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Waaaahhh!"
Somewhere in Little Garden, Luffy's excited screams just wouldn't stop.
"WAAAAHHH!"
And right beside him, Usopp's terrified shrieks weren't stopping either.
Why? Because at this very moment, the two of them were jumping wildly between a bunch of thunder dragons.
Thunder dragons were giant, giraffe-like dinosaurs with ridiculously long necks.
The second Luffy saw them, his eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he grabbed Usopp with his Gum-Gum powers and yanked them both up onto one of the dragons' heads.
And then he started sliding down their necks like they were playground slides.
Naturally, that pissed off the thunder dragons. They all opened their mouths, ready to bite.
Usopp, stuck bouncing between giant maws, was absolutely freaking out. If he wasn't tied to Luffy, he swore he'd have shot the guy already.
"Too damn scary!!" he screamed.
One wrong move and they'd both end up as dino food!
And just as that thought crossed his mind, Luffy really did mess up—one of the dragons snapped them both up in a single gulp.
But a second later, the two of them tumbled out of the dragon's neck… and were caught safely by a giant hand.
"WHAT THE—?!"Both Luffy and Usopp yelled in unison when they saw who had saved them.
Standing before them was a massive giant, with a big ol' beard, a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. He laughed heartily:
"Heh heh heh heh! You two are full of life, huh? Haven't had guests like you in a long time!"
Meanwhile...
"Ice Storm!!"
Nami swung her Clima-Tact, activating both ice and wind elements, instantly freezing a group of charging dinosaurs.
"That was amazing, Nami!" Vivi said with a bright smile.
"Thanks, Bai Ye! This weather staff suits me perfectly," Nami replied, clearly pleased. As a navigator, having a weapon like this was a total game-changer.
"We're crewmates. Of course I'd help," Bai Ye said with a nod.
Just then, a booming laugh echoed around them:
"Looks like we've got some new visitors on the island!"
A massive figure appeared before the three.
He was a giant, holding an enormous axe, and looking pretty pleased as he looked at them.
"Say, you wouldn't happen to have any booze, would you?"
"What the heck is that?!"Vivi and Nami were both visibly spooked.
"That's a giant. And I think... he's one of the great pirates from a hundred years ago," Bai Ye said calmly.
"If I'm right, that's Brogy the Red Ogre, co-captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates."
"Giant?""Pirate?"
Vivi and Nami were shocked, but they didn't doubt him. After all, Bai Ye had admitted before that he was kinda obsessed with collecting bounty posters.
"Ahahahaha! I can't believe someone still remembers me after a whole century!"
Brogy looked delighted and said to the group:
"Well then, I gotta give you a proper welcome! AHAHAHA!"
"Then we'll take you up on that," Bai Ye replied with a grin. With a flick of his wrist, he placed ten huge barrels of liquor on the ground.
Brogy blinked in surprise, then burst out laughing:
"Now that's what I call a proper guest! AHAHAHA!!"
"Heh heh heh, thanks for the booze!"
"And the dino meat's ready too—help yourselves!"
After hearing that Luffy and Usopp were guests, Dorry (the giant who saved them) said he had booze on his ship, and that kicked off the feast.
Luffy and Usopp were now tearing into massive dinosaur drumsticks, making Dorry laugh even harder.
Then Usopp turned to him and asked:
"Hey, old man, why are you out here alone? Aren't there any villages or people around?"
Hearing that, Dorry's smile faded a bit as he answered:
"My village is called Elbaf. It's somewhere on the Grand Line."
"There's a rule back home: if two people get into a serious dispute, they've got to let the god of Elbaf decide who's right."
"The god of Elbaf always protects the one who's right."
He took another bite of dino meat and continued:
"This island? It's the battlefield between me and another man. Only one of us will survive."
"If you count it up... it's already been 100 years! Heh heh heh!"
"One hundred years?!"Both Vivi and Nami were in shock.
"Ahahaha, don't worry. We giants live three times longer than you humans," Brogy said, finishing another barrel of Bai Ye's special liquor with satisfaction. He started sharing his story.
"Still," Vivi said, frowning, "even with a 300-year lifespan, wouldn't your fighting spirit have died out after a hundred years?"
"What's the point of fighting for so long?""What even started this fight in the first place?!"
BOOM!!
Just as she finished speaking, the volcano in the center of the island suddenly erupted with a deafening roar!
Hearing it, Brogy stood up slowly.
"You ask what the point is, little lady?"
He ran his hand along the blade of his massive axe—it was covered in nicks and scars from countless battles.
"The answer is honor!"
He roared and dashed off toward Dorry's direction.
"As for the reason we started… I forgot a long time ago!!"
BOOM!!!
When the two giants clashed, the entire island trembled.
Dinosaurs and wild beasts scrambled for shelter.
"I still don't get it…" Vivi said, watching their colossal battle in a daze.
"They're not just fighting anymore," Bai Ye said quietly.
"To them, victory is the only thing that matters now—it's the core of their entire being."
He turned to Nami and Vivi.
"Come on, let's go watch. This is gonna be one hell of a showdown."
On the other side of the island, Luffy and Usopp were already racing toward the battleground, thrilled beyond belief.
And deep in the jungle...
Mr. 3 turned to Mr. 5 with a sinister grin.
"Now's the time, Mr. 5. Go give our 'friends' a little present."
"I think they'll really enjoy it. AHAHAHAHA!"
The jungle echoed with Mr. 3's wicked laughter.
"Hot-blooded fools who only know how to fight... they're so easy to deal with! AHAHAHAHA!"
"....."