"Huh?"
"Ancient giants?"
"Are there really giants bigger than the regular ones?"
"Unbelievable..."
Three days later, at Dreamland, a group of troubled children from the Dream House were filled with surprise when they saw El, Linlin, Hajrudin, and Streusen return with Little Oars.
They curiously examined Little Oars, who had adjusted his size to match El and the others. His green skin, fierce face, and fangs made him look intimidating, yet his expression held a sense of innocence.
Meanwhile, Little Oars looked around, fascinated by the whimsical Dreamland, a place he had never imagined. His eyes sparkled with excitement when he saw the giant Ferris wheel, and he couldn't help but want to try it out.
"Alright, from today onwards, Oars is one of us. Everyone, get along with him!" El smiled as he introduced Oars to the group.
"Got it, Boss El!"
"Don't worry, I'll look after him!"
"Look after him? One step from Oars would flatten you like a fishcake!"
"He'll need me for that, haha…"
"Hi, Oars..."
The group of troubled children bantered and teased each other in a lively but friendly manner. Despite their playful arguments, they got along well, thanks to Sister Carmel's old teachings. Conflicts never led to hatred or grudges, and El had established rules to ensure fairness. If a dispute couldn't be resolved, they could settle it with an open, honest fight and then train harder to win next time. Of course, El forbade any bullying based on strength.
Sometimes, the kids needed El, their "guardian," to mediate and guide them.
"Alright, everyone line up, and I'll introduce Oars..." Gerd cheerfully stepped forward to introduce everyone to Little Oars. "This is Tain from the Longarm Tribe, Rock from the Longleg Tribe, Moss from the Mink Tribe, Barry from the Snakeneck Tribe, and Jien from the Fish-men Tribe…"
When these different children first met Linlin, the original "problem child," she nearly scared them half to death. Her curiosity led her to "kindly" try to make them look more like regular humans. She wanted to remove the Longarm Tribe's extra joints, shorten the Snakeneck Tribe's long necks, and pluck the Mink Tribe's fur.
Had El not intervened in time, half of them might not have survived her "kindness."
"Hello, everyone... I'm Oars!"
Little Oars grinned happily as he looked down at his new friends, all from different races but welcoming and kind. El and the others hadn't lied—there really were many companions from different species, and they all lived happily together.
"El, it's been a while since I've been out. I need to head back to Elbaf with Hajrudin for a bit..."
Gerd ran up to El, smiling brightly. "Want to come with us?"
Adventuring with El had been far more exciting than staying in Elbaf. Even though the training with El was tough, Gerd knew it was for their benefit.
"You two go ahead. Give my regards to Mountain Beard and Waterfall Beard. Next time, I'll bring some good wine to Elbaf when I visit. Stay safe!" El nodded with a smile. He understood that Gerd and Hajrudin were still children, and it was natural for them to miss their families after being away for a long time.
"Haha, we won't be gone long, Boss El!" Hajrudin said with a laugh.
"Gerd, bring me something tasty!" Linlin's eyes sparkled as she looked at Gerd.
"Something tasty? Sure, Linlin. I'll bring you some Semla!" Gerd winked at her.
"Semla? Thanks so much, Gerd… I can't wait!" Linlin's mouth watered at the thought of Semla, the delicious dish from Elbaf that she couldn't forget.
Soon, under the watchful eyes of the group, Gerd and Hajrudin leaped onto Zeus the Thundercloud's back and sped off toward Elbaf.
"Goodbye!!"
...
"Moss, come over here!"
Sitting casually on a swinging chair, El watched the group of children happily bonding with Little Oars, laughing and riding the merry-go-round together.
He took out the Bird-Bird Fruit, Ancient Model: Pelagornis Bird, and called over Moss, the lion-like Mink Tribe boy.
"Boss El..."
The ten-year-old Moss, scratching his head, ran over curiously and asked, "What's up?"
"Do you remember this?"
El tossed the fruit to Moss with a smile.
"Huh? Isn't this the fruit I found?"
Catching the fruit with its strange patterns, Moss looked closely and widened his eyes in surprise. "Sister said it was poisonous and threw it away!"
Indeed, El had learned from Sister Carmel's memories that this Devil Fruit had been found by Moss and his friends while playing in the forest. Carmel had tricked him into giving it to her.
"That was a lie Carmel told you!"
El explained bluntly, "This is a Devil Fruit, a treasure of the sea. It's the Bird-Bird Fruit, Ancient Model: Pelagornis Bird. If you sold it, it would be worth at least a billion beli!"
"What!?"
"This is a Devil Fruit?"
The kids from Dream House were all shocked, staring at the strange fruit in amazement. They never expected it to be the legendary Devil Fruit that granted mystical powers.
El, Linlin, Gerd, Hajrudin, and Streusen were all Devil Fruit users.
"Damn that Sister!"
"That rotten kidnapper…"
Realizing they had been deceived, Moss, Jien, Rock, and the others gritted their teeth in anger and cursed Sister Carmel.
"Since you found it, it chose you...."
El smiled at Moss and said, "So it's yours to eat!"
As a member of the Mink Tribe with beastly strength, Moss already had impressive combat potential. Among all the children, he excelled the most in training the Six Powers, showing great talent and progress. At just ten years old, Moss had already mastered 'Shave,' the fastest move of the Six Powers.
El could only imagine how powerful Moss would become once he mastered the Mink Tribe's electro techniques and the Moon Lion transformation, combined with the Bird-Bird Fruit, Ancient Model: Pelagornis Bird. He would essentially be a low-level version of a Mythical Zoan Griffin, and not far behind other Mythical Zoan users like those with the Tengu or Pegasus forms. In terms of flight, the Pelagornis Bird's capabilities were among the best.
"Huh? You're giving it to me?"
Moss was stunned, not expecting El to hand him the fruit. The other children looked a bit envious, but none objected. After all, if Carmel hadn't tricked Moss, he would have eaten the fruit long ago.
"Didn't you say you envied me and Linlin for being able to fly?"
El patted Moss's head and smiled. "Eat it, and you'll be able to transform into a giant Pelagornis Bird and fly freely in the sky!"
"But once you become a Devil Fruit user, you'll have to train even harder to live up to your new powers."
"Yes, Boss El..."
Grasping the Devil Fruit, Moss's face flushed with excitement. Determined, he said, "I'll work hard!"
Without hesitation, he took a big bite.
"Ugh—" His face turned green as he gagged. "It tastes horrible!"
"Haha…"
~~~
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