──The mountain moved.
Even Kanata and the others watching from afar could feel it—so naturally, Junshi and his crew at the nearby port were utterly stunned.
Compared to the giant race of Feiyun, this creature was several—no, ten times larger. Its massive form could cradle an entire town in its palm, leaving everyone speechless.
"The world truly is vast... Are there really people like that?"
"No way! That has to be an ability user!"
"Either way, it's not something we can handle in a normal fight. If it destroys our ship, we're finished. We need to evacuate, now!"
"Evacuate? Where to?! With that size, we'll be crushed just by it taking a single step!"
It was beyond what ordinary humans could handle. Even giants seemed tiny in comparison.
Georges turned his gaze to one of the few people he thought might stand a chance against this monstrosity.
"Kuro! Can you do something about that thing?!"
"I don't know... Even I can't swallow something that massive."
"We have no choice but to give it everything we've got."
"But even with my darkness, that size... It'll take time to swallow it."
"I'll try to buy us some time—"
"—I'll do it."
Feiyun stared at the mountain-like giant and declared it with a trembling voice.
Even though she was a giant herself, more of a match than any ordinary human—she was still dwarfed by that colossal beast.
"That's impossible!" Georges shouted.
Despite still being afraid of the giant girl, Georges' worried tone made Feiyun smile wryly.
"I'll be fine—I'm also a Devil Fruit user."
She stomped her foot against the ground.
After handing over the makeshift cold-weather gear Kanata had made for her, she reluctantly advanced toward the enemy.
With each step, Feiyun's height doubled. Another step, and it doubled again.
Doubling, doubling, doubling—she grew until she matched the gigantic stone monster in size.
The two titans, boasting bodies of tremendous scale, faced each other once more.
The stone giant opened its mouth solemnly, quiet resolve burning in its voice.
"—You again. This time, I'll crush you completely."
"I won't let you! This time, I'm not alone!"
The first encounter had been during the conflict between the Five Great Families.
The second was here and now—between one who sought to join the new Five Great Families and one who stood in their way.
They grappled with each other, using pure strength to try to overpower their opponent.
The moment they collided, shockwaves rippled outward, shattering the warehouse's glass panels one after another.
While Feiyun's gigantic form was impressive, Kuro couldn't help but stare in awe at the colossal clash before him.
"This is incredible..."
"We can't just stand here! That girl's buying us time, hurry up and finish them off!"
"Got it!"
A dark aura rose from Kuro's body.
The darkness—which devoured even light itself—spread out like a blanket, growing to match the size of one of the stone giant's legs.
It was as if the ground had opened into an abyss.
"Let's go!"
With a thunderous impact, the stone giant tilted. Its left leg was being consumed by the spreading darkness.
The infinite gravitational pull dragged it into the void, slowly crushing its stone body to pieces.
However, due to its immense size, swallowing it whole would take time—but if this continued, victory was assured.
That was their assessment.
"Don't underestimate me! Losing one leg isn't nearly enough!"
The giant shattered its own left leg, sending stone fragments flying in all directions.
But it was only a momentary reprieve. The foot regenerated instantly, and it planted itself once again on ground not covered by the darkness.
"What the hell... Is its body made of stone? Does that mean it's a Paramecia type?"
"Either way, it's not an easy opponent to defeat."
"At that size, I can't even get a grip on it."
But there was a subtle difference.
If it were a Logia type, such regeneration wouldn't happen. As seen with Kanata and Kuro, their bodies undergo structural changes, so their volume doesn't increase or decrease unless intentional.
Moreover, it hadn't deflected Feiyun's punch, which wasn't enhanced with Haki.
Therefore, they could confidently conclude that the stone giant's ability was Paramecia type.
"Feiyun won't last much longer. If we could just knock it into the sea, this would be over..."
"Should we drag it there?"
"Don't. If we're going to try that, wait until Kanata returns."
Even if they dragged it in and dropped it into the frozen sea, if Kuro fell into the water as well, it would be counterproductive.
Junshi didn't fancy a swim in the winter ocean either.
In any case, consuming it with Kuro's darkness was proving effective. If they repeated the process several times, they might gradually wear it down.
Making that judgment, Kuro expanded his darkness once more.
But then—
"—You."
The stone giant's gaze locked onto Kuro with a cold stare.
The ground spread beneath its feet—an ideal situation for using its ability. With that in mind, it changed tactics.
Suddenly, the stone giant stopped moving.
"What?!"
