— Hey, you're a wielder of will, aren't you? — I said, glancing at Dorry and Brogy. — Tell me how to awaken it.
The giants' eyes gleamed with a strange, otherworldly light — the kind that made it feel like they were staring straight into your soul.
— Have you been to the New World? — Brogy asked, laughing.
— Hehehe… no, but I— — I began, but Brogy cut me off with a grin full of audacity and strength.
— Then get there yourself and find out.
— Gababababa! — Dorry's laughter boomed. — If you can't learn it on your own, there's no point in us telling you!
Brogy crouched down, setting aside what remained of their recent hunt. He looked at us with a spark in his eyes.
— But at least tell me, do you have any Log Poses? — Karina asked carefully, as if afraid to hear a refusal.
— No, that's something we can't help you with! — Dorry said flatly, staring ahead.
— But we'll give you a parting gift, — Brogy added, standing up and lightly striking the ground with his fist.
— Not everyone can leave this island — no need to explain everything. Come, we'll show you! — Dorry said, waving his hand.
We quickly gathered the remnants of our belongings: backpacks, medical kits, weapons, maps — everything that could be of any use at sea. Near the river's mouth stood rows of enormous dinosaur carcasses — trophies the giants had prepared specifically for our journey. They lay beside barrels of water and neatly tied bundles of meat wrapped in leaves to keep the deck clean.
— They've brought a whole food depot… — Sabo murmured in disbelief.
Near the ship, everyone was busy. Karina was hauling meat to the galley, Sabo was checking the water barrels, and I was spreading the sails. At that moment, Gin and Auger appeared from the forest.
— Hey! Are we leaving already?! — Gin shouted, jumping onto the deck and almost losing his balance. Auger silently leapt aboard after him.
— We are, — Karina replied without raising her head. — Help out, and we'll leave faster.
I pulled on the rope, and the sail caught the wind. The ship moved forward smoothly, the water rushing along the hull.
— Someone's going to help us get out of here, — I said, looking at the shadow falling across the deck.
— Help us? Who? — Auger asked in surprise.
The answer came on its own — the shadow blocked out the sun. We looked up. Dorry and Brogy stood towering above the ship.
— Sail forward and don't look back! — Brogy's voice thundered.
— We'll do everything needed to make sure you leave this island, — Dorry added, placing a foot on a massive boulder near the shore.
— That's… — Gin froze, his hand with the tonfa trembling.
— Warriors of Elbaf, — Sabo said calmly, keeping his hands on the helm.
— Get ready. The water's rising! — I shouted.
The sea trembled. Gentle ripples turned into waves, as if something enormous was stirring beneath us.
— What the hell is that… — Gin began, but didn't finish.
The surface of the sea split apart like torn fabric. From the depths emerged a dark shadow… then massive scales gleaming like metal. A gigantic fish. Not just big — its back stretched like part of an island, and each scale was the size of a boat. Its mouth opened wide enough to swallow our entire ship. Its eyes — not yellow, not red — white. No pupils. Like a corpse.
— It could swallow not just a ship but an entire bay… — Karina whispered, her face pale.
The fish rose slowly, water cascading from its sides like from a mountain wall. A wave from its movement hit the shore, nearly throwing us off balance on deck.
— Sabo! Hold the course straight! Don't turn! — I yelled.
He nodded, gripping the helm tighter.
The giants stepped toward the cliff's edge one after another. Their faces were no longer cheerful. They looked solemn — like warriors standing before a battle where the stake was Elbaf's honor. Dorry and Brogy only grinned.
— Well then? — Brogy said, raising his axe.
— Time to show them the true pride of Elbaf! — Dorry answered.
Sunlight flashed on their weapons. The air trembled. Even the sea seemed to freeze — the fish stopped, sensing… danger.
— Gin… — Auger said quietly. — If we get caught in that attack, we're done for.
I clenched my teeth.
— Just hold on to something.
The giants inhaled together. And the world itself seemed to pause.
— HAKOKU NO KAMAE-EEEEEEE!!!
The sword and axe slashed through the air. From the point where their strikes crossed, a white rift of energy erupted — a wave, a whirlwind, a beam, as if the atmosphere itself was being torn apart. It surged forward, ripping through the water, leaving behind a hollow, dry trail — as though the sea had been split in two. And then…
Impact.
Light.
Thunder.
A fracture. The world shuddered.
SHUUUUUUM!
A wave soared into the sky. The fish froze — its eyes dimmed. Its massive body split diagonally — one half sank slowly into the sea, the other fell onto the shore with a dull crash. For a while, the ocean still roared, as if refusing to accept what had happened. Then everything fell silent. The giants lowered their weapons, exhaling.
— That's what a full-force strike of Elbaf looks like.
— If we'd used just a bit more, the island itself would've cracked in two! Hahaha! — Brogy laughed.
Gin, Auger, Karina, and the others stood speechless. They barely dared to breathe.
— They… sliced the sea… — Auger whispered, adjusting his glasses.
— That's… not just technique, — Gin muttered hoarsely, still staring where the sea had been cleaved apart and the light of the strike split the horizon.
Karina said nothing. Her fingers still gripped the rail so tightly her knuckles turned white. Before her eyes lay the remains of the fish — a creature that had seemed like a mountain in the sea just moments ago. It was cut cleanly — like paper. And in the distance, two colossal figures were walking back toward the island, as if nothing had happened.
— That kind of power… it's not something you achieve with mere strength, — Sabo finally said, his voice rough.
Silence hung in the air. Only the sound of the waves against the hull broke it.
— I'm going, — Gin suddenly said. Sharp. Resolute. Without looking at anyone. He grabbed Auger.
— Come on.
— Where to? — Karina asked in surprise.
— To the storage, — Gin said shortly and disappeared into the hold with Auger.
Only when the ship had sailed far enough that the giants' silhouettes turned into tiny dots, and the split fish finally vanished beyond the horizon, did Karina speak again:
— What's with him? Why is he… like that?
Sabo stood at the helm. His eyes were fixed on the water, but his thoughts were far away.
— We all… have a lot to think about, — he said quietly.
He took a deep breath of the sea air, trying to calm his pulse. The echo of that strike — Hakoku — still thundered in his chest. It wasn't just a weapon. Not mere muscle. Not skill. It was will.
— Yeah… — I replied without realizing I'd spoken aloud. My shoulders ached from tension, my palms were bleeding — I hadn't even noticed how hard I'd gripped the railing. — After what we saw… after that attack… I'm not sure I could've lasted even a minute against them.
The world had grown larger. And we — smaller than we ever imagined.