Chapter 105: The Movements of Marine Headquarters

Nami couldn't see anything at all.

No help for it; even standing on her tiptoes, she barely reached one meter seventy—she was simply too short.

"Mm... mm?" Smoker finally roused himself, gazing blankly around. "Was that an earthquake?"

"No earthquake—it's a volcanic eruption!"

Dorry laughed loudly as he rose, tossed one saber-toothed dragon into his mouth, crunched it down in a few bites, and pushed the other toward the crowd.

"Everyone, eat first; I'll be right back!"

His eyes turned solemn; he secured his helmet, then plucked from the ground nearby a colossal sword a dozen meters long.

Only then did everyone realize.

—So every eruption of the island's volcano was a signal, meaning the time had come for the duel Dorry had mentioned in idle chatter just now, between him and the other giant.

Watching Dorry shoulder the great sword and stride northward with long, swift steps, they couldn't help but glance at one another.

"Brother, let's go take a look too!"

Nami immediately suggested; compared to curiosity about the taste of dinosaur meat, a battle between giants appealed to her more.

The others also cast eager glances.

Battles of this caliber weren't something one could witness just anytime.

"Then let's go," Siano said with a smile, nodding.

Following in Dorry's footsteps, the group crossed the dense primeval jungle; dinosaurs scattered in panic in all directions, and trees shook violently in the shockwaves generated by the giant's running.

Before long, they reached the open area on the northern side.

Before the giant bones there, a bearded giant as burly as Dorry was already standing ready for battle.

He looked considerably fatter than Dorry, with a round face and thick nostrils; he wore a horned helmet, wielded a massive axe and a round shield, and his knotted, muscular body was covered in scars left by countless fights.

"Brogy!"

Dorry roared, raising his great sword. "Your stamina should have recovered by now; today we must decide a winner!"

"Gahahaha! Just what I wanted!"

Brogy replied with wild laughter, his voice exploding like Lei Ting.

Boom!

In an instant, the two giants clashed.

The shockwave from the collision of the great sword and the battle axe uprooted the surrounding trees; the ground trembled incessantly, forcing the onlookers to retreat dozens of meters before they could barely steady themselves.

"H-hey, this isn't right..."

Nami looked up at the two giants fighting desperately like beasts, cold sweat streaming down.

Earlier, when she'd heard Dorry laughingly say he often dueled the other giant on the island, she'd assumed it was merely sparring between friends.

She never expected it to be such a cruel, ferocious slaughter.

Every move and every strike aimed straight for vital points; blood flew continuously, as if they bore a deep, mortal hatred and sought to kill each other.

"Why!"

She truly couldn't bear to watch any longer and couldn't help shouting upward, "Uncles, aren't you friends! Then why are you having this kind of duel! Between friends, why hurt each other so mercilessly!"

"Friends?"

Dorry bared his teeth, parrying a blow from above with his sword. "Before the honor of Elbaf..."

"... going all out is precisely the most sincere respect for friendship!"

Brogy also laughed heartily: "As for the cause of the duel—"

"We forgot it long ago!"

Boom!

The two giants roared again and threw themselves back into the fray.

Apart from Nami, whose heart pounded with fright and worry, the others gradually widened their eyes and became immersed in the spectacle.

These two legendary giants of Elbaf, with every collision so violent and powerful, displayed astonishing combat skills while delivering an intense visual impact that made onlookers' blood boil and adrenaline surge.

Siano, too, watched with great seriousness.

However, his perspective surpassed that of the crew, so his focus differed.

He noted that the destructive power generated by the two giants' exchange was truly staggering, far beyond anything humans could match; the word "strength" found its finest interpretation in them.

Even with his own physical resilience, he couldn't continuously withstand their blows head-on...

Siano stroked his chin, a vague idea beginning to form in his mind.

No one knew how much time had passed.

Clang—!!!

Amid a deafening roar, both colossal weapons flew from their owners' hands simultaneously, embedding deeply into the ground far away.

On the battlefield where volcanic ash drifted, the two mountain-like bodies, finally exhausted, collapsed with a thunderous crash.

"Heh heh heh heh heh! Thrilling!"

Dorry knelt on one knee, his booming laughter shaking leaves loose from the trees, utterly disregarding the blood gushing from his chest like a waterfall.

Brogy lay sprawled in disarray, his horned helmet askew to one side, laughing just as heartily: "Seventy thousand and sixty-three bouts! Still a draw!"

"Really..."

"At this rate, when will we ever return to Elbaf Village!"

Dorry added with a grin, "Hey, Brogy, these kind human friends have brought me some fine wine; would you like to taste some?"

"Fine wine?"

Brogy was overjoyed: "Where, where! Give it to me quickly; the moment you mention it, my mouth is watering so hard I'm about to drool."

"Here, catch!"

