-Broadcast-
After that bone-chilling roar echoed across Dressrosa, countless golden lights began to bloom throughout the island like malevolent stars. At first, the survivors had no comprehension of what this phenomenon meant. The brilliant golden radiance seared their vision, followed by billowing clouds of white steam that rose from behind each light source.
"What's happening?" a woman called out in confusion, her voice barely audible over the growing rumble that seemed to emanate from everywhere at once.
"Maria, where are you?" her lover responded, reaching blindly through the obscuring mist.
A colossal hand emerged from the steam, fingers the size of tree trunks stretching out to grasp the beautiful young woman in its palm. As the vapor cleared, it revealed the horrifying truth—her beloved had become something monstrous.
"No... someone help me!" Maria's scream was cut short as the giant that had once been her lover lifted her toward its gaping maw. The man who had whispered sweet promises just moments before now devoured the woman he claimed to love, her desperate pleas disappearing into the darkness of his throat.
"Run! They're all monsters!" another voice shrieked across the plaza. "Let me go—don't eat me!"
An elderly giant, its face a grotesque parody of the grandmother it had once been, casually swatted at a fleeing pedestrian. The runner was caught between massive fingers, bones crunching audibly as white teeth ground flesh and sinew with the casual indifference of someone chewing bread.
A gentle breeze swept away the remaining steam, revealing a scene that drove the paralyzed survivors to the very edge of madness. Dozens upon dozens of grotesque, naked giants wandered the streets with childlike curiosity gleaming in their oversized eyes. Their bodies ranged from merely massive to absolutely colossal, but all shared the same terrifyingly vacant expressions.
When these giants spotted the cowering humans, disturbing smiles spread across their faces—expressions of pure, mindless hunger. They began to pursue their prey with an awkward, loping gait that somehow managed to cover ground with frightening speed. Soon, hundreds of thunderous footsteps shook the very foundations of Dressrosa as the titan horde converged on the fleeing populace.
A young couple found themselves frozen in terror, the woman too paralyzed by fear to move another step. Her boyfriend gripped her arm desperately, trying to pull her away from the approaching nightmare.
"Just run and leave me," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I can't... I can't move anymore."
"Don't talk!" he shouted back. "We're getting out of here together!"
But a blonde giant had already reached them, moving faster than something so large had any right to. With casual efficiency, it scooped up both lovers in its massive hands, lifting them toward its waiting mouth.
The man struggled futilely against the giant's grip, using every ounce of his strength in a desperate attempt to break free. The woman simply stared up at her captor with wide, tear-filled eyes.
"I love you!" she cried out as the titan's jaws began to close.
The man watched in absolute horror as his beloved disappeared into the giant's mouth, her upper body severed by those terrible teeth. After a few contemplative chews, the giant spat out her lower half with evident distaste before turning its attention to the screaming young man.
"You damn monster!" he raged, even as he was lifted toward the same fate. "It hurts... God, it hurts!"
The human remained conscious even as the giant's teeth began their work, his fists beating uselessly against gums the size of walls. His defiance lasted until the very moment he disappeared down the creature's gullet, following his lover into darkness.
Satisfied with its meal, the blonde titan turned its attention to a mother and daughter fleeing down the street, taking heavy, ground-shaking steps in pursuit of fresh prey.
The open streets quickly became killing fields as the giants methodically hunted down every human they could find. When the roads were cleared, they turned their attention to the buildings themselves. Structures that had stood for generations crumbled like houses of cards before bodies that ranged from eight meters to over twenty meters in height.
"Everyone inside—get to the basement!" a man shouted as a giant hand punched through his roof like it was made of paper. The homeowner was plucked from his family room and lifted skyward, his screams echoing through the neighborhood until they were suddenly, sickeningly cut short.
His family members tried to flee to the cellar, but more giants had already surrounded the building. They were torn apart one by one, their remains fought over by the competing giants like scraps thrown to wild dogs. There were simply too many predators and not enough prey to go around.
Some giants had grown frustrated with the scarcity and begun stealing kills from their brethren. One young boy was literally torn in half by two competing giants, each claiming a portion of the prize. Such scenes of barbaric division played out across every district of Dressrosa.
