— Bang!!!
The ground shattered, a terrifying shockwave sweeping in all directions.
Shano's figure flickered, narrowly dodging the giant sword of East Blue.
But he was struck hard by the side of the war axe, flying like a cannonball, crashing heavily into a giant bone far away, instantly piercing through it.
"Hiss—!"
Amid the dust, Shano struggled to get up, his expression suddenly changing. He turned quickly and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
"Did the shockwave damage my internal organs...?"
Feeling the chaotic energy inside him, he raised his brow and immediately adjusted his breathing rhythm.
Interesting.
Even though he hadn't used Haki, this shockwave caused violent tremors inside and outside the body — an effect similar to the "internal destruction" of Armament Haki.
So this is the Elbaf Spear?
Shano glanced back at the ground where he had just been.
There was no grass left — two huge, wide trenches stretched hundreds of meters long, chilling to the bone.
These were the "Elbaf Spears" just slashed out by Broggy and East Blue respectively.
Compared to the ultimate combination technique "Conqueror's Haki" that requires both working together, the solo "King's Spear" was weaker in power and range.
But there was no doubt it was still a devastatingly fierce move. Even Big Mom still liked to use this technique, which she learned back in Elbaf after becoming a Yonko.
"Are you okay, little brother Shano?"
East Blue's voice came.
"I'm fine! Gotta keep this strength!"
Shano laughed loudly, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes shining with intense excitement —
"Bring it on!!!"
...
Time passed, the sun gradually sinking west.
Thud, thud, thud!
The shaking sound in the clearing between two giant bones had been ringing from dawn until now.
At dusk, Shano had dodged countless attacks and been knocked flying many times.
Under the relentless barrage from the two giants, even someone as physically tough as him was now covered in bruises, blood seeping from his mouth, breathing heavy like an old bellows.
However,
his spirit was growing more excited, and his movements increasingly smooth.
"Hey, Broggy, you notice something?"
East Blue squinted, "Little brother Shano's dodging speed..."
Broggy also sensed something strange, "Even though his body's getting worse, he's dodging more easily?"
Shano said nothing.
His world was changing.
At first, he relied on his eyes to catch the giants' movement paths, then used his instinctive agility enhanced by his "Shaving" technique to dodge.
But gradually, he no longer depended on sight.
Even with eyes closed, he could "hear" the tightening of East Blue's shoulder muscles, "smell" the wind pressure caused by Broggy's war axe swings, and even "feel" the subtle vibrations transmitted through the ground—
And from that, predict their next moves.
"This is…"
His heartbeat slowed, his breathing became steadier.
"Observation Haki!"
— Humm!
When East Blue's giant sword chopped down again, Shano's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.
A clear, visible crimson glow flashed in his pupils!
He didn't use "Shaving," only stepping back a little.
His dodging range was far smaller than before.
But the sword and axe, crossing fast from left and right, just brushed his clothes' edges, missing by a hair.
At the moment the two weapons slashed in quick succession, he had already found the only gap between them to dodge through!
"Oh?"
East Blue's blue demon eyes brightened.
"Gahaha…"
Red demon Broggy grinned, "Did he make it?"
"Made it!"
Shano smiled and nodded.
The Observation Haki rippled like waves spreading outward, and with a slight sensing, everything moving within hundreds of meters became crystal clear.
The strangest thing was that these sounds weren't chaotic.
Under the arrangement of Observation Haki, they automatically formed a three-dimensional map in his mind.
The path of sweat dripping from East Blue's bronze helmet;
The shape of every notch on Broggy's war axe;
Even the swirling dust particles in the air...
If he paid attention, he could understand it all clearly.
"Gahaha! Impressive, little brother Shano!"
Broggy slapped Shano's back so hard he almost smashed him into the dirt, "You mastered Observation Haki in just one day — way faster than East Blue and me! Your talent is scary!"
"Not talent."
Shano smiled wryly and admitted, "I had already been exploring it on my own for a long time. What I lacked was this breakthrough moment. Without your two unrelenting help and special training, who knows when I would've mastered Observation Haki."
"Well, you also had to be tough enough to take it!"
East Blue stroked his beard and clicked his tongue, "Humans usually can't have a body with your endurance. If you weren't about the same height as a regular human, I'd suspect you have some giant blood in you."
Giants were straightforward and blunt—speaking whatever was on their mind.
He was sincerely complimenting Shano, completely unaware his words sounded a bit arrogant to humans and might feel uncomfortable.
Amazing!
Broggy also marveled that such a small guy could endure a whole day of joint attacks from him and East Blue.
Even most adult warriors in Elbaf probably didn't have such a physique and endurance.
"Uncles,"
Shano suddenly said again, "About the giant techniques you used today, like the Elbaf Spear... can I learn them too?"
Maybe feeling this request was a bit much, he hurried to add:
"If Elbaf has rules forbidding the spread of these techniques, just refuse. Pretend I never said anything."
"Eh?"
East Blue and Broggy were stunned simultaneously.
They stared at each other, expressions shifting from surprise to weirdness, then—
"Gahahaha!!!"
Their thunderous laughter startled birds in the forest, shaking the ground itself.
"Little brother Shano, you're thinking too much!"
East Blue finally stopped laughing and wiped tears from his eyes, "In Elbaf, battle skills are never secrets!"
"Exactly! There's no such nonsense rule!"
Broggy said, "We laughed because no outsider ever dared to ask to learn these before!"
East Blue nodded, sitting cross-legged in front of Shano, wearing a rare serious look:
"The Elbaf Spear is not just for show. For beginners, every time you use it, your body takes a huge toll."
He pointed to his scarred arm, "Many adult giants in Elbaf can't handle the backlash, let alone a little guy like you."