The two giants, arms draped over each other's shoulders, sat intimately together once more, clinking cups amidst lively cheers, and warmly invited everyone else to join, showing no trace of the life-or-death struggle from just moments before.

Nami opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing, helplessly pressing a hand to her forehead.

—She feared she would never be able to understand the thought processes of these giants.

"Mr. Dorry."

Siano suddenly spoke, his voice exceptionally clear in the silent battlefield, "I would like to ask you and Mr. Brogy for a favor; is that possible?"

The giants ceased their clamor; Dorry tilted his head, his bronze helmet emitting a creaking sound: "Oh?"

"It is like this."

Siano grinned; the best way to get along with giants was to be sufficiently honest and come straight to the point.

"You still remember that technique called Observation Haki, right? Currently, among all types of Haki, it is the only one I have yet to master, so I wish to ask you to spare some time to help me learn this form of Haki."

"Observation Haki?"

Dorry's eyes lit up. "No problem at all; Brogy and I mastered it long ago, as well as Armament Haki; we learned them both together a very, very long time ago, but..."

His voice cut off abruptly; the giant scratched his head, his expression becoming awkward:

"Um... Brogy, how exactly did we use it again?"

"It seems, it seems we learned it while fighting that fat Marine who could turn into a man of light..."

Brogy was equally bewildered. "We were quite proficient back then, but in the past hundred years, we haven't used it even once; hiss, just how did we train it out..."

The giants of Elbaf were most proud of their terrifying physiques and their innate combat skills.

These two legendary warriors were even more so.

Haki was necessary for dealing with those strange Devil Fruit users; ordinarily, they disdained to use such power at all.

Now, separated by over a hundred years.

Asking them to unleash Haki could still be done by instinct, but asking them to recall exactly how they mastered it was far too difficult...

The scene became somewhat awkward for a moment.

The two giants looked at each other, then simultaneously bowed their heads in dejection.

—A friend brings fine wine, yet they cannot even help with this small favor; the face of an Elbaf warrior was about to be completely lost!

"You have misunderstood."

Siano shook his head. "I am not asking you to teach me the theoretical techniques of Observation Haki; I roughly grasp that already. What I lack is an opportunity."

"An opportunity born of being driven to the absolute limit of life and death, a sense of oppression where even one's body hair can perceive the threat of death, forcing one's body to possess stronger evasive capabilities; can you understand?"

"From the time I set sail until now, not a single person has been able to drive me to that step, causing me to remain unable to awaken Observation Haki."

Siano stared at the two giants and said seriously, "But you two have given me hope that such an opportunity may appear."

"Understood."

Dorry grinned. "Heh heh heh, little brother Siano, you want us to go all-out against you, just like during the duel earlier?"

"Such arrogant words!" Brogy's eyes also lit up. "But I must say, you do possess such qualifications!"

A warrior's keen intuition allowed them to see that Siano was truly not boasting.

This human young man, who did not look very old, possessed the aura of a strong person in his every movement and action, even in his breathing.

—He was a very formidable fellow, and also very confident in his own strength.

"Gahahaha!"

Brogy laughed loudly. "We can certainly fulfill this request, and we are quite willing to do so; however, Dorry, it seems that for the next few days, we must temporarily cease our war."

"No problem; to repay a friend, this cost is worth it!"

Dorry looked up at the sky. "However, it is about to get dark, and Brogy and I are nearly exhausted; we cannot perform proper moves right now, I apologize. It seems we must rest well tonight, and only tomorrow morning can we begin this special training."

"Certainly; that is only right."

Siano nodded, laughed heartily, then turned and said:

"Uncle Zeff, bring all the wine from the ship over here; tonight we will hold a banquet to our hearts' content, and no one leaves until they are drunk!"

"Yay, a banquet!!!"

Immediately, cheerful responses rang out from the crowd surrounding them.

This was not only to celebrate meeting the two giants, but also to rejoice that their own captain had finally found a way to resolve the trouble weighing on his heart.

As night fell, a bonfire roaring toward the sky was quickly ignited in the clearing surrounded by giant bones.

And just as the bonfire banquet was proceeding in full swing.

Ten thousand miles away.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The lights in the Fleet Admiral's office remained bright deep into the night.

Outside the window, the waning moon was half-hidden by dark clouds, casting mottled shadows upon the white walls of the headquarters fortress.

Inside the room, Sengoku removed his glasses and wearily rubbed his temples.

The documents piled like mountains on the desk appeared exceptionally heavy under the lamplight.

At the very top, the white report labeled "War Situation in the Sorbet Kingdom, South Blue," had been flipped through by him until its edges were frayed.

"Forget it; let us discuss this matter later."

Sengoku shook his head. "As for the Curtain Call Pirates, is there still no news?"

(End of Chapter)