The prehistorid of Little Garden had no official port—after all, no one lived on the isnd except for the a creatures roaming its expanse. Aside from twiants engaged in a turies-long duel, there weren't any intelligent beings calling this pe.

  Cudius had no i iwo giants, so he didn't pay them any mind. It wasn't as if the isnd was pletely untouched by humaher.

  In fact, many ships would doear the isnd every year to replenish their supply of fresh water and food. The giants often came across these "tiny visitors" but paid them no attention, seeing them as insequential.

  After the Prometheus anchored in a natural deep-water harbor, Cudius and the others disembarked.

  "How do you pn to catch a Tyrannosaurus?" Cudius muttered to himself as he stepped onto Little Garden, stroking his in thought.

  Despite his casual demeanor, he felt a small surge of excitement. Finally, after so many years of imagining this pce, he had set foot on the legendary isnd. It was a bit like cheg off a long-standing item on his bucket list.

  "The Pachycephalosaurus is cuter!" Robin said, stepping off the ship as well. Hearing Cudius talk to himself, she immediately voiced her disagreement.

  Cudius shot her a bnk look aed, "Just wait until we're back at Mariejois. I'll find the best psychologist in the world to fix your questionable sense of aesthetics. I'll make sure they help yhe tall, majestic brilliance of yhness."

  Robin frowned slightly, feeling a little insulted. Did he think she was sick? She didn't need a psychologist, she had read enough psychology books herself to qualify as one!

  "Sister Stussy, which do you think is cuter? The Pachycephalosaurus or the Tyrannosaurus?" Robin turo Stussy, attempting to gain an ally.

  Stussy hesitated, looking slightly embarrassed. To her, her the Pachycephalosaurus nor the Tyrannosaurus could really be called "cute." If anything, she found the Microraptor appealing—it was small, beautifully feathered, and no bigger than a bird.

  "I think the Microraptor is cuter," Nia chimed in while flipping through the dinosaur ats Cudius had been reading earlier. He spoke in his usual posed manner.

  Stussy immediately tched onto his response, her eyes lighting up. "Yes! I agree!"

  "What kind of taste is that? If you want a bird-like creature, why not just cat actual bird?" Robin replied, visibly dissatisfied.

  The group quickly devolved into a debate.

  Cudius firmly believed that the Tyrannosaurus was the only acceptable choice for a man.

  Stussy and Nia argued that a Microraptor was a much more practical option, it could fit in a golden birdcage, didn't take up space, and wouldn't pose the risk of eating someone on board.

  Robin, oher hand, remaieadfast in her desire to catch a Pachycephalosaurus and prove its "ess" to the others.

  Sihey couldn't rea agreement, Cudius finally decided, "We'll just catch them all."

  Despite his decration, Cudius didn't join the hunting party. He simply wandered around Little Garden for a while, leaving Stussy, Nia, and Robin to lead a group of guards deeper into the prehistorid.

  Ad Koa also ventured into the juhough their goal was simply to observe the dinosaurs and other a creatures, they had no i in keeping any of them.

  After spending two days expl the isnd, Cudius had seen a wide variety of prehistoric creatures, including several types of dinosaurs. However, the Tyrannosaurus remained elusive.

  Logically, the Tyrannosaurus should have been the isnd's apex predator. So where was it? Had the giaen it?

  Initially thrilled to set foot on Little Garden, Cudius quickly lost i. He'd seen what there was to see, and nothing else on the isnd particurly captivated him.

  Robin, Stussy, Nia, and the others, however, seemed to enjoy their advehhly. They'd been expl for days and hadn't returo the ship yet.

  Meanwhile, Cudius sat by the natural deep-water harbor, quietly fishing with a rod in hand. A group of armed guards stood fifty meters away, keeping a vigint watch to ensure no wild creatures disturbed him.

  "It's fine for people to own swords or other ons, but artillery, guns, and ammunition are obviously traband. You're encing a crime, don't you know that?" Crocodile's voice came through the Den Den Mushi oable o Cudius.

  Cudius, his focus still on his fishing line, remained unbothered. He responded with a rexed smile, "You're talking like you're some kind of upright citizen. Who are y to fool? You're a pirate, Crocodile. 't you act the part? Stop pretending to be Abasta's national hero and do something more fitting for your identity."

  There was a brief silence from the Den Den Mushi before Crocodile replied, "I didn't have a choice before. Now I want to be one."

  "Wait—did you sneak a look at my notebook?" Cudius asked, suddenly flustered.

  In his spare time, Cudius had jotted down various impactful phrases he remembered from his past life, intending to use them at the right moment for dramatic effect. He hadn't expected Crocodile to catch him off guard with one of those lines.

  "Why would I o sneak a look? Do you think Nia and the others don't already know about your notebook? You're the only one who thinks it's a secret," Crocodile replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  "Damn it!" Cudius cursed under his breath. While the notebook didn't tain anythiive, it represented a part of his slightly embarrassing "sed-rate" persona. The fact that Nia and the others had seen it only deepened his humiliation.

  Crocodile, however, didn't dwell on mog Cudius and shifted the topic back to their discussion. "Swords and simple ons are ohing, but crafting artillery and guns is no easy feat."

  "Are you saying there's a problem?" Cudius asked, smiling faintly.

  "Ordinary artillery and guns are simple enough. But what you're asking for, top-of-the-line onry, that's not something just anyone make," Crocodile said.

  "Well, obviously, I'm not ied in the cheap stuff. I want the best," Cudius replied calmly.

  "Then there's your ahe best teology isn't floating around in the market, it's in the hands of the royal families or, more often, the Wover. If you secure it, then sure, we make it," Crocodile expined.

  Regur guns and ons were ubiquitous, practically littering the streets. But Cudius wasn't looking for that. He wanted advanced onry, the kind used to arm Marine forces.

  As a Celestial Dragon, Cudius had the influeo obtain such teology from the Wover, though it required a certain level of discretion. Still, he wasn't overly ed—Caesar, with his expertise, could reverse-ehe teology and produce results.

  "Caesar should have it sorted soon. I already spoke to Dofmingo. I've set up a fully funal arsenal assembly line in Abasta. We'll use it to start building a reserve of ons," Cudius said matter-of-factly.

  Crocodile was silent for a moment before responding, "You're the boss. As long as you provide the resources, I deliver."

  But curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "What do you pn to do with all these ons?"

  "Poag," Cudius replied with a wicked smile.