The giants' battle continued with earth-shaking ferocity.
It must be said, they were truly a race born for combat. Their massive bodies granted them unparalleled destructive power. Each weapon clash shook the ground beneath everyone's feet, and simple movements could flatten entire groves of ancient trees like matchsticks.
"Sun Saw!"
"Sun Shield!"
Dorry and Brogy spoke in perfect unison, simultaneously wielding their weapons and shields with astonishing synchronization.
This level of coordination was extraordinary. Sixty-nine thousand three hundred fifty duels over ninety-five years meant they averaged two battles per day. Their familiarity with each other had long since seeped into their very bones, becoming instinct.
Bang!
The greatsword and round shield collided violently, exploding with a deafening roar that echoed across the island.
Both warriors were simultaneously forced back a step by the brutal recoil, their feet carving deep trenches in the earth.
But quickly, they steadied themselves and without hesitation clashed again with renewed fury.
"Is this how they've fought all sixty thousand-plus duels?"
Watching the giants' fierce, unrelenting fighting style, Ace couldn't help swallowing hard. How had they maintained this life-or-death intensity for so many years without killing each other?
"No need to worry. They're completely, literally evenly matched."
Kai spoke calmly, arms crossed as he observed the spectacle.
If there were even the slightest difference in strength between them, this century-spanning duel would have ended long ago with one victor standing over the other's corpse.
The two giants fought with desperate determination from morning until noon, when today's first duel finally neared its inevitable end.
After one final, thunderous clash that cracked the ground beneath them, both Dorry and Brogy collapsed exhausted to the earth with crashes that sent tremors through the soil. They lay gasping for breath, chests heaving.
"Gegegegege, Brogy, looks like another draw!"
"Gegyagyagya, then we'll settle it in the next duel!"
Dorry and Brogy exchanged glances and released hearty laughter despite their exhaustion. Their faces showed none of their earlier battle-crazed ferocity, only the deep satisfaction of warriors who had given their absolute all.
"That's it? They made up just like that?"
Violet was genuinely amazed. "They were just fighting to the death moments ago. Don't they hold any grudges?"
"This is a warrior's duel!"
Yamato, usually oblivious to most social niceties, strangely understood the giants' mindset perfectly. "Only by giving your all is the greatest respect you can show your opponent!"
"Gegegegege, little lady, you're absolutely right!"
Dorry laughed heartily, clearly pleased.
"Gegyagyagya, warriors should hold nothing back!"
Brogy echoed resoundingly, his voice carrying approval.
Yamato's straightforward words instantly won both giants' tremendous favor. Her battle-loving spirit resonated perfectly with their warrior culture.
"As expected, Yamato's personality perfectly suits giants' tastes."
Kai nodded knowingly to himself. Though he also had his own proven methods for winning over giants.
"Let's have a feast!"
Kai spread his arms wide, enthusiastically announcing to everyone gathered.
For the famously hospitable giants, feasts were the ultimate bonding experience. No friendship couldn't be built with one grand feast. If it didn't work, you simply needed another!
Dorry and Brogy exchanged glances, their faces breaking into huge, brilliant smiles as they shouted in perfect unison, "That couldn't be better!"
Thus, the grand feast immediately began preparation with enthusiastic energy.
As hosts on their home island, Dorry and Brogy quickly dragged over several massive dinosaurs with tender, succulent flesh, plus a heap of sweet, juicy tropical fruits that grew nowhere else.
Kuma, who had left earlier, used his Paw-Paw Fruit ability to instantly bring all the fine wine stored aboard Rayquaza. Oh, and all the seasonings too.
The feast atmosphere reached its glorious climax the moment the massive bonfire roared to life, sending sparks dancing into the afternoon sky.
"To new friends and delicious food and drink, cheers!" Brogy shouted loudly, his voice booming.
"Cheers! Gegegegege!" Dorry laughed in wholehearted agreement.
"Cheers!"
Kai's entire crew raised their glasses enthusiastically in response.
Dorry and Brogy grabbed wine barrels taller than grown men and drained them in two massive gulps like they were ordinary drinking cups. One barrel wasn't nearly enough. They used both hands alternately, never letting their mouths rest for even a moment.
Clearly famished and parched, they didn't even touch the roasted meat first, focusing entirely on quenching their tremendous thirst.
After downing five or six barrels of wine each, the two giants finally satisfied their immediate cravings.
Sanji, Ace, and Zoro took charge of preparing the roasted meat with practiced coordination. Sanji expertly managed all the seasoning, Ace carefully controlled the flames with his abilities, and Zoro handled the heavy cutting work with his swords.
Massive dinosaur chunks were skewered on thick tree trunks stripped of branches and roasted over the roaring bonfires. Fat dripped steadily into the flames with delightful sizzling sounds. The tempting aroma of perfectly seasoned meat mixed intoxicatingly with wine fragrance, stimulating everyone's appetites.
Soon, the beautifully seasoned roast meat's incredible aroma instantly captured both giants' full attention and taste buds.
"Haven't smelled such wonderful cooking in ages."
Dorry licked his lips in anticipation, his stomach growling audibly.
