Night fell, and the hum of insects filled this ancient island.
Beneath the dim yellow moonlight, a colossal blaze illuminated the shores of Little Garden in a fiery red glow.
Thanks to Luffy's unique, almost socially terrifying way of making friends, the Straw Hat crew quickly hit it off with the two Giant warriors! To thank the Straw Hats for the alcohol they provided, Brogy and Dorry even went out of their way to hunt two massive dinosaurs, holding a special bonfire feast right there on the coast!
Beside the Going Merry, Laboon opened his huge mouth and swallowed an entire roasted dinosaur leg in one gulp, then let out a joyous cry.
"This is just ridiculous! Adventuring while carrying around something that enormous!"
"Straw Hat Luffy, I'm liking you guys more and more!!!"
"Hahaha, that's all thanks to Red!"
After being praised, Luffy clutched a massive bone club several times larger than his own body and began devouring the meat above him with wild enthusiasm.
The joyful atmosphere spread along the entire coastline, allowing the two Giant warriors—who had long lacked excitement—to once again savor the long-lost feeling of a pirate celebration.
Luffy and Usopp stood excitedly on the Giants' shoulders, listening as they recounted ancient tales of their adventures at sea.
Sanji stood beside the bonfire, his Fire-type Pokémon body making him completely unfazed by the scorching heat, as he grilled dinosaur meat for everyone present.
Zoro and Smoker held wooden mugs, arms slung over each other's shoulders in an unthinkably close embrace.
The deep red flush on their faces was proof enough that alcohol had already taken full control of their minds.
Otherwise, two people who usually couldn't stand each other would never behave so intimately.
Meanwhile, Red led Nami and Vivi away from the noise and alcohol-heavy crowd. By the seaside, he set up a small picnic table, enjoying the star-filled sky together with Laboon.
With Nami and Vivi here, there was no need to worry about Sanji forgetting this spot.
If anything…
The food over here was actually the most delicious of the entire feast!
…
…
And just like that, a fantasy-filled and cheerful day slowly passed amid everyone's laughter and noise.
After night fully fell, Red honored his promise and brought Vivi to the Pokémon world.
They returned to the route where Usopp had trained before and began a merciless sweep of the Pokémon there.
In just one night, he somehow leveled Vivi up four times, pushing her straight from Level 16 to Level 20.
That night also utterly exhausted Red.
Unlike Usopp, Vivi couldn't unleash combat power far beyond her level.
Almost every battle that night relied entirely on Red's output.
Vivi mainly cast Glitzy Glow and Reflect, helping block attacks and mitigate damage.
Thankfully, Red had already received the blessing of the Rainbow Badge, greatly enhancing his durability.
Otherwise, he might not have been able to endure the entire night.
Nothing noteworthy happened through the night.
As dawn broke, the morning sun tore through the darkness at the horizon, bringing the world its first rays of light—reflected in Vivi's excited eyes!
After gaining the Psychic type, her mental strength seemed to have grown stronger as well. Even without sleeping all night, she felt no discomfort at all.
Of course, that didn't mean she would stop sleeping entirely.
It was just that gaining four levels in one night had massively boosted her physical condition, leaving her too excited to fall asleep!
…
…
Before they realized it, noon had arrived.
Inside Little Garden, on the open ground where Brogy and Dorry had fought the day before—
Luffy stretched his body energetically, the grin on his face never disappearing since morning.
Opposite him, the two Giant warriors held their massive axe and sword, flashing toothy smiles at Luffy.
"Luffy, as warriors of Elbaf, we never refuse a challenge!"
"Don't say we didn't warn you—"
"We're both incredibly strong!!!"
Boom!!!
Two enormous, mountain-like round shields slammed together, shockwaves sweeping sand and dust outward in all directions.
Even before the battle officially began, the Giants' momentum had already surged to its peak!
"Heh…"
Seeing this, Luffy showed no fear at all. Instead, he responded with a grin.
"I'll say this in return…"
"I'm strong too!!!"
"Bulk Up!"
Luffy suddenly struck a classic muscle-flexing pose.
In an instant, strange Pokémon energy surged through his body, mobilizing every single cell to its fullest potential.
Facing two Giant warriors whom Red had evaluated as being among the world's top-tier fighters, Luffy didn't hesitate in the slightest. He bit his finger and blew massive amounts of air into his body.
"Gear Third! Bone Balloon — Armament Hardening!"
A gigantic arm, even thicker than Brogy's or Dorry's own, abruptly manifested in the center of the battlefield.
Dense, pitch-black Armament Haki coated it, making the arm even harder and more powerful!
This overwhelming sight immediately left Vivi and Smoker among the Straw Hats staring in disbelief.
They had never imagined that the Luffy who got punched by Nami and kicked by Sanji aboard the Going Merry could unleash such terrifying power!
Even though Smoker had already seen the might of Gear Third in East Blue newspapers—
The two Giants facing Luffy were equally shocked, their expressions filled with astonishment.
"…This brat?!"
The two exchanged glances, then grinned broadly.
In the next moment, they swung their worn weapons and charged straight at Luffy.
Luffy, burning with fighting spirit, shouted loudly:
"Gum-Gum · Giant Flame Fist Gun!!!"
Boom!!!
A scorching wave of heat erupted violently from Luffy's massive arm!
It was the flame power derived from Tri Attack!
Although he still hadn't fully broken down and mastered this Normal-type move that contained three different Pokémon energies…
Perhaps because of the Sun God nature of the Nika Fruit, Luffy possessed an innate talent for controlling flames.
After only a few demonstrations by Usopp, he had already mastered the ability to freely convert the Fire-type energy within Tri Attack into combat techniques that suited his own style!
In an instant, a massive flaming fist hurtled toward Brogy and Dorry!
Where it passed, the ground was instantly plowed apart, leaving behind a deep, massive trench.
The surrounding soil was baked solid and blackened under the intense heat!
Boom!!!
Luffy's attack crashed violently into the Giants' enormous shields!
Those ancient shields, already centuries old, began to melt instantly under the blazing flames.
Crack!
Before the Giants' horrified eyes, a fissure appeared on the shields—and rapidly expanded!
In the blink of an eye, the shields that had accompanied them for hundreds of years shattered completely under Luffy's single strike!
The next moment, overwhelming heat and colossal force slammed into the Giants' faces, blasting them backward into the hills and embedding them directly into the mountainside.
Whoosh—
With the attack complete, Luffy's gigantic arm snapped back to normal.
Under the effects of Bulk Up, he even overcame the usual side effect of shrinking after Gear Third ended!
The flames dispersed.
Luffy revealed a cool yet excited smile.
"Hehe."
"See? I told you…"
"I'm really strong!!!"
(End of Chapter)