Three meters, five meters, ten meters...
Under the stunned, wide-eyed gaze of Brogy and Dorry, the Marine "little guy" continued to grow, his body swelling larger and larger, quickly bursting through the thick clouds of smoke.
Standing on the battered, barren earth was a towering figure nearly thirty meters tall—like a god descending upon the world!
His upper body was bare, revealing hard, sharply defined muscles. Yet unlike the usual giants, who tended toward bulkiness and clumsiness, he possessed a sleek, powerful agility, like a hunting beast.
"You... you... you... you turned into a giant!?"
Brogy pointed at Daren, his finger trembling uncontrollably, his voice quivering with disbelief.
Even the usually composed Dorry couldn't help but gasp, his eyes wide, utterly unable to believe the absurd sight before him.
Wasn't he supposed to be human?
How could he suddenly grow into a giant!?
They exchanged a glance, seeing the same shock reflected in each other's eyes.
"I never thought... becoming a giant would feel like this."
Steam poured from Daren's body as he spoke hoarsely, his expression dazed, as if still adjusting to this "new" form.
The world around him looked completely different. What were once towering trees and rolling hills now barely reached his waist. It felt like the whole world had shrunk.
Ignoring Dorry and Brogy for the moment, he lowered his head and stared blankly at his own hands.
His broad palms stretched two to three meters across, and an endless, surging power coursed through his body. Even a casual clench of his fist produced a visible whirlwind.
With this scale and strength, Daren felt as though he could easily lift a Buster Call warship loaded with thousands of men!
He clenched his fist, turned, and suddenly punched a nearby mountain nearly twenty meters high.
Boom!!
Rocks exploded in all directions, and under the overwhelming force of the blow, the mountain shattered into countless pieces, scattering like a storm.
The terrifying sight made Dorry and Brogy's eyelids twitch violently.
This guy's raw strength... had already surpassed theirs!
It even faintly reminded them of the terrifying presence of "Devil" Oars from long ago.
Even Daren was momentarily stunned.
The power boost from his giant form was far greater than he had imagined.
After that single punch, he realized that moving warships was child's play—he could probably drag entire mountains if he wanted to!
Such a thing was simply impossible for the human body.
But he quickly calmed his excitement, regaining his composure.
The strength gained from gigantification was indeed monstrous, but raw power alone didn't mean absolute victory.
Even though he hadn't ballooned into the usual bloated size of giants, Daren could clearly feel that his neural reactions and explosive speed had dulled considerably.
Thinking this, he instinctively checked his current stats:
Physique: 96.066 (Indestructible Body)
Strength: 90.011 (Giant's Body)
Speed: 86.768 (Soru's Godspeed)
Fruit Ability Development: 86.210 (Island-Wide Coverage)
Armament Haki: 74.799 (Internal Destruction, Devil Form)
Observation Haki: 76.588 (Magnetic Field Induction)
Conqueror's Haki: 81.489 (Affects Matter)
...
After enduring the fierce "baptism" from the two giant warriors—especially the devastating final blow "Hakoku"—his strength had finally broken through the critical 90-point barrier.
And with that, a new trait had emerged.
His original "Giant's Strength" had evolved into "Giant's Body"!
A brand-new ability.
It was a powerful move born from Daren's mastery of the Marine Rokushiki secret art, Seimei Kikan, combined with the breakthrough at 90 points in strength.
Not only could he gigantify his entire body, but he could also selectively enlarge specific parts, wielding his size with terrifying flexibility.
With gigantification, thanks to the added size and mass, Daren estimated his raw strength had increased by roughly 30% compared to his normal state.
Seeing Daren standing there dazed, Brogy and Dorry quickly understood—he was adapting to the surge of newfound power.
They didn't disturb him and instead waited silently.
Until suddenly, Brogy let out a low shout, startling Dorry beside him.
"What are you doing?" Dorry grumbled.
Brogy, however, was staring at Daren with his eyes wide like saucers, a look of utter disbelief on his face.
"H-he... that part... it got huge too."
Dorry blinked, confused at first, then waved it off.
"His whole body grew, of course everything else did too... wait, what the hell is that!?"
His eyes bulged even further, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Both of them took several steps back, looking horrified—like they'd just witnessed something beyond comprehension.
This... this was too much!
"Hey, hey, hey! You two aren't being very polite, you know?"
Daren finally snapped out of it himself, shooting a glare at the two weirdos. Then he glanced down and burst into laughter.
Well, damn.
So this is what it's like when you can't see your feet anymore.
"Ahem..."
He tried to stop the grin from creeping up his face but failed miserably. After a moment's thought, Daren casually curled a finger.
From beneath the island and the volcanic bedrock, a surge of mineral deposits burst through the earth, twisting and reshaping in midair. The fragments fused together into metallic plates resembling armored scales, quickly attaching themselves to Daren's body.
A sleek, streamlined set of armor formed, covering his lower half.
Only then did he look back up at the stunned Brogy and Dorry, flashing a toothy grin.
"Now then... how about that drink?"
He waved a hand, and from above, another dozen massive metal crates floated down, each packed with strong liquor from across the seas.
...
"Cheers!!"
Three enormous wooden cups clashed in midair, sloshing out waves of amber liquor that glistened with a rich, intoxicating hue.
On the battered earth of the island, three giants of equal size sat cross-legged without a care, beaming as they raised their drinks high.
"Gyagagaga! Unbelievable, Brother Daren! You can actually turn into a giant!"
Dorry's face was flushed from drinking, and he threw a big arm over Daren's shoulder.
"Kabababa! Yeah, Brother Daren, how'd you pull that off? Do you have giant blood or something?"
Brogy laughed heartily, looking at Daren with open curiosity.
They already admired Daren deeply—his strength, his courage, his spirit. But now that they knew he could become a giant too, their respect had turned into genuine kinship.
It felt like they'd found one of their own. The way they addressed him even changed—from "that little guy" to "Brother Daren."
"Who knows? Things like that... maybe some mysteries aren't meant to be solved."
Daren took a long gulp of the fiery liquor, letting out a laugh.
He had to admit, drinking and brawling with these two simple-minded giants was the most relaxing thing he'd done in ages.
No schemes. No tricks. No betrayals.
Just eat when you're hungry, sleep when you're tired, drink hard, and fight even harder... Maybe that really was the essence of the giants' life—simple and damn satisfying.
"But even if I'm not one of you, so what? That doesn't stop me from being a real man!"
"Exactly!"
"You said it!"
Dorry and Brogy burst out laughing.
If it's something you can't figure out, no point thinking too hard.
Meat and booze—that's what really matters!