One Piece: Honey Badger Speedruns the World

"Ah—!! Brother! It…it…it’s coming!"

Mia, who had just regained consciousness, watched as the three-meter-tall crocodile-man, covered in steel-like scales and dripping with water, approached step by step, and she was so frightened that she retreated repeatedly.

"Don't be afraid."

Goss grabbed Mia's shoulder and casually rambled on, "This is Thorton, a fish-man friend I used to know. He just happened to be passing by and stopped by to see me."

"Fish, fish-man?"

Mia blinked. Although Thorton did look a lot like the fishman in the book, something still felt off.

"But it was clearly a crocodile just now..."

"He's a crocodile fish-man who likes to disguise himself as a crocodile to sunbathe; it's a racial custom."

Goss remained calm and composed, then gave Thorton a wink.

The crocodile-man, who had been exuding a terrifying murderous aura, stopped two meters away from Mia.

He straightened his back with extreme stiffness and even clumsiness, trying to hide his terrifying bone spurs.

Thorton extended his enormous claw with great care, as if afraid of shattering the air, and gently paused in mid-air, making an inviting gesture.

"Click...click..."

He tried to grin and show off a charming smile.

However, due to the crocodile's facial structure, this movement exposed all two rows of dagger-like teeth, making it look as if he was about to swallow Mia's head whole.

"How... dazzling the light."

Thornton forced a gentlemanly smile, but what came out of that gaping maw big enough to swallow a cow was a soft, childish, and innocent child's voice.

If you close your eyes, the voice sounds like a little boy from next door who hasn't started kindergarten yet, begging his mother for candy—it has a cuteness that is completely different from its terrifying appearance.

Watching this three-meter-tall, muscular deep-sea crocodile, yet speaking with a perfect boyish voice, passionately confessing its love...

This terrifying contrast, enough to short-circuit the brain instantly, made Goss pinch his thigh tightly, his facial muscles twitching wildly, and he struggled to keep from bursting out laughing on the spot.

"My beautiful lady, your presence has made my cold blood feel as hot as a hot spring."

As he spoke, his bright, vertical pupils stared at Mia, his nostrils flaring wildly: "And... you smell really good. Ah, please don't misunderstand—"

Seeing Mia standing there dumbfounded, Thorton quickly explained, wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth: "It's just a carnivore's physiological reaction; my soul is captivated by you. May I kiss your...toes?"

He brought the huge crocodile head closer.

Bang!

Without any hesitation, Goss kicked Thornton into the water, sending up a huge splash.

Looking at the huge figure bubbling in the water, Goss rubbed his throbbing temples, a deep sense of absurdity welling up inside him.

"...Isn't this a little off?"

Goss's eye twitched as he mentally ranted.

He had assumed that this seemingly powerful deep-sea crocodile would be a taciturn, cold-blooded weapon that only knew how to follow orders, or a deep-sea behemoth exuding an aura of death.

The results of it?

What exactly is this thing?

It has the ferocious face of a prehistoric behemoth, yet speaks with the tender voice of a child who hasn't been weaned; it is clearly a cold-blooded animal, but its tiny brain is filled with inexplicable sweet talk.

"Could it be because my posture was wrong when I was transforming him?"

"Or is there some quirk I'm unaware of that lurks beneath my domineering aura?"

Goss glanced at Soton, who was still laughing foolishly in the water, and sighed helplessly.

That's enough. Although his personality is a bit off and his art style is somewhat peculiar, at least his loyalty is maxed out, and his terrifying physical strength is real.

"Gurgle..."

Thornton popped his head out of the water, not angry at all, but instead shook the water off his head and narcissistically touched his non-existent hair.

"Captain, jealousy makes men ugly. Are you afraid my charm will overshadow yours?"

Mia's lips twitched wildly as she looked at the smug crocodile face in the water, feeling as if a million honey badgers were howling through her mind.

charm……?

Where is it?!

and……

The most outrageous thing is, how can you speak such greasy middle-aged man's lines with such a serious face, using the voice of a three-year-old who has just been weaned and is still wearing diapers?!

This is so offensive!

"I...I'll go see what we can eat in the kitchen!"

