Alabasta.
While Cyrus was preparing to face Whitebeard in the New World, a group of pirate hunters had landed in the desert kingdom.
Then Kuina's group boarded Alabasta's tourist route and arrived before the great canyon that had appeared not long ago.
The Great Canyon of Flame and Gems.
That was the name this canyon now carried.
It had already become one of Alabasta's landmark sights.
Anyone who came to Alabasta wanted to see this man-made wonder with their own eyes.
Standing at one end of the canyon and looking out across it, the entire ravine reflected dazzling light beneath the blazing sun.
Because its interior was filled with colorful crystals, glass, and perhaps even gemstones, the reflected light shimmered in every color imaginable.
"Gulp."
Zoro stared at it with wide eyes, stretching his neck as he swallowed.
He had seen Cyrus make a move before, of course, but at that time Cyrus's strength had still been limited.
Even though Zoro had seen pictures in the newspaper, seeing it with his own eyes still left him shaken.
Just how much power did a person need to create something like this?
"Catching up to that guy is going to be hard," Zoro murmured.
Hearing that, Kuina withdrew her gaze from the canyon and looked at him instead.
"It really will be hard," she said in a strange tone.
"But I won't give up! I'm definitely going to become the greatest swordsman, and then… then!"
Zoro's voice paused halfway through, and he frowned.
"Then, at the very least, I'll have to earn the right to cross blades with him!"
Even Zoro now understood just how enormous the gap between him and Cyrus really was.
This was not a difference that could be closed just by working hard for a while.
Besides, Cyrus was also still growing stronger.
The pirate hunters around them, meanwhile, kept shouting in excitement.
Each of them looked thrilled beyond belief.
Even though they had never met Cyrus, and even though they were not yet official Hunters of the Hunter Guild, seeing the canyon created by the Guild's chairman still left them wildly excited.
Only after quite a while did those Hunters finally calm down.
"What are you planning to do?"
Payne walked over, clearly still excited.
This prince from an East Blue kingdom and trainee Hunter of the Hunter Guild had returned together with Kuina and the others, and he was clearly full of anticipation for whatever he might encounter in the future.
Before Kuina could answer, Payne spoke of his own plans first.
"I'm planning to do the same thing as in the East Blue and take missions from the Guild."
"There's a Hunter Guild branch here in Alabasta. We're planning to rest here for a while. We spent so long chasing that guy back in the East Blue that we haven't had a proper break in ages."
Kuina thought for a moment before answering.
"Then I'll see you later! Zoro-kun, see you later!"
Payne nodded, turned, and waved to his companions. Then he looked back at Zoro and spoke again.
"The Grand Line isn't the East Blue. There are plenty of powerful pirates here."
Hearing Payne's words, Zoro turned his head and reminded him.
"Don't worry. I'm not weak either."
Payne smiled, then turned and left with his group.
Kuina's group watched Payne and his companions leave.
Then Zoro lowered his head slightly and looked at Kuina beside him.
"We don't need to rest for too long, right?"
Kuina shook her head slightly.
"We really don't. But for the next while, I want to see whether there's any news about that guy. He doesn't have a ship. If he lands on a nearby island, he'll definitely need to find one."
"If he shows himself, news will spread. No pirate I've tried to capture has ever escaped before."
Kuina was clearly very bothered by the fact that Ace had slipped away from their pursuit.
"That guy might already be dead at sea," Zoro said.
"Then we'll wait a while and see."
Kuina did not think Ace would die out there.
Back in the East Blue, he had survived being chased by them for so long. Although Ace was alone, his strength was not weak.
The Grand Line was dangerous, yes, but that guy should be able to handle it.
"Let's go. We've seen what we came to see. Now let's find Alabasta's Hunter Guild branch and investigate the nearby pirates first. We can't just keep staring at that one guy."
Once Kuina said that, Zoro nodded as well.
In any case, he did not need to use his brain.
That was the good thing about going out to sea with Kuina.
