The Bridge of Hesitation - The Standoff
The wind howled across the stone bridge of Enies Lobby, carrying the scent of salt and imminent violence. On one side stood the CP9, the elite assassins of the World Government, radiating an aura of cold, practiced killing intent.
On the other stood the Straw Hat Pirates, dressed in black suits, radiating the chaotic, burning energy of a crew that had just declared war on the world.
There were no words. No strategies discussed. No orders given.
Luffy cracked his knuckles, his eyes locking instantly onto the man in the top hat. Rob Lucci. The predator who had beaten him in Water 7.
Zoro's hand rested on Sandai Kitetsu, his gaze drifting naturally to the swordsman of the group, Kaku.
Sanji lit a cigarette, staring down the man who was sneering at him, Jabra.
The connection was instant. Predator finding prey. Warrior finding rival.
"Engage," Lucci commanded calmly.
VOOM. CRACK. SNAP.
Lucci's body expanded, fur sprouting from his skin as he shifted into his massive Leopard-Human hybrid form.
Jabra howled, his muscles bulging as he transformed into a sleek, deadly Wolf-Human.
Kaku's neck elongated comically but dangerously, turning him into a blocky, powerful Giraffe-Human.
The Straw Hats exploded into motion. They didn't need to be told who to fight. They just knew.
Luffy launched himself straight at the Leopard.
Zoro charged the Giraffe.
Sanji flew at the Wolf.
Chopper locked onto Kumadori.
Nami faced Kalifa.
Usopp aimed his sights.
The courtyard turned into a chaotic battlefield of powers and weapons as the two groups collided.
But behind the CP9 agents, the massive gates of the main island burst open. A sea of white uniforms poured out—thousands of Marines and Government Agents, shouting and waving swords.
"STOP THE PIRATES!"
"JUSTICE PREVAILS!"
"DON'T LET THEM REACH THE TOWER!"
It was a tidal wave of enemies. Five thousand, ten thousand... the numbers were overwhelming. Even for the Monster Trio, fighting the elite CP9 while fending off an army was a tall order.
Ben stepped forward. He stood at the edge of the ship.
"Luffy!" Ben shouted over the noise of battle. "Focus on the assassins! We'll handle the trash!"
"Got it!" Luffy yelled back, his fist already colliding with Lucci's claw.
Ben turned to the two warrior captains.
"Dory. Brogy. You've been patient," Ben grinned, his wand slipping into his hand. "Cramped on a small ship. Sitting on tiny chairs. Holding back your strength."
Dory grinned, his beard bristling. "It has been... a tight fit, Magician."
"Gebababababa!" Brogy laughed, hefting his Uru-metal axe. "My muscles are itching to stretch!"
"Then let's stretch," Ben said. "Time to show the World Government what a real war looks like."
Ben raised his hand.
"Command T: Restore."
SNAP.
The sound was like a thunderclap breaking the sound barrier. The air pressure in the arena dropped instantly.
VOOOOOOOOOM.
Dory and Brogy didn't just grow. They exploded in size.
One second, they were six feet tall. The next, they were expanding rapidly, shooting upwards like rapid-growth bamboo. Ten feet. Twenty feet. Forty feet.
They kept going.
The ground shook as their mass returned. The stone bridge groaned under the sudden weight. The crowd of charging Marines screamed, scrambling backward as massive feet slammed into the turf.
When the dust settled, two titans stood on the field.
Dory the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre, the Captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, stood at their full height of over twenty meters. They were mountains of muscle and armor. Their black suits, miraculously enchanted by Ben to stretch with them, didn't tear. They looked like the biggest, scariest bouncers in history.
"G E B A B A B A B A !"
The laughter of the giants created a shockwave that blew the hats off the Marines in the front row.
"WHAT IS THAAAAAAT?!" a Marine captain screamed, his eyes popping out of his skull. "GIANTS?! WHY ARE THERE GIANTS IN SUITS?!"
"Look at their weapons!" another agent yelled, pointing at the glowing Uru sword and the vibrating shield. "Those are not normal!"
One of the older government agents, a man who specialized in bounty archives, squinted at the titans. He recognized the helmets. He recognized the beards. He recognized the laughter.
His face went pale. He dropped his rifle.
"It... it can't be..." the agent stammered. "Those aren't just giants! Those are the captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates!"
