Ross chuckled at the sight of the massive axe hurtling toward him. He had no intention of dodging—giants like this demanded a straight-up clash. With a firm grip on Poseidon's Trident, he met the blow head-on.
In the One Piece world, raw size didn't always mean unbeatable power.
BOOM!
The weapons collided with earth-shaking force. Shockwaves ripped through the air like a raging gale, plowing up the ground for a kilometer around. Trees snapped and bent double, while birds and beasts collapsed unconscious in the chaos.
"That hit like a cannonball!" Brogy bellowed, his enormous eyes gleaming with thrill.
He'd pegged Ross as a worthy foe from their first glance. Facing off against someone this fierce? That was a warrior's dream.
"You're no slouch yourself," Ross replied with a grin, gauging his own stamina. Giants packed insane muscle, standing at the top of the strength pyramid in the pirate world. Even an Admiral might play it smart and sidestep a direct brawl.
But Ross's current build put him right on Brogy's level—nearly even.
Buzz!
Ross swung Poseidon's Trident, now hardened with Armament Haki, and charged again. No Devil Fruit tricks this time; he craved pure, brutal strength against the giant.
"Bring it!" Brogy roared, raising his massive shield—also coated in thick Armament Haki—to block the trident's path.
At the same instant, his axe arced down toward Ross.
BANG!
The trident slammed into the shield with a deafening crack, but Brogy didn't budge. His axe kept descending like a falling mountain.
Brogy was in his prime, not the worn-out veteran he'd be in twenty years after endless scraps with Dorry.
Clang!
Ross's face stayed stone-cold. He yanked back the trident, spun on his heel, and parried the axe mid-swing. The fight raged on, unyielding.
Ross seldom got chances for these no-holds-barred melees. This one wasn't just fun—it could sharpen his edge. Sure, the system doled out boosts, but he never slacked on training or real combat. External perks only went so far; without the warrior's drive, you'd fizzle out.
Ross savored life's pleasures, but power was the ticket to keeping them.
The battlefield sprawled across Little Garden, their clashes carving up the landscape. A long-dormant volcano grumbled to life nearby, spewing faint smoke.
To avoid the fray, Dorry and Gion had retreated to the island's far side.
"Your friend's a beast," Dorry rumbled, his voice like grinding stones. He'd fought alongside Brogy for over a century and knew the giant's limits inside out.
Few humans could trade blows like that without crumbling. And none as young as Ross.
"He's no friend—he's my husband, Mr. Donley."
Gion stood poised, her golden blade Konpira twirling in a graceful arc before she dipped into a formal bow toward Dorry.
As she straightened, a razor-sharp sword aura erupted from her, slicing the air like an invisible gale.
This was the mark of a true swordmaster: a life forged to the blade, awakening Conqueror's Haki through sheer devotion to the edge. Gion walked that razor's path, and thanks to Ross, she'd clashed with foes of every caliber, honing her skills in fire.
Facing giants like these? It'd push her further.
"Hah! Got it. Reason doesn't matter—fight! A warrior's glory is in the grave," Dorry declared, his eyes igniting with battle lust as he felt her killing intent.
Giants never backed from a challenge, and he was no different. A swordswoman this fierce? He'd take her on.
Clang!
Dorry's colossal sword met Gion's slender Konpira in a shower of sparks. Sword energy lashed out, shredding nearby foliage, and the duel locked into a deadlock.
Two epic brawls erupted across Little Garden. Auras clashed like storms, sending wildlife fleeing in panic.
"This scrap's off the charts! Admiral Zephyr, are all the sea's top dogs this monstrous?" Sora called out, syringe in hand as she extracted samples from a dazed, ten-meter beast sprawled nearby.
She stayed laser-focused on her work, but the ground's constant quakes hammered home the insanity unfolding just beyond the treeline.
"Lady Sora, just call me Zephyr—I'm no Admiral anymore," he replied evenly. "The sea's crawling with powerhouses, but ones this elite? Rare as a calm Grand Line day."
Zephyr and Sora kept things professional, their chats brief. But he tracked both fights with Observation Haki, his gaze turning grave.
Dorry and Brogy together could give him trouble. He'd win eventually, but it'd cost him.
Among Admirals, his power wasn't flashy. Hitting that rank at 38? It was a grind, nothing more.
Ross wasn't even twenty, yet he was nipping at Zephyr's heels.
"Really? I hear once you hit peak strength, the gap between tiers is like heaven and hell. Is that true?" Sora asked, curiosity piqued.
She'd never tangled with sea legends before Ross. Her knowledge of the big players was zilch—quantifying it all thrilled her, especially after Ross's crash course in scientific method.
"Not always," Zephyr said, shaking his head. "The ocean's full of freaks who punch above without hitting Admiral level. But against a mob of nobodies? One swing ends it."
He thought of his own path: a relentless worker who'd outhustled everyone to scrape by as an Admiral.
Garp and Sengoku? They trained less but crushed harder. Talent's bite was cruel and blind.
"Break it down for me—the ranks of the mighty?" Sora pressed, sealing her beast sample and passing it to a waiting bird.
The creature—a pterodactyl-like flyer—had bolted their way in panic. Zephyr had sniped it mid-air for her data haul. Multitasking as always, she'd already logged its stats.
"Strength tiers used to be fuzzy, tied to Marine ranks mostly," Zephyr explained. "But Saint Ross rolled out a fresh system—solid, if you ask me. I can walk you through it."
He figured why not? It was all Ross's brainchild anyway. The boss would've spilled it regardless, and cozying up to the team's brain trust was smart politics.
…
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