Chapter 56: Ulquiorra VS Blue Ogre and Red Ogre!
"Oh my god... this... this is too big!"
Nami subconsciously took half a step back, her boots sinking into the soft moss of the prehistoric jungle. She had to crane her neck back until it physically hurt, looking up... and up... and further up. Her voice trembled with a mixture of disbelief and primal fear.
Standing before them were not monsters, but gods of war carved from flesh and blood.
The two figures towered over the ancient trees, their heads seemingly scraping the clouds. They were easily twenty meters tall—living mountains that blocked out the sun. The sheer displacement of air caused by their breathing was enough to rustle the cloaks of the Suzaku Pirates standing at their feet.
One wore a Viking helmet painted a deep azure, his long, braided beard flowing down like a golden waterfall. He carried a broadsword that looked like a slab of iron torn from a fortress wall. This was Dorry, the Blue Ogre.
The other wore a helmet the color of dried blood, his beard spreading out in a wide fan. He wielded a double-bladed battle axe that could cleave an entire ship in two. This was Brogy, the Red Ogre.
"Hahahaha!"
The Giant holding the great axe, Brogy, let out a bell-like laugh. It wasn't just a sound; it was a physical shockwave. The leaves were shaken from the nearby ferns, raining down on the group like green snow.
"Gebababababa! It's been a long time since strangers came to the island! Little Humans, did you bring any ale?"
His voice boomed like thunder rolling inside a canyon, vibrating in Nami's chest cavity. "On this island, wine is the most precious thing! Even more precious than gold!"
The Giant holding the great sword, Dorry, grinned, revealing teeth the size of tombstones. "Ggyagyagyagya! That's right, that's right! With ale, we're friends! Without it... well, you're just ants!"
The casual threat hung in the heavy, humid air.
Nami gripped her Clima-Tact, her knuckles white. Rem stepped forward slightly, her hand hovering near the morning star flail hidden in her skirt, her blue eyes narrowing in calculation. Albedo's black wings flared, ready to intercept any attack.
But Suzaku remained calm. He stood at the forefront, his crimson coat steady despite the wind generated by the Giants' laughter.
He pondered for a moment, the gears in his mind turning. He knew exactly who these two were. They were legends. Relics of a bygone era. And more importantly, they were potential powerhouses.
Suddenly, Suzaku stepped forward. He didn't look up with fear; he looked up with ambition.
"Wine?" Suzaku shouted, infusing his voice with a trace of Haki to ensure it reached their ears clearly. "I happen to have brought some on my ship! The finest rum from the West Blue and sake from the New World!"
The Giants' eyes lit up like lanterns.
"But!" Suzaku raised a finger, pausing dramatically. "Before we share the fine wine... I have a question."
He changed his tone. The playfulness vanished, replaced by the authoritative aura of a Captain. His gaze swept over the two titans, dissecting them.
"You two are 'Blue Ogre' Dorry and 'Red Ogre' Brogy, aren't you? The Captains of the legendary Giant Warrior Pirates who terrorized the seas and earned a bounty of 100 million Berries each... over a hundred years ago!"
The Giants froze. Their smiles didn't vanish, but a glint of surprise appeared in their massive pupils. It had been a century since anyone had spoken their full titles.
Suzaku ignored their surprise and continued, his voice cutting through the jungle silence.
"For a hundred years, you two have been dueling on this island. Every day. Every eruption of the volcano. Fighting for a reason so old, you've probably forgotten the details. A duel of honor."
He took a deep breath and delivered the critical blow.
"But, while you play your war games here... have you never thought about what happened to the subordinates who once sailed the seas with you? Have you ever wondered what happened to Oimo and Kashi?"
The names struck a nerve. The air grew heavy.
"Oimo? Kashi?" Dorry murmured, his brow furrowing. "They... they went back to Elbaf."
"Did they?" Suzaku smiled, a shark-like grin. "What if I told you they didn't? What if I told you they were tricked by the World Government? That for fifty years, they have been guarding the Gates of Justice at Enies Lobby as slaves, believing that you two were captured and that their service would earn your freedom?"
"WHAT?!"
The roar came from both Giants simultaneously. The ground cracked beneath their feet. Birds flocked into the sky in terror.
"They are doing hard labor because of you!" Suzaku shouted, pressing the advantage. "Because you were too busy fighting over... what was it? Who caught the bigger goldfish?"
He spread his arms wide, making an offer that sounded like madness to everyone present.
"So, what do you say? How about considering joining me? Join the Suzaku Pirates! As long as you nod, I will not only offer you all the fine wine on my ship, but I will also take you to free your crew! I will reunite the Giant Warrior Pirates under my banner!"
Silence.
Absolute, suffocating silence descended on the Little Garden.
