Chapter 42: Overturn the board game
Kaya's body glowed with warm light, and even the air around her seemed fresher. She looked like an angel in prayer.
The light magnified, enveloping the two blood-soaked giants. In an instant, not only were their wounds healed, but even their broken armor, weapons, and clothes became as new and shiny as if freshly forged.
The two giants, who had been struggling to breathe moments ago, suddenly sat up cross-legged with a heavy thud.
Their expressions were full of surprise, shock, astonishment, and awe as they looked at the small humans before them—especially Kaya and Luffy.
The two giants burst into happy laughter, their voices echoing like rolling thunder.
Dorry was the first to speak."Gagagaga, I almost thought we were going to die!! Little girl, thank you for saving our lives. I owe you and your captain a big favor."
Brogy, beside him, hummed and nodded."Kbababa, that's right, little girl. If it weren't for your powerful Devil Fruit, there's no way we could've survived. The poison that cunning little human used not only destroyed our internal organs, it also killed our recovery. If not for you, even if we hadn't died, our wounds would've never healed."
Dorry laughed heartily."Gagagaga! We would've ended up as cripples! So funny, gagagaga…"
Brogy also found it amusing."Kbababa! Our fights would've been… interesting."
The girls looked utterly shocked by the giants' reactions.
Nami muttered, "Are giants' brains different from ours?"
Nojiko whispered, "That can't be right… since their brains are bigger, shouldn't they be smarter?"
Kaya chuckled. She didn't find the giants' reactions strange. When she healed them, she had received a full report about their physical state and realized that giants seemed to be simple-minded creatures.
Luffy laughed at Nojiko."Maybe because they're far smarter than us. Their reactions are something we small humans can't understand, right?"
Nojiko shot him a look of disdain."Do you think I'm stupid?"
The other girls, who were also curiously inspecting the giants, laughed.
The only one who looked tense and nervous—hiding behind Robin—was Miss Goldenweek, Marianne. The giants, however, didn't seem to care much about her.
Dorry and Brogy focused on Luffy with great interest. This small human amazed them. They could feel a terrifying power hidden in his tiny body, yet his aura was calm—like a weak human. Most of the other girls were the same, but this captain was far more terrifying; both Dorry and Brogy felt like ants before him.
"You're the captain, right?" Dorry asked. "I heard you say you have giant friends. If so, then you're also our friend, and Elbaf's friend. I'm Dorry, captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates. Gagagaga…"
Brogy chimed in."Kbababa! That's right. We owe you so much. Being friends is the least we can do! We giants cherish friendship very much. I'm Brogy, the other captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates. We're eternally grateful for your life-saving kindness."
With that, both giants bowed generously. They didn't mention Marianne at all, nor did they doubt the Straw Hats' intentions.
Yasha's eyes sparkled."So cool!! These giants are so cool!!"
Zala rolled her eyes, but she and Kuina were also impressed by the giants' simple-minded nature. For a moment, they even felt that compared to giants, humans—so complex and cunning—were far more disgusting.
The crew then introduced themselves.
Luffy, however, suddenly looked at the giants in surprise."You're Brogy and Dorry? How's that possible? Weren't you captured by the Navy and locked in Impel Down?"
The girls sighed helplessly. Lately, Luffy had been getting too interested in "acting." Especially in the Virtual World, where his countless identities and fiancées piled up like drama scripts.
They really couldn't understand what was so fun about engagement breakups, regrets, and simping dramas.
Their bored captain was really letting himself go. Now, he had even started acting in the real world.
Of course, they knew he wasn't ignorant of the giants' true identities. His act was full of flaws to them, but they also understood their role as the audience—so they just shut up and watched the "performance."
Only Robin, Yasha, and Kaya wore different expressions. They knew the captain must be plotting something with the giants, and these two were his carefully chosen pawns to stir up future events.
A bored Luffy could only find joy in "manually" playing with the world. Honestly, with just a thought, he could end the entire One Piece arc, but that wouldn't give him the "harvest" he wanted. He might even have to dismantle the world's consciousness itself. So, he created his own script and played within the rules.
The giants thought they had heard a joke.
Dorry laughed until tears glistened in his eyes."Gagagaga!! How could those weaklings capture us?"
Brogy fell to the ground in laughter, shaking the island with a tremor."Kbababa! For a hundred years, Dorry and I have been fighting on this island every day, and we've never seen a Marine nearby. How could they capture us?"
Sanju looked bewildered."A hundred years of fighting? Why?"
The girls were also taken aback. Their minds couldn't resonate with the giants' logic at all.
The giants explained about Elbaf's traditions and gods. Only Robin showed deep scholarly interest, while Yasha seemed fascinated. The rest simply looked at the giants with the expression of people humoring fools—especially after realizing the giants had even forgotten what they were fighting over.
