, the giant warriors smiled as well.
"Alright, everyone, let's get to work. Before dark, we'll help El and the others build some houses!"
"Okay!"
After arriving on the island, Kashii and Oimo started giving orders to gather tools and begin cutting wood for construction.
"There's no need for that," El waved them off, stopping them before they could get started. "Leave it all to me."
"Roar—"
To everyone's astonishment, El let out a low roar, and his body rapidly expanded before their eyes, transforming into a majestic, towering Quetzalcoatl, covered in gleaming scales and radiant feathers. He hovered in the air, imposing and awe-inspiring.
"Crack crack~ Is this the legendary Mythical Zoan-type ability, rarer than even the Logia-types?"
"Even though I've seen it before, every time El transforms, it's still breathtaking!"
"Indeed..."
The sight of the enormous and powerful Quetzalcoatl left Kashii, Oimo, and the other giant warriors in awe.
"Wow! So cool!" Linlin's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Big Brother El has transformed!"
Through her own practice the previous day, Linlin had begun to grasp the powers of her Vampire form, allowing her to transform into a giant bat and fly freely. But compared to El's majestic Quetzalcoatl form, her abilities seemed insignificant.
"How did Big Brother El turn into a giant bird?" one of the children from the Sheep's House asked, wide-eyed.
"Don't be stupid! That's clearly a giant snake!" Hajrudin retorted, correcting him.
"But snakes don't have wings or feathers!" another child pointed out innocently.
"Uh..." Hajrudin was stumped.
Well, he had never seen a snake like this either. Not only did it have feathers, but it also had two pairs of wings completely different from each other.
"Idiot, Hajrudin! This is the mythical Quetzalcoatl," Gerd knocked on Hajrudin's head, putting her hands on her hips as she scolded him. "It's the legendary sky god, the god of agriculture, and the sun god!"
Actually, Hajrudin was twice El's age, already eighteen, but outwardly he looked like a boy no older than ten because giants developed more slowly due to their long lifespans.
"Huh? Sun god?"
"Big Brother El is the sun god?"
Hajrudin and the other children from the Sheep's House were filled with disbelief.
"Crack crack crack, Hajrudin, don't be so surprised. This is a different sun god from the one we worship in Elbaf!" Raideen, a member of the Giant Pirate Warriors and Hajrudin's mentor, laughed as he explained.
"Ah, I see!" Hajrudin scratched his head, suddenly understanding.
Just then, under everyone's shocked eyes, the massive Quetzalcoatl's fearsome eyes gleamed with a red light as El shouted, "Rise! Dreamland!!"
"Boom... boom..."
The earth rumbled, and countless plants began to move as if they had a life of their own.
"Whoosh... whoosh..."
Massive trees and vines shot up from the ground, weaving and intertwining. Flowers of every color bloomed, and before their eyes, multi-level wooden houses rapidly took shape, firmly rooted in the ground.
Around the trunk of an enormous tree, which had grown to a height of hundreds of meters—so large that even six giants couldn't wrap their arms around it—spiral staircases made of vines twisted upward. At the top stood a large observation tower, complete with a giant windmill spinning in the breeze.
There were even playgrounds with slides, see-saws, pirate ships, Ferris wheels, swings, and merry-go-rounds—all designed for giants, incredibly large and intricate.
In the blink of an eye, a large part of the island, which was about ten kilometers in diameter, had been transformed into a dreamlike children's amusement park.
The rest of the island, aside from necessary living and activity spaces, was reserved for growing crops or medicinal herbs. Both food and medicinal herbs were highly profitable industries, and the Quetzalcoatl was associated with rain, sowing, harvest, and abundant crops. With his power to control the growth of plants, El planned to use this ability to its fullest potential.
In the future, El intended to monopolize the export of food and precious medicinal herbs in the New World. After establishing large-scale cultivation and obtaining numerous seeds, he planned to occupy and develop uninhabited islands in the Calm Belt, planting valuable crops and gradually expanding his influence, reaching even the first half of the Grand Line and the Four Blues.
After all, pillaging was a one-time business, but this would be an endless source of wealth.