The ship docked in a hidden river mouth, and the crew disembarked. Ren had the frying pan he had acquired at Whiskey Peak, now polished to a bright shine, hanging from his hip. It looked odd, but no one dared to laugh.
They followed the sound of fighting, making their way through the primeval jungle. The insects here were terrifyingly large; dragonflies with meter-wide wingspans zipped past their heads. After about half an hour, the forest opened up into a massive clearing.
In the center of the clearing, two colossal figures were engaged in an earth-shattering duel.
They were two giants.
One wore blue armor, his red beard braided into thick plaits, and he wielded a greatsword almost as tall as a hill. The other wore a red kilt, his green beard equally wild, and his weapon was a similarly massive battle-axe. At that moment, the greatsword and battle-axe were clashing violently, creating dazzling sparks and a deafening roar. The ground beneath them was a ruin of trampled earth, and the surrounding giant trees were snapped in half as if by a hurricane.
"Hey! Blue Ogre Dorry! Your slashes are getting dull today!" the Red Ogre, Brogy, laughed, his voice like rolling thunder.
"Shut up! Green Ogre Brogy! Prepare to die!" the Blue Ogre, Dorry, roared, the muscles on his arms bulging like boulders.
Gatz's jaw dropped as he looked up at these two mountain-like figures. His own anchor seemed like a toy in comparison. "My god... are those... giants?"
Silver and Dolum were equally stunned by the surreal battle scene.
Only Rocks was not surprised. He crossed his arms with great interest, a smile playing on his lips. "Warriors of Elbaf, are they? Impressive, just as the rumors say."
Ren's focus, however, was elsewhere. His nose twitched slightly, and his gaze went past the two dueling giants to a spot behind them. A bonfire was lit there, and over it was a Sea King, roasted black. It was the prize from their latest duel. A strong smell of burnt flesh mixed with a coarse meaty aroma drifted over.
Ren's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
What a waste of good food.
That was the first thought that came to his mind. Such a vibrant Sea King should have had delicious, tender meat, yet it had been crudely roasted to a crisp.
Just then, as if on cue, a volcano in the center of the island erupted.
RUMBLE!
Seeing the eruption, the two giants simultaneously stopped fighting, each taking a step back. Then, they both burst into laughter.
"Gahahaha! A draw!"
"Kyahahaha! A draw again!"
They put away their weapons, walked over to the bonfire, and tore off large chunks of the burnt Sea King, devouring them as if their life-or-death duel had never happened.
Rocks led the crew out into the clearing.
"Hey, you two big guys over there," Rocks's voice was not loud, but it carried clearly to the giants' ears.
Dorry and Brogy turned their heads at the same time and saw the group of humans, who looked like insects to them. "Hmm? Humans? Are you guests who got lost on this Little Garden?" Dorry asked in a booming voice.
"Your duel is very interesting," Rocks said with an amused smile. "But I'm more curious why you've been fighting for over fifty years."
"Fifty years?" Gatz exclaimed.
"Gahahaha! How did you know we've been fighting for fifty years?" Brogy asked, looking at Rocks curiously.
"Simple," Rocks pointed to the mountain of bones at their feet, which included dinosaurs and Sea Kings. "To eat almost all the large creatures on this island to the point of near-extinction would take at least fifty years."
The two giants looked at each other and burst into laughter again. "An interesting human! That's right, we've been dueling here for over fifty years!" Dorry proudly slapped his chest.
"As for the reason..." Brogy scratched his giant head. "Fifty years ago, we each caught a Sea King, one from the South Blue and one from the North Blue. A little girl asked us whose catch was bigger. I said mine was bigger, he said his was bigger. We couldn't agree, so we decided to let the God of Elbaf decide, and settle it with a duel!"
Gatz, Silver, and Dolum looked at each other with strange expressions.
For that?
For such a trivial matter, two legendary warriors of Elbaf had been fighting here for fifty years? The reason was so... manly (and foolish)!
Rocks was also amused by the absurd reason and laughed until he doubled over.
But at this moment, Ren took a step forward. He looked up at the two giants, who were taller than the trees, and spoke calmly. "Could you pause your duel for a moment?"
The childish voice sounded particularly abrupt in the clearing.
Dorry and Brogy's laughter died down. They looked down, their giant eyes focusing on this little speck who wasn't even as tall as their toes. "What did you say, little one?" Brogy asked, a hint of confusion in his tone.
Ren ignored his question and pointed at the charred piece of meat in their hands.
"Using such a crude cooking method is a blasphemy against the food. It's also disrespectful to the prizes you stake your honor on."
Ren's voice was quiet, but every word struck a chord with everyone present. Gatz and the others were used to Ren's "kitchen tyrant" mode, but it was the first time the two giants had heard such an argument.
The air instantly fell silent. The smiles on Dorry and Brogy's faces vanished, replaced by an offended dignity. The honor of an Elbaf warrior would not be judged by a little human boy.
"Little one," Dorry's voice deepened with a hint of danger. "Are you... challenging the pride of an Elbaf warrior?"
An invisible pressure descended, and the atmosphere in the clearing became tense.
Rocks, far from stopping it, just smiled even wider. He was eager to see how his little Head Chef would conquer these two muscle-brained giants with his cooking.
Ren was fearless. He looked directly into the giants' eyes. "I am merely stating a fact."
He paused, his voice carrying an unshakeable confidence. "Give me that piece of meat, and I will let you taste what it's truly supposed to taste like."
Ren's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating huge ripples in the hearts of the two giants. They had lived for over a hundred years and eaten more meat than mountains, but never had anyone dared to criticize their cooking to their faces.
"Gahahaha! Interesting! A very interesting little one!" Brogy was the first to react, slapping his thigh so hard the ground shook. "You say you can make it taste better?"
"Not better," Ren corrected him. "I will make it return to the flavor the ingredient was always meant to have."
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (320 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (250 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (120 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (130 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (320 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (130 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (150 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(75 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (196 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (160 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (110 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (80 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (120 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (130 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (87 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (60 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (70 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (130 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (130 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (60 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (90 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (90 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (70 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (70 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (70 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (70 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (30 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (30 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (80 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (80 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (80 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (40 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.