Nami saw nothing.
No matter how she tiptoed, standing under 1.7 meters tall, she was just too short.
"Hmm… Hmm?" Smoker finally "woke up," looking around blankly, "Was there an earthquake?"
"No, it's the volcano erupting!"
Dorry laughed, stood up, and tossed one of the Saber-toothed Dragons into his mouth, crunching it down in a few bites, while pushing the other towards the group.
"You guys eat first, I'll be right back!"
His eyes showed a solemn look as he put on his helmet and pulled out the giant sword over ten meters long.
Everyone then realized.
— Turns out, the volcano's eruption on this island is a signal, indicating the time for the duel between Dorry and another Giant he mentioned during idle chat earlier.
The group watched Dorry hoist the giant sword and stride off towards the north, exchanging looks.
"Brother, let's go watch too!"
Nami immediately proposed. Compared to curiosity about the taste of dinosaur meat, the giant battle attracted her more.
The others also cast longing gazes.
A battle of this level isn't something you see casually.
"Then let's go." Shano smiled and nodded.
Following Dorry's footsteps, the group moved through the dense primeval forest. Dinosaurs panicked and fled in all directions as trees shook violently in the gusts of the Giants' running.
Before long, they reached the open area on the northern side.
In front of the giant bones here, another Giant as burly as Dorry, with a bearded face, had long been ready for battle.
He seemed much fatter than Dorry, with a round face and a broad nose, wearing a horned helmet, wielding a giant axe and round shield, with scars covering his muscular body from battle.
"Broki!"
Dorry shouted, raising his giant sword, "Your stamina should have recovered; today we must decide a winner!"
"Gahahahaha, just what I wanted!"
Broki laughed wildly in response, his voice thundering.
Boom!
The two Giants instantly clashed at one spot.
The impact from the giant sword and war axe collision uprooted nearby trees, the ground trembled uncontrollably, and the group had to retreat several dozen meters to barely keep their footing.
"Hey hey hey, this isn't right…"
Nami looked up at the two Giants fighting ferociously like beasts, cold sweat streaming down.
Earlier, when Dorry spoke laughingly about his frequent duels with another Giant on the island, she thought it was just a spar between friends.
Never did she expect such brutal, violent combat.
Every move aimed for the vital, blood sprayed continuously as if they bore deep hatred for each other, wanting to kill the other.
"Why!"
She couldn't take it anymore, and shouted, "Uncle, aren't you friends! Why are you having such a duel! Among friends, why do you hurt each other so mercilessly!"
"Friends?"
Dorry smirked as he blocked diagonally upwards with his sword, "In the honor of Elbaf…"
"Going all out is the most sincere respect for friendship!"
Broki laughed heartily too: "As for the reason for the duel—"
"We've long forgotten!"
Boom!
The two Giants roared as they fought again.
Aside from Nami, who watched with a pounding heart and worry, the others gradually widened their eyes, immersed in the fight.
The two legendary giants of Elbaf, every collision was so violent and powerful, showcasing incredible combat skills while possessing strong visual impact, making the viewers' blood boil and adrenaline surge.
Shano watched very seriously too.
But his perspective was above the crew's, with different focus points.
He noticed that the destructive power generated by the Giants' fight was truly amazing, far beyond what humans could compete with. The word "Power" found its best representation in them.
Even with his own body's strength, he couldn't withstand it head-on indefinitely…
Shano rubbed his chin, a thought subtly forming in his mind.
…
It's unknown how much time passed.
Clang—!!!
In the deafening roar, two giant weapons simultaneously flew out of their hands, deeply embedding into the distant ground.
On the battlefield scattered with volcanic ash, two mountain-like bodies finally fell exhausted to the ground.
"Jajajajaja! So satisfying!"
Dorry half-knelt on the ground, his loud laughter caused the leaves to rustle and fall, entirely disregarding the blood gushing from his chest like a waterfall.
Broki lay crooked, his horned helmet tilted to one side, also laughing freely: "Seventy thousand and sixty-three matches! Still a draw!"
"Really…"
"At this rate, when will we return to Elbaf Village!"
Dorry chuckled again, "Hey, Broki, these kind humans brought me some good wine, want to taste it!"
"Good wine?"
Broki was overjoyed: "Where is it, where is it! Give it to me quickly, just hearing about it makes my mouth water."
