"Are you sure... this is Little Garden?" Hog couldn't hold back any longer and turned to ask Ryuen hesitantly.
"Don't ask me... I have no idea either! Nami, do you know?" Ryuen gulped, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"This place is huge... A place this big is called Little Garden? Who came up with that stupid name?" Nami pouted, not sure who she was complaining to.
Everyone on the Dream stared at the massive island ahead in shock. They could faintly see enormous dinosaurs roaming through the forest.
Ryuen was already cursing in his head.
In the story he remembered, Little Garden wasn't this big. But the one before him looked nothing like the original!
However, the crew's initial surprise quickly turned into excitement. No one on the ship could sit still.
"Hog, dock the Dream quickly! I'm going on an adventure!" Kuina clenched her sword, Wado Ichimonji, with excitement.
"Big brother, dock the ship already!" Leah urged Hog.
"Everyone, I've prepared lunchboxes! We can have fun on the island!" Anya, the energetic cook, shouted happily.
"That's awesome, thanks Anya~~~"
"Anya, you're the best! I love your lunchboxes~~~"
Everyone rushed to Anya, happily grabbing their lunchboxes, ready to set off as soon as the ship docked.
"Wait, I have something to say!" Ryuen jumped onto the ship's bow, ready to make a speech.
Seven crew members stood before him, holding bags, axes, and swords, eagerly awaiting the captain's instructions.
"This is the legendary ancient island, as you've all seen. There are even dinosaurs living here."
"While they may not be dangerous to us... the viruses here are ancient-level too. Especially the poisonous bugs — if any of you get bitten, we'll be in big trouble. So we must take proper precautions during our adventure!"
"Do you understand?" Ryuen finished and scanned the crew.
"We got it, Captain!"
"Haha, the captain is so naggy~~~"
Everyone assured him they understood, though some seemed... less convinced.
"You four! Go change into something proper! Who goes on a forest adventure wearing such revealing clothes?" Ryuen scolded Leah, Nami, Anya, and Nojiko with a stern face.
"It's so hot here! We're not wrapping ourselves up like mummies."
The four women pouted, clearly unhappy, protesting in unison.
"Listen... Ryuen's not wrong. From what we can see, this island still has an ancient ecosystem."
"So the viruses and poisonous bugs Ryuen mentioned could be real. We must take necessary precautions."
Daisy, the ship's doctor, reluctantly stepped in to back Ryuen's point, even though she didn't want to spoil the fun.
"Even Daisy agrees..."
"Fine, we'll go change."
"Let's go, time to change clothes!"
The girls, seeing that even Daisy, the ship's doctor, agreed with Ryuen, didn't dare argue anymore.
A few minutes later, everyone had changed clothes.
"Everyone~~ These are scented pouches made with my special insect-repelling formula. Wear them, and they'll keep poisonous bugs away!" Daisy said, pulling eight pouches from her backpack.
"They're so pretty~~~"
"Mmm~~ They smell so good~~~"
"Thank you, Doctor Daisy!"
Everyone happily took their pouches, and the girls gathered around Daisy, thanking her enthusiastically. Daisy's face turned bright red from all the attention.
The Dream Ship docked, and the eight members split into four teams: Hog and his sister Leah, Kuina and Anya, Nojiko and Daisy, Ryuen and Nami.
"We'll meet at the center of the island. Let's go!" Ryuen shouted excitedly.
"Adventure, adventure!"
"Let's go, adventure time~~~"
As soon as Ryuen finished speaking, the four teams jumped off the Dream Ship, each choosing a different path into the dense forest. The source of this content ɪs novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet
The scene shifted to Hog and Leah.
"It's so~~~so huge~~~such a big dinosaur~~~"
Staring at the long-necked dinosaur ahead, Leah's eyes widened, her cherry-like mouth opening in shock.
"I want to ride on the dinosaur's back!" Leah pleaded with Hog.
"Let's jump on!" Hog, ever eager to spoil his sister, agreed without hesitation.
The siblings immediately jumped onto the dinosaur's neck, sliding down from its highest point like it was a giant playground slide, shouting excitedly.
The scene then switched to Kuina and Anya.
"One-Sword Style: Celestial Shadow — Phantom Moon Strike!" Kuina shouted, her blade, Wado Ichimonji, releasing a pale slash.
Ahead of them, a dinosaur with meat 50 times more nutritious than beef was cut clean in half!
"Kuina, you're the strongest! You took down that dinosaur with one strike!" Anya cheered, waving her arms excitedly.
Staring at the fallen beast, Anya was already imagining what delicious dishes she could cook with its meat.
"That was nothing!" Kuina sheathed her sword and wiped her nose with her thumb, acting proudly.
Next came Nojiko and Daisy's turn.
Their side was unusually quiet. They hadn't encountered any dinosaurs or dangerous beasts along the way.
"Why haven't we run into anything?" Daisy wondered aloud, but Nojiko was even more puzzled.
Suddenly, Nojiko sniffed the air, catching a strong scent, and slowly moved closer to Daisy.
"Nojiko, is something wrong?" Daisy asked, feeling a bit uneasy as Nojiko leaned in.
"Daisy, why do you smell so good?"
"This scent... it's just like the pouches you gave us." Nojiko said curiously.
"You mean this? My pouch has the strongest insect-repelling formula mixed with various fragrances, so it smells extra nice. But don't worry, it's completely safe for humans.
I guarantee no poisonous bugs will come near us!" Daisy said confidently.
"No poisonous bugs will come near?" Nojiko gasped.
"That's right! So, Nojiko, we're totally safe in this forest!" Daisy said with full confidence.
"Daisy, do you think... maybe your pouch smells *too* strong, and that's why no animals are coming near us~~~" Nojiko said with a thoughtful look.
"Hahaha, so that's what happened~~~"
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