"What?!"
"Dory the Blue Ogre! Brogy the Red Ogre!" the agent shrieked. "They vanished a hundred years ago! Their bounties were legendary! Why are they here?! Why are they with the Straw Hats?!"
The terror rippled through the Marine ranks. Fighting a rookie pirate crew was one thing. Fighting legends from a century ago was another.
---
While the Marines panicked, Ben turned back to the Going Merry, which was hovering near the bridge.
"Robin," Ben called out. "Spandam is yours. show him hell."
Robin stood on the deck, her eyes cold. She cracked her knuckles—literally creating multiple hands to crack them. "Understood. I have a few words for him."
"Franky," Ben nodded to the cyborg. "Stay on the ship. We might need heavy fire support if things go south. Be our backup. If anyone gets overwhelmed, blast a path for them."
"SUUUUPER Backup!" Franky struck a pose. "Leave it to me, bro! This ship is a fortress with me on it!"
"Merry," Ben looked at the small android girl. "Caroo."
"Yes, Papa?" Merry adjusted her sunglasses.
"QUACK?" Caroo saluted.
"Stay on the ship with Franky. Keep the engine running. Monitor the battle. Give me regular updates."
"Roger that," Merry nodded. "Defense perimeter active."
Ben turned back to the giants. He jumped, landing lightly on Dory's massive shoulder.
"Alright, boys," Ben pointed his wand at the army of Marines. "Let's clear the path."
---
"Gebababa! Hold on tight, little Magician!" Dory roared.
He swung his massive shield.
CLANG!
He didn't even hit anyone directly. He just slammed the edge of the shield into the stone ground. The resulting shockwave tore up the pavement and sent a ripple of force blasting outward.
"AAAAAHHH!"
Fifty Marines were launched into the air like ragdolls, blown away by the sheer wind pressure.
"My turn!" Brogy stepped forward. He swung his Uru axe horizontally.
"Hakoku!" (Warrior Nation)
He didn't fire the full beam, just a shockwave. Even so, the air distorted. The invisible slash cut through the ranks of the government agents, creating a trench in the plaza.
"None shall pass!" Brogy roared. "This is the Bridge of Elbaf now!"
Ben stood on Dory's shoulder, his eyes scanning the battlefield. He saw snipers setting up on the towers. He saw cannons being wheeled out.
"Sniper team at 2 o'clock," Ben muttered. He raised his wand. "Protego Maxima."
A shimmering, translucent blue dome erupted around the giants.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
Bullets and cannonballs slammed into the magical barrier and dissolved into sparks.
"What?!" The Marine snipers stared. "Our shots are bouncing off!"
"Magic," Ben smirked. "It's super effective."
"Commander!" a Marine lieutenant yelled into his Den Den Mushi. "We can't hold them! The Giants are unstoppable! We need heavy support!"
"Send in the Guard!" a voice commanded over the speaker. "Open the Main Gate! Release the Giants!"
The Marines cheered. "The Gatekeepers! Our own Giants!"
The massive steel gates at the far end of the plaza groaned. Gears ground together. The doors swung open slowly.
THOOM. THOOM.
Two massive figures walked out. They were giants, wearing Marine helmets and armor, carrying massive clubs and axes.
Oimo and Kashii. The Gatekeepers of Enies Lobby.
"Who dares attack the base?" Oimo bellowed, his voice deep and gravelly.
"We will crush you!" Kashii roared.
Ben tapped Dory's ear. "Incoming. Friends of yours?"
Dory stopped swinging his sword. He squinted through his sunglasses. He looked at the two giants emerging from the gate.
"Brogy," Dory rumbled. "Look."
Brogy lowered his shield. He stared. "By the beard of battle god... is that...?"
Oimo and Kashii stomped forward, ready to fight. They looked at the two "intruders" blocking the bridge. They saw the black suits. They saw the sunglasses. But then, they looked closer.
They saw the helmets. The viking horns. The specific shape of the beards.
Oimo froze mid-step. He dropped his club.
CLATTER.
"C... Captains?" Oimo whispered.
Kashii stopped beside him. His eyes went wide. "Dory-san? Brogy-san?"
The battlefield went silent. The Marines looked confused. Why weren't they fighting?
