"So it's settled, then. When someone from my organization visits Elbaf in the future, I'll leave them in your hands."
"Gyahahaha! No problem!"
"Gahahahaha! A companion of a warrior of your caliber is bound to be a formidable fellow. Brogy and I will make sure to give them a proper welcome. Though it'd be even better if you came along, too, we could have another round!"
"If I get the chance, I'll tag along. And if you two want another round, I'll be happy to oblige anytime."
"But I've got other business to take care of, so I can't stick around any longer!"
With a hearty laugh, the monkey-masked figure rode his golden cloud up into the sky.
"Skeleton, Shinryu asked me to pass along a message. Even though you've found your crew now, you're still his friend. If he gets the chance, he'll track you down for a drink."
His voice echoed through the sky as Shinko vanished into the clouds.
"Yohohoho! What a heartwarming thing to say... Oh, wait. I don't actually have a heart!"
Brook wiped the corner of an eye socket.
"But, Mr. Shinko, if you were leaving anyway, why didn't you take us with you to help find our ship?!"
"You should've said that before he flew off!" the rest of the crew yelled in unison.
Crowded together with Brook on a tiny remaining patch of land, the Straw Hats glared furiously at the skeleton.
Outburst over, Nami still couldn't quite process what she'd just witnessed.
"That attack... it actually wiped out an entire island..."
"It's just... unbelievable."
She felt a wave of dejection hit her.
Nami had never been obsessed with getting stronger. But ever since she met Luffy and watched him save her hometown, she'd built absolute confidence in him and the rest of the crew.
Yet seeing this battle with her own eyes made the reality brutally clear:
They still had a long way to go.
Whether it was fulfilling their promise to conquer the Grand Line, mapping the entire world, becoming the Pirate King, finding the All Blue, becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman, or becoming a brave warrior of the sea...
They were nowhere near their dreams.
The proof was right in front of them: Little Garden, the ancient island that had stood on the Grand Line since time immemorial, the arena for Dorry and Brogy's century-long duel, was completely gone.
The Straw Hats could still vividly recall the destruction.
The colossal staff stretching from heaven to earth had come crashing down like a falling pillar of the sky. The giants' combined 'Spear of Elbaf' had been obliterated in an instant. Then, the entire island had shattered beneath their feet.
They had watched the central volcano shatter alongside its own magma, consumed by the black-and-red lightning of Conqueror's Haki. They had watched massive, hundred-meter tsunamis surge in from every direction. Even as the shockwave launched them into the air, they'd glimpsed the giant goldfish nearby, the one feeding on dinosaur carcasses, rendered unconscious without even a chance to resist before being swallowed by the churning ocean.
Now, where Little Garden had once stood, the only proof it had ever existed was wreckage floating on the sea.
And that was the most terrifying part of all.
"Yeah," Sanji said, pulling out a cigarette and attempting to light it, his eyes distant. "This is what the strongest monsters on these seas can do."
They had witnessed the peak of the world with their own eyes. Fortunately, Shinko harbored no hostility toward them, he'd even been friendly thanks to Brook, and his final blow hadn't been aimed at them. Yet a single stray attack meant to destroy an island had left them in this pathetic state.
What if the next top-tier monster they ran into actually wanted them dead?
Sanji couldn't help but think of Germa. Though he felt nothing but hatred for his father and brothers, he couldn't deny Germa's strength. Yet when faced with genuine hostility from the Twelve Zodiacs... Germa had been turned into nothing more than newspaper headlines.
"We really are just greenhorns out here," Sanji muttered, finally accepting the reality.
"I told you that already, idiot cook," Zoro said, wiping dust off Wado Ichimonji. He'd used it to slice through countless flying boulders during the chaos. "The Twelve Zodiacs aren't opponents we can handle right now."
He held the sword up, examining the blade against the sunlight.
He'd realized this back in Shimotsuki Village after watching the duel between his master and Inoshi. The absolute strongest figures on the sea were far out of his reach for now. That was why he'd shelved his plan to immediately challenge 'Hawkeye' Mihawk, choosing instead to hone his craft step-by-step.
One day, his blade would reach that level. And when it did, he'd be right on the threshold of becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman.
Even Luffy nodded with unusual seriousness, his mouth completely stuffed.
"Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm, mm-mm-mm..."
'(That monkey old man is crazy strong. I bet he could even beat up Grandpa.)'
"Why are you still eating?!" the crew yelled in unison. "And why the hell can we actually understand you?!"
Just then...
"Gyahahaha!"
"Gahahahaha!"
"You guys sure are lively!"
The Straw Hats looked up to see Dorry and Brogy swimming over. Their weapons were shattered and their bodies covered in bloody wounds, but their spirits remained sky-high.
Usopp, sitting weakly on the ground, scrambled to his feet and hurried toward them, his movements stiff and his legs trembling under his weight.
"Master Dorry! Master Brogy! Are you guys okay?!"
"Huh? Of course we're fine! Just scratch wounds!" Brogy laughed heartily despite being covered in blood. "Shinko pulled the attack's weight. It destroyed the island, but most of the force wasn't aimed at us."
Dorry sighed in awe. "Otherwise, we'd be dead for sure. What incredible control... He truly is an extraordinary warrior."
As veteran combatants, they understood what that level of restraint meant.
"An attack of that scale, and it 'still' wasn't his full strength!"
"What an absurdly powerful fighter!"
"I hope he visits Elbaf with his crew someday. We'll heal up, get back in shape, and challenge him to another round. We probably still won't stand a chance, but... man, just thinking about it gets my blood pumping!"
"You said it, Dorry!"
The two giants continued to chat excitedly.
Listening to his masters, Usopp felt a sudden surge of deep shame.
It was simple: he couldn't comprehend how Dorry and Brogy could still laugh after what had just happened. They'd taken an attack like that head-on. They had 'nearly died'!
So why did they still want to fight someone so powerful he barely seemed human? Wasn't that terrifying?
To put it more accurately, he understood his masters, they were brave warriors. But he couldn't match their mindset. Because even now, he couldn't stop his legs from shaking uncontrollably.
Only one emotion filled his heart.
"You're scared, aren't you, Usopp?"
Hearing his masters speak, Usopp looked up, desperately trying to swallow his feelings. But in the end, tears burst from his eyes.
"Yeah... I'm terrified. Scared out of my mind!"
He felt utterly pathetic. He was afraid, more afraid than even Nami.
When that attack crashed down, when the shockwave blew him away, and even before that, against Kuro, back in Loguetown... Every single fight, even the ones he only watched, scared him half to death.
That wasn't why he'd set sail. He'd gone to sea to become a brave, proud warrior. Yet looking at himself now... maybe this was all he was ever going to be.
Usopp hung his head in shame.
"It's good that you're afraid, Usopp," Brogy said softly.
"...Huh?" Usopp blinked, instinctively looking up.
The two giants wore their usual wide grins. Neither looked down on him for being a coward; they remained as bold and carefree as ever.
"Gahahahaha! Everyone gets scared, Usopp. Even us," Dorry chuckled. "When I first started training as a warrior and realized I had to fight beasts dragged up from the Underworld, I was scared out of my mind!"
"And don't forget the time Brogy took an axe strike to the leg and cried that he was quitting training!" Dorry exposed his old friend's embarrassing past, but his voice held no malice, only warmth.
"Everyone gets scared, Usopp."
He looked down at the young sniper. Fear of death and danger was basic instinct for any living creature. Facing something vastly stronger naturally triggered fear.
The difference was what you did next. A coward let instinct dictate their actions, turning to run, dropping to their knees to beg, or giving up completely.
A warrior, however...
"A true warrior is someone who, even when fear makes their whole body tremble, even when every drop of blood screams at them to run, still chooses to step forward anyway!"
Usopp turned back toward his crewmates and caught details he had completely overlooked before.
Sanji was still trying to light his cigarette, but the hand holding his lighter was trembling slightly. Zoro's hand gripped his hilt tightly, slick with cold sweat. Luffy was gulping down water and meat, but his eyes were unusually serious.
Only then did it hit him.
"You guys..."
The monster trio, the strongest fighters on the ship... even 'they' felt fear when facing a true monster?
"Huh?" Seeing Usopp's bewildered look, Sanji shook his head helplessly. "Of course we do, idiot."
"Just to be clear, I'm nothing like this shitty cook. I don't get scared," Zoro put in.
