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Chapter 84 is out!!!! +40 advanced chapters monthly
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"Be good, there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm right here with you," Baishui comforted her softly, gently patting her back to ease her anxiety.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Suddenly, deafening, rhythmic tremors echoed across Little Garden. The ground shook so violently that even the ocean waves trembled, making it feel as though an overwhelming force was rapidly approaching.
Hearing the noise, Aki tensed up entirely. Terrified, she buried her face into Baishui's chest, too afraid to even glance over her shoulder.
Ahead of them, the dense jungle canopy rustled violently. Trees were being shoved aside, snapping and cracking loudly as something massive barreled through.
Are they here? Baishui thought to himself.
Before coming to the island, he had purchased nearly thirty massive barrels of alcohol specifically to gift them. He knew the two giants were heavy drinkers.
ROAARR!
However, the first thing to burst out of the tree line wasn't the giants Baishui was expecting, but a colossal dinosaur. Its eyes were wide with sheer terror, fleeing as if the grim reaper itself was snapping at its heels.
But as it arrived on the coast right in front of Baishui, its escape route vanished. Unless it plunged into the ocean, it had nowhere left to run from its pursuers.
The dinosaur let out a final, despairing roar.
Suddenly, a bright glint of steel flashed through the air. With a shockingly crisp SHING, the dinosaur's massive head was severed clean off, tumbling heavily into the sea.
Slowly, two gargantuan heads pushed their way through the canopy.
"Little brother, are you alright?" the long-bearded Dorry asked kindly.
"Little brother, how about I trade you this dinosaur meat for some of that booze?" the wide-mouthed Brogy asked, his eyes already glued to the massive barrels on Baishui's ship. He visibly gulped.
"Hahaha! What are you saying, seniors? I bought this alcohol specifically as a gift for the two of you. There's no need for any trades!" Baishui laughed, cupping his hands in a respectful greeting.
"Truly?!" Brogy was overjoyed, though his massive face still held a trace of disbelief.
"Catch!"
Since Brogy was still skeptical, Baishui decided actions spoke louder than words. He grabbed two massive barrels of strong liquor and hurled them straight up at the giants.
"Excellent!" Dorry and Brogy cheered in unison, effortlessly catching the barrels—which, to them, were about the size of standard drinking cups.
"Well? Aren't you two seniors going to invite me onto the island for a chat?"Baishui called out with a grin.
"Hahaha! That was rude of us! Please, little friend, come on up!" the two giants laughed heartily, gesturing warmly toward the shore to welcome him.
"See? I told you they weren't scary," Baishui whispered.
In his arms, Aki had finally gathered the courage to turn around. She stared up at Dorry and Brogy, her eyes wide with absolute awe.
"Wow... they're so huge!" Aki murmured, craning her neck backward just to see their faces.
"Of course they are, they're giants! Come on, let's head inland."
Baishui scooped Aki up into a princess carry, his wings manifesting with a snap as he flew them onto the island.
On the Island!
Dorry and Brogy used their massive weapons to casually clear a giant space in the jungle. They skewered their fresh dinosaur catch onto a stripped tree trunk, set it over a fire, and the group sat down in a circle to begin their banquet.
The Blue Ogre Dorry was relatively tall and slender, wearing a helmet. He wielded a massive broadsword in his right hand and a round shield on his left, boasting a long, flowing beard.
The Red Ogre Brogy was much stockier. He had a golden, wheel-shaped beard encircling his chin, wielding a colossal battle axe in his right hand and a round shield on his left.
"I can't believe it's already the year 1516... A hundred years went by in a flash!"
When the giants heard from Baishui what year it currently was, they couldn't help but sigh with deep nostalgia. Then, they looked at each other and burst into booming, heaven-shaking laughter—a laugh full of the unbridled spirit of true warriors of the sea.
"Come, drink!"
True men of the sea never bothered interrogating you about where you came from or what your background was. As long as you held no malice, they would treat you as a friend.
Because Baishui wasn't entirely accustomed to the burning sting of hard liquor, his bowl was filled with a much sweeter, lower-proof fruit wine. After downing a large gulp, a refreshing warmth spread through his body, and he let out a satisfied sigh.
"See? What did I tell you? They're very easy to get along with,"Baishui said, glancing at Aki.
"Mhm!" Aki nodded gently. She had lost her earlier fear and sat quietly by his side, sipping her fruit juice.
"Here, little friend! Taste our island's dinosaur meat. The environment here is a bit rugged, so I hope you don't mind!" The Blue Ogre laughed, tearing off a massive, roasted dinosaur leg and handing it down to Baishui .
"Hahaha, Brother Dorry, you must be joking,"Baishui laughed, accepting the massive piece of meat without hesitation.
"Men who sail the seas aren't that delicate! As long as there's food and drink, who cares about the environment? Eating well and drinking happily is all that matters!"
"Come, a toast to the two of you!"Baishui raised a full bowl of wine toward the giants.
Smiling, Dorry and Brogy raised their respective barrels, clinked them against Baishui's bowl, and downed the alcohol in a single, massive gulp.
A man's friendship was often forged through the sharing of good drink.