He only needed to listen, then draw his swords and cut people down!
The Hunters traveling with Kuina also gathered around, and the group soon left.
...
As for Ace, the person Kuina had been talking about, he had just landed on Little Garden.
Ace crawled out of the sea, both of his legs trembling.
He was exhausted!
After all, Ace was not a powerhouse on Rayleigh's level.
Even if he could rely on his physique to survive and move through the sea, the toll on his body was still enormous.
He lay spread out on the soft beach, feeling the warm sunlight shining down on him. With his eyes closed, he grinned and laughed.
He was still alive.
Looks like his luck was not bad.
Still, this was one experience Ace never wanted to go through again.
The storms he had encountered at sea had nearly buried him in the ocean.
If he wanted to survive on the sea, a ship was absolutely necessary. More than that, he needed to find some companions.
After resting for a long while, Ace finally sat up.
He opened his eyes and looked at the sea in front of him, then suddenly stood and turned toward the island behind him.
The island's vegetation was incredibly lush.
There had to be plenty of food.
Ever since abandoning his boat, Ace had only been able to catch fish while swimming and eat them raw to replenish his strength.
Now that he had landed on an island, his first goal was naturally to fill his stomach.
Just as he expected, the island had not only all kinds of fruit, but also many beasts of different sizes.
Some were quite aggressive, but Ace still easily caught prey, started a fire, and roasted it on the spot.
With meat cooked half-raw over the fire and a huge pile of fruit he had gathered, Ace finally ate his first proper meal since the chase began.
But before he could eat much, Ace suddenly paused.
He frowned slightly, then pricked up his ears.
A dull, thunder-like sound came from deeper within the island, and it had a steady rhythm.
But that sound was not thunder from nature.
'What exactly was it?'
Ace frowned.
While quickly eating, curiosity appeared on his face.
After devouring the large pile of food, Ace set off to see what was going on.
Then, in the middle of the island, he saw two enormous figures lying on their backs, sleeping.
"Giants?"
Ace's eyes widened.
Although he had only heard of them before, the moment he saw them with his own eyes, he recognized them.
This was one of the powerful races found on the Grand Line—the giants.
An adult giant was at least over twenty meters tall, and there were even exaggerated giants who reached dozens or hundreds of meters in height.
Just as Ace stared at the two giants with eyes full of curiosity, the two sleeping giants abruptly sat up.
Their massive eyes fixed directly on the direction where Ace was hiding.
"Someone else has wandered onto this island."
The enormous voice shook the surrounding air until it buzzed.
"More people from the Hunter Guild?"
Another giant spoke in a deep, muffled voice.
"Most likely. They're the only ones who've been coming here recently."
After saying that, the two giants stood and looked toward Ace.
Ace had no intention of hiding either.
He walked straight out from where he had been concealed and approached the two giants openly.
"I'm Ace, from the East Blue. I'm a pirate."
Ace introduced himself directly.
"A pirate?"
Dorry and Brogy froze for a moment, exchanged a glance, then sat down directly, their bodies like two mountains of flesh.
"You'd better not stay here for too long, kid. People from the Hunter Guild come here often," Dorry said in his booming voice.
Since Ace was not from the Hunter Guild, Dorry did not care too much about him.
"There are a lot of people from the Hunter Guild? They're around here too?"
Ace looked at the two giants and also sat cross-legged, though compared to them, his body was so small that he looked almost insignificant.
"There are a lot of them. But Cyrus is the chairman of the Hunter Guild. With his strength and reputation, recruiting people into the Guild is far too easy," Dorry said.
"I know. He's the chairman of the Hunter Guild, a really powerful guy."
Ace nodded repeatedly.
"He really is powerful."
The Blue Ogre immediately voiced his agreement.
After all, the two of them had once joined forces and still been beaten up by Cyrus.
From the news they had heard recently, it was clear that Cyrus had held back when he fought them back then.
"You two know Cyrus?"
Ace looked at the two giants' expressions and suddenly asked.