Mia covered her face, not daring to look at the "pretending" crocodile again, and fled back to the villa as if she were escaping.

She felt that if she stayed even a second longer, not only would she go blind, but her worldview would also collapse.

With Mia slamming the door shut, the courtyard returned to silence.

The seawater in the courtyard has been drained. Although the ground is still a bit slippery, this perfectly simulates the harsh combat environment at sea.

Goss took off his shirt, revealing his well-defined muscles, and beckoned to the behemoth in front of him.

"Soton, attack. Go all out and show me what you're made of."

"This...this isn't quite right, is it?"

Thorton hesitated for a moment, rubbing his claws, which were sharp enough to crush skulls, and said worriedly in his soft, childlike voice, "Captain, your skin is so delicate. If I accidentally cut it, I'll be so heartbroken that I won't be able to sleep at night."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Goss's eyes turned cold, and he unleashed his wolf-like speed in an instant, sweeping towards Soton with a gust of cold wind!

boom! !

A dull, loud thud, as if an iron rod had been slammed into the tire.

Goss felt as if his fist had hit a solid steel plate, and the recoil made his bones ache.

In contrast, Soton merely swayed its massive body slightly, leaving not a single white mark on its side covered in black scales.

"Is this the defensive capability of the Deinosuchus...?"

A flicker of delight crossed Goss's eyes. This natural armor with its own defensive capabilities was simply the best meat shield!

"Captain! You're hurting me!"

Although Thornton was unharmed, he let out a childish gasp of surprise.

But his ancient fighting instincts were instantly activated, and his thick, battering ram-like tail swept across with a terrifying howl almost the instant Goss stood still!

It was as fast as a black lightning bolt!

Goss's pupils contracted, and he instinctively raised his arms to block.

boom!

The immense impact sent Goss sliding backward seven or eight meters, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground, and his arms went numb.

"What incredible strength..."

Goss shook his hand. This wasn't some kind of crocodile; it was practically a biological tank!

"Keep going! Don't stop!"

For the rest of the time, the courtyard became their arena for a duel.

Although Thornton cried out in a childish voice, "Stop hitting me!" and "I'm so tired!", he was ruthless when he actually hit him.

Claws tear through the air, tail whips shatter the ground, jaws snap in death, and crocodiles even use their low-profile stance for quick attacks.

Under this intense pressure, Goss honed his physical skills relentlessly.

I couldn't find anyone to practice with before.

Now that we have Thornton, a sparring partner who is indestructible and can pose a deadly threat at any time, the growth in strength is far more solid than hitting wood.

"Huff... huff..."

Finally, after a violent collision, the two separated.

Goss was drenched in sweat and had several bruises on his body, but he felt more relaxed than ever before.

Soton, meanwhile, lay on the ground, his long tongue lolling out, and complained in a childish, pitiful voice:

"Captain, you have violent tendencies... Waaah... You've knocked off all my scales..."

Looking at the exhausted crocodile, Goss nodded in satisfaction.

He looked down at his slightly swollen and red paws, then glanced at Soton across from him, who was clutching his stomach and wincing in pain.

The Sky-Splitting Claw he had just used actually managed to leave five slight dents on Soton's black scales, which were as tough as steel.

"This feel..."

Goss clenched his fist, feeling the power surging within him.

Soton is an ancient deinosuchus, whose bite force, defense, and explosive power are all superior to those of ordinary fishmen.

It was able to break through Soton's defenses head-on and fight this monster hand-to-hand for half an hour without being at a disadvantage...

"If it's that fishman Arlong who's still terrorizing the East Blue..."

Goss's mind conjured up the image of the fish-man pirate with a bounty of 2000 million Berries, who was known as the strongest creature in the East Blue.

Two days ago, Ah Long's monster, capable of easily crushing artillery shells, was an absolute nightmare he could never hope to reach.

However, after the recent combat exercise with Thornton...

"I could probably break off that shark's proud serrated nose with one hand right now."

He has now completely crossed the line of being a pirate in the East Blue.

As long as he doesn't encounter an invincible Logia-type Devil Fruit user, he should be able to put up a fight in the first half of the Grand Line.

This time, I felt even more confident about setting sail.