BOOM!
Suddenly, right in the middle of their joyous banquet, a terrifying explosion rocked the island. Aki jumped in fright, tightly gripping Hakusui's hand.
Baishui was startled too, but he knew exactly what the sound meant. He turned his head toward the sky in the distance. Shooting up was a towering pillar of crimson flames, throwing up a dense cloud of ash that blotted out the air.
The central volcano of Little Garden had erupted. And that meant the giants' duel was about to begin.
This was the unbreakable pact they had made. They used the island's volcano as their timer: every time it erupted, they fought.
In perfect synchronization, the two giants set down their alcohol. Their jovial smiles vanished, replaced by an aura of absolute, deadly seriousness. They stood up, gripping their massive weapons.
The air itself grew agonizingly tense.
"Don't worry, this is just their routine duel. Watch closely. See how true men of the sea fight!" Baishui said, wrapping his arm around Aki's waist as they sat on the ground, looking up.
"Okay!" Aki nodded, leaning against Baishui's shoulder, her eyes shining with anticipation.
"HAAAH!"
Both giants roared simultaneously. An overwhelmingly oppressive aura exploded from their bodies.
They charged. It was like watching two massive warships collide head-on. The deafening screech of clashing iron instantly swept across the entire island. The ground buckled and quaked beneath the sheer force of their impact, enough to make anyone turn pale.
Massive trees were violently uprooted like floating duckweed, a truly terrifying display of raw power.
Yet, Baishui and Aki remained completely unaffected. The area immediately surrounding them was perfectly calm.
CLANG! BANG! CRASH!
The two titans traded blows at astonishing speeds. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen strikes were exchanged. It was a battle of pure, unadulterated physical might. Every collision sounded like a thunderclap, shaking the very soul. It was a truly eye-opening spectacle.
The other creatures on the island fled at the sight of them, absolutely terrified to enter the range of their battle.
Every time their weapons collided, intense sparks showered the area, dazzling and brilliant like lightning.
Aki was completely mesmerized. She never imagined that such a fierce and awe-inspiring battle could exist in this world.
The two exchanged blows back and forth. Another twenty moves passed. In total, only five minutes had elapsed.
Yet, the entire island was already in a state of complete devastation; wherever they fought, nothing but chaotic ruins remained.
CLANG!
The Blue Ogre's sword thrust missed. His expression changed, and he hurriedly brought his round shield up with his left hand to block the Red Ogre's heavy axe cleave.
Even with the block, his massive frame trembled, and he was knocked back dozens of meters by the Red Ogre's raw power.
"Gabababa!"
The Blue Ogre laughed, immediately thrusting his iron sword in retaliation. This forced the Red Ogre, Brogy, to hastily defend, sending him skidding back dozens of meters as well
"HAAAH!"
With synchronized roars, the two clashed heavily once more.
BOOM!
The earth exploded, fissures spreading out rapidly. The immense wind pressure swept uprooted trees outward, instantly expanding their clearing by half.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Dozens more fierce exchanges followed. The earth quaked and the sky roared—it was a staggering display.
They were fighting with the absolute intent to kill each other; this was no playful sparring match.
Finally, covered in fresh wounds, the two giants stopped and declared: "Match number 3,745... A draw!"
"Mhm!"
They both confirmed the result. Then, sitting back down as if nothing had happened, they picked up their massive alcohol barrels, clinked them together, and downed the contents.
"Hahaha! Sorry about that. Are you two alright?" After finishing their drinks, they finally remembered Baishui and Aki were sitting nearby and sheepishly scratched their heads.
"We're perfectly fine! In fact, you treated us to an incredibly spectacular battle. Come, let's drink!"Baishui raised his cup and clinked it heavily against their barrels.
"Hahaha! Good! How refreshing!"
Baishui's straightforward nature won the full approval of the two giants. They threw their heads back in laughter and gulped down more alcohol, completely ignoring the fact that their wounds were still bleeding.
The banquet lasted well into the night, ending only when every last drop of alcohol Baishui had brought was in their bellies.
Dorry and Brogy were ecstatic. Not only had they made a new friend, but they had also enjoyed a fantastic drinking session.
When it was time for Baishui to leave, the two personally saw him off. They cleaved the colossal Island-Eating Goldfish in half, sparing Baishui's ship from disaster.
"Farewell, my friends! I'll come visit you again!" Baishui waved to the two titans as his ship departed.
The giants laughed joyously, telling Baishui to drop by whenever he had time to share another drink.
Baishui naturally agreed. Although the journey took some time, he felt that gathering with friends was always worth it.
"How was it? The Grand Line is pretty magical, isn't it?" Baishui asked, holding Aki's hand on the deck.
"Mhm, it's truly amazing. It was so eye-opening! There are so many interesting things on the sea. Can we make time just to go sightseeing in the future?" Aki asked, her face flushed as she looked up at Baishui with eyes full of anticipation.
"Of course. When we have the time later, I'll take you down to the bottom of the ocean. There are even more fascinating things down there!"
Baishui naturally wouldn't refuse her request. If possible, he wanted to take Aki on a trip around the entire world to see all its incredible sights.