Chapter 77: The Unyielding Kuina
CLANG—
The greatsword and the axe collided, sending sparks flying, scattered by the shockwave. The two giants gritted their teeth, their massive weapons locked in a struggle, their huge helmets almost touching.
BOOM—
Just then, a nearby volcano erupted again with a tremendous roar. The two of them simultaneously pushed each other away, standing hundreds of meters apart.
"GEGYAGYAGYAGYA!"
"KABABABABABA!"
The two giants' heroic laughter rang out again, spreading across the entire island and making the dinosaurs tremble in fear.
The giant with two horns on his helmet looked at his friend not far away and said with a laugh, "It's another draw this time, Dorry!"
Hundreds of meters away, Dorry the Blue Ogre flicked his long beard and laughed loudly. "Gegyagyagyagya... The 69,700th duel is a draw!"
With that, Dorry shouldered his greatsword, turned to look at the lakeside, and grinned. "An incredible monster has arrived, Brogy."
"Ah... the other one is pretty strong too!" Brogy also turned to look at the lakeside, a meaningful smile on his face.
"In that case..."
"Let's ask them if they have any booze!" Dorry and Brogy looked at each other with a smile and shouted in unison.
...
At the lakeside not far away, Louis looked at the two giants who were "conspiring" so loudly, at a loss for words.
Just then, Kuina, having confirmed the trio's identity, sheathed her Wado Ichimonji and slowly walked toward them.
"What are you/you all doing here?" At the edge of the lake, Uta and Kuina spoke at the same time.
Kuina was taken aback, then explained with a smile, "The ship I was on was attacked by a giant goldfish near here. I jumped into the sea and swam to this island. Then I got stuck here and couldn't leave. This house is a wrecked ship that Captain Brogy picked up and put here for me to live in." As she spoke, Kuina smiled and pointed to the wrecked ship behind her. "What about you all? Weren't you supposed to have entered the Grand Line a long time ago?"
To this, Louis stepped forward and explained concisely, "We've been touring the Four Seas these past few years and only just entered the Grand Line."
"..."
"I see..." Kuina had a flash of insight.
"Kabababababa!"
Just then, the two giants put down their weapons and came to sit cross-legged beside them. "Kuina, do you know them?" Brogy, the seemingly fatter giant, asked with a heroic smile.
Kuina heard him and smiled as she introduced them. "They are the captain of the Archangel Pirates, Louis; the captain's second-in-command, Yelena; and the musician, Uta."
Then, she turned to Louis's group and explained, "Captain Dorry and Captain Brogy are the two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates. They have been dueling here for over ninety years, with over 60,000 draws! They are also the ones who have been guiding my training!"
"The Giant Warrior Pirates..." Yelena glanced at Louis thoughtfully. If she remembered correctly, Louis had asked another group of giants a few years ago if they were the Giant Warrior Pirates.
Uta, on the other hand, was completely stunned, subconsciously repeating a phrase, "Dueling for over ninety years?!" Although Uta knew that giants' lifespans were several times that of humans, she was still flabbergasted to hear that a giant had been dueling on an island for over ninety years.
"Gegyagyagyagya!" Dorry let out a heroic laugh, then looked at Louis, who was standing with his sword at his side, and asked sincerely, "Little bro Louis, do you have any booze on your ship?"
"If you do, could you share some with us?" Brogy added with a smile.
Louis's eyes swept over the two giants sitting cross-legged, taking in the longing in their eyes. "We do."
Then, Louis snapped his fingers, controlling the ever-present Avant Heim to descend from the sky.
Dorry and Brogy, who hadn't had a drink in a long time, heard this, their eyes lit up, and they rubbed their hands together like flies. "Where's your ship? We'll go and carry it over."
To this, Louis shook his head. "No need. The booze is here."
The two giants were taken aback, then, as if sensing something, they looked up thoughtfully. Kuina, not understanding what was happening, also followed their gaze to the sky. The next moment, the three of them froze on the spot.
