Chapter 78: Giants
Uta heard her story and, in the end, held back what she originally wanted to say. Kuina's situation was not something she could relate to.
Yelena, on the other hand, felt a sense of pity for Kuina. Was Kuina a genius on the path of the sword? Of course she was. But above geniuses, there are monsters. Being a one-in-ten-thousand genius is merely the threshold to meet those monsters. Kuina was a sword genius, but that green-haired little brat was an even greater genius, and his level of training was no less than hers. In this situation, the possibility of Kuina defeating him was very low.
To this, Louis sighed inwardly. You were really willing to let her go, Koshiro...
Louis had already figured it out. There was no master swordsman in Shimotsuki Village who was so profound that Kuina couldn't see his depth, yet who looked like an ordinary old man. That was most likely just an ordinary person. And the small boat filled with supplies? Needless to say. Furthermore, if Koshiro hadn't agreed, how could Kuina possibly have left the Isshin Dojo?
This was clearly Koshiro being unwilling to watch his daughter lose her spirit and become despondent. So, he had found an ordinary person to pretend to have a conversation, thereby showing Kuina a final path.
As for Kuina, one could only say she was truly Shimotsuki Kozaburo's granddaughter, even imitating his own act of leaving the Land of Wano. The difference was that Kozaburo had fought his way from the New World to the East Blue, while Kuina had to fight her way from the East Blue into the New World.
...
Brogy and Dorry were taken aback for a moment, then threw their heads back and laughed.
"Kabababababa!"
"Gegyagyagyagya!"
"O, young warrior! Since you have chosen this path, then walk straight down it!"
"On this path, you may be injured, you may even die. But no matter the outcome, at least you will not regret it!"
Kuina smiled at their words, looking up at the two heroic giants, and replied with a determined expression, "The moment I stepped onto this path, there was no longer any room for regret in my heart. Even if I die along the way, I will have no complaints."
Dorry and Brogy looked at each other and smiled.
"Kuina is a warrior whose conviction is no less than that of us giants!"
"I wonder how the young ones in Elbaf are doing..."
A blush appeared on the two giants' faces, and their eyes became hazy. They both looked up at the sky, and the image of that giant, sky-piercing tree gradually appeared in their minds.
After hearing the two giants' conversation, a flash of inspiration struck Uta. She said to them, "Speaking of giants, we met a few in the West Blue a few years ago! When Louis asked them if they were the Giant Warrior Pirates, they said they weren't worthy of that name yet!"
"Oh?"
Uta's words piqued the two giants' interest. "Are they the young ones from Elbaf?"
"I couldn't tell their age, but they were nowhere near as tall as you," Uta replied after some thought.
Dorry slapped his fist into his palm in a moment of realization. "Then it must be those brats who are only a few decades old!"
"But..."
"They don't have the guts to inherit our name? What cowards!"
"At their age, we had already fought our way from the New World to here and had already made quite a name for ourselves!" Brogy said with a look of disdain, as if dissatisfied with his unknown juniors.
A moment later, Brogy leaned down, bringing his large face close to Uta's, and asked with great curiosity, "Since they aren't using the name of the Giant Warrior Pirates, what are they doing in the West Blue?"
To this, Yelena, recalling the rumors she had heard in the Flower Country, said thoughtfully, "When we were in the Flower Country, we heard that they had landed in another city to look for a powerful technique left there by an ancient giant."
Dorry and Brogy were stunned. "A giant technique passed down in the Flower Country?" they said subconsciously.
"The Dance of Axe and Shield?"
Brogy subconsciously looked at his shield and axe. "The Dance of Axe and Shield in the Flower Country has been adapted by countless people over hundreds of years into a technique suitable for humans. Those little brats wouldn't be able to learn it," he said. "Why didn't they go look for Jorul? Our giant hero Jorul should also know the version of that technique that's suitable for giants!"
Yelena shook her head, indicating she didn't know.
"Jorul..." Louis subconsciously repeated the name. If he remembered correctly, the giant hero who was killed by a five-year-old Big Mom was named Jorul.
After a moment of contemplation, Louis looked up and met two pairs of curious eyes. "The giant hero Jorul died in battle several decades ago while protecting a giant village."
"Died in battle?!" the two giants were shocked, roaring with rage. "Who did it?!"
"Charlotte Linlin. She went on a rampage when she was five and destroyed a giant village. At that time, Jorul died in battle while trying to stop her."
"Five years old?" Uta, Kuina, and the others had faces full of disbelief. "She could defeat a giant at five years old?"
Daz Bonez frowned. He had heard the name Charlotte Linlin before; one of the top great pirates in the New World.
"Charlotte Linlin..." Dorry and Brogy placed their barrels on the sand, their grim faces falling into shadow.
After a long while, Dorry asked again, "Louis, do you know how the giant race is doing now?"
Louis took a deep breath and then told them what he knew.
After the birth of the cursed prince, Loki, the royal family's mount, the Fortune Horse, died mysteriously. From then on, disaster after disaster befell Elbaf. The queen passed away. Prince Loki, at the age of ten, treated Elbaf's perilous underworld as his playground, taming incredibly powerful beasts and releasing them into the villages. He played pranks everywhere, causing great losses to the giants, and so on.
"..."
Dorry and Brogy heard this and fell instantly silent. Anyone could see the turmoil they were in. At this moment, their desire to return home became incredibly intense.
"I must defeat Dorry/Brogy and return to Elbaf as the victor!"
BOOM—
As if the tormented island had heard their thoughts, the largest volcano at the island's edge erupted again, sounding the horn for a duel.
The air seemed to freeze.
The five of them turned their gazes to the giants, who had been drinking with their arms around each other just moments before.
Dorry and Brogy's eyes instantly became firm. The drunkenness on their faces vanished, replaced by a visible, grim determination!
"I will defeat you today, and then return to Elbaf!" Dorry gently put down his barrel and slowly put on his helmet.
Brogy, his eyes seeming to contain fire, slowly rose with his shield and axe, an incredibly serious expression on his face. "Me too, Dorry!"
Then, the two giants walked toward the distant forest to begin their duel once again.
"DORRY!"
"BROGY!"
The two warriors, weapons in hand, roared as they charged at their friend, then clashed once again. The greatsword swept, and the giant axe swung. During their battle, their movements were wide and open, the sound like thunder. Every move was made with the determination to kill the other, mercilessly hacking at their opponent's vital points, seeking a single, decisive blow.
They had long forgotten the reason for their fight. In their eyes, it was no longer important. The two proud warriors did not fear death, neither for themselves nor for their friend. They only wanted to decide the final victor, to return to their homeland with honor.
In the dark of night, the warriors roared. "Come, let us decide the winner!"
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