"Here, catch!"
The two Giants put their arms around each other's shoulders and sat down together amicably, toasting loudly and even warmly inviting everyone to join in. They seemed nothing like the fierce opponents they were moments ago.
Nami opened her mouth, but in the end, said nothing, and held her forehead helplessly.
——She feared she would never understand the mindset of these Giants.
"Mr. Dorry."
Shano suddenly spoke, his voice particularly clear on the silent battlefield, "I'd like to ask you and Mr. Broki for a favor, is that okay?"
The Giants stopped their revelry, and Dorry tilted his head, his bronze helmet creaking: "Oh?"
"It's like this."
Shano grinned, knowing the best way to get along with Giants was with honesty, straight to the point.
"You remember that technique called Observation, right? It's the only Haki I haven't mastered yet, and I'd like to ask if you could spare some time to help me learn it."
"Observation Haki?"
Dorry's eyes lit up, "No problem, both Broki and I mastered that long ago, along with Armament, we learned them ages ago, but…"
His voice trailed off, and the Giant scratched his head, looking embarrassed:
"Well… Broki, how exactly do we use it again?"
"Seems like… seems like we learned it during a battle with a big Navy guy who could turn into flashes of light…"
Broki also looked bewildered, "We were quite skilled back then, but in the past hundred years, we haven't used it at all. Sigh, how did we train for it again…"
The Giants of Elbaf prided themselves on their formidable physiques and innate combat skills.
These two legendary warriors were no different.
Haki was needed to deal with those strange Devil Fruit Ability Users, and normally they had no need to use such power.
Now, over a hundred years later.
They could still instinctively use Haki, but recalling exactly how they mastered it was too much to ask…
The scene turned a bit awkward.
The two Giants looked at each other, eventually lowering their heads in dismay.
——A friend brings fine wine, yet they can't even help with this small favor, the pride of Elbaf warriors almost gone!
"You misunderstand."
But Shano shook his head, "I'm not asking you to teach me the theoretical techniques of Observation, I roughly understand that part; what I lack is an opportunity."
"An opportunity where I'm pushed to the brink of life and death, where I can sense the threat of death to the very ends of my hair, forcing my body to have a stronger evasion ability, do you understand?"
"Since setting sail until now, there hasn't been anyone who could push me to this point, causing my delayed Awakening of Observation."
Shano stared at the two Giants, speaking seriously, "But you both make me see hope for this opportunity to appear."
"Understood."
Dorry grinned, "Kekekeke, Shano little brother, are you asking us to go all out against you, like during the duel earlier?"
"Such bold words!" Broki's eyes also began to shine, "But I must say, you have the right to ask this!"
The warriors' sharp instincts told them Shano wasn't bluffing.
This seemingly young human lad, his every move, even his breathing, carried the aura of a strong person.
——He's a formidable guy, very confident in his strength.
"Gahahaha!"
Broki laughed heartily, "It's a request we can fulfill and are happy to do so, but Dorry, looks like we'll have to call a truce for the next few days ah."
"No problem, to repay a friend, this is a worthy price!"
Dorry looked up at the sky, "But, it's about to get dark, and both Broki and I are almost dead tired, we can't really fight well now, sorry, but it seems we need a good night's rest and will start this special training tomorrow morning."
"Of course, it makes sense."
Shano nodded, laughing heartily, then turned and said:
"Uncle Zeff, bring over all the booze from the ship, tonight we have a grand feast, let's party till we drop!"
"Yay, a feast!!!"
The crowd responded cheerfully.
Not only to celebrate meeting the two Giants but also for their captain finally finding a way to resolve his long-standing issue, which made everyone happy.
...
As night fell, a bonfire was quickly lit in the clearing surrounded by giant bones.
And while the bonfire party was in full swing.
Thousands of miles away.
The Navy Headquarters, Marinfanto.
The lights in the Marshal's office remained bright late into the night.
The waning moon was half-covered by clouds, casting mottled shadows on the white fortress walls of the headquarters.
Inside, Sengoku removed his glasses, wearily rubbing his temples.
The mountain of documents on the desk was heavy under the lamplight.
At the top was a white folder marked 'South Sea Sobel Kingdom Battle Report,' its edges frayed from being read over and over.
"Forget it, this matter will have to be discussed later."
Sengoku shook his head, "And the Endgame Pirates, still no news?"