One Piece: Starting From Picking Up Red-Haired's Arm

Nami couldn't see anything.

It couldn't be helped. Even on her tiptoes, she was barely over 1.7 meters tall—simply too short.

"Hmm… huh?" Smoker finally "woke up" groggily, looking around in confusion. "An earthquake?"

"It's not an earthquake, it's a volcano erupting!"

Dorry laughed heartily as he stood up, tossing one of the Saber-toothed Dragons into his mouth and crunching it down in a few bites. He pushed the other one toward the group.

"Everyone, eat up! I'll be right back!"

His expression turned serious as he put on his helmet and pulled up the massive sword that was over ten meters long from beside him.

Only then did everyone realize.

—So, every eruption of the volcano on this island was a signal. It meant the time had come for the duel Dorry had mentioned earlier during their casual chat, the duel between him and another giant.

Everyone watched as Dorry hoisted the giant sword onto his shoulder and strode swiftly toward the north, leaving them exchanging bewildered glances.

"Brother, let's go take a look too!"

Nami immediately suggested. Compared to her curiosity about the taste of dinosaur meat, the battle between giants was far more intriguing to her.

The others also cast eager looks.

A battle of this level wasn't something you could witness just anywhere.

"Then let's go," Xiano said with a smile, nodding.

The group followed Dorry's footsteps, passing through the dense primeval forest. Dinosaurs fled in panic in all directions, and the trees swayed violently from the shockwaves generated by the giant's running.

Before long, they arrived at the open area to the north.

In front of the massive bones here, a burly, bearded giant, as imposing as Dorry, was already standing ready.

He looked much stockier than Dorry, with a round face, thick nostrils, and a horned helmet. He wielded a giant axe and a round shield, his muscular body covered in scars from past battles.

"Brogy!"

Dorry roared, raising his giant sword. "You must have recovered your strength by now! Today, we'll settle this once and for all!"

"Gahahaha, just what I wanted!"

Brogy laughed maniacally in response, his voice thundering like a storm.

Boom!

The two giants clashed in an instant.

The shockwave from the collision of the giant sword and the battle axe uprooted the surrounding trees, and the ground trembled violently. The group had to retreat dozens of meters just to barely keep their footing.

"Hey, hey, hey, this isn't right…"

Nami looked up at the two giants fighting like wild beasts, cold sweat dripping down her face.

Earlier, when Dorry had casually mentioned that he often dueled with another giant on the island, she had assumed it was just a friendly spar between friends.

She never imagined it would be such a brutal, savage fight.

Every move was aimed at vital points, blood splattered everywhere, and it seemed as though they harbored some deep-seated hatred, each trying to kill the other.

"Why?!"

She couldn't take it anymore and shouted up at them, "Uncle, aren't you friends?! Why are you fighting like this?! Why are you hurting each other so mercilessly if you're friends?!"

"Friends?"

Dorry grinned, blocking a strike from above with his sword. "In the face of Elbaf's honor…"

"Isn't giving it your all the most sincere respect for friendship?!"

Brogy also laughed heartily. "As for the reason for the duel—"

"We've long forgotten it!"

Boom!

The two giants roared and clashed once again.

Apart from Nami, who was watching with a pounding heart and growing anxiety, the others gradually widened their eyes, becoming completely immersed in the spectacle.

The two legendary giants of Elbaf, with each collision, displayed such ferocious strength and astonishing combat skills, creating a visual impact that was both thrilling and adrenaline-pumping.

Xiano was also watching intently.

However, his perspective was higher than that of the crew, so his focus was somewhat different.

He noticed that the destructive power generated by the two giants was truly astonishing, far beyond what humans could achieve. The term "strength" was best exemplified in them.

Even with his own physical toughness, he couldn't withstand a direct confrontation for long...

Xiano pinched his chin, a vague idea forming in his mind.

...

After an unknown amount of time.

Clang——!!!

In the deafening roar, two massive weapons were simultaneously flung from their hands, deeply embedding themselves into the ground in the distance.

On the battlefield, where volcanic ash was still settling, the two mountain-like bodies finally collapsed, utterly exhausted.

"Jie jie jie jie jie! That was exhilarating!"

Dorry half-knelt on the ground, his laughter causing leaves to fall from the trees, completely ignoring the blood gushing like a waterfall from his chest.

Brogy lay sprawled out, his bull-horned helmet tilted to one side, also laughing heartily: "Seventy thousand and sixty-three matches! Still a tie!"

"Really..."

"When will we ever get back to Elbaf village at this rate?"

Dorry chuckled again, "Hey, Brogy, these kind human friends brought me some good wine. Want to try it?"