One family had managed to reach their basement, huddling in the darkness and praying for salvation that would never come. An abnormal titan nearly twenty meters tall had taken notice of their hiding place and begun systematically demolishing the building above them. When it sensed human presence below, it started digging through the foundation with its bare hands.
Reinforced concrete meant nothing to creatures that felt no pain. Even as their fingers bled and broke against the stone, they continued their relentless excavation, driven by an insatiable hunger that overrode all other instincts.
"Papa, I'm so scared," a small voice whispered in the darkness. "Papa, isn't there anyone who can save us?"
The mother clutched her two children close to her chest, tears flowing freely as she felt utterly helpless. Her husband stood guard before his family, shotgun trembling in his hands as the ceiling above them shook with increasing violence. They all knew it was only a matter of time before their sanctuary was breached.
As the vibrations grew stronger and chunks of debris began raining down, the father made the most agonizing decision of his life. He turned the weapon toward his own family, his face a mask of heartbreak and determination.
His wife understood immediately, covering their children's eyes with gentle hands. Despite everything, she managed to smile at the man she'd loved for so many years. "See you on the other side, darling."
Three gunshots echoed through the basement in rapid succession. The father knelt beside the bodies of his wife and children, their blood pooling on the concrete floor. At least they had been spared the horror of being devoured alive.
Through his tears, he pressed the barrel to his own temple, ready to join them in whatever came after. "Wait for daddy," he whispered. "I'll be right there..."
But the titan gave him no chance for that final mercy. In the seconds it took him to gather his courage, massive fingers broke through the ceiling and seized his entire head. The last thing the man experienced was the sensation of being crushed like an overripe fruit between teeth the size of tombstones.
Churches, hospitals, schools, taverns, and ports—anywhere humans had gathered became a grotesque all-you-can-eat buffet for the wandering titans. The former people of Dressrosa had never imagined they might one day become someone else's meal, never conceived of experiencing the agony and despair of being slowly consumed while still alive. Across the island, the giants held their ghastly feast, savoring every moment of the bloody banquet.
The slums, too, eventually fell under the titans' notice. Illya sat barefoot outside the small shop where she worked, still waiting hopefully for customers who would never come. Most of the area's residents had flocked to the music festival, drawn by promises of free food and entertainment. Even if the offerings were mere scraps and leftovers, such bounty was a treasure beyond measure for the district's impoverished inhabitants.
Illya had originally planned to join the festivities, but Bellhill had forbidden it. The shop owner had not only prevented the girl from leaving but had also assigned her extra cleaning duties. While her actions seemed harsh, Bellhill was actually motivated by concern for Illya's safety. The girl was far too beautiful for her own good—in a crowd of desperate people, there was no telling what might happen to her.
When the golden lights began flashing across the island, Illya watched in wonder from her doorstep. Was this some special entertainment arranged by King Doflamingo? The display was certainly more spectacular than any fireworks show she'd ever seen, filling her young heart with delight. She had no way of knowing that death itself was painting the sky.
"Illya, get down!" Bellhill's voice cut through the night air as the older woman threw herself forward, shoving the girl aside just as a massive hand burst through the shop's front window.
The giant's fingers had been reaching for the child, but instead closed around Bellhill's body. The titan showed no disappointment at the substitution—as long as its prey was human, it had no particular preferences.
Illya stared in frozen horror at the hole where the window had been, taking in the sight of a giant's face peering down at her. Despite its monstrous size, the expression was almost kindly, like a benevolent grandfather looking down at his grandchildren. But this gentle-seeming creature held Bellhill trapped in its grip, lifting the struggling woman toward its cavernous mouth.
"Why?" Illya whispered, her voice barely audible. "Why do the giants want to eat people?"
The girl could only watch helplessly as Bellhill cursed and fought against her captor's fingers, her legs kicking frantically in empty air. The giant's yellowed teeth grew larger and larger as that terrible mouth opened wide, preparing to claim another victim.
A bloody scene was about to unfold, and there was nothing a powerless child could do to stop it.
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