"Whew—what kind of little garden is this supposed to be? Where's the 'little' part? They should call it the Giant Tree Jungle instead!"
Aldo grumbled while struggling to push aside a fern larger than his entire body.
The humid, suffocating heat had him drenched in sweat.
His heavy boots sank into the thick, decaying forest floor with wet squelches.
They had been trekking through this endless primeval rainforest for quite a while.
Towering tree canopies blocked the sky above them, leaving the forest dim and shadowy. Strange insect calls echoed all around, mixed with distant beastly roars.
RUMBLE—!
Several enormous trees ahead—each wide enough that several people would struggle to encircle them—collapsed one after another.
Marcus flicked his wrist, completing a sharp flourish with his blade before sliding it back into its scabbard with a metallic clang.
"Stop complaining, Aldo."
"Don't you think carving a path through a place like this with your own strength makes the adventure feel more real?"
"Exactly," Feiqi added while carefully checking his rifle to ensure the damp air hadn't affected its firing mechanism.
"If I ever retire and return to the West Blue someday…"
"I'll write a memoir."
"I'll record all the strange and incredible things we experienced on this sea."
"Huh?"
Aldo turned around and looked at him like he'd lost his mind.
"What are you talking about, Feiqi?"
"What pirate gets to retire peacefully?"
"By the time we're too old to swing a sword, bounty hunters smelling blood will swoop down like vultures, trying to trade our heads for Berries!"
He thumped his chest proudly.
"But I've already made up my mind."
"If I chose this road, then I'll fight until the very end!"
"Even if I die and sink into the sea someday—that's the romance of a real man!"
"WAHAHAHA—! There really are Brachiosaurus here! They're even taller than I imagined!"
A familiar, bold laugh suddenly echoed from above their heads.
Everyone froze.
"What—when did—?!"
Aldo, Marcus, Feiqi, and Isaac instantly looked up.
And then they saw it.
Sami.
Sitting casually on top of an enormous creature's head.
It was a gigantic Brachiosaurus, its neck stretching high into the middle canopy as it slowly chewed leaves from the treetops.
The massive dinosaur seemed completely unconcerned about the tiny "passenger" sitting on its head.
"Boss! That's dangerous! Get down from there!"
Aldo shouted anxiously, already gripping the handle of his spiked club.
"That's a super-sized dinosaur!"
"Relax."
Sami casually patted the Brachiosaurus' rough hide.
Thump. Thump.
"Basic biology."
"They're herbivores."
"Gentle temperament."
As he spoke, his gaze scanned the distant horizon beyond the jungle canopy.
His eyes locked onto a location where an intense conflict seemed to be happening.
"Heh. Found it."
Sami waved energetically at his stunned officers and pointed toward the distance.
"We're heading that way!"
"I spotted something good!"
"You guys are going to be shocked—hurry up and follow!"
With that, he leapt down from the dinosaur and immediately began heading in that direction.
The officers exchanged helpless looks and followed.
As they moved deeper into the island's interior, a terrifying series of thunderous sounds echoed from ahead.
Each impact made the ground tremble.
It was far more oppressive than the rumbling volcano earlier.
"What… what's happening?"
"Is it an earthquake?"
Marcus instinctively grabbed a nearby tree trunk.
The ground beneath his feet felt like it was bouncing.
"No."
Feiqi tilted his head to listen carefully.
His voice grew serious.
"That sounds like… fighting."
The sounds were enormous.
Each collision resembled two iron mountains crashing into each other.
Metal clashed violently through the forest, shaking their eardrums and making their hearts pound with the same terrifying rhythm.
"Hahaha… we're almost there!"
Sami ran ahead with excited energy, never slowing down.
Suppressing their shock, the four officers exchanged glances before rushing after him.
Finally—
They pushed aside one last massive fern.
And froze.
The sight before them left everyone stunned.
Ahead lay a vast open clearing.
It stood in stark contrast to the dense jungle surrounding it.
But looking closer, the clearing was filled with the shattered remains of gigantic trees.
It was obvious—
The clearing had been created by something enormous crushing the forest flat.
And the culprits were standing right in front of them.
Two giants.
Their bodies towered like mountains.
Bronze skin covered in countless battle scars.
One wielded a gigantic battle axe the size of a warship mast.
The other held an equally massive sword.
Every clash between them generated a terrifying gale, whipping sand, rocks, and vegetation into the air.
Sami and the others could barely keep their eyes open.
It was clear—
The earth-shaking battle was nearing its end.
After one final deafening clash—
The two giants roared simultaneously.
They abandoned their weapons.
And punched each other squarely in the face.
BOOOOM—!!!
A deep, thunderous impact echoed across the clearing.
Both massive bodies swayed.
Like collapsing mountains—
They fell backward at the same time.
RUMBLE!!!
The ground shook again as they crashed down, raising a storm of dust that swept outward like a sandstorm.
"…37,852 battles…"
"…37,852 draws…"
After a brief silence—
Both giants burst into hearty, exhausted laughter while lying on the ground.
"Gahahaha… Brogy! Looks like another draw!"
"Gahahaha… Dorry! Your punches are still as strong as ever!"
At that moment—
Even Sami, who had expected something like this from the manga, was completely stunned.
He had known about the two giants from the story.
He had imagined their size countless times.
But seeing these living, mountain-like warriors standing before him…
The sense of overwhelming scale and power was impossible to truly imagine beforehand.
An indescribable feeling of smallness gripped him.
It was as if he were an ant that had accidentally wandered into a battlefield of gods.
Only now did he truly understand what people meant by megalophobia—fear of gigantic things.
And what it meant to stand before absolute power.
Even Aldo—who normally feared nothing—stood frozen with his mouth wide open.
He stared up at the colossal figures that still resembled hills even while lying down.
His voice trembled uncontrollably.
"Th… this is…"
"…a giant…"