BOOM!!!
The ground exploded, a terrifying shockwave sweeping in all directions.
Shanu's figure flickered, he narrowly dodged Dorry's massive greatsword.
But the side of Brogy's battle-axe slammed into him like a cannon blast, sending him flying. He crashed heavily against a giant bone in the distance, piercing straight through it.
"Hss!"
In the rising dust, Shanu struggled to get up. Suddenly his expression shifted; he turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"It shook my organs…?"
Feeling the chaotic flow inside his body, he raised a brow and immediately adjusted his breathing rhythm.
Interesting.
They hadn't used Haki at all, yet that shockwave hit both inside and outside his body, almost like Armament Haki's Internal Destruction effect.
So this is the Spear of Elbaf…
Shanu looked back at the ground where he'd been standing moments ago.
Everything had been obliterated. Two enormous trenches stretched hundreds of meters into the distance, just the aftermath of Dorry and Brogy's attacks.
This was the Spear of Elbaf they had each unleashed.
Compared to Hakoku Sovereignty, the ultimate combined technique requiring both giants…
A single giant's Spear of Elbaf was weaker in both range and destruction.
But even so, it was undeniably a terrifying technique, powerful enough that even Big Mom continued using it long after becoming an Emperor of the Sea.
"You alright, Shanu lad?"
Dorry's voice rumbled across the battlefield.
"No problem! Keep that same strength!"
Shanu laughed loudly, wiped the blood from his mouth, and excitement flared in his eyes—
"Again!!!"
…
Time passed, and the sun gradually dipped westward.
DOOM DOOM DOOM
The open ground between two giant bones shook nonstop, from dawn until now.
By the time dusk settled in, Shanu had long lost count of how many times he dodged, and how many times he was blasted away.
Under the giant duo's relentless storm of attacks,
Even with his tough physique, his body was covered in bruises, blood at his lips, breathing ragged like an old bellows.
And yet, his spirit only grew sharper. His movements became more and more fluid.
"Oi, Brogy… you noticed it, right?"
Dorry narrowed his eyes. "Shanu lad's dodging speed…"
Brogy nodded, puzzled.
"His body's clearly getting worse… but he's dodging even easier now?"
Shanu didn't answer. His world was changing.
At first, he relied on eyesight to track the giants' attacks, then used Kami-e and Soru to dodge instinctively.
But slowly… he stopped relying on vision.
Even with his eyes closed, he could "hear" Dorry's shoulder muscles tightening.
He could "smell" the wind pressure on Brogy's axe swings.
He could even "feel" each vibration running through the ground,
From those signals, he could predict their next moves.
"This is…"
His heartbeat slowed.
His breathing grew calm.
"Observation Haki!"
VMMM!
As Dorry's giant blade swung down again, Shanu's closed eyes snapped open.
A sharp crimson flash flickered within his pupils.
He didn't use Soru, he simply leaned back half a step. His dodge was smaller than ever before.
Yet both the sword and the axe brushed past him perfectly, slicing only his clothes.
In that instant, he slipped into the one tiny gap between two crossing attacks.
"Oh?"
Dorry's eyes lit up beneath his bronze helmet.
"Gwahahahaha!"
Brogy grinned. "He did it?"
"I did!"
Shanu nodded with a smile. Observation Haki rippled outward, and within a radius of hundreds of meters, every movement became sharply clear to him.
Even more incredible, none of the sounds were chaotic.
Guided by his Observation Haki, they formed a three-dimensional map inside his mind:
The dripping trajectory of sweat beneath Dorry's helmet…
The shape of every chip on Brogy's axe…
Even the drifting paths of dust in the air…
If he focused, he could sense it all.
"Gwahahaha! Amazing, Shanu lad!"
Brogy slapped him on the back, almost burying him in the ground.
"Just one day and you've mastered Observation Haki! Faster than me or Dorry ever did! Your talent's scary!"
"That's not talent."
Shanu shook his head with a wry smile.
"I've been trying to figure it out on my own for a long time. I just needed a breakthrough. Without you two pushing me this hard, who knows when I'd have awakened it."
"You still needed the toughness to endure all this!"
Dorry stroked his beard, clicking his tongue.
"Most humans can't take this level of punishment. If not for your size, I might've thought you had giant blood."
Giants spoke bluntly, they never realized such words could sound boastful or insensitive.
But they meant it sincerely.
Brogy also sighed in admiration.
"This little guy took the two of us pounding him all day… Even most adult warriors in Elbaf can't withstand that!"
"Dorry, Brogy."
Shanu suddenly spoke again.
"The giant techniques you used today, the Spear of Elbaf and the others… Can you teach me?"
He quickly added:
"If your village forbids teaching outsiders, just pretend I never asked."
"Eh?"
Dorry and Brogy froze.
They stared at each other, confused, then amused, then—
"GWAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Their thunderous laughter sent birds scattering and shook the earth.
"Shanu lad, you've misunderstood!"
Dorry wiped the tears from his eyes.
"In Elbaf, battle techniques are never secrets!"
"Right! No such weird rules!" Brogy added. "We laughed because, no outsider ever dared ask to learn!"
Dorry sat down cross-legged before him, expression suddenly serious:
"But the Spear of Elbaf isn't just some flashy move. Every time you use it, your body takes a heavy toll."
He pointed at his scar-covered arm.
"In Elbaf, many fully grown giants can't withstand the backlash. Let alone someone your size."