"Please enjoy to your heart's content." Sanji smiled with quiet, confident pride in his culinary skills.
The giants didn't hold back or stand on ceremony. They grabbed roasted meat chunks nearly half a cow's size each. Completely ignoring the intense heat, they bit into the tender flesh with unrestrained gusto, their faces showing utter satisfaction and pure joy.
"Gegyagyagya! Haven't had such flavorful roasted meat in forever!"
"Gegegegege! Combined with fine wine, this is absolute heaven!"
Even giants, who weren't particularly picky eaters by nature, couldn't help mentally disparaging what they'd been surviving on all these lonely years.
After eating and drinking their generous fill, the two giants finally remembered the most important question they should have asked much earlier.
"Friends, who are you exactly?"
Truly worthy of giants. Their powerful strength fostered remarkably informal, even somewhat careless, ways of dealing with strangers.
Facing a group of mysterious visitors, they only now thought to properly ask about backgrounds and identities.
"I'm Kai, and these are all my important companions."
Kai smiled warmly as he introduced everyone present one by one, then casually added, "We're pirates sailing under the Beast Pirates."
"Beast Pirates?"
"Never heard of them."
Dorry and Brogy exchanged genuinely puzzled glances and shook their massive heads.
No real surprise there. They had been stranded on Little Garden for nearly a century and probably couldn't scrape together enough berries between them to buy even one newspaper.
Their only realistic way to learn anything about the outside world was through the occasional pirates who randomly stumbled onto this prehistoric island.
"Beast Pirates is one of the New World's four Emperor crews."
Kai briefly but clearly explained Beast Pirates' impressive status and vast influence throughout the dangerous New World territories.
"Oh! Sounds truly amazing!"
"Gegyagyagya! Seems even more impressive than our Giant Warrior Pirates were back in our day!"
Though the legendary Giant Warrior Pirates were once renowned and feared across all the seas, they had never actually ruled vast territories in the New World like the current Emperor crews did.
Dorry and Brogy exchanged knowing glances. Their decades of perfect understanding instantly conveyed mutual thoughts without needing words. Both grinned widely, showing battle-hungry smiles that radiated pure excitement.
"Want to have a duel?"
Both giants issued their invitation simultaneously, voices trembling with barely contained anticipation.
"Yes, yes!"
Yamato, who had been practically vibrating with eagerness to fight, immediately bounced forward like an excited rabbit.
But after just two steps, she felt her collar tighten as a gentle but firm force held her in place.
"Kai~"
Yamato's delicate brows furrowed deeply. Her lips pouted like a pufferfish, her pretty face puffing up adorably as she drew out her complaint in a whining tone.
"Sorry, let me go first this time."
Kai smiled apologetically, gently but firmly pulling the reluctant Yamato back to safety. His eyes gleamed with barely suppressed excitement and anticipation.
Since awakening his Devil Fruit ability, he hadn't truly unleashed that incredible new power at full capacity. These two legendary giant warriors should be able to handle it. Probably.
"Then let's begin!"
Dorry and Brogy rose thunderously to their full imposing heights, gripping their battle-worn weapons again. Fighting spirit blazed in their eyes like literal flames.
Kai leaped gracefully upward. Brilliant emerald light erupted explosively around his entire body as it twisted and elongated dramatically within the glowing aura.
The next moment, a massive emerald divine dragon coiled majestically above the sky, its serpentine body casting huge shadows across the entire clearing.
"So big! Even larger than the ancient giants of legend!"
Brogy looked up in genuine amazement, but immediately after, surging battle intent ignited hot in his chest. Fighting such an impossibly powerful opponent was truly exciting beyond measure!
"Not done yet."
The sky dragon spoke with divine authority.
His already enormous body emanated intense golden light. His massive form expanded even further within that sacred glow. Simultaneously, four holy golden ribbon-like tendrils formed dramatically behind his head, floating and dancing without any wind.
Whoosh!
Golden light exploded outward like tangible substance, scattering into beautiful light rain that painted the sky.
Mega Rayquaza made its debut!
"Gegegegege, his aura just increased another entire level!"
Dorry licked his suddenly dry lips nervously. He gripped his sword and shield with white-knuckled intensity, eyes bursting with unprecedented fervor and determination.
"Let's decide this in one strike."
Kai's voice thundered from the heavens, carrying undeniable divine authority that seemed to shake the very air. "Use your giants' absolute strongest combination technique. Don't hold anything back."
Though Kai had openly declared he would fight them both two-on-one, Dorry and Brogy felt absolutely no disrespect or insult. On the contrary, they knew perfectly well that facing such an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, only their combined full strength gave them even the slightest chance of survival.
Giants were famously bold and straightforward, but they definitely weren't brainless fools. They never lacked proper awe and accurate judgment toward the truly strong.
After speaking, Kai swam directly upward toward the high sky with smooth, serpentine grace. He didn't fly too high, deliberately stopping around one thousand meters altitude. Dorry and Brogy's current strength level didn't warrant a longer charging time.
On the island far below, Dorry and Brogy held their breath, staring intently upward with unprecedented solemnity etched into every line of their weathered faces.
