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"He's down!" Robin was stunned.
"BROGY!" Dorry roared.
They were rivals, but they were also brothers. He raised his giant sword and swung it in a wide arc.
Jin's eyes were blazing with fighting spirit.
His fists, glowing with a black and red metallic sheen, met the massive sword head-on.
Each blow was packed with explosive power, either batting away the body of the sword or deflecting the blade.
After a few dozen blows, Dorry's hands were already numb.
How?
Was this human's strength increasing as they fought, becoming more and more ferocious?
Dorry was reminded of a legendary bloodline.
Berserkers.
They were born warriors. The more they fought, the more they were wounded, the stronger they became.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Another punch sent Dorry's massive body stumbling backward. An even more powerful attack followed, sending him flying.
He crashed to the ground, smashing through giant trees.
Giants were not just strong, their physical stats were off the charts. Brogy was already back on his feet, blood streaming from his cheek.
He and Dorry exchanged a look.
"Human," they said in unison, "you are strong. You have fought us with strength and honor. This was a glorious Elbaf-style duel. If you can withstand our combined attack and still stand, we will admit that you have won."
Jin took a breath, his focus absolute.
The muscles in Dorry and Brogy's arms bulged, the veins standing out on their necks and arms.
Brogy's hand closed around an invisible hilt. A phantom red axe appeared in his hand.
Dorry's giant sword began to glow with a hazy red light, a blood-red "ki" pulsing from it.
"HAKOKU SOVEREIGNTY!"
Their powers intertwined, becoming one, and unleashed a massive shockwave from Dorry's sword.
The ground split open, the trees were ripped from the earth.
Everything in its path was destroyed.
Jin moved with incredible speed. He raised his hand and brought it down in a chopping motion.
Immersed in the battle with the giants, he fought with a wild abandon, without fear, meeting the attack with his bare flesh.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A brilliant light erupted from his body, just as it had when he had faced Garp's "Galaxy Impact"
He wasn't trying to control his Haki, but it was flowing out of him naturally, like a flood.
His hand and the shockwave collided.
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Robin watched, stunned, unable to believe her eyes.
The point of impact was a storm of lightning. The world went dark. Black and red light pulsed outward, again and again.
Even from a dozen kilometers away, where Robin and Maya were standing, a fierce wind blew, and the river churned.
In the black and red light, everything was turned to dust.
When the light subsided, Jin's clothes were in tatters, his powerful body covered in cuts, his skin glowing a fiery red.
Blood and sweat turned to steam. His hand was pressed against Dorry's giant sword.
CRACK!
A fissure appeared on the blade. It spread from the point of impact, and the sword shattered.
The fragments shot out like bullets, peppering the ground, leaving smooth, clean cuts on massive, multi-person boulders.
Dorry and Brogy's bodies were also pierced, bleeding from a dozen new wounds. With a thud, the two giants, their strength exhausted, knelt on the ground.
Jin hovered in the air—his Haki like a suit of armor—a dark-red aura burning around him.
The sight was breathtaking.
The kneeling giants.
The wildly flaring aura.
In that moment, Jin seemed impossibly tall. Like a God. The image was seared into the minds of Robin, Kuma, Maya, Dorry, and Brogy.
The great battle was over. Jin had won the "honorable duel."
Dorry and Brogy's lives were his.
He only took their Log Pose for Elbaf.
"Serve me for thirty years," he said, "and I'll give you back your freedom."
As the defeated, Dorry and Brogy had no choice. A warrior's honor was more important than his life. "GAHAHAHA! A good fight!!!"
Brogy, with his hearty nature, ignored his injuries and hosted a feast, cutting slices of dinosaur meat and grilling them over a fire.
Dorry brought out some of the island's unique fruits and laid them out on large leaves.
Kuma returned with large barrels of ale.
They ate and drank, and Dorry and Brogy told stories of their adventures, stories from a hundred years ago.
Jin's wounds were healing quickly. He could feel that the clash with Dorry and Brogy's Haki had strengthened his own.
His Armament, his Observation, and his Conqueror's, they had all grown.
Among the three types of Haki, Conqueror's was the most special. It was the will, the spirit, the heart—the quality of a "King."
It seemed that defeating strong enemies, building his confidence, was also a way to hone his spirit, to strengthen his Conqueror's Haki.
"I'm starting to get the hang of Conqueror's Haki infusion... also the 'Ryou' that Garp talked about, and the 'Emission'."
The "Emission" was the principle that when destroying a hard object, the sharper the fist, the higher and deeper the damage. Piercing damage.
"Haki is Life Energy." he thought. "—it can be generated in different parts of the body, which means it flows."
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Jin stayed on Little Garden for three days. His surveys revealed that the island was rich in iron, copper, silver, and other minerals. They could be mined in the future.
And there was another surprise. The sabertooth tiger that Maya had healed led her to a Devil Fruit.
She offered it to Jin.
He didn't refuse. He immediately had the carrier absorb it.
Although Maya had found it herself, and it was probably a good fit for her, it was of greater use to Jin. She was still young, her ability to develop the fruit would be limited. Besides, the carrier could grant her the ability later. The next upgrade would probably open up more crew positions.
With a long groan, the demonic carrier swallowed the fruit.
Jin felt it, experienced it.
A Logia-type Earth-Earth Fruit.
He could become earth, create earth, control earth.
The earth, which nourishes all things.
It was a perfect fit for Maya, with her natural affinity for nature.
And now, the demonic carrier had absorbed it.
From now on, it could travel not only on the sea, but on land as well, wherever there was soil. It could even burrow.
Earth-style jutsu.
"Logias are still the strongest," Jin said, overjoyed. He hugged Maya and gave her a kiss.
"Ah~" Maya yelped, blushing, and ran away.
"Haha!" Jin laughed.
The demonic carrier set sail from Little Garden, with the two giants, Dorry and Brogy, and the white-furred sabertooth tiger on board. Since it had bravely stood in front of Maya in the face of danger, Jin had allowed it to come aboard as her playmate.
"This was a very fruitful trip," Jin said, gazing out at the sea. "A full load. Bonney's illness is the priority. So, the world tour begins... in the North Blue."
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