"Good wine?"

Brogy was overjoyed: "Where? Where? Give it to me! Just hearing about it makes my mouth water."

"Here, catch!"

The two giants, arm in arm, sat down together again, clinking their cups and warmly inviting everyone to join them, showing no trace of the life-and-death struggle they had just been in.

Nami opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing, helplessly holding her forehead.

—She probably would never understand the thought processes of these giants.

"Mr. Dorry."

Xiano suddenly spoke, his voice clear in the silent battlefield, "I'd like to ask you and Mr. Brogy for a favor, if that's alright?"

The giants stopped their commotion, Dorry tilting his head, his bronze helmet creaking: "Oh?"

"It's like this."

Xiano grinned, knowing that the best way to get along with giants was to be straightforward and honest.

"You remember the technique of Observation Haki, right? Among all the types of Haki, it's the only one I haven't mastered yet. So, I was hoping you could spare some time to help me learn this Haki."

"Observation Haki?"

Dorry's eyes lit up, "No problem! Brogy and I mastered it long ago, along with Armament Haki, which we learned together ages ago. But..."

His voice trailed off as the giant scratched his head, his expression turning awkward:

"Uh... Brogy, how exactly did we use it again?"

"I think, I think we learned it during a fight with a big, fat Navy guy who could turn into light..."

Brogie also looked bewildered. "We were quite skilled back then, but it's been a hundred years since we last used it. Hiss, how exactly did we train it…"

The giants of Elbaf take the most pride in their terrifying physiques and their innate combat skills.

These two legendary warriors are no exception.

Haki is necessary to deal with those strange Devil Fruit Ability Users, but they usually disdain to use such strength.

Now, after more than a hundred years.

They can still rely on instinct to use Haki, but trying to recall exactly how they mastered it is too much to ask…

The situation became somewhat awkward.

The two giants looked at each other, then simultaneously lowered their heads in frustration.

—Friends had brought fine wine, but they couldn't even help with such a small favor. The warriors of Elbaf were about to lose face!

"You've misunderstood."

Xiano shook his head. "I'm not asking you to teach me the theoretical techniques of Observation Haki. I already have a rough idea of that. What I lack is a trigger."

"A trigger that pushes me to the brink of life and death, where even the hairs on my body can sense the threat of death, forcing my body to develop stronger evasion abilities. Do you understand?"

"From the time I set sail until now, no one has been able to push me to that point, which is why I haven't awakened Observation Haki yet."

Xiano stared at the two giants and said seriously, "And you two have given me hope that such a trigger might appear."

"I see."

Dorry grinned. "Hehehe, young Xiano, you want us to go all out on you, just like during our duel earlier?"

"What an arrogant statement!" Brogie's eyes also lit up. "But I must say, you have the qualifications for it!"

The warriors' keen intuition allowed them to see that Xiano wasn't boasting.

This young human, who didn't look very old, exuded the aura of a strong person in every move, even in his breathing.

—He was a formidable and confident individual.

"Gahahaha!"

Brogie laughed heartily. "We can certainly fulfill this request, and we're happy to do so. But Dorry, it seems we'll have to temporarily call a truce for the next few days."

"No problem, to repay a friend, this small sacrifice is worth it!"

Dorry glanced at the sky. "However, it's almost nightfall, and Brogie and I are about to collapse from exhaustion. We can't perform any decent moves right now. Sorry about that. We'll need to rest well tonight and start this special training tomorrow morning."

"Of course, that's only fair."

Xiano nodded and laughed heartily, then turned around and said:

"Uncle Zeff, bring all the wine from the ship. Tonight, we'll have a grand feast, and no one leaves until they're drunk!"

"Hooray, a feast!!!"

The surroundings immediately erupted with cheerful responses.

Not only to celebrate their new friendship with the two giants but also to rejoice that their Captain had finally found a way to resolve his lingering concerns.

...

As night fell, a towering bonfire was quickly lit in the open space surrounded by giant bones.

While the bonfire feast was in full swing.

Thousands of miles away.

At Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The lights in the Fleet Admiral's office remained bright in the deep of the night.

The waning moon outside the window was half-shrouded by dark clouds, casting mottled shadows on the white walls of the headquarters fortress.

Inside the room, Sengoku removed his glasses and wearily rubbed his temples.

The mountain of documents piled on the desk seemed especially burdensome under the lamplight.

At the top of the stack, the white-paper report labeled "War Situation in the South Sea's Sorbet Kingdom" had already been thumbed through so much that its edges were frayed.

"Forget it, let's discuss this matter later," Sengoku murmured, shaking his head. "What about the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates? Still no news?"

(End of Chapter)