Nami held her breath. Did he just... try to recruit two giant monsters by insulting them?
After a brief moment that felt like an eternity, the two Giants looked at each other. Then, they threw their heads back.
"Gebababababa!"
"Ggyagyagyagya!"
They burst into laughter even more exaggerated than before. The sound waves were violent enough to create a localized windstorm, nearly blowing Nami off her feet.
"Hahahahaha! Hey, Brogy, did you hear that?" Dorry laughed so hard he had to lean on his sword, causing the earth to tremble. "Although it's nice to hear our names are remembered, this little human... this 'ant'... actually wants us to be his subordinates? Hahahaha!"
"This is the funniest joke I've heard in a hundred years!" Brogy wiped a tear the size of a bucket from his eye. "Hahaha, it's been a long time since I've met such an ignorant, arrogant brat!"
However, the laughter stopped as abruptly as a guillotine blade dropping.
The atmosphere shifted from mirth to murderous intent in a split second.
Brogy's eyes instantly became as sharp as his axe blade. A massive sense of oppression—the pure, unadulterated killing intent of a warrior who had lived for battle for three centuries—poured down like a tangible force.
"Kid!" Brogy roared. "Since you know the name of the Giant Warrior Pirates, you should understand one thing! We are Elbaf's proudest warriors! We bow to no one! Especially not a little human who thinks he can manipulate us with words!"
Dorry slowly raised the great sword, Terry Sword, in his hand. The metal groaned as it sliced through the air. His eyes narrowed dangerously, glowing with the spirit of a Viking berserker.
"Kid, you seem to know information about our crew... that makes me curious. But Elbaf warriors do not make deals with the weak. If you want to talk, you must prove you have the right to stand before us!"
"Tell us obediently," Brogy raised his Bruiser Axe. "Otherwise, after we crush you into paste, we'll just read your diary!"
BOOM!
In an instant, the two top Giant Race warriors simultaneously unleashed their astonishing auras. It was like two raging tsunamis crashing down on the tiny group below. The sheer spiritual pressure made the air solidify. Even the chirping of the prehistoric insects and the distant roaring of dinosaurs fell silent, terrified by the anger of the island's masters.
Nami whimpered, hiding behind Albedo. Rem drew her morning star, her face pale but determined.
But Suzaku didn't flinch. He looked up at the descending wrath of Elbaf and smiled.
"I see. The logic of the barbarian. Might makes right."
Suzaku's voice rang out clearly, cutting through the tension. "If that's the case, it seems you won't acknowledge us unless we defeat you here! Fine by me!"
"Defeat us? Are you dreaming, kid?!" Giant Dorry's laughter rumbled like thunder. "We are Elbaf's strongest! We don't just lose to anyone!"
"Die, arrogant ant!" Brogy shouted.
Before the words finished echoing, Dorry's Terry Sword and Brogy's Bruiser Axe came crashing down!
WHOOSH!
The sound was horrifying. It was the sound of the sky falling. The two weapons, each weighing tons, descended with enough force to split the island itself. The air pressure alone began to crack the ground before the weapons even made contact.
Suzaku didn't move a muscle. He didn't draw a sword. He didn't activate his Haki.
He merely smiled faintly and turned his head slightly to the silent, pale figure standing with his hands in his pockets beside him.
"Never mind, Ulquiorra. You can play with them."
Ulquiorra Cifer stood there, his white coat fluttering in the wind pressure of the descending axes. His emerald eyes were hollow, devoid of fear or excitement.
"Is there any meaning in fighting them?" Ulquiorra asked, his voice flat. "They are large, but their souls are crude. Killing them proves nothing."
"Of course there is meaning!" Suzaku replied, his eyes gleaming. "Demonstrating your strength and gaining the recognition of your comrades... proving that 'size' is irrelevant before 'power'... isn't this one of the 'meanings' of existence you've been searching for? Go, Ulquiorra. Show them the despair of the Espada."
This sentence acted like a subtle ripple in the still water of Ulquiorra's mind. The indifferent, detached expression on his face quietly receded, replaced by a focused seriousness.
"Understood."
Zwoosh!
The sound of Sonido ripped through the air.
Ulquiorra vanished.
In the next microsecond, his figure suddenly reappeared in mid-air, floating fifty feet off the ground, precisely in the middle of the trajectory of the two colossal weapons descending.
Against the backdrop of the giants' sky-obscuring weapons, the slender figure of the Arrancar appeared so tiny, so insignificant. He looked like a moth about to be crushed by two falling towers.
Ulquiorra slowly unsheathed Murciélago from his waist. The motion was fluid, lazy almost.
He held the katana up with one hand.
The moment the blade touched the giant weapons—
"CLANG—!!!"
