As soon as Monkey finished speaking, the atmosphere went dead silent.
'BOOM!'
'ROAR!'
The only sounds across Little Garden were the thunderous explosions of the erupting volcano and the panicked roars of prehistoric dinosaurs startled by the blast.
The Straw Hats all understood what Monkey had just said: he intended to challenge these two powerful giants all by himself.
Ever since arriving on Little Garden, they had seen Dorry and Brogy fight with their own eyes. To put it bluntly, as former captains of the legendary Giant Warrior Pirates, either giant possessed a level of strength the current Straw Hats could barely fathom. They couldn't even imagine what kind of monster could fight both of them at once.
"Hey, wait... You've got to be kidding. Even if he's from the Twelve Zodiacs..." Usopp, who admired the two giants more than anyone, found it especially hard to swallow.
He'd heard about the Twelve Zodiacs' strength and read reports of their crazy feats in the newspapers, sure. But hearing about something and seeing it with your own eyes were two totally different things.
"How could anyone fight Master Dorry and Master Brogy at the same time...?"
He barely finished the thought before Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji cut him off in low, heavy voices.
"Usopp!"
"Quiet!"
There was an unusual seriousness in their tone. As the three strongest fighters on the ship, they had clearly sensed something.
"Huh!?"
Usopp's words died in his throat. He looked at his crewmates in confusion, but before he could ask what was wrong...
Monkey moved.
He slowly raised his right foot and took a single step forward. It looked like an ordinary step, but the instant his foot touched the ground...
'BOOM!'
An indescribably immense pressure erupted.
Usopp could barely comprehend the sensation. For a second, it felt as though his mind and body were a tiny boat being swept away by a massive tsunami. He could tell the wave was holding back on purpose so it wouldn't hurt him, but even so, his mind went blank and his body was blown backward against his will.
'BAM!'
It wasn't until he hit the dirt that his head started to clear from the haze. Usopp scrambled to look around.
It wasn't just him. Luffy, Nami, Brook, Zoro, and Sanji had all been blown back a considerable distance, scattered across the ground.
"Ow, ow, ow... What was that? For a second, I thought I was gonna pass out. Whoa! What's this bug doing here?!" Nami rubbed her leg, brushing an insect off her skin.
"Yohohoho! Allow me to assist, Miss Nami!"
"Guys..." Still dizzy, Usopp struggled to his feet.
Before he could say anything else...
'BAM! BAM! BAM!'
The ground trembled violently. Instinctively looking toward the noise, Usopp froze.
The dinosaurs that had been roaring and rampaging from the volcanic eruption were collapsing one after another.
One. Two. Ten. A hundred.
As far as the eye could see, every single one of those prehistoric beasts, creatures the Straw Hats would have struggled to defeat individually, had dropped. Not a single one was left standing.
'Gulp.'
Usopp swallowed hard. "Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, look..."
He instinctively wanted the trio to see what happened, but then he realized they were already up. None of them were paying attention to him. Luffy had even set down the piece of grilled dinosaur meat he'd been holding, his face dead serious as he stared into the distance.
"Hey, Sanji, Zoro... that wasn't an attack just now, was it?"
"No," Sanji said, taking a quiet drag of his cigarette. "No hostility, either. He probably just wanted us off the battlefield."
"It was a challenge."
Sanji had understood what that burst of power meant right away. It wasn't an attack, even if a single wave of pressure had just knocked out every dinosaur on the island. It was simply a challenge.
"Pulling that off with pure presence... I can't even wrap my head around it." Zoro tightened his grip on his hilt. "He really is a monster. Just like that Inoshi guy."
The three of them spoke low, but Usopp caught the look in their eyes. Alongside caution, seriousness, and shock... there was something else.
Excitement.
In that moment, Usopp realized the massive gap between himself and the rest of them. It was like a sailor facing a massive wave. A weak, timid sailor would shrink back in terror, but a true warrior of the sea would take the helm and marvel at the sight: ''Look at that! Something like this can actually happen? Man, the sea really is endless!''
Usopp pressed his lips together tightly. He had gone to sea to become a brave warrior. He admired the two giants' strength and pride, which was why he called them his masters. He refused to be the coward.
Forcing his head up, he looked in the same direction as the other three, toward the clearing where they had just been feasting.
