The latter half of the bonfire party reached its roaring climax.
The news spread like wildfire through the village: the intern of the White Wolf Pirates was about to face the eldest son of the Giant King, Harald! The giants erupted with excitement, their booming voices shaking the very ground.
"Go, Hajrudin! Do not bring shame to us giants! Do not lose to that little guy!"
"Hajrudin is His Majesty Harald's son! How could he possibly lose?"
"Take him down, Hajrudin!"
A large crowd of giants cheered for their champion, causing the twenty-year-old giant boy to nervously grip the wooden sword in his hand and swallow hard.
"Tsk. That damned old man is always making trouble for me," Rocks muttered under his breath.
Compared to Hajrudin, Rocks, who was also twenty, was much calmer. In the eyes of the world, he was an adult, whereas a giant was still considered a child until they were fifty. If Silas had asked him to challenge a full-grown giant, Rocks would have refused without a second thought. He was not an idiot. He would at least wait until he had mastered the Haki that Silas was always talking about.
But fighting a giant child who was not even an adult yet? That was a different matter entirely.
If I win, he'll teach me the Six Powers?
Thinking of Silas's promise from earlier, Rocks's expression immediately became deadly serious. If he won, he would learn the coveted techniques of the Six Powers. If he lost, not only would he have to swab the decks, but he would also be assigned the permanent duty of cleaning the ship's toilets.
He absolutely could not lose.
Meanwhile, atop a large tree on a cliff overlooking the village, a tall, bald-headed giant secretly watched the scene below through a spyglass.
"Harald, what are you doing?"
Hearing the voice behind him, the giant king quickly hid the spyglass. "Ahem, I was just checking on the well-being of my people."
"It's about Hajrudin, isn't it?" Behind the king, a giantess with long, wavy hair gave him a knowing, sidelong glance. "I heard the captain of that White Wolf Pirates crew is back?"
"Yes. But Silas is different from most pirates. He does not have that much ambition," King Harald replied, recalling his first meeting with the man ten years ago. Seeing the worried look on his wife's face, he let out a hearty laugh. "Haha, do not worry. Even if he really did want to try something, at his age, he is not necessarily my match anymore."
At one hundred and fifty years old, the Giant King was in his prime, while the seventy-year-old Silas was well into his twilight years.
"The times are changing," Harald continued softly, his gaze drifting from the distant fight to his wife's prominently swollen belly. "The departure of Dorry and Brogy might be an opportunity. Compared to plundering, normal trade with other countries is the right path for our development. For our children, we must leave them a peaceful and stable future."
Back in the village, the fight began.
"Haaah!"
Hajrudin let out a great cry and swung the massive wooden sword in his hand down at Rocks with all his might.
Thud!
The sword slammed into the ground, sending spiderweb-like cracks across the earth. A single drop of cold sweat trickled down Rocks's forehead.
A monster! He was just a kid, yet his strength was astonishing. If his reaction speed had not been fast enough, Rocks knew he would have been knocked out in the first exchange.
"Go, Hajrudin!"
"To your right! The little guy is on your right!"
"Look out, he's at your feet!"
The spectators were more anxious than the participants. Hajrudin himself had not yet become impatient, but the giants watching were growing agitated.
"All of you, shut up!" A giant holding a club over ten meters long swung it to quiet the crowd. It was Yaruru. "Hajrudin is a warrior of our giant race! What we need to do is believe in him!"
Despite his words, a hint of worry was visible in Yaruru's eyes. Rocks was fighting too steadily. It seemed as though every one of Hajrudin's attacks was just barely missing, but from Rocks's calm expression, it was clear he was simply conserving his stamina, waiting. Because Hajrudin was so large, Rocks was not giving him any chance for a direct confrontation.
Phew, so far so good, Rocks thought, dodging another of Hajrudin's crushing blows. His stamina was still plentiful, and the corner of his mouth curved into a slight arc. If this had been two months ago, he would have been exhausted by now. But under Silas's hellish training, his stamina had increased several times over. But winning is still going to be tricky.
While dodging, Rocks analyzed his opponent's formulaic fighting style. It was all about size and power. The most important thing was speed. Just as Rocks was trying to figure out how to get past Hajrudin's defense, he suddenly heard Silas's voice call out from the sidelines.
"Hey, Rocks! Do you remember when I threw you into the sea a few days ago?"
Huh? An image flashed in his mind: a week ago, Silas had tossed him overboard, tied his hands, and dragged him behind the ship with a rope. To keep from drowning, he had been forced to kick his feet relentlessly in the water, propelling himself forward to match the ship's pace.
Rocks's fists clenched at the memory.
"An opening!"
Seeing Rocks get distracted, Hajrudin's eyes lit up, and he swung his wooden sword with all his force.
Bang!
Amidst a thick cloud of dust, a familiar feeling told Hajrudin that he had missed. He habitually raised his heavy shield in front of him. In reality, he had come very close to hitting Rocks. If he had just smashed down with his entire shield, the boy, who had just managed to dodge with a clumsy roll, would have certainly been defeated. But it was that hair's breadth of a difference…
I understand.
That training from Silas was not to improve his swimming. It was for this.
"Shave!"
A blur shot through the dust cloud. In a single instant, Rocks stomped on the ground dozens of times, producing a sudden burst of explosive speed that surprised even himself.
If he could barely react to his own speed, Hajrudin had no chance.
In the blink of an eye, Hajrudin saw Rocks flash past his sword and shield, appearing on his shoulder with a short sword held against his neck.
Without Haki, a giant's defense was not much different from that of a normal person.
In that instant, Hajrudin understood.
He had lost.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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