"Could you demonstrate it for me? I am incredibly curious about this technique," Bardock requested eagerly.
He desperately wanted to learn Hakoku. He hadn't actually seen the technique performed in person yet, but he vividly remembered the Wano Country arc in the anime, where Big Mom and Kaido unleashed their combined attack, Hakai (Ocean Sovereignty). That attack possessed the apocalyptic power to completely obliterate everything in its path and conquer the seas.
"Well..."
Dorry and Brogy hesitated, exchanging uncomfortable glances.
Brogy scratched the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed. "Bardock, it's not that Dorry and I are trying to hide our techniques from you. The problem is that Hakoku is simply too powerful. As you know, our weapons are already severely chipped and worn down. If we unleash a full-powered Hakoku right now, even if we coat our weapons in the densest Armament Haki we can muster, there is a very high chance they will shatter completely. We haven't concluded our sacred duel yet! So... you understand our dilemma, right?"
"The structural integrity of the weapons is definitely an issue," Bardock nodded in understanding. "But what if you used my Flying Nimbus? It can shape-shift into absolutely any weapon you need. The only drawback is that the user must constantly infuse it with a massive amount of Armament Haki to maintain its form and density—which I know you two are more than capable of doing."
As he spoke, Bardock commanded the cloud to float down from the sky. The fluffy golden cloud rapidly morphed through a series of shapes—a sword, a spear, a halberd, a battle axe, and even incredibly detailed, lifelike busts of Dorry and Brogy.
"Gabababababa! Your Flying Nimbus is truly a fascinating Devil Fruit ability! Since you're offering such a perfect solution, I accept!" Brogy agreed, slapping his chest. Dorry quickly nodded his consent as well.
However, since there was only one Flying Nimbus, they couldn't perform a combined Hakoku. Instead, the two Giants instantly turned the demonstration into a new competition: whose single-shot Hakoku was stronger.
Little Garden was a highly active volcanic island. While the massive volcano in the very center served as their daily duel timer, there were numerous smaller, dormant-looking volcanoes dotting the landscape. These smaller volcanoes were still active but hadn't erupted explosively in millennia; at worst, they occasionally oozed magma. They were perfect targets for Dorry and Brogy to safely unleash their power.
Each Giant selected a similarly sized small volcano on opposite sides of the central mountain. Bardock and his crew followed them, stopping exactly in the middle so they had a perfect vantage point of both targets.
Brogy went first. He hefted the massive, Nimbus-formed battle axe. It was practically weightless compared to his solid iron axe, but it felt sturdy enough.
(In truth, while the Nimbus cloud itself was weightless, Bardock could telekinetically force the cloud to violently accelerate in any given direction. The physical impact of the cloud striking a target was devastating—a concept he was actively refining into his 'As-You-Will Staff' technique.)
Since Brogy couldn't directly control the cloud's propulsion like Bardock could, he simply flooded the axe with a terrifyingly dense layer of Armament Haki, gripping the handle tightly and pulling it back. He widened his stance, gathering momentum for a brief second.
"HAKOKU!"
Brogy swung the axe forward with apocalyptic force. A colossal, hyper-compressed shockwave erupted from the blade, screaming across the jungle directly toward the distant volcano.
Observing the technique with his Fiery Golden Eyes, Bardock immediately noticed a distinct difference between Hakoku and Moria's Drill Lancer. Both techniques involved hyper-compressing air and Haki, but they operated on fundamentally different principles. Moria's technique relied heavily on extreme rotational force for armor-piercing capabilities, while Hakoku relied purely on raw, overwhelming concussive force and momentum.
'If I can find a way to fuse the rotational drilling power of Moria's technique with the raw, apocalyptic force of Hakoku... the destructive output would multiply exponentially!' Bardock realized, a massive grin spreading across his face.
BOOOOOOM!
The shockwave slammed into the small volcano, instantly blasting a massive, perfectly circular tunnel straight through the mountain. A few seconds later, magma began to sluggishly ooze out of the new hole.
"Ah, man! I haven't used that move in so long, my form was completely sloppy! If I had been properly warmed up, I would have completely shattered the top half of that mountain!" Brogy laughed, loudly humble-bragging, though he was clearly very satisfied with the result.
"Your form was indeed terrible. It looks like I've already won this competition," Dorry chuckled, instantly causing Brogy's eyes to bulge with rage.
"Let's see you do better, you bearded fossil!" Brogy roared.