Luffy suddenly grew serious."Since we're friends, I should tell you something. Didn't I say I had giant friends? In the East Blue, I once met a giant named Hagerdin. He told me he was part of the Giant Warrior Pirates…"
The giants froze, astonished."Hagerdin? You met that naughty boy? But why was he in the East Blue? When we came to this island, we ordered the crew to return to Elbaf and wait for us…"
Luffy's expression turned grave."When I met him, he was living alone on a deserted island. We became friends, and he told me his story. After you two captains left, your pirate crew was ambushed by the Navy and CP agents of the World Government. They fought bravely, but the enemy tricked them. The Navy claimed to have captured both of you. They promised to release you if some giants guarded Enies Lobby. To prove sincerity, they even released weak ones like Hagerdin. Ashamed to return to Elbaf, he drifted into the East Blue by chance and settled there…"
The girls were outraged by the Navy's shameless trickery.
Vivi exclaimed, "So cunning!"
Nami pouted. "Those garbage Marines never stop lowering my opinion of them."
Robin snorted. "Classic."
The teenage girls were stunned. They had thought the Navy stood for justice and righteousness, and never expected such underhanded schemes.
Kuina and Zala, however, only looked down on them even more. If it took trickery to deal with those weak giants, then Marines must be weaklings.
Dorry and Brogy's faces darkened with fury."How dare they?!""Enies Lobby, right? Just wait for us to blow it apart!!"
Luffy, however, remained calm."Honestly, as a friend, I want to help you. But my adventure has just begun, and I have my own goals. Still, since fate brought us together, and since I like you, I'll share with you my most precious treasure…"
The two giants were stunned. They hadn't even repaid their life debt, and this little human was already offering them another blessing. Tears welled in their eyes.
Behind Luffy, the girls' eyes twitched. Of course they knew what "treasure" he meant. No wonder he looked more excited than when he was in bed with them—he was plotting against Elbaf itself.
The reason? Giants were far more blessed than humans. Their world traits were ten times stronger than humans' or even Celestial Dragons', only slightly below top superpowers. They were practically "world darlings," like protagonists. Luffy naturally grew greedy.
Before the giants could refuse, Luffy quickly pressed the LOGIN seals onto their foreheads.
The next moment, Brogy and Dorry found themselves inside a vast white space.
A booming, majestic voice echoed:
Welcome to 'ANOTHER' World.To gain access authority mission, please sacrifice your world characteristics.Do you agree?Y/N
The two giants stared at each other, stupefied.
"Is this the treasure that little Straw Hat spoke of?""His name is Luffy. Remember our friend's name properly.""Sorry, sorry… but Straw Hat sounds friendlier. Gagagaga…"
Not fully understanding what "sacrifice" meant, they thought of it like offerings to gods.
"Kbababa! What's there to hesitate about? I agree!"
Light engulfed Brogy, shrinking his colossal frame down to human size.
Dorry panicked. "Brogy! What happened? Are you okay?"
Brogy didn't answer at first, then burst into wild laughter."Kababababa!! Dorry, hurry up and accept—you'll be surprised!!"
Relieved and ashamed for doubting Luffy, Dorry also agreed.
A familiar light engulfed him, and new information filled his head:
GIANT HALF LORD
This ability shocked them both. It allowed them to grow infinitely, limited only by stamina. They could even reach kilometer sizes with corresponding boosts in power, defense, speed, and regeneration.
A kilometer-sized giant could brush off admiral attacks like mosquito bites, play with islands like stones, and still move with incredible agility.
The most absurd ability? They could fuse together for even greater strength.
- To gain Access authority to 'ANOTHER' World, please accomplish the next missions.
Their mission appeared:
Destroy Enies Lobby and free your companions.
Return to Elbaf.
The two roared with laughter, overjoyed and deeply grateful. Their loyalty to Luffy shot through the roof.
Outside, the girls looked at the now-human-sized giants, then at Luffy, utterly speechless.
Luffy remained unfazed, even looking righteous.
"What? I'm just helping my friends. How can a treasure compare to friendship?"
The girls rolled their eyes, some glancing at Zala, who was sweating nervously.
Only Marianne stared in confusion, unable to process what just happened.
Zala finally understood why the captain had been furious when she belittled planners. He was having one of his "fits" again, like in the Virtual World. Now he was playing with giants.
So evil!! How could his heart be so cold as to bully such honest and simple creatures?
Still, no one dared to voice their thoughts. At most, they could only pity the giants.
Luffy looked at them with interest.
"What power did you get?"
The duo exchanged grins, then erupted into wild laughter. Their bodies swelled, injected with power.
In a blink, their human-sized forms grew into kilometer-sized titans. The aura they released parted clouds, reversed tides, and nearly sank the island.
The girls watched in awe and shock.
Zala whistled, her fighting spirit igniting.
"Oh my god… their power feels only a little weaker than those monsters from the Dark Continent!"
Luffy commented casually,
"Not only did their size increase, but all their attributes multiplied. Compared to before, they're at least a thousand times stronger."
Robin's eyes widened. Luffy had casually created walking catastrophes. For a moment, she glimpsed the shape of the future world.
Her gaze on Luffy turned fervent—almost mad. She wanted to see the board game overturned too.