Crash—rubble rumbled and slid.
Amid the collapsed rocky ruins, Dorry and Brogy both pushed themselves to their feet. Almost instinctively, they turned their heads and locked eyes with one another.
The next second, the two giants burst into deafening laughter.
"Babababababa—!"
"Geigeigeigei~!"
With a casual flick of their arms, they tossed aside their shattered, useless shields. Their gazes sharpened, turning fierce and imposing.
"To think we nearly tripped up at the hands of a youngster! How careless of us, Dorry!"
"Indeed, Brogy! It seems one must never underestimate the men of the sea!"
"Gol D. Roger… Red-Haired Shanks…"
"And now there's yet another—Monkey D. Luffy!!!"
"This sea always knows how to surprise you! Geigeigeigei~!"
Although the two giants had been forced back by Luffy's colossal flaming punch, aside from a few scorched marks, they had suffered no real injuries at all.
After all, these were pirates who had already carried bounties of 100 million Beli over a century ago—targets of the World Government itself.
Factoring in inflation and a hundred years of relentless battle…
At full strength, their power was at least on the level of a Yonko's top commander.
Among everyone present, no one understood this better than the Straw Hats' vice-captain, Red.
Otherwise, he would never have allowed Luffy and the others to challenge them.
Because—
Only by fighting monsters like these could Luffy truly gain massive amounts of experience.
As Dorry and Brogy straightened up, fully realizing that Luffy was no ordinary pirate, they cast aside any lingering distractions.
In an instant—
One armored glow crimson red, the other a deep azure blue, waves of Armament Haki surged from their hands, coating their massive weapons.
This signaled one thing clearly—
They were getting serious.
Boom!!!
Thunderous detonations echoed as the two giants and Luffy clashed once more.
At first glance, Luffy's level was only 52—barely ten levels higher than Smoker.
But that was merely his most primitive base stats…
With world-class hidden racial potential, the amplification from the Pokémon move Bulk Up, and Luffy's own mastery over his Devil Fruit—
The full power he could unleash now might not rival pirates worth one billion Beli, but it had already crossed the 500 million threshold!
More than enough to trade dozens of blows with the two giants.
And all of this was happening less than ten days after the Straw Hats had entered the Grand Line.
The battle raged on with earth-shaking momentum, neither side giving ground.
In terms of raw strength, Luffy remained completely suppressed.
Yet with Gear Second combined with Shave, his explosive speed turned him into a hyperactive monkey leaping around a pair of elephants, leaving Dorry and Brogy thoroughly irritated.
Still, tricks like these could only grant temporary advantage before absolute power.
Sure enough, a single misstep by Luffy was instantly seized upon by the giants!
Boom!
While in Gear Third, Luffy used Gum-Gum Gigant Pistol, but a moment of carelessness allowed the two giants to strike together, blasting him away.
At that instant, Dorry and Brogy roared in unison:
"Watch out, brat Luffy!!!"
They pressed their bodies together and raised their weapons high overhead.
As partners and rivals locked in love-and-hate combat for over a century, their coordination had long surpassed common sense.
If this were the Pokémon world, their bond would have evolved instantly!
With just a glance or a motion, they understood each other perfectly.
In a flash—
A terrifying surge of power erupted from their bodies, their presence swelling like a towering mountain ridge.
They swung their massive weapons at Luffy and shouted in thunderous unison:
"Hakoku Sovereignty!!!"
Boom!!!
A blinding slash of energy burst forth, surging toward Luffy as though it would swallow him whole!
Even without using their full strength—
This single strike was enough to split half an island apart!
Witnessing this, awe and shock filled Luffy's eyes.
Only now did he truly understand—
Why Red had been so certain that he stood no chance against the two giants.
But—
"This isn't over yet!!!"
Facing the combined Hakoku Sovereignty, Luffy's eyes burned with defiance. Not only did he refuse to dodge, he took a deep breath, swelling his body even larger.
In that instant, his aura and Pokémon energy surged forward like a raging river, gathering violently before him!
Fully prepared, Luffy let out a roar:
"Hyper—Beam—!!!!!!"
Bzzzz—
Brilliant, blinding light condensed before Luffy, expanding at extreme speed until it formed a massive sphere of energy.
Dorry and Brogy's eyes widened in shock.
"Hey—this doesn't look right?!"
Whether illusion or not, the sky itself seemed to dim, as though all light in the world were being drawn into that sphere.
Before the giants could even react—
BOOM!!!!!!
A beam with the power to rend the earth apart erupted outward and smashed directly into Hakoku Sovereignty!
For an instant, the entire world fell silent, as if even the gods were holding their breath in anticipation.
Then—
Under the berserk pressure of Hyper Beam, the momentum of Hakoku Sovereignty shrank rapidly… until it vanished completely!
To Red, this outcome was inevitable—
After all, the giants were standing on the left side of his vision.
Still, the sheer power of Luffy's Hyper Beam exceeded even his expectations.
Luffy had clearly failed to control the output properly—worse, he had poured all of his Haki and stamina into the attack instead.
A completely reversed form of "control"!
Its power skyrocketed—
And so did the backlash.
The moment Hyper Beam was fired, Luffy's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.
The beam continued forward after shattering Hakoku Sovereignty.
Though the giants' attack had stalled it for a brief moment—long enough for Dorry and Brogy to evade.
Missing its target, Hyper Beam tore a massive trench through the land, surged to the edge of the island, and finally slammed into the sea.
...
...
Meanwhile—
A small boat made entirely of white wax drifted into the waters near Little Garden.
Standing at the bow was Mr. 3, Galdino, an assassin-agent of Baroque Works. He frowned at the distant island, where explosions rang out intermittently.
"Strange… is this Little Garden's volcanic phase? Why is it so noisy?!"
"And why do I feel so uneasy~"
"Is it because no one helped paint my ship!?"
At that thought, Mr. 3 scowled and ground his teeth.
"That Miss Goldenweek—I'll report her to the boss one of these days!"
"We're partners, yet she ditched me just because she says my wax boat isn't pretty enough!"
"Huh?! Why is there suddenly a white light on the island?!"
"Wait—what is that?!"
Mr. 3 screamed in terror and disbelief.
With no time to think, massive amounts of white wax erupted from his hands.
"Candle Ball—Extra Thick—Extra Thick—SUPER EXTRA THICK VERSION!!!!!!"
BOOM!!!!
The passing Hyper Beam smashed into his little boat, erasing it in an instant.
Encased in hardened wax, Mr. 3 vanished amid the blast.
Whether he lived or died—
No one could say.
(End of Chapter)