Suddenly, a tiny emerald point of light appeared in the distant sky. It expanded rapidly like a supernova being born, illuminating the entire heavens with brilliant green radiance!
"Dragon Ascent!"
With this divine declaration, absolutely devastating emerald energy completely enveloped Kai's entire form.
His body stretched arrow-straight, like a green ballistic missile carrying earth-piercing destructive might. He dove downward at speeds far beyond visual tracking capability!
"Here it comes."
Both giants' pupils contracted sharply to pinpoints.
They lacked future-sight Observation Haki abilities, but their decades of honed warrior instincts screamed urgent warnings. If they didn't go completely all out right now, they would actually die here.
Dorry and Brogy exchanged a single meaningful glance. Needing absolutely no words between them, they simultaneously discarded their defensive shields entirely and gripped their greatsword and battle axe with both massive hands.
Their arm muscles bulged impossibly high, veins standing out like cables. Then, channeling mountain-splitting, sea-cleaving force through generations of warrior technique, sword and axe struck together perfectly!
"Hakoku!"
BOOM!
One burning red, one freezing blue. Two massive torrents of devastating energy roared explosively from their legendary weapons, instantly twisting and fusing together into one colossal shock wave column of absolutely astounding diameter!
Wherever this combined shock wave passed, the very air shrieked as if reality itself was being pulverized!
In less than an instant, this shock wave condensing both giants' absolute full power collided violently with the diving emerald meteor!
Time seemed to freeze completely for one impossible moment.
But the very next instant, the seemingly all-destroying shock wave was forcibly halted and stopped cold in midair.
After barely an eye-blink of desperate stalemate, Kai's form, surrounded by swirling emerald divine aura, devastatingly pierced straight through the massive energy wave like tissue paper!
BOOM!
In the sky above, it was like someone detonated an actual sun. A brilliant yet utterly deadly fireball rapidly expanded outward. The explosion's thunderous roar was so loud it nearly ruptured eardrums, echoing across the entire island.
The resulting terrifying shock wave made all of Little Garden tremble violently like an earthquake. Coastal areas raised towering tsunami-like waves that crashed against ancient cliffs!
Before the thick smoke could even begin clearing, the emerald figure burst through explosion flames and dense smoke like an avenging demon god. His speed remained completely undiminished, still carrying unstoppable momentum straight toward the two giants far below!
Dorry and Brogy desperately hurried to raise their weapons in a last-ditch blocking attempt.
Then Kai struck like a divine meteor colliding with earth itself.
The ground where they stood instantly collapsed catastrophically into a massive crater. Spider-web cracks spread madly outward in all directions for dozens of meters.
Dense smoke and pulverized earth rushed skyward in a choking cloud.
The collision's secondary shock wave expanded outward in visible concentric rings, utterly destroying all trees within dozens of meters radius, snapping ancient trunks like toothpicks.
"Watch out!"
Team members Kuma and Yamato, the two strongest fighters present, reacted fastest. They simultaneously flashed forward before everyone else, deploying their Devil Fruit abilities and Armament Haki at maximum capacity to fully resist this devastating aftermath.
Suddenly, a powerful whirlwind swept across the battlefield.
As if possessing conscious will, the whirlwind methodically swept up all obscuring smoke, carrying it far away from the battlefield in organized spirals.
Without smoke obscuring vision any longer, the view cleared dramatically and completely.
The crater's central scene at the very bottom appeared clearly before everyone's stunned eyes.
Kai had returned to his normal human form, standing calmly at the crater's precise center. He had controlled that convenient wind himself.
On either side of him, Dorry and Brogy's massive bodies lay collapsed heavily on the cracked ground, already completely unconscious from the overwhelming impact.
However, judging from both giants' chests still rising and falling steadily with breath, they clearly weren't in any mortal danger whatsoever.
This was naturally Kai's deliberate control and restraint.
He had only wanted an exciting sparring match to test his awakened abilities. He had absolutely no intention whatsoever to actually kill these legendary warriors.
That Dragon Ascent strike had already restrained most of its true devastating power, but even so, the technique's displayed might still exceeded even his own optimistic expectations.
Truly worthy of the signature move that allowed Mega Rayquaza to solo defeat both Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon simultaneously in the ancient legends.
Kai had a strong premonition. If he charged that attack in the upper atmosphere, where resistance was minimal, completely destroying an entire island probably wouldn't present much difficulty at all.
"Kai, you went way too far! Actually beating Dorry and Brogy into unconsciousness like this."
Just as Kai thought Yamato meant he had been excessively harsh with his legendary opponents, she abruptly changed direction. She puffed out her cheeks in an adorable complaint. "How am I supposed to duel them properly now?"
So that's what you're worried about!
Kai shook his head helplessly, unable to suppress his amused laughter. "Don't worry at all. I carefully controlled my strength output. With giants' incredibly robust constitution, they should wake up by this afternoon without any problems."
Learning she could soon duel the legendary giants exactly as desired, Yamato's mood instantly transformed from stormy clouds to brilliant sunshine. Her face lit up with pure, unrestrained joy.