"Yeah, and because this combat skill is tailored for the giants, ordinary humans find it much harder to learn."
Broki added, "There were friends from outside who came to our Giant Village to learn and succeeded, but among humans, they were like giants themselves, at least three to four meters tall."
"As for you, Shano, although your physique matches those monsters, your stature is just too... uh, compact and petite. I'm afraid you can't meet the minimum requirements to learn the Giant Race combat skills."
So that's what they're worried about!
Why didn't they say so earlier?
Shano realized.
With a blink of an eye, in the brief moment of raising and lowering his eyelids, his body suddenly expanded dramatically, like an inflatable balloon, instantly enlarging substantially.
Eh?
Haven't reverted to true form for a long time.
Shano then noticed that his actual height seemed to have grown unexpectedly... around twenty centimeters taller?
Originally three meters and seven, now roughly estimated at three meters and nine, almost breaking through four meters soon.
He looked up at Green Orge and Red Orge.
The two giants stared at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
"Uncles, this is actually my true form." Shano chuckled, "Don't know if this is qualified now..."
"It's enough, absolutely enough!"
The two giants finally recovered from the shock and exclaimed in unison.
In Elbaf, some gifted warriors who begin training from young are only four to five meters tall; Shano's height just meets the minimum threshold.
"Then shall we start the training tomorrow?" Green Orge stood up, stretched lazily, "You've had enough for today, right? Tonight you should properly res..."
"No need to worry about me."
Shano casually shook his arms, the shocking bruises on his body fading at a speed visible to the naked eye, "My stamina is still adequate, it's still early, let's train a bit more today, at worst we'll light a campfire at night."
"Uh..." Green Orge's stretching arm froze, almost straining his old back.
"..." Red Orge was massaging his sore arms, dumbfounded.
"Alright, shouldn't waste too much of your time, shall we start now!"
Shano moved his fully recovered joints, his eyes flickering with eager flames, "Uncles, where should I start learning?"
In the afterglow of the sunset.
The two legendary giants exchanged glances, swallowing hard.
Looking at the black-haired youth before them, seemingly ignorant of fatigue, they felt for the first time what "teaching pressure" meant.
"What's wrong?" Shano looked at them puzzled, "Not continuing today?"
"Ga... gahahaha!" Dorry's laughter was obviously a bit weak, "Of course, we must continue!"
Broki discreetly wiped cold sweat from his forehead, "Elbaf's warriors... never back down!"
...
That night, by the campfire.
Dorry and Broki lay sprawled on the ground, faces full of exhaustion.
However, the supposedly weary Shano was energetically mounting grilled meat, occasionally practicing air swings.
Green Orge and Red Orge listened to the whooshing wind sounds, exchanged bitter smiles.
Initially, they thought it was them inflicting brutal hellish training on little Brother Shano, worried he wouldn't last a few days before needing a break.
But now it seems...
It's actually them being tormented by hellish training?
—————
Four days later, Little Garden.
The scorching noon sun baked the entire island like a furnace, distorting the air in heat waves.
Shano stood bare-chested in the clearing between two giant bones.
At this moment, he still maintained his true form.
A stature of three meters and nine like a small mountain, inspiring fear, he casually twisted his hand joints, yet his muscles were already taut like steel rebar.
"Hey everyone, move aside a bit, it's dangerous if you're caught in the path." Dorry's voice rumbled like thunder.
The crowd, noisily eating ice cream and watching the fun, started and quickly retreated to the sides.
"Are you ready, little Brother Shano?"
Shano took a deep breath and nodded.
In an instant, all the power within him surged like a volcanic eruption, pouring fully into his fists, the surrounding air twisted with strain, buzzing audibly.
"Elbaf's Spear—Overlord's Might!!!"
With a roar, Shano punched forward fiercely!
A crimson shockwave erupted from his fist, tore forward with crushing force towards the towering mountain in the distance.
Crack, crack.
Wherever it passed, the ground cracked inch by inch, the air forcibly ripped open a vacuum channel, destroying countless trees along the way. And at the moment the shockwave contacted the mountain—
Rumble!!!
The whole mountain trembled violently, and the rock walls, fragile as thin paper, were easily pierced.
A gigantic hole over a hundred meters in diameter appeared abruptly.
Through the hole, one could even see a vast expanse of azure skies on the other side, debris showered down like rain, quickly piling new hills at the foot of the mountain.
"...?!"
The crew collectively petrified, their eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.
What the...!
Punching through a mountain peak from hundreds of meters away, is this an attack a human can deliver?!!
"Huff, huff..."
