The next day.
Shanter and little Robin walked along the beach with downcast eyes, feeling exhausted and hoping to clear their minds. After all, both of them had been in a bad mood all night, and even by morning, they still didn't feel much better.
As they walked, they suddenly spotted a giant lying on the beach, surrounded by a large group of seagulls flying and circling around its head. Curious, they walked closer.
The giant moved its hand and then broke into a violent coughing fit, stirring up a cloud of dust. Shanter quickly covered his mouth and pulled Robin away from the dust. After the cloud dispersed, they saw a giant face, its mouth wide open as it made a dramatic, clawing motion.
When the giant noticed that the two before it were just children, it slammed its head back down onto the sand. "Dan dan shui ah," it muttered.
Shanter was somewhat confused by the strange pronunciation, but Robin immediately understood the giant's meaning. She led the giant to a small river nearby. Upon seeing the river, the giant buried its entire face in the water and started drinking deeply.
After finally drinking enough, the giant sighed in satisfaction. "Ah, refreshing!" it said, then lay down in a nearby open space without caring that its weight crushed several trees.
"It turns out I'm still alive," the giant remarked, its eyes somewhat unfocused. "Is that guy still safe?" After a brief moment of reflection, it noticed the two young people who had helped bring it to the riverbank and turned its head toward them, speaking loudly, "Thank you for saving me. Are there any towns nearby?"
Robin nodded, while Shanter, who had already started training nearby, paid no attention to the giant.
"I would have rather been washed up on a deserted island!" the giant muttered to itself.
The giant sat down beside a large stone, finally revealing its full appearance: It wore a massive brown cowboy hat, had orange-yellow hair, a long beard that covered its face, a tattered black and purple short-sleeve shirt, and brown pants that were covered in stains of blood.
The giant glanced at Robin. "If you stay still, nothing will happen. I'm just sitting here because my foot is injured." Robin looked down and indeed saw a large wound on the giant's leg.
"In a while, I'm planning to make a raft out of branches and leave here."
Noticing Robin staring at him, the giant asked, "Is this your first time seeing a giant race?"
Robin softly replied with an "Mm," while Shanter, still training, carried on with his exercises, paying no mind to the giant.
"Let me make it clear first, don't confuse me with those barbarians from Elbaf," the giant explained. "There are also gentle giants." It was unclear if Robin fully understood, but she simply nodded in acknowledgment.
The giant hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's a bit of a tough request, but I must ask: please don't tell anyone that you've seen me."
Robin straightforwardly replied, "Okay, I won't say anything."
But the giant turned his head in a dejected manner. "You agreed so quickly, it seems like you'll definitely tell someone."
At this point, Robin had lost interest in the giant and turned to watch Shanter, who was still focused on his exercises. "I won't say anything."
The giant, glancing at the girl who answered nonchalantly, muttered in frustration, "Stop fooling me. A child can't keep a secret." He slumped back down again.
Robin glanced at him and said, "I'm not interested in you."
The giant, who had been wallowing in his own sorrow, was stunned by Robin's response. Then his eyes welled up with tears, and he grinned widely, his teeth showing in a strange laugh. "Tlei xi, tlei xi xi xi..."
The strange booming sound startled Robin, and even Shanter, who had been doing pull-ups nearby, almost lost his grip on the branch. "Tlei xi? What does that mean?"
"What? I'm laughing at you," the giant explained, but then burst into more laughter.
"Are you laughing?" Robin asked, a bead of sweat forming on her face. Shanter also looked confused, halting his training and staring at the giant's silly laughter.
"You're an interesting little kid, tlei xi, tlei xi xi xi."
Hearing the absurd sound, Robin couldn't help but laugh as well. "Such a strange laugh, heh heh, hehehe."
Eventually, the giant's laughter died down. "People used to say my laugh was foolish. You laugh in a cute way, though. You should laugh more."
Robin blushed deeply at the giant's words. This was the second time someone other than Shanter had called her cute, which made her feel a surge of affection toward the giant.
"My name is Salong, Hargval d Salong," the giant introduced himself.
"D? Your name has a D in it, just like my brother!" Robin exclaimed, surprised to hear another person with a name containing "D." She turned to look at Shanter.
"Oh, you know someone whose name also has a D?" Salong was intrigued.
"It's me," Shanter answered from the side.
Salong, intrigued by the coincidence, asked, "Kid, what's your name?"
"Furst d Shanter. And don't call me 'kid.'"
