Chapter 158: Harald... Is Dead?
"Dorry—!!"
Brogy's voice arrived before he did.
The thunderous roar shook leaves from the trees.
Dorry was clearly taken aback.
He set down the massive beast leg he was roasting, stood up, and narrowed his eyes beneath his iron helmet.
"Brogy? It's not time for our duel yet. What brings you to my camp?"
Dorry's voice was steady as a bell.
"This goes against the rules of our century-long duels."
"Forget the rules! Something terrible has happened, Dorry!!"
Brogy rushed up to Dorry and eagerly opened his palm, revealing the pale-faced Ralph inside.
He recounted everything Ralph had told him, emphasizing the part about "Harald bowing to the World Government."
Sure enough, Dorry's reaction mirrored Brogy's exactly.
"What?!"
Dorry's roar was even louder than Brogy's.
He snatched Ralph from Brogy's hand.
"Human! Explain clearly! Prince Harald... he really..."
In his agitation, Dorry unconsciously tightened his grip.
Crack.
Ralph heard the sound of his ribs straining under the pressure.
Then, lack of oxygen, pain, exhaustion, and the accumulated injuries from being in Brogy's hand all surged through him at once.
His vision began to blur, and the roars in his ears faded into the distance...
Just before losing consciousness completely, the last thing Ralph saw was—
On the other side of the camp, Lufia, Vivi, and Sanji emerