Albert and the others brought the boat to a halt next to a small island and unloaded their bags to go ashore.
Gathering fruit proved to be a simple task. Robin utilized her Hana-Hana no mi ability to pluck the fruit, while Albert took to the sky using Moonwalk to reach them.
The island was abundant with fruit, and before long, they had amassed a considerable amount. After loading the fruit onto the boat, they set up camp for the night on the island.
As dusk approached, Albert activated his Observation Haki and spotted a fierce wild boar. He skillfully killed it, skinned it, and started a barbecue on the beach, while Nami and the others helped him set up a table for their feast.
"Boss, let's make a toast!" Bartolomeo exclaimed, raising his glass high towards Albert.
Albert caught the enthusiasm and, with a piece of grilled meat in one hand and a drink in the other, joined in the celebration, enjoying the moment with everyone.
"Cheers, bottoms up!" they all shouted, laughing and sharing performances that rang through the island.
Suddenly, a ten-meter-tall gigantic gorilla burst out from the dense forest, charging straight toward Albert and his friends.
"Moonwalk!" Albert called out, leaping into the air to confront the giant gorilla, and with a decisive punch, he slammed it to the ground.
With a furious roar, the giant gorilla got back up, pounding its chest and glaring at Albert with blood-red eyes.
It roared again, swinging its massive arm down at Albert.
Unfazed, Albert laughed, "You beast, you truly don't know when to quit. Alright, let me show you my strength; take this!"
With a powerful clash, Albert's fist met the gorilla's with a force that shattered the creature's arm.
The giant gorilla let out a pained cry, clutching its broken limb as fear flickered in its eyes; it cautiously retreated until it found what it considered safety, then bolted away.
Albert, intrigued by the chase, chose not to stop the gorilla and turned back to Nami and the others. "Wait here, I'm going to have some fun with that giant gorilla."
Nami frowned, exclaiming, "Really, you still act like a child at your age. Hurry back; we need to rest later."
Robin just smiled, saying nothing, while Bartolomeo continued to eat heartily.
Albert grinned, "Got it, I'll be back soon." He then took off on Moonwalk to pursue the giant gorilla.
He quickly caught up with it but refrained from an immediate attack, instead hovering just behind, occasionally darting forward to tease it.
"Run a little faster, you're almost there," he taunted, while the panicked gorilla made desperate attempts to escape.
Covered in bruises with deep cuts on its back, the giant gorilla lamented, "I just wanted a taste of that delicious smell! How did it come to this? Why does this little human possess such power? He's going to kill me! What a monster! Oh no! My greed has doomed me!"
Cornered at the base of a mountain, the gorilla finally halted, glaring resentfully at Albert, as if challenging him, "If you have the guts, kill me. I'm not running anymore; I can't run away."
However, Albert lost interest in the showdown, thinking it was too easy. It was like battling someone who won't fight back; the thrill just vanished for him. "What a pity. I was hoping for more of a challenge, but you've made it too easy."
The giant gorilla, eyes narrowed in frustration, cursed internally, thinking, "If I resisted, I'd be a fool!"
"Forget it; if you're not going to put up a fight, I'll just have to kill you," Albert said indifferently.
"What? Why would you want to kill me? Shouldn't you want to subdue me instead? No, I don't want to die! I have female gorillas waiting for me!"
In a desperate plea, the gorilla knelt and began bowing to Albert, begging for its life.
Albert stared at the giant gorilla in disbelief, surprised that such a massive creature was so cowardly. Nevertheless, recognizing the gorilla's cleverness, he decided to spare it. "Well, since you're begging, I can't bring myself to kill you. I was going to eat you, but now I'm not hungry."
The gorilla, sweating profusely, thought, "Damn, he was actually going to eat me. I didn't expect that from Albert. Wait, he said he'd spare me! That's incredible news!"
"By the way, is there any treasure around here?" Albert casually inquired, remembering Nami's love for valuables.
"Treasure?" The giant gorilla looked confused.
After Albert gestured a few times, the gorilla finally grasped what he meant.
Once it understood, the giant gorilla led Albert to its treasure stash.
The treasure trove was a vast cave brimming with the giant gorilla's hoard. Albert stood before the cave, puzzled, noticing it didn't seem naturally formed. Spotting a flashlight, he followed the gorilla into the cave.
However...
"What's this broken sword? And why are these fruits here? What do these stones do? And this...?"
Albert rummaged through the giant gorilla's assorted treasures, realizing that the creature's tastes were quite different from human interests. Most items didn't hold any value to him, but he did find a small bag of gems that the gorilla had collected because it found them pretty.
Pocketing the gems, Albert kicked aside some stones and was just about to leave when...
Suddenly, a metallic clank echoed in the cave.
Illuminating the stone wall with his lantern, he approached to inspect further. To his surprise, the walls were metallic but covered in moss, making them hard to recognize at first glance.
Albert then realized that the cave had been artificially carved, explaining why the interior was so smooth.
Following the wall a short distance, he came across a collapsed area, uncovering a small black stone carving adorned with incomprehensible inscriptions that matched those of the main history texts.
Looking at the carving, Albert contemplated, "I should probably ask Robin about this."
He turned to exit the cave, instructing the gorilla to guard it carefully, then took off on Moonwalk back toward the ship.
Meanwhile, Nami and the others had finished their meal and were sitting on the ground, feeling a bit bored.
"Seriously, why hasn't Albert returned yet? It's taking forever."
"Oh, he'll be back soon," Robin reassured Nami, who was resting her chin on her hand.
Just then, they heard the familiar sound of Moonwalk, and Albert appeared, flying back.
"Why did it take so long? Seriously… Oh, is that a gem?"
When Nami noticed the gem Albert pulled from his pocket, her eyes lit up in excitement.
She snatched it and immediately began rubbing it against her cheek. "Oh, Albert, you're amazing! I love this gift!"
Seeing Nami's joy warmed Albert's heart; maybe this was the kind of satisfaction men felt when making women happy.
Turning to Robin, he revealed, "I stumbled upon a base with some stone carving that has similar feel as ponyglyph."
"What?" Robin exclaimed, jumping to her feet and eagerly asking, "Where is it?"
Albert explained about the gorilla's treasure cave.
"There has to be treasure there; I can sense it!" Nami declared, her eyes shining with excitement.
The others exchanged glances with the enthusiastic Nami, nodding in agreement.
"Treasure? Do you really think there's actual treasure there?" Bartolomeo asked, brimming with anticipation.
"Whether there's treasure or not doesn't concern me; I'm fascinated by the ponyglyph," Robin remarked, clearly intrigued.
"I'm not sure, but it certainly seems like a base that might hold treasures," Albert speculated.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go quickly!" Nami insisted with determination.
Before long, Albert led the eager Nami and the others toward the cave.
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