In the sky, a flawless white cloud mass was rapidly descending, finally stopping at a height of twenty meters from the ground. Then, the clouds at the bottom of Avant Heim parted, and barrel after barrel of booze fell from mid-air.
Dorry and Brogy saw this and reacted instantly, scrambling to catch the barrels. After most of the booze had been dropped, Avant Heim rose again and disappeared into the sky.
Dorry looked at the barrels before him, his eyes shining. He almost wanted to open them immediately and pour the contents into his mouth. But out of his dignity as a giant warrior, he restrained the impulse. He supported himself with his greatsword and said to Louis with a laugh, "Gegyagyagyagya! Since little bro Louis has provided us with so much fine booze, we should give something in return! Right, Brogy?"
"Of course!" Brogy, who had also stood up, grinned widely. "A warrior of Elbaf never lets a friend get the short end of the stick! Kabababababa!"
Then, the two of them swished their capes and left, heading toward the forest. Kuina saw this and, recovering from her shock, mourned for the dinosaurs in the forest.
Just then, Daz Bonez, who had come up behind them at some point, watched the two giants leave and said with a solemn expression, "Dorry the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre. Over ninety years ago, they were terrifying beings who gave the World Government a huge headache... Everyone thought they were dead, but to think they were here..."
Night, by a huge bonfire.
Two massive figures and five relatively small figures sat around the fire. In the huge bonfire, several giant dinosaur legs were propped up over the flames. The firelight reflected on the shimmering lake, dyeing half of it gold.
The two giants, a complete change from their daytime selves who wanted to take each other's lives, were drinking heartily with their arms around each other's shoulders, using barrels the height of a normal person's waist as small cups.
By the fire, Uta carefully took a bite of the beast meat. The next second, she opened her mouth and exhaled a puff of white air to relieve the scorching heat.
Louis threw a bone into the fire, then looked at Kuina. "I didn't expect you to leave Shimotsuki Village so early, even entering the Grand Line before us." If Louis remembered correctly, Kuina was a year younger than him.
Nearby, Uta and Yelena also cast curious glances at Kuina. They also wanted to know how Kuina had persuaded Koshiro to let her leave.
However, after hearing Louis's question, Kuina fell silent. Seeing this, the trio's expressions changed subtly. Soon, their guess was confirmed.
Kuina's face became a little strange, her tone distant. "I left without saying goodbye to my father and Zoro. I left secretly on my own."
"Why?" Uta, also a daughter, had a complicated expression.
Kuina looked up at the moon and explained in a seemingly calm tone. "Because I can't beat Zoro anymore..."
"I want to fight with other swordsmen on the sea, to transform in the midst of life and death. This is the only way I might have a chance to compete with Zoro for the title of the world's greatest swordsman in the future."
"..."
In the suddenly heavy atmosphere, Kuina explained calmly.
She didn't know from which day it started, but Zoro had suddenly exploded in strength and had beaten her once. At first, Kuina just became more vigilant. But as time passed, Zoro, as if enlightened, won victory after victory. Until one day, Kuina could no longer win at all.
"..."
Kuina was unresigned. She began to increase her training volume, injuring herself all over every day, even cutting her rest time to a minimum. But the gap did not shrink because of her efforts. On the contrary, due to her repeated injuries, it became more and more obvious. Kuina was working hard, but Zoro's efforts were no less.
Not long ago, under her father's witness, Kuina had lost to Zoro again. She was very dejected, feeling that the words she had once said to her father were a joke.
That night, she secretly overheard a conversation between her father and a guest, a seemingly ordinary old farmer whose depth she could not fathom.
"Many swordsmen are not born with outstanding talent, but in the end, they stand out through countless life-and-death battles."
That night, Kuina left a letter for her family and, with the determination to be reborn from death, set out to sea in a small boat filled with supplies.
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