On the edge of the jungle clearing in Little Garden, the setting sun was like blood, staining the prehistoric island in a magnificent orange-red glow.
At the foot of the distant volcano, the battle between the two behemoths continued.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Every clash of the giant sword and the heavy axe was accompanied by a deafening roar. Violent air currents swept through the surroundings like a typhoon, making the earth tremble in pain.
The Straw Hat crew (excluding Sanji, who was busy preparing the feast) and Vivi sat on a safe rocky outcrop, watching the battle.
Gulp...
Usopp held the crow Klay tightly in his arms, as if clutching his only lifeline. He watched the world-destroying attacks ahead, swallowed hard, and forced his chest out to boast:
"Truly exaggerated... but well, this level of destructive power barely reaches about 30% of the Great Warrior Usopp's true strength."
Klay rolled his eyes, looking at him as if he were a complete moron. "Caw... do you have no shame at all?"
Nami sighed helplessly from the side, retorting without mercy, "It might be more convincing if your legs weren't shaking like a sieve while you said that."
Finally, with one last earth-shattering bang—
BOOM!!
The weapons in the hands of Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy recoiled at the same time. The two mountain-like figures, exhausted, fell backward and crashed heavily into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
"714,396... A DRAW!!"
The two lay on the ground, looking at the sky, and burst into heroic laughter.
"Gah-hah-hah-hah! Another draw, Brogy!" "Geg-gya-gya-gya! Looks like we still can't settle it today, Dorry!"
As they laughed—
Zip!
A red shadow suddenly extended. Luffy used his rubber arm like a slingshot to launch himself, landing steadily on Dorry's sweat-drenched shoulder.
"HEY—! BIG GUYS!!" Luffy stood by the giant's ear, cupping his hands like a megaphone. "The fight's over, and you must be hungry!! Let's have a banquet!! My cook made tons and tons of dinosaur meat!!"
Dorry and Brogy exchanged a look, the fatigue in their eyes instantly replaced by joy.
"Gah-hah-hah! Geg-gya-gya! What a fun little sprout!" "FINE!! WE FEAST!! FOR THE GLORY OF ELBAF!!"
Night fell, and the stars dotted the sky. A massive bonfire rose in the clearing, its flames licking the night air. The rich aroma of roasted meat filled the atmosphere. Sanji had used the island's gargantuan dinosaur meat to create an unprecedented prehistoric feast.
"CHEERS!!!"
The giants lifted cups the size of wine barrels, drinking deeply as the ale flowed down their beards. In the firelight, Dorry and Brogy shared tales of Elbaf—the pride of warriors, the faith of a fighter, and the story of how they had dueled daily for a hundred years over a reason they had long since forgotten.
"Waaaah... that's so moving..." Usopp listened with tears streaming down his face, snot dripping into his mouth. "This is the romance of men! Elbaf... one day, I'm going there too!!"
Zoro leaned against a bottle of sake, looking at these two scarred yet heroic warriors with deep respect. "So this is the pure warrior spirit..."
After the story, Luffy scratched his head with regret. "What a shame... you two old guys are so interesting." He looked at the giants seriously. "I was actually thinking of inviting you to join my ship as my crewmates."
Hearing this, the two giants burst into a simultaneous roar of laughter.
"Gah-hah-hah-hah!!" "Geg-gya-gya-gya!! You really are a funny little sprout!!"
THUD! THUD! THUD!!
As soon as the words left Luffy's mouth, Nami, Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji erupted. They delivered a synchronized barrage of punches to Luffy's head, roaring in fury:
"Why are you always trying to do the impossible?!" "Are you trying to kill us?! The ship would sink in a second, you idiot!!!" "The Merry isn't ready for retirement just yet!!"
On the other side of the fire, Viktor sat cross-legged, finishing a large, succulent dinosaur rib. He looked at his greasy hands, then at Klay, who was perched on a rock nearby solving his own meal.
Viktor reached out nonchalantly and grabbed Klay's shiny black wing.
Swish, swish.
He wiped his hands clean on Klay's smooth feathers.
"Caw?!" Klay snapped to attention, looking at his now-greasy wing in tragic indignation. "Master?!! How could you do this to me!!"
Viktor ignored the protest, stuffing a bone with meat into Klay's beak to shut him up. He then looked up, his black eyes shimmering with a serious light in the firelight as he addressed the giants.
"Seniors."
"I apologize if this is presumptuous, but I have a question." He pointed toward the distant severed mountain peaks and the cracked earth. "The attacks you used earlier—the ones that split the earth and cut the very air... they contain 'Haki,' don't they?"
"Haki?"
At the mention of the unfamiliar term, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji stopped what they were doing and turned their heads in confusion. "What's that? Is it tasty?" Luffy asked.
Viktor didn't answer directly. He looked at his comrades, his gaze turning stern. "Remember Smokey the smoke-man back in Loguetown?"
"In the Grand Line, weirdos with strange abilities like his—'Logia' monsters whose bodies can turn into elements, making physical attacks completely useless—will only become more common."
"Luffy's punches can't hit smoke. Zoro's swords can't cut fluid. Faced with enemies like that, if we don't master a special power, we'll spend our lives running away. And to counter them, we must master—'Haki'."
"Haki..." Zoro touched the hilt of his sword, the feeling of powerlessness against Smoker in Loguetown flashing through his mind. His gaze sharpened instantly. "I see... so it's a power that can cut the 'intangible'."
"No wonder that smoke guy was so arrogant," Sanji took a deep drag and blew out a ring of smoke. "Looks like my kicks alone won't cut it."
Luffy's eyes lit up instantly. He jumped up and shouted at the giants, "Haki?! Is that the stuff that can hit the smoke-man?! Teach us! Teach us, you two old guys!! I want to knock that smoke-man flying!!"
Dorry and Brogy looked at Viktor with surprise. "Oh? I didn't expect a little one like you to know about that."
Brogy set down his cup and laughed. "Though we don't understand your complicated human theories or how you categorize 'Haki,' in Elbaf, that is the spirit born within every warrior!"
Dorry nodded, his expression solemn. "It is the technique of turning one's 'will' into invisible armor and weaponry. Only those with the firmest convictions can manifest this power to strike an enemy's true form or even intimidate fierce beasts."
The two giants looked at Luffy's determined, eager eyes and smiled in appreciation. "Since it's a request from a friend, and you saved our lives... very well! We will pass on a hundred years of combat experience to you! How much you grasp depends on your own talent!"
As the banquet reached its end, the giants raised their massive bowls toward the stars and the young pirates.
"For this meal! And for your courage! From this day forth, you are forever friends of Elbaf!! Go conquer the sea, Straw Hat crew!!"
"OOOOH!!!"
Everyone raised their cups in a world-shaking cheer. "CHEERS!!!"
The night deepened. Nami and Vivi had fallen into a deep sleep, but the core combatants—Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Viktor, and even Usopp—remained awake.
Under the guidance of the giants and by the light of the moon, they began their first training session on this ancient island... the training for "Haki."
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