Shano knelt on one knee, his chest heaving violently, beads of sweat the size of beans dripped from his chin, evaporating into white steam on the hot ground with a hiss.
This strike nearly drained half of his energy, yet the corners of his mouth were madly uplifted, unable to be suppressed.
Success!
Elbaf's Spear·Overlord's Might...
He finally mastered it!
He didn't want to take up too much of the kind giant uncles' time, so for the past four days, he had been fiercely advancing, training tirelessly with barely any rest.
Sleeping only four hours a night, countless times, his muscles ached to the point of numbness, sustained solely by willpower.
When he couldn't endure anymore, he stuffed food into his mouth desperately, using Life Return to swiftly replenish his body's emptiness.
As it turns out, effort and sweat are never in vain.
Through his relentless training, coupled with the statue's buff...
He finally mastered the Giant Race's ultimate skill at a pace unbelievable to even the Green Orge and Red Orge within just four days!
"Heh..." He grinned, standing up.
This time's consumption was a bit much; in actual combat, he could at most manage it twice.
But remember, he just mastered it and hasn't fine-tuned his control over the energy consumption.
With continued training and cultivation, as his proficiency increases and his body further adapts—
The power of "Elbaf's Spear" will further enhance, and the energy expenditure can be continuously minimized.
This visit to Little Garden was truly worth it.
In just five days, he not only mastered Observation Haki but also gained another finishing move well beyond his previous expectations.
"Hmm?"
Shano suddenly furrowed his brow, turning his head to look toward a certain part of the forest.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination.
These past few days, whenever he had a moment of leisure amid his grueling training, he always felt a hidden gaze lurking within the dense forest, quietly observing him.
Before, he naturally wouldn't have noticed, but now having grasped Observation Haki, it's hard to ignore that subtle sensation of being spied on.
Even stranger was,
within the range visible by his Observation Haki, he couldn't find any trace of a person, and whenever he rushed over with "Soru" at the fastest speed, he found no clues whatsoever.
Is it another bizarre Devil Fruit ability?
Or maybe he's overthinking it, just an illusion caused by his current unfamiliarity with the keen perception granted by newly acquired Observation Haki?
Shano quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.
He couldn't care less, after all, having practiced the "Enhanced Brain Sealing Skill," he's mentally immune to many Devil Fruit powers.
As for the physical level?
A sneaky guy hiding around, what kind of strength could they have, would they dare come out and take a punch from him?
With his mastery of Elbaf's Spear, his confidence had temporarily swelled to an unprecedented height.
What Onigumo, what Sand Crocodile, if they were to fight again, one punch would lay them flat!
Not enough, simply not enough!
Go fetch Kaido, call over BIGMOM! Red Hair and Whitebeard too!
......
That afternoon.
Another grand feast was held.
Everyone gathered, laughing heartily in joy, consuming all previously stored liquor until not a drop remained.
But no matter how delightful a feast, it eventually comes to an end.
Just as even the best of friends must part ways in the end.
The Endgame Adventurer Group was ready to set off.
After spending these days together, the bond formed between Shano and the two straightforward giant uncles through punches and kicks was genuinely as deep as friendships forged over decades.
When they were escorted to the dock, the two giants who had walked with reddened eyes turned to watch Shano's back as he boarded the ship.
Suddenly unable to hold back, they burst into tears, their flowing tears cascading like waterfalls at their feet, causing the river's water level to surge dramatically.
Everyone spent quite some time comforting them until they sniffled to a halt.
Shano, with utmost seriousness, wrote down all he knew about the Giant Soldier Pirates and related matters of Elbaf, handing it to Dorry, advising them to read it only after his departure.
Within were many matters likely difficult for them to accept, possibly leading to another bout of weeping.
For instance, the old King of Elbaf, Harald, was already killed by Prince Loki;
Or the legendary warrior Yoruru, the old captain of the Giant Soldier Pirates from all of Elbaf, had already died at the hands of Charlotte Lingling;
Additionally, the crew members supposed to be executed by the Navy, although rescued by Galmero, were part of a dark deal that saw many Giant children reduced to war machines for the Navy Headquarters;
There were also two Giant crew members seeking to retrieve their leader, Kashi and Omoi,
deceived and coerced by the Navy with Dorry and Broki's lives as leverage, and ended up as gatekeepers on Judicial Island...
As for what plans the two would make after reading this information.
Whether to continue their isolated quest for a decisive victory on this ancient island, or to set sail once more to rescue old comrades and protect Elbaf...
That's beyond Shano's influence; the decision lies within the hands of the two giant uncles themselves.