Now, it was a battlefield.
Monkey was still standing right where he'd been, his posture completely relaxed. Before him stood Dorry and Brogy, towering like mountains.
The two strongest warriors of the Giant race had stood firm like bedrock against the pressure that just swept the island, but the expressions on their massive faces were heavier than ever.
"Gahahaha! I never thought I'd feel Conqueror's Haki like this again! It's been over a hundred years!"
"Gyahahaha! Looks like we can't write off your words as mere trash talk!"
Their voices boomed like thunder, but their battle spirit burned like fire. They were former captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, a legendary crew that symbolized the soul of Elbaf itself. The fact that these two led them was all the proof of strength anyone needed.
As warriors, they were straightforward, but intensely proud. They originally had no interest in humoring Monkey's challenge, but things were different now.
The aura Monkey had just released was more than enough proof. He wasn't some clueless fool running his mouth. He was...
"The Twelve Zodiacs' Monkey. A true powerhouse."
"We accept your challenge!"
Brogy tightened his grip on his giant axe, veins bulging along his arms. "By our tradition, I ask the question!"
"With the God of Elbaf as our witness," Dorry roared, gripping his sword until his knuckles turned white, "the victor of this battle shall claim all glory!"
That was all it took. No further words, no glance exchanged between the two giants. They had accepted the duel.
It was inevitable. A warrior, by definition, answered every call to battle.
And before them...
Monkey cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck.
"Naturally," he smirked. "Bring it."
Before the words fully left his mouth...
'BOOM! BOOM!'
Two sonic booms tore through the air. Dorry and Brogy lunged forward at speeds completely unnatural for their massive size.
"Buru Battle Axe: Mountain Shatter!"
"Terry Giant Blade: Star Splitter!"
From left and right, the giant axe and sword crashed down on the tiny figure with crushing force.
'BOOM!'
The earth shattered beneath the impact, the resulting shockwave pulverizing nearby boulders and trees.
"Here it comes!" Usopp shielded his face from the howling wind, his fists clenched tight.
This was it, Master Brogy and Master Dorry's true strength! The kind of power that could split mountains and part the sea with a single swing.
Which made what happened next leave Usopp's jaw practically hitting the dirt.
In the middle of the crater, the figure in the monkey mask hadn't dodged. He hadn't even shifted his feet. He just raised his bare hands right where the two giant weapons collided.
'CLANG! CLANG!'
A sharp, metallic ringing echoed out as flesh met giant steel.
Monkey hadn't dodged at all. He had caught the mountain-cleaving axe and sword with his bare hands.
His posture was no longer casual.
"Big guys, you really pack a punch," he grinned, the violent battle spirit burning inside him impossible to mask. "Now try taking one of mine!"
Before either giant could process their shock, Monkey flexed both arms.
"What!?"
An impossible, terrifying surge of raw strength traveled up their weapons. In the next instant, the tiny figure yanked both massive giants clean off their feet, and, amid the Straw Hats' terrified screams, tossed them away!
'BOOOOM!'
The impact carved two deep, bottomless trenches across the island as the giants skidded back, plowing through trees and rock. Through the rising dust, Dorry and Brogy scrambled to their feet...
'BANG!'
Monkey launched himself into the air.
"Flying Nimbus!"
At his shout, a golden cloud shot down from the sky. Monkey landed lightly on top, but he didn't rush in to pursue them. He just watched from a distance.
Then, reaching up, he casually pulled something small out of his ear. With a flash, a black, golden-capped staff appeared in his hand.
"Finally get to use you today," Monkey chuckled, lifting the staff. "Got some real monsters to fight."
The Straw Hats watched in awe as the staff actually hummed, trembling slightly as if responding to his words.
"Alright! Let's feed you properly!"
Monkey raised the staff high into the air.
"Grow! Grow! Grow!"
"Bigger! Bigger! Bigger!"
The iron staff expanded wildly against the wind.
In the blink of an eye, the far end bloomed into a massive pillar nearly the size of the giants themselves, eclipsing the sky. Coils of black Haki and reddish-black lightning whipped around the shaft, tearing the clouds above to shreds.
"Take this!"
With a booming laugh, Monkey swung the titanic staff down with terrifying force right toward the two giants.
(End of Chapter)
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