The stone giant that Feiyun had been grappling with had gone completely still.
As if all strength had suddenly drained from it, she pushed it down and crushed its body. Georges and the others cheered at the sight, but Junshi frowned, remaining on high alert.
(What the hell is going on...?)
Feiyun's innate perception vaguely caught sight of its true form.
It wasn't inside the stone body she had just toppled.
A single shadow moved across the ground beneath her feet. A voice filled with malice echoed from an unseen source.
And this wasn't something only she could sense.
"Kuro, get back!"
She grabbed Kuro by the scruff and hurled him backward, dodging the stone spikes that suddenly erupted from the ground.
Without hesitation, Junshi launched his counterattack.
"Hmph!!"
A devastating kick shattered the ground beneath his feet. Radiating cracks split the harbor apart, forcing the enemy to emerge and flee.
A massive figure stood three meters tall, with disheveled black hair.
The man's eerie form fixed its vacant eyes on Junshi.
"Gigagaga, you're pretty good."
"I didn't expect you to show yourself so easily. That saves me some trouble."
"Don't think you can win just because I've revealed myself..."
The stones around the man shifted shape, transforming into countless spears that rushed toward Junshi.
His allies were still behind him. If he dodged, the damage would spread—he had no choice but to defend.
"Ugh!"
With fists wrapped in Armament Haki, he deflected the stone spears one after another, confirming that Kuro was positioned right behind him.
Whispering, "I'm ready," Junshi lowered his stance and readied his fist.
"That confidence of yours—I'll shatter it completely."
"!"
"──!"
The gravitational pull of Kuro's darkness precisely yanked the man toward Junshi.
An "attraction" that no one could escape.
And there, beyond that pull, stood Junshi with his fist raised.
"Hasshoken Ultimate Technique—"
With absolute precision, he unleashed an unstoppable strike aimed straight at the man's heart.
"——Dragon Nail!!"
☆
A shadow raced across the frozen sea. Ignoring the frigid air, Kanata and Zen hurried back toward the port.
"...That stone giant seems to have gone quiet."
"Should we pick up the pace?"
"A rock-assimilation human... If there's stone around, it can vanish anywhere and turn into countless weapons. I think Kuro and Junshi can handle it, but..."
Even so, there was nothing they could have done against that mountain-like giant.
If Feiyun hadn't possessed that ability, they might have been slowly worn down and defeated.
"The Gigantic Fruit user. She's not really suited for combat, and besides, she's still young even by giant standards."
As her adoptive parent, Zen had raised her without a mother—he didn't want to send her into battle.
Still, they couldn't avoid conflict, clashing in disputes and even facing that rock-merging human.
Last time, Zen couldn't even touch her due to her immense size, but this time was different.
He had reliable allies by his side.
"The number of Devil Fruit users in our crew has increased..."
Speaking of which, there was also the Devil Fruit he'd picked up recently. All he knew was that it was a Paramecia type, but maybe he should let someone interested give it a try.
Unless they were incredibly unlucky, they probably wouldn't get a useless ability.
"We're almost there. I hope this ends without incident..."
"...No, that's unlikely."
Suddenly, the port exploded.
The ground writhed and shifted as humans made of rock rose once more.
Even freezing their entire bodies wouldn't be very effective while they remained clad in stone armor. Even Kuro's gravity couldn't extract their "cores."
But there was a way.
"Hurry, Zen!"
"You don't need to tell me! I'm going full speed!"
Zen gathered strength in his legs.
He sharpened his senses, feeling for the enemy's form, their position, and their "essence."
—And so, Kanata arrived at the port in perfect condition.
☆
Junshi's spike-shaped Dragon Nail pierced the man's chest.
Like Chinjao, the leader of the Happo Navy, the man stood firm despite receiving a blow powerful enough to shatter an iceberg.
"Don't underestimate me... not by this much..."
He spat blood and nearly collapsed to his knees, but the fire in his eyes refused to fade.
Junshi readied his fist once more, and Kuro, who had been holding back, also raised his hand to pull the man back into range.
But the man's movements were faster.
He dove into the ground, grasped the stones throughout the port, and reemerged as a giant.
"I... I'm going to be the king of this place!! I won't let trash like you stand in my way!!"
The stone giant's massive hand swung upward with devastating force—just before it could crush the port, its movement was halted.
By Feiyun, who had approached from behind and caught the descending arm.
"I won't let you. I won't let you hurt the people I want to protect!"
"You little brat..."
—And so, the two giants clashed once more.
***
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