CHAPTER 16
Brod -the bad ogre.
BOOOOMMMMM!!
Ren's blackened arm smashed against Kizaru's shining leg, the force rippling the molten air dripping from the top around them. The kick would've taken his head clean off, but Ren slid under it, teeth gritted, eyes burning.
He strained every nerve in his brain, pushing his Observation Haki to the brink just to see Kizaru move.
Boom! Boom! BOOOOM!
Light bullets rained down like a meteor shower. Ren spun his naginata, cutting through beams of light that carved trenches into the prison walls.
Kizaru tilted his head lazily.
"Ooh… ne. You're keeping up better than expected."
Ren exhaled sharply, dismissing his weapon into subspace and raising both fists, stance tight, shoulders rolled forward.
Kizaru's eyes twitched. "Switching to fists? With me?"
Before Ren could breathe, six shimmering clones formed around Kizaru, each one booting the ground with a spark of light.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The two clashed, fist against photon, the shockwaves ripping across Level 4. Each time Ren blocked, a sting of light burned through his guard. Each time Ren struck, the air shuddered.
Then…
BOOOOOMMM!!!
A kick like a divine hammer sent Ren spiraling through the wall, smashing him into the guard room like a rag doll. Rubble collapsed over him.
Ren coughed dust and spit blood, before a grin curled across his face.
"Hahahaha… damn, that was pretty hard."
His mind buzzed with fatigue, but something in him was waking up, an instinct born from battle itself.
This world is insane…
And I'm finally getting used to it.
This… is fun.
Kizaru floated into the ruined room, leg raised.
"Ooh… ne. You can still stand? I'll kick that smirk off your face."
He flicked his glasses.
"Have you ever been kicked by the speed of li"
Kizaru's heel crushed into a shard of mirror hidden among the rubble.
The beam deflected.
Ren didn't miss the moment.
He lunged.
A clean, brutal punch slammed into Kizaru's face, the shock traveling through bone and light together.
BOOOOM!!
Kizaru flew backward, skidding through debris, crashing into a mangled steel wall.
He grabbed his jaw, eyes widening for the first time.
"Damn… that punch… doesn't look like you, ne…"
Blood dripped from his lip.
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Meanwhile – The Giant's Duel
BOOM!!
Sparks rained from steel on steel as Brocky slammed his iron bar against John Giant's axe.
"Rahahahahaha! You give me just the right battle meal!" Brocky roared, heat radiating from every step he took.
John Giant blinked down at him. Brocky was shorter than most giants—a "small giant"—but his presence was enormous.
With a deep voice, John asked,
"What is the name of your father?"
"Brod!" Brocky answered proudly.
John Giant's face stiffened.
"You mean Brod… the Bad Ogre?"
Brocky paused mid-swing, dropping his iron bar.
"You… knew my dad?"
"He helped me once," John said, lowering his own axe with respect. "A long time ago."
"So you really knew him…"
John nodded. "But you look nothing like him. He was one of the biggest giants in Elbaf."
Brocky scratched his head. "Mum said I was a crossbreed. She was a mermaid."
John Giant froze.
"Bad Ogre married… a mermaid?"
"Rahahahahaha! My old man bragged all day about it!"
John's eyes widened. "Your laugh… it sounded familiar. Just like his."
"Rahahaha! Guess it's in our blood!"
John took a deep breath.
"How… did he die?"
Brocky's smile faded. His fists tightened.
"The government arrested him for staying on an 'unpaid' land..
even though he paid… and overpaid."
John's jaw clenched.
Brocky continued, voice trembling.
"Mum said they wanted to take men like us as specimens. And use me for experiments.
I didn't understand then."
He wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
"They sent me to my mum's nephew… a shipwright. I learned to build ships. I learned to read.
I wanted to surprise them when I got back."
Brocky's voice cracked.
"But when I returned… the neighbors said they had moved away."
He swallowed hard.
"I searched everywhere… then government agents began chasing me. I ran back to my uncle's place. After a few days… he told me the truth…"
His eyes hardened with old rage.
"When the government realized I escaped… they arrested my dad and mum.
Told them that if they surrendered… they'd leave me alone."
He sucked in a shaky breath.
"I attacked their base. But I wasn't strong enough. They caught me.
And when I said I'd kill myself before becoming their experiment…
they threw me in this prison. Said they'd wait for my mind to break first."
Silence fell between the giants.
Then John Giant lowered his axe completely.
"…Your father died protecting you. And you survived."
Brocky clenched his jaw, tears trembling but refusing to fall.
"Rahahahaha… my dad all said be proud to do what you want to do, I will still take revenge but I won't let get in the way of my adventure."
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