Chapter 220: Chapter 220: The Giants
With the raw power of Golden Lion Shiki and Whitebeard Newgate, they could’ve crushed Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy in seconds. But no—they wanted to beat the giants fair and square, matching them in skill and strength. Plus, it was a way to kill time while Brook was off slaughtering ancient beasts. And let’s be real, those two giants were also on Brook’s hit list!
The Elbaf giants are a proud race—loyal to those who’ve earned their trust, relentless against those who’ve wronged them. Thick-headed and hot-tempered, they’d never forgive Charlotte Linlin for killing their hero, Jorul.
Brook had already picked a side in the feud between Linlin and the giants. Sure, Linlin dreamed of patching things up and living in harmony, but the giants had issued a blood oath: no peace with her, only vengeance. It was a fight to the death, no exceptions.
Brook had his eyes on Dorry and Brogy’s Elbaf techniques. These two, barely sixty years old—mere teenagers by giant standards—had become captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates through sheer talent. Leading their kin to sea, they were prodigies, masters of Elbaf’s legendary combat arts.
But then, a little girl’s innocent question—"Who bagged the bigger prey?"—sparked a duel that’d raged for over forty years on Little Garden. And they showed no signs of stopping.
It was absurd. Their stubborn clash had shattered the Giant Warrior Pirates. Some giants were conned into joining the Marines, others ended up as gatekeepers at Enies Lobby, and a few even signed on with the Ice Demon Pirates.
Worse, Dorry and Brogy were so caught up in their duel that they missed the news of Jorul’s death in Elbaf Village a decade ago.
After the Giant Warrior Pirates disbanded, some giants were captured. Hag Carmel, the notorious human trafficker, pulled a cunning ploy with the Marines. Using a sob-story act, she "rescued" the giants, earning their trust. Carmel then wormed her way into Elbaf, setting up a base to funnel giant warriors to the Marines every few years. She became their "friend," all while selling out their kin.
...
Whitebeard Newgate’s naginata clashed with Blue Ogre Dorry’s longsword, sparks flying as they locked blades in a test of strength.
Dorry towered over Newgate, pressing his sword downward with all his might. But Newgate didn’t budge. Holding the naginata one-handed, veins bulging in his arm, he stood firm, as if Dorry’s power was child’s play.
Red Ogre Brogy swung his massive axe at Golden Lion Shiki, who countered with slashing sword strikes. Brogy unleashed his might, roaring as he performed Hegemony, a spiraling sword aura that shattered Shiki’s attack and forced him back.
...
While the giants battled, a feast was already kicking off elsewhere. The samurai and marksman squads had set up a temporary camp, allowing Antonio and the others to descend from Golden Island to dig into Streusen’s mouthwatering dishes.
Kaido, fresh from braining a tyrannosaurus with his gleaming alloy mace, trudged back, stomach growling. He joined Tiger and Tom for the feast. This life—chowing down on meat and brawling to his heart’s content—was pure bliss!
"Haha, Kaido! Captain Brook said once my bounty hits 100 million, I’m a full-fledged crewmate. I’m already at 20 million—won’t be long before I’m a big-shot Hell Pirate! You? Still sitting at zero. Gonna have to grind a few years, kid. Pirate fights ain’t no joke!"
Fisher Tiger gloated, waving a hunk of meat at Kaido. With Kaido as the rookie, Tiger relished his chance to flex.
"Hmph. 20 million? Big deal. My first bounty’s gonna blow past 100 million, leaving you in the dust. I’ll be a full crewmate in no time!" Kaido snorted, unimpressed. So what if Tiger joined a year earlier? Taking that long for a measly 20 million was nothing to brag about, especially with that wanted poster he kept flashing.
"Haha, dream on! Brook’s heading back to the West Blue next. No billion-Belly bounties there. Even if you fight, your first bounty’ll be a few million, tops."
"You’d have to wait till we’re back in the New World, taking on big-time crews and crushing tough opponents, to score a bounty that high!" Tiger chuckled at Kaido’s naivety. A rookie with a 100-million first bounty? Unheard of—unless you were a famed bounty hunter or Marine officer turned pirate.
Even Linlin, the crew’s prodigy, started at 50 million at age six, and that was in the New World, skipping the weaker seas like the Four Blues, Reverse Mountain, or Fishman Island.
"Hmph!" Kaido ignored Tiger, tearing into his meat. He’d grow bigger, stronger, and become a Hell Pirate mainstay, then a legendary pirate in his own right!
...
Deep in the ancient forest, a different scene unfolded.
"Linlin, you good?"
"Brook, I’m stuffed! Let’s head back!"
"Alright, I’m practically bursting too!"
Brook and Charlotte Linlin had massacred Little Garden’s prehistoric beasts, harvesting a trove of soul lifespans and spectral spirits.
Brook’s generals, glutted on ancient creature souls, solidified from ethereal wisps into a formidable force. Brook even kept a squad of dinosaur spirits—weak but spooky enough to intimidate foes.
"Brook, there’s so many rare critters here! I wanna round ’em all up. My dream’s to collect every species in the world!" Linlin mused, her vision of a utopia filled with all races and creatures burning bright.
"Once Shiki pushes his Float-Float Fruit further, we’ll have our own Beast Island!" Brook leapt from Zeus, the thundercloud, onto Linlin’s shoulder, ready to return. They’d had their fill of carnage.
"And next time, we’re making Shiki drag Sheep’s House near Skypiea!" Linlin huffed. She’d nagged Brook about it forever, but excuses always delayed the plan.
"Sure, sure. With Shiki’s skills and fruit development, he could float another island no problem!" Brook agreed, urging Linlin to steer Zeus back to camp. Hera, the nimbus cloud, trailed behind, while samurai and marksmen below hauled dinosaur carcasses.
...
Meanwhile, Newgate had overpowered Dorry in a test of strength, leaving the giant humiliated. Shiki, not to be outdone, trounced Brogy and—cruelly—shattered his giant axe, the weapon’s fragments scattering.
Brogy stared at the wreckage of his companion of fifty or sixty years, his heart breaking. Tears nearly spilled as he wondered how he’d continue his duel with Dorry. Was this defeat? Would he be the loser now?
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