A sound like a nuclear detonation echoed throughout the entire Little Garden!
A massive shockwave exploded from the point of impact. It expanded outward in a perfect ring, vaporizing the surrounding trees, stripping the leaves from the ferns, and kicking up a cloud of dust that shot into the stratosphere.
The clouds above the island were blown away by the sheer force of the collision.
When the dust settled, the Giants' eyes widened in absolute shock.
The seemingly slender long blade in Ulquiorra's hand acted as an immovable fulcrum. He hovered there in mid-air, holding the combined, full-force attack of the two Warrior Chiefs of Elbaf... with a single arm.
His expression hadn't changed. He wasn't straining. He wasn't sweating.
"Impossible!" Brogy gasped, his arms trembling as he tried to push his axe down. "He... he blocked it? A little human?"
"He's not human!" Dorry roared, his eyes narrowing. "Look at that pressure! He's a monster!"
Seeing Ulquiorra single-handedly steadying the combined attack, Dorry, far from being angry or afraid, broke into a wide, excited grin on his rugged face. The warrior blood of Elbaf boiled in his veins.
"Hey, Brogy!" Dorry shouted in a booming voice, veins popping on his forehead. "It seems we underestimated them! This isn't an ant... this is a dragon in human skin!"
"Gebababa!" Brogy laughed, pulling his axe back. "Now, it looks like we can have a satisfying fight! Don't you get knocked down first, Dorry!"
"Hahaha!" Brogy's fighting spirit ignited like a volcano. "If that's the case, let's make a bet, just like in the past! Whoever defeats this pale gloomy guy first will be the Strongest Warrior of the Giant Warrior Pirates!"
"Hahaha, no problem! For the honor of Elbaf!" Dorry shouted.
The truce was over. The duel was on hold. Now, they had a common enemy.
Dorry stepped forward, the earth shaking with his movement. He swung his Terry Sword horizontally, a slash meant to decapitate mountains.
"Elbaf Style: Mountain Splitter!"
The blade tore through the air, creating a vacuum blade.
This time, seeing that the attack range was wide enough to potentially harm Suzaku and the others below if he blocked it directly, Ulquiorra chose not to meet it head-on.
"Inefficient."
Ulquiorra's figure blurred. He spun gracefully in the air, light as a feather, letting the massive sword brush past him by a margin of mere millimeters.
However, the offensive was not over!
Brogy and Dorry had fought fiercely for a hundred years; they were rivals, yes, but they were also the closest of friends. Their souls were linked by a century of combat. Their coordination was flawless.
Almost at the same instant Ulquiorra dodged Dorry's sword, Brogy was already moving.
"Take this! Elbaf Hammer!"
Brogy's Bruiser Axe, imbued with the force of wind and thunder, came crashing down toward Ulquiorra's exposed back! It was a perfect pincer trap. There was no room to dodge.
"Ulquiorra!" Nami screamed.
Facing this exquisite pincer attack, Ulquiorra's expression remained as still as water. His sensory abilities—his Pesquisa—had already mapped every muscle movement of the Giants.
He didn't even turn his head.
He simply flicked his wrist, reversing his grip on his katana, and casually extended the blade behind his back.
"CLANG!"
Another deafening crash exploded!
Metal sparked against metal, showering the jungle in orange light.
This time, the laws of physics took over. While Ulquiorra's strength and Hierro were superior, his mass was negligible compared to the Giants.
The immense kinetic energy unleashed by Brogy sent Ulquiorra flying. He shot through the air like a white bullet, smashing through three giant trees before flipping mid-air and landing gracefully on a high branch, sliding backward a few meters before coming to a stop.
He brushed a speck of dust off his white coat, unharmed.
"As expected of 'Blue Ogre' and 'Red Ogre'..."
Suzaku stood on the ground, his arms crossed, watching the battle with admiration. He wasn't worried in the slightest.
"With bounties of 100 million Berries a hundred years ago... adjusting for inflation and power creep, they are easily worth over a billion in today's standards. The physical strength of the Giant Race is truly the treasure of the seas."
Nami and Rem, standing beside him, almost simultaneously and urgently asked, "Should we help? Ulquiorra was sent flying!"
"Is he okay?" Rem gripped her morning star.
Suzaku, however, calmly waved his hand. His gaze remained fixed on the white figure perched on the distant tree branch. A confident, almost arrogant smile played on his lips.
"Don't worry," Suzaku said, his tone steady and filled with complete trust.
"You're misunderstanding something. He wasn't overpowered; he just didn't bother to anchor himself against the physics of the impact."
Suzaku pointed at the Fourth Espada.
"Look closely. His hands... haven't even left his pockets until the moment he strikes. Ulquiorra... he is very, very strong. This is just a warm-up exercise for him."
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