Dory took off his sunglasses. He smiled, a wide, warm grin that wrinkled his weathered face. "Oimo. Kashii. It has been hundred years, little ones."
"Gebababa!" Brogy took off his shades too. "You have grown! Though you are wearing strange uniforms!"
Oimo and Kashii fell to their knees. The earth shook with their impact. Tears—massive rivers of tears—streamed down their faces.
"CAPTAINS!" They wailed, sobbing like children. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"
"We thought you were dead!" Kashii cried. "Or captured!"
Dory frowned. "Captured? Us? Who could capture us?"
"The Navy!" Oimo wiped his nose on his arm. "Fifty years ago... they told us you were captured! They said the Navy had imprisoned you! They said if we worked as gatekeepers for one hundred years, they would set you free!"
"We have been guarding this gate for fifty years!" Kashii sobbed. "Waiting for the day we could free you! We did everything they asked! We fought for them! Just to save you!"
The silence on the battlefield changed. It shifted from confusion to horror.
Ben narrowed his eyes. "Fifty years... of slavery based on a lie."
Dory's expression darkened. The jovial uncle vibe vanished, replaced by the terrifying aura of a warrior king.
Brogy gripped his axe until the metal groaned.
"Captured?" Brogy's voice was low, vibrating with suppressed rage. "We have been on Little Garden. Fighting. For one hundred years. No Marine has ever defeated us. No one has ever captured us."
"We were never in prison," Dory said coldly. "We were free. The only ones in prison... were you."
Oimo and Kashii stared at their captains. The realization hit them like a physical blow.
Fifty years.
Fifty years of guarding a gate. Fifty years of serving the enemy. Fifty years of believing they were saving their heroes, when in reality, their heroes were free, and they were the ones in chains.
They turned their heads. Slowly.
They looked at the Marines swarming around their feet. They looked at the Government agents on the towers.
"You lied," Oimo whispered. His voice trembled with betrayal.
"YOU LIED TO US!" Kashii roared.
The Marines shrank back. "Uh... wait! Oimo! Kashii! Listen! It was for justice!"
"JUSTICE?!" Oimo stood up. He grabbed his massive club. "YOU STOLE FIFTY YEARS OF OUR LIVES!"
"YOU MADE US FIGHT FOR THE ENEMY!" Kashii grabbed a chunk of the stone plaza and crushed it in his hand.
"Dory san! Brogy san!" Oimo turned back to his captains. "Command us! We are the warriors of Elbaf! We serve only the strong!"
"Then serve the truth!" Dory pointed his sword at the Tower of Justice. "These Marines are not your masters. They are your jailers! Break them!"
"Gebababa!" Brogy laughed, but it was a fierce, angry laugh. "Switch sides, little ones! Today, we fight together!"
"YEAAAAAAH!" Oimo and Kashii roared.
They turned around. They faced the army of Marines they had protected for five decades.
"SMASH THEM!"
Oimo swung his club. Kashii swung his axe.
It was a massacre. The Marines screamed as their own greatest defense turned against them.
As the battle turned into a rout, a chirpy, digital voice crackled over Ben's headset.
"Yo Papa," Mini Merry's voice came through, sounding bored. "Status Update: Dory just got a Multi-Kill. He defated atkeast 50. Oimo is camping the spawn point at the Main Gate. Enemy morale is dropping faster than my battery life on standby."
Ben blinked, pressing a hand to his ear. "Merry?"
"This is a total stomp," Merry continued, her tone dripping with gamer arrogance. "Based on current DPS, the Marines are gonna rage-quit in five minutes. GG EZ. No re."
Ben sighed, shaking his head as he watched Oimo swat a squad of soldiers like flies. "Merry, less gaming terms, more situational awareness. But... you're not wrong."
"Copy that," Merry giggled. "Keeping eyes on the prize. Don't let them flank you, noob."
"I'm not a noob," Ben muttered, smiling.
He raised his wand. "Protego Totalum."
A massive shield expanded, covering all four giants and the bridge behind them.
"You guys have fun smashing," Ben called out. "I'll make sure no cannonballs ruin the reunion."
"Thanks, Magician!" Dory laughed, stepping on a tank.
"Now," Ben looked toward the Tower where Robin and Luffy were. "The front door is kicked wide open. The rest is up to you, Captain."