"You moss-headed bastard, you wanna go?!"
"Mm-mm-mm! Water! Water! Water!" Luffy choked.
At first, fear gripped them so hard they could barely hold their weapons. Then they endured it, forcing themselves to stand their ground. Eventually, they learned to embrace that fear and forge it into strength.
That was how real warriors grew.
The two giants smiled down at Usopp. He called them his masters, but in truth, they had already accepted this tiny human as a friend, not because he was powerful or possessed crazy strength, but because...
"Usopp, you're already walking the path of a warrior."
And it was true. In every fight so far, Usopp was always the most terrified, constantly shouting cowardly excuses. But when push came to shove, even facing certain death, he had never truly run away.
"Master Dorry... Master Brogy..." Usopp choked back a sob, trying to speak.
"Hey! Look over there! It's the Going Merry!" Nami shouted, spotting the ship rising on a swell nearby.
"Wait, what's that underneath the Merry...?! Hey, it's that giant goldfish!"
"It's that beat up and still alive?! It's gonna swallow the ship! Somebody do something!"
"Gyahahaha! Leave it to Dorry and me!" Brogy called out. "We don't have a ship back to Elbaf anyway, we can probably build a raft out of this beast's bones!"
"Let's move, Brogy!"
"Hey, wait! Take it easy, the island is sinking..."
A second later, Usopp's panicked screech echoed across the open water:
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
---
Meanwhile, in the New World, Dressrosa.
This World Government-affiliated nation, famed as the "Country of Love, Passion, and Toys," was buzzing with excitement and chatter.
"Hey, did you hear? There's gonna be a special tournament at the Corrida Colosseum in two weeks!"
"Seriously? How big are we talking?"
"Unprecedented scale! They even expanded the Colosseum grounds. King Doflamingo ordered it himself. Word is, the grand prize is a one-of-a-kind treasure that could shift the balance of the entire world!"
"Shift the balance of the world? For real?!"
"Doflamingo's a Warlord, why would he lie about something like that?"
"I heard the 'World Economy Newspaper' is printing the full story soon. Come on, let's go get tickets!"
"No tickets needed! It's completely free this time!"
Conversations like these echoed across every corner of the kingdom.
At the highest point of the kingdom, atop the Royal Plateau, sat the Royal Palace, residence of Donquixote Doflamingo.
At the peak of the palace interior...
"Doffy... are you really going through with this...?"
A slimy, unkempt man holding a cane muttered, a strand of snot hanging from his nose beneath his dark sunglasses. His voice shook with apprehension.
It was Trebol, Executive Officer of the Donquixote Family's Clubs Army.
Beside him stood Pica, Diamante, Sugar, Dellinger, Lao G, and the rest of the family's top lieutenants. Every single officer had assembled to hear their master's decree, and every single one was left in disbelief.
"Doffy, even if you had friction with Youji of the Twelve Zodiacs before... if you pull a stunt like this, we'll turn them into absolute enemies! And not just them, even Kaido will..." Trebol stammered, staring at his young master.
"Fufufufufufu!"
Doflamingo sat cross-legged on his throne, looking every bit the flamboyant predator.
"Yes, Trebol," he chuckled, his voice low and raspy. "Even for us, this is an unprecedented gamble."
He grinned wide, spreading his arms. Yet beneath the bravado, his frame was taut with tension.
He knew better than anyone what this move meant. His current scheme stemmed from a recent, unexpected coincidence, one that had completely upended his original playbooks.
"If we fail, the Twelve Zodiacs and the Beasts Pirates will hunt us to the ends of the earth. We'll all be wiped out. Fufufufufufu!"
He was well aware of the stakes. Even for a Seven Warlord, that meant absolute destruction, certain, inescapable death.
But as a master manipulator and a power in his own right, fear could never master him. It only fueled his excitement.
"In return, though..." He smiled, gazing around at his family as he flexed his fingers. "What do we gain if we succeed?"
A blood-stained, ancient tree root danced between his fingertips, suspended by invisible strings. He ran his tongue over his lip, as if tasting the raw power radiating from the artifact.
"That's right..."
Raspy laughter echoed through the throne room, dripping with raw, unchecked ambition.
"The prize is... the world itself."
(End of Chapter)
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