Chapter 243: Little Garden, Targeted
"Blue Ogre" Dorry and "Red Ogre" Brogy—both men carried the terrifying moniker of "Ogre."
Back during the era when the Giant Warrior Pirates rampaged across the seas, countless islands had suffered under their pillaging.
Both had bounties of 100 million Berries. While that figure might not seem particularly eye-catching on today's seas, back in their era, it carried the weight of absolute overlords.
"Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy. What an unexpected discovery... To think they were hiding on this island."
Wherever they were on the island, the two giants were impossible to miss. At this moment, deep within a primordial jungle, two individuals clad in white suits and wearing abstract masks were observing Dorry and Brogy's duel.
Such attire naturally marked them as members of CP0. They weren't here on a casual stroll; they had arrived with a specific objective.
"What do you say? Should we capture them and bring them back? Even though these bounties are from eighty years ago, it's still a sizable sum."
"They aren't our mission targets. Besides, they're Giants, and the King of Elbaf is currently residing in Mary Geoise. Even if we capture the two of them, it won't serve much purpose."
"There are Giant Vice Admirals in the Marines now, and even Enies Lobby has two Giants guarding its gates. These big brutes are actually quite easy to manipulate. No matter how you look at it, bringing them back will count as a merit. How the higher-ups arrange them is their business, but whether we bring them in is ours. What do you think, Rook?"
"Bishop, I still think it's unnecessary. They were once the captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates; antagonizing them could interfere with our subsequent operations. This woman... she is our real target."
Rook produced a bounty poster of Ginny—she was their true target. As for "Rook" and "Bishop," those were merely their code names; certain CP0 operatives deployed on field missions never referred to each other by their real names.
When Nereus invaded the Red Line years ago, all the slaves in Mary Geoise were liberated. Following that event, although the World Government reached a treaty with Nereus, any slave transport ships across the globe that crossed Nereus's path were still ruthlessly sunk.
This made it significantly harder for the Celestial Dragons to acquire high-quality slaves. However, the inability to ship slaves in massive quantities certainly didn't extinguish the Celestial Dragons' desire to own them.
CP0 was hailed as the strongest shield of the Celestial Dragons, but in essence, they were simply hounds acting on their masters' behalf in the outside world. Hunting down premium slaves and bringing them back to Mary Geoise naturally fell under their purview.
Ever since Luna and her crew set sail, they had never publicly associated themselves with Nereus. After all, their goal was personal tempering; sailing under Nereus's flag would completely defeat that purpose.
If the Marines or the World Government realized they were Nereus's subordinates, they wouldn't have dared slap bounties on their heads in the first place.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea had to accept mandatory government summons as the price for their legalized plundering rights, yet Nereus didn't have to lift a finger to receive infinitely more benefits than the Warlords.
Only the Five Elders knew the specific details of Nereus's treaty; even Imu hadn't bothered to monitor the finer details after issuing the supreme directive.
As a sprawling, labyrinthine institution, the World Government didn't thoroughly investigate every individual's background.
Thus, Luna and her companions had carried bounties for years. Once a certain Celestial Dragon noticed Ginny's bounty poster, he took a fancy to her and ordered CP0 to capture and bring her back.
Tracking the traces of their recent activities, these CP0 operatives had finally tracked them down.
"No rush. This island takes an entire year for a Log Pose to finish recording its magnetic field. They can't leave, so we have plenty of time to lay our trap methodically. Those two giant oafs seem to be locked in a duel—don't you think this is our perfect opportunity? With a highest bounty of only sixty million Berries, they won't be difficult for us to handle."
"Then let me give it a try. If all goes smoothly, our success rate won't be low at all."
With Bishop's insistence, Rook agreed the plan was viable. The agents serving the Celestial Dragons were almost exclusively trained from early childhood, undergoing rigorous brainwashing and indoctrination.
To them, risking their lives to complete a World Government mission was completely natural and right.
Once their tactical approach was decided, Rook positioned himself upwind of the island, opening his palm to release a vast cloud of odorless, colorless powder, letting it drift silently downwind...
While the two CP0 agents initiated their operation, Dorry and Brogy's duel commenced simultaneously.
"It's been so many years, Dorry! You must be starting to miss our homeland too!"
"That's right! That's why I'm going to defeat you and return home as soon as possible!"
Dorry raised his colossal broadsword and brought it cleaving down toward Brogy, while Brogy swung his massive battleaxe upward to meet Dorry's strike head-on.
Much like the Kuja Pirates, the captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates operated strictly on a meritocracy of strength. To become the supreme leaders of the Giant Warrior Pirates, both men were naturally absolute powerhouses.
Although they had once suffered at the hands of Mr. 3—Galdino—in the original timeline, if pitted against the Five Elders, the two of them were more than capable of exchanging blows.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized; knowing each other so intimately, they naturally understood each other's combat styles inside and out.
After their weapons clashed, both men simultaneously used their round shields like brass knuckles, slamming them viciously toward each other's heads.
The clash between the Giant leaders reverberated across the entire island. The dinosaurs from earlier had long since hidden themselves away like frightened kittens.
Having lived here for so many years, they knew all too well that the eruption of the volcano was the signal for those two monsters to battle. If they didn't hide properly, even if they weren't crushed by the shockwaves, they risked being caught and turned into barbecue—a literal natural disaster for the local wildlife.
Luna and her crew naturally saw the entire spectacle clear as day.
"Those two... they're fighting really fiercely..." Luna muttered. "Then again, I never saw any Giants back on Delta Island. Do they all love fighting this much?"
"This isn't just fighting; this is a deathmatch," Inuarashi remarked. "Every single strike is aimed at taking the other's life. Yet the way they were talking just now sounded like old friends. I don't get it."
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were evaluating the two titans. They fought each other too, but they never went for lethal blows like this.
Yet this was precisely the tradition of Elbaf. In Elbaf, there was a village bearing the same name—the Village of Warriors, whose people worshipped the God of Elbaf.
Whenever an irreconcilable dispute arose in the village and neither side would yield, they would submit to the judgment of the God of Elbaf, deciding who was right through trial by combat.
In plain terms: whoever had the bigger fist was right.
After eighty years of dueling, the two had fought to a draw tens of thousands of times. Dorry and Brogy had long since forgotten the original reason for their duel; now, they only fought to claim victory and uphold their honor as warriors.
Meanwhile, the powder released by Rook was drifting silently toward their location. Dorry and Brogy, already locked in the heat of battle, showed no visible reaction, but over on Luna's side, several crew members suddenly began brawling over trivial, meaningless grievances.
Even Nekomamushi and Inuarashi's eyes began turning bloodshot as they glared at each other, looking as though they were ready to tear each other apart at any second...
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