When Sandy said the opponent was strong, everyone knew that meant really strong.
They instantly stopped eating as a low rumble began to shake the ground beneath them.
They hurried out of the Merry's dining hall and onto the deck.
In the distance, a giant figure was slowly approaching.
"Is… is that a person?!" Usopp shouted in disbelief.
Nami and Vivi instantly hugged each other, screaming again, "I want to go home!"
Meanwhile, Usopp and Run Fast immediately dropped to the deck, pretending to be dead.
Luffy's eyes widened with excitement. "So big! Hey! Are you human?!"
The massive figure stopped and looked down at them with a grin. "Are you talking to me? My name's Brogy! I'm from the Giant Race, so I suppose you could say I'm human."
"Sugoi!" Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Are all people from your Giant Race this huge?"
Brogy chuckled. "More or less. Are you passing pirates? I smelled the scent of roasting meat from afar!"
Sanji walked into the kitchen, grabbed the biggest hunk of meat he could find, and tossed it toward Brogy.
It barely filled a corner of the giant's mouth—more like a toothpick than a meal.
After swallowing, Brogy looked expectantly at them. "Got any alcohol? I've been stranded here for over a hundred years, and I'm dying for a drink!"
Zoro nearly spat out his drink. "Over a hundred years?! How old are you?"
Brogy laughed heartily. "I'm more than 150 years old! I've forgotten the exact number—been too long, ahahaha!"
Sanji scratched his head. "Damn… do all giants live that long?"
Brogy nodded. "Under normal conditions, our average lifespan is about three times yours."
Luffy's mouth opened in awe, but Sandy interrupted before he could blurt something ridiculous. "Are you running a census now? Since old man Brogy here's so friendly, let's have a feast together—"
Bonk!
A frying pan came down on Sandy's head.
"Ow! Who the hell hit me?!" he yelled.
Nami crossed her arms. "That was me. Don't call him 'old man'! Be respectful!"
Brogy laughed so hard his belly shook. "Hahaha! It's fine! Pirates should be a bit wild. Besides, she's right—I'm way older than you anyway!"
Sandy shrugged, then reached into the [pheromone system] and pulled out a massive barrel of sake, tossing it toward the giant. "Here, catch!"
Brogy caught it easily and blinked in surprise. "Magic?"
Luffy grinned. "Sandy's a Devil Fruit user! Anyway—Sanji! Let's have a feast!"
Sanji's eye twitched. "A feast, huh? With what food exactly?"
Brogy, seeing the lack of supplies aboard the ship, chuckled kindly. "No worries! I'll go hunt some prey and treat you all to a proper feast! Let's meet over there—by that volcano!"
Zoro nodded. "Then we'll hunt something too."
Sandy pointed at Usopp. "Usopp, move all the alcohol over to the volcano. It's feast time!"
Luffy pumped his fists. "Feast! Feast! Let's have a feast!"
Vivi frowned. "If we all go, who's going to guard the ship?"
Sandy waved her off. "You all go ahead. I'll stay and keep watch. But make sure you switch with me later—I still want to see those dinosaurs!"
He wanted to join them, of course, but he also knew they needed the experience. If he was always around, how could the crew ever grow?
Zoro nodded. "Alright. I'll come back later and take over."
The real reason Sandy stayed was that inspiration had just struck him—a new way to apply his Space Fruit ability: Space Barriers.
He could feel his control over the fruit deepening.
Without activating his Space Field, Sandy drew his sword and slashed the air a few times.
Slice!
To his delight, several brick-sized Space Barriers appeared in front of him, hovering in midair.
Sandy's grin widened. "Nice!"
He jumped up and stepped onto one—then another. Sure enough, they supported his weight! But after five seconds, they blinked out of existence.
For a while, Sandy played around, jumping between barriers like climbing invisible steps. Before he knew it, he'd ascended dozens of meters into the air.
He looked down—and froze.
"Nima!! That's high!!"
The sudden vertigo made his head spin. A gust of wind blew past, and before he could react—whoosh—he fell straight down.
After landing flat on his back, he sat up, groaning. "Okay… maybe that was a bit much."
Still, he started thinking. If I can form barriers with my sword, could I do it without one?
That would be incredible for combat—or just for showing off.
He steadied his breathing, closed his eyes, and focused on the strange connection between himself and space.
"Room… Space Barrier!"
A faint ripple shimmered around him.
Sandy suddenly understood—he wasn't just using the Space Fruit.
He was space itself, just like Luffy was rubber, or Katakuri was mochi. When taken to their limits, each fruit user became their element.
And Space… was the most mysterious of all.
After a long while, Sandy finally managed to form several barriers without using his sword. They were small, unstable, and short-lived, but it was progress.
He laughed proudly. "Not bad, Sandy! You're basically walking on air now!"
Then it hit him. Wait… isn't this basically the Navy's Moon Step?
He shrugged. "Eh, who cares? Mine looks way cooler."
Just then, a shadow fell over him.
He looked up—and saw a massive dinosaur glaring down.
"Oh, come on," Sandy muttered. "Really? You're treating me like food?"
He drew his sword and smirked. "Instead of staying underground as a fossil, you came looking for death?"
A fierce aura burst out as Sandy's Conqueror's Haki flared, rippling through the air and stunning the creature.
He leapt forward, blade glowing white.
"One-Sword Style—Brain-Dead Chop! Dragon Slayer!"
Clang!
A flash of white light split the air. The sword qi sliced through the dinosaur's neck, then vanished into the distance.
The beast collapsed with a thunderous boom!
Sandy exhaled slowly, sheathing his blade.
"While they're having a feast…" he grinned, "I'm having one of my own."