"Furst? That surname still exists?" Salong exclaimed. "I heard that everyone with that surname died when the Hamiti Kingdom was destroyed four years ago? It's a remarkable surname, though, and it's good to see it still passed down. By the way, little girl, what's your name?"
"Robin."
"I see, Robin, Furst, actually, I'm being hunted right now, so if I'm discovered, things could get troublesome," Salong murmured.
"We won't tell anyone. Even if we did, no one would believe us," Shanter replied coolly.
---
Three days after the giant's arrival.
"Salong, don't you eat?" After spending the past two days chatting with Salong, Shanter and Robin had gotten along quite well.
"I'm full," Salong replied, glancing at a huge fishbone in front of him. "I caught some fish to eat last night."
"Mm." Robin sat down and began eating the lunch Shanter had prepared, while Shanter continued training nearby.
"Kid, you're impressive, practicing every day at such a young age," Salong remarked, admiring Shanter's dedication.
"First of all, don't call me 'kid!' Secondly, I'm training because I plan to join the navy one day. I need to be strong for that," Shanter said, somewhat irritated, since Salong had been acting like an adult in front of Robin.
"Joining the navy, huh? It's not something to be taken lightly. I used to be in the navy too, a vice admiral," Salong said with a hint of nostalgia.
"You were a vice admiral in the navy?" Shanter's tone became more respectful upon hearing this. "Then, can you take me into the navy? I want to protect justice in this world and prevent others from suffering the same fate I did," Shanter said with a look of determination.
"Is that so? Tlei xi xi xi, the navy is not as great as you think. You'll have to see it for yourself. Besides, I'm no longer in the navy," Salong said, clearly unwilling to discuss the topic further. "By the way, you two have been here for days now. Don't you have any parents or friends?"
Robin replied, "I don't have any family. My mom's still alive, but she's always been at sea since I was little, so I don't even remember what she looks like. I like the archaeologists, but they don't want me to participate in their research. The other kids in town think I'm scary and don't play with me, except for my brother. You already know about him, right?" Robin then raised her hand, and several arms grew out of Salong's.
Having received Shanter's care, Robin no longer cared much about whether others accepted her, but she still watched Salong's reaction.
"So, you're a Devil Fruit user," Salong said, relatively unfazed.
This surprised Robin, as everyone else who had seen her abilities since childhood had called her a "monster"—except for Shanter. "Aren't you scared?"
"I've been to the Grand Line, seen plenty of powerful Devil Fruit users. It's pretty impressive though, becoming a Devil Fruit user at such a young age. That ability is quite convenient," Salong said, clearly envious.
"Devil Fruit user? Could you explain more about that, Salong?" Shanter, intrigued, stopped his training.
"Sure. A Devil Fruit user is someone who has eaten a Devil Fruit, which grows at the bottom of the Grand Line, originating from the Devil Tree. There are many types of powers, divided into three categories: Logia, Paramecia, and Zoan. Two people can never have the same ability. A new fruit only appears after the previous user dies. Eating a Devil Fruit grants strange abilities, like turning into ice or various animals, or, as in Robin's case, multiplying limbs. Your strength also increases, but you become despised by the sea and lose all strength when you hit the water." Salong was happy to explain.
"A land duck... losing strength..." Shanter glanced at Little Robin, only to meet her sharp gaze.
Then, countless hands began to chase after Shanter, and Shanter, knowing he was in the wrong, didn't dare to fight back and just kept running away.
"Serving you right for 'forcing' me to swim! Serving you right for 'forcing' me to swim!"
"Swim..." Salong let out another round of his strange laughter, "Trelai, hehehe."
Little Robin was distracted by Salong's bizarre laughter and spared Shanter. "That's such a weird laugh."
"Whether it's weird or not, I'll tell you, laughing more will make you happier," Salong stopped laughing and said seriously to Little Robin. At this moment, Shanter had already disappeared somewhere to "hide."
"You've looked like you've endured quite a bit at such a young age, but it seems you're still quite cheerful now. Trelai, hehehehe," Salong said while crafting a raft, speaking to Little Robin.
During this time, Salong also encouraged Robin to learn his strange laugh. Little Robin couldn't resist Salong and found it amusing, so she began mimicking his odd laugh.
Of course, if Shanter were here, he would have stopped Little Robin from doing it, even if it meant fighting him.
---
Enjoying the story? Want to read ahead?
Get early access to 40+ Chapters and faster updates by
joining the Pirate King Membership tier for just $5! You can choose to support me on :
Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/KZ478
Your support helps keep this story alive, and I deeply appreciate every contribution
Thank you for reading and supporting my work.