Dorry ignored him, accepting the massive Nimbus longsword from Bardock. He swung it a few times to test the balance, then settled into a wide, powerful stance.
"HAKOKU!"
Infusing the blade with Haki, Dorry unleashed his own shockwave. The resulting attack was practically identical to Brogy's, screaming across the opposite side of the jungle and blasting an equally massive, perfectly circular tunnel straight through his target volcano.
Looking back and forth between the two ruined mountains, Bardock genuinely couldn't tell the difference. It was no wonder these two had been fighting for ninety years without a clear victor; the gap in their physical strength and technique was mathematically zero.
"Hmph! Yours wasn't any better than mine, Dorry!" Brogy scoffed, throwing Dorry's previous insult right back at him.
"Sigh. Comparing pure destructive power is too difficult to judge. Perhaps we should judge based on how far the shockwave travels before dissipating?" Dorry suggested, clearly frustrated that he couldn't definitively prove his superiority.
"That won't work," Bardock chimed in. "The range of your attacks far exceeds the diameter of this island. The shockwaves will just fly out over the ocean until we can't see them anymore. Unless you two are willing to leave Little Garden and find a bigger continent?"
"Absolutely not!" both Giants yelled simultaneously.
"Once a sacred duel of Elbaf has begun, it cannot end until a definitive victor has been decided on the battlefield where it started!" Brogy stated firmly.
Bardock massaged his temples. The Giants of Elbaf were incredibly honorable, but they were also ridiculously stubborn. He had briefly considered inviting them to sail with his crew, but he realized it was a waste of breath; they would never leave this island until one of them lost.
"Alright, I have an idea," Bardock said, crossing his arms. "I'll give you a brilliant method to finally break your ninety-year stalemate. But in exchange... you two have to teach me how to use Hakoku. Deal?"
"Gegyagyagyagya! If you have the physical strength to actually learn it, we have absolutely no problem teaching you!" Dorry laughed heartily. "But what is this 'brilliant method'? Can it truly determine a winner?"
"That's right! I want to see if a little human can actually learn the ultimate technique of our race!" Brogy added enthusiastically. "So, what's your idea?!"
"It's very simple," Bardock grinned. "Brogy, you are a master of the battle axe. In a pure axe-duel, Dorry absolutely cannot beat you. Dorry, you are a master swordsman. In a pure sword-duel, Brogy absolutely cannot beat you."
"Since neither of you can defeat the other using your primary expertise, why don't you duel using your absolute weaknesses?"
Bardock pointed at the two captains. "Dorry, from today onward, you fight using Brogy's battle axe! Brogy, you fight using Dorry's longsword! By stepping completely outside your comfort zones, the ninety-year stalemate will instantly shatter. You can set a time limit. Whoever adapts to the unfamiliar weapon faster and defeats the other... is the true winner. Simple, right?"
Bardock rattled off the explanation quickly, but Dorry and Brogy listened intently, nodding their massive heads. It was a completely unorthodox idea, but logically, it made perfect sense!
"Dorry! What do you think?! I say we try it!" Brogy shouted, his competitive spirit burning hotter than ever.
Dorry nodded firmly. "I agree. A battle axe... I remember holding one when I was a child, but I haven't touched one in at least a hundred and forty years."
"Hmph! I'm in the exact same boat with longswords! But if it means finally defeating you, I don't mind mastering a completely new weapon!" Brogy declared, eager to start practicing his sword swings immediately.
For the next few weeks, Bardock and his crew remained anchored at Little Garden. Bardock spent his days tirelessly training under the two Giant captains, learning the intricate physical mechanics and Haki flow required to execute Hakoku.
The two Giants were incredibly busy. Not only were they teaching Bardock, but they were also actively coaching each other on how to use their respective weapons.
If this had been a human rivalry, they undoubtedly would have hidden their most lethal techniques or taught their rival incorrect forms to secure an easy victory. But Giants were fiercely honorable; Dorry taught Brogy everything he knew about swordsmanship, and Brogy completely unpacked the secrets of his axe combat for Dorry.
Whenever the central volcano erupted, signaling the start of the daily duel, they would still clash—but with their weapons swapped. Their initial fights were incredibly awkward and clumsy, resulting in countless hilarious blunders and accidental self-injuries. However, because they were both natural-born, elite warriors, their proficiency skyrocketed daily.
As Bardock watched them train, he knew these awkward skirmishes were merely practice rounds. Once both Giants felt they had truly mastered their new weapons, the sacred, life-or-death duel would officially resume.