“Thumbeline… I didn’t hate you, you know that.” Allen suddenly started.

“Huh? What are you talking about, human?” Thumbeline frowned.

Clearly not understanding the song, Allen was singing.

“Even if you tried to kill me so many times and even almost do it a few times but you also saved me several times… so we should call ourselves even… isn’t it?”

?

Thumbeline frowned. She really couldn’t understand what Allen was talking about.

Trying to kill him? This is the first time they met you know!

However, she really wanted to kill him… but how did he know? Could he read minds?!

Or,

Was this man had a few loose screws on his head…?

“What are you saying, human?”

The girl seemed utterly bewildered, but Allen paid her no heed.

“You don’t need to know. Just think that I’m letting out some steam…”

“You’re crazy… aren’t you?”

“Hehe, you can say that but I just want to say, I’m not angry at you. I just wanted to tell you this, since I have never found a chance to say this even until the end. I guess that’s one less regret…"

“…?”

“…Actually, I want to be friends with you. Especially this time. I don’t want to be the type of person who clings on past grudges that still hasn’t happened. Let bygones be bygones…”

“… …” Thumbeline stared at Allen for a long time. She couldn’t understand what he was saying… but could she just act as if she didn’t hear anything? And think that it was nothing but a crazy low life form rumbling?

After saying all those cringe words, Allen lay on the beetle’s back, used his hand as a pillow and looked at the crimson colored sky. 

He was very comfortable and easy going for someone that had been kidnapped by monsters.

Thumbeline looked at him for a moment, her expression strange before averting her eyes from him.

--- ---

The journey was smooth. No creatures would want to look for a fight with hundreds of flying monsters, even a wyvern or a dragon would think twice.

After that small intermission, Allen and Thumbeline kept their silence. Neither of them tried to start a conversation, as Allen kept his attention on enjoying the wonderful view.

It was much better than using an airplane to fly; the feeling of the wind, the clouds and the warmth of the sun… all of them was far more wonderful than staying inside a flying piece of metal.

“We’re here.”

At this moment, Allen’s peace and quiet was broken by Thumbeline’s cold voice. Raising his body, he looked down.

A vast green forest. It was almost like a sea of plants and trees… everywhere was green.

It should’ve been a normal forest but what’s different was that the trees were abnormally huge. In addition, you can see giant flying insects and monsters wandering in the place.

“So this is what Alkrasha’s kingdom looked like. Now that I mention it, I have never been here~”

“… …” Thumbeline ignored Allen as she had already given up understanding him. She just flew down, followed by the stag beetle Allen was riding.

Inside the forest was a very big tree. Looking at it closely, the tree could possibly be taller than 200 meters and the diameter of its width might have been around 20-30 meters or so. It was truly a giant that it almost took Allen’s breath.

Amazing!

In the tree’s trunk were several open holes that looked like doors and windows. There were monsters flying out of them.

“What do you think… about my humble abode?”

As Allen was entering one of the tree’s openings, a familiar voice suddenly came from the inside.

Hearing the voice, Thumbeline and the stag beetle immediately stopped and kneeled.

Only Allen remained sitting casually on the top of the stag beetle as he continued to survey the whole place.

“Truthfully, I’m in awe~” Allen honestly answered.

This was the biggest tree I had ever seen in my life- of course only in his current life.

The biggest, after all, is still Jack’s Beanstalk~

“I’m glad you like it~” Alkrasha’s familiar figure appeared in front of Allen.

The only difference from before was that, she was now wearing a crystal made vine crown on her hair.

“But you’re quite late, did you met trouble on the way here?”

“Nah, we just took our time… I tell you, the scenery is extremely amazing.” Allen answered casually with a smile.

His actions were as if he was really just meeting an old friend.

This really amazes Thumbeline who was kneeling behind them. Weren’t they enemies? This human… either he’s really fearless or just an idiot?

“It’s been a long time, human.” Alkrasha made a beautiful lovely smile. “… I’m happy that you are still the same as what I have remembered.”

Allen, likewise made a boyish grin, “I wouldn’t change. In fact, aren’t you the one who changes, Alkrasha… what’s with that lovely smile on your face, it doesn’t suit you at all.”

Allen’s tone had a clear mockery of it.

“Impudent!” Thumbeline yelled in anger.

She almost lashed out but was stopped by a wave of Alkrasha’s hand. Looking at her, there’s no change on the queen’s face.

“It would be rude to talk like this, why don’t we settle down first and talk inside.”

Allen shrugged his shoulder.

Provoking Alkrasha a bit for greetings seemed to have failed~

Allen followed Alkrasha in the deepest part of the tree. Inside was surprisingly spacious and possess several big rooms.

If there was a bigger version of an anthill, it would certainly be like this.

After walking for a couple of minutes, Allen and Alkrasha finally arrived at her room.

He unexpectedly found out that Alkrasha decorated the place pretty nicely with many special features.

Allen stopped and looked at the room blankly.

What he saw was too beautiful, a beauty that made people forget to even breathe.

The room was like a garden where hundreds of flowers bloomed and butterflies fluttered about. More importantly, it was filled with different kinds of colorful flowers.

What surprised Allen the most was that each flower was uniquely colored. The flowers inside the room had the same colors as a rainbow and were both beautiful and alluring.

In the center of the room was a group of clustered flowers that looked like a bed.

“I’m pretty confident with my room,” Alkrasha said while puffing her chest out.

She looked just like a normal girl showing her most prized treasure.

“It’s certainly is beautiful.”

Alkrasha seemed to have been satisfied by Allen’s praise as she led him inside.

“Please sit down.”

With a snap of her finger, an innumerable number of vines gathered in front of Allen, magically forming two chairs facing each other and a table between them.

Allen froze for a moment, then chuckled and sat on the chair.

“What a convenient place.”

He was smiling outside but inside he was startled. What was that? A plant-type manipulation skill?

“I’m glad you liked it,” Alkrasha smiled as she casually dropped a bomb, “… you will be living here from now on after all.”

She said it as if it was the most natural thing. Hearing her unexpected words, Allen frowned.

“When did I say I’m going to live here?”

“Because I said so,” Alkrasha’s tone was sharp.

She didn’t want to hear any refusal or objection.

“Do you think I will just because you say so?” Golden sparks flew from Allen’s body.

His carefree attitude instantly changed.

“Do you think that I’m still the same as before?!”

Watching the strands of electric sparks dancing around Allen, Alkrasha smile widened. “You indeed become much stronger, but…”

“… You are still not a match for me.”

In that comment alone, her tone was icy.

Allen let out a sigh.

“Do you think so?”

Allen simply gave an honest question.

And then…

With a flash, he suddenly disappeared from his chair and appeared behind Alkrasha.

He unhesitatingly swung his leg up from behind and kicked Alkrasha in the side of the head.

Boom!

A sound like a lightning striking down echoed in the whole room.

Thumbeline who was guarding the door was started from the explosion and immediately raid the room and what she saw inside stunned her.

Alkrasha was sitting nonchalantly in the chair with her right hand holding a foot. Behind her was Allen on the kicking position.

“You low life!” Thumbeline was enraged from this scene and was going to attack when,

“Leave,” Akrasha said while looking at her.

“But your majesty!”

“I said leave.”

“Ugh…” after giving Allen a hateful glare, she reluctantly turned around and left.

In the room was Alkrasha sitting comfortably and behind her was Allen with a raised foot.

Allen was gritting his teeth as he found out that he can’t move his foot from the Insect Queen's hand.

“Damn.”

Crackle! Allen produced 100 million volts of lightning from his foot and forcefully swings his right foot towards Akashi’s head.

Boom! Alkrasha was sent flying and violently crashed into the wall.

Pak! Allen tried to follow another attack but, from the ground, a sharp vine suddenly protruded and pierced Allen’s leg.

The vine easily pierced through Allen but no sound of agony and only blood dropping on the ground could be heard.

Buzz! With a flash Allen disappeared from his former position, leaving a scorched vine.

“I see… so that what it is…”

Alkrasha chuckled as she slowly stood up as if crashing on a wall was nothing. There were no wounds on her body and only her hands were emitting smoke.

“Tsk, you really are a monster… Alkrasha.”

“But aren’t you one yourself, human?” Alkrasha casually answered.

“That body, you're also one right? You ate one of those strange fruits… ahm, what you call it, a demon fruit?”

“A devil fruit.” Allen corrected.

“That’s right, a devil fruit. A rather strange fruit from another world.”

“… …”

“I know about them as I have fought a few when I visited other worlds. There are indeed troublesome bunch. And it seems like, you’re one of those few, what was that, la-something type. Anyway, you sure have become strong, human~”

“… Logia” Allen frowned as he once again corrected. “… So you visited other worlds before…?”

Allen endured the stinging pain coming from his leg. Since he still required to transform into lightning voluntarily, sneak attacks like that worked.

He was still not to the point that he could reflexively change into his lightning form.

In the first place, he never expected for her to have an ability to control plants with ease. She wasn’t a dryad or a druid or even a plant-type based monster!

Then how did Alkrasha, a bug type monster possess the extremely rare ability [ Plant Manipulation ]? This ability should be only those for dryad and druids…

“Ah, I did. I know that you’re also one yourself, human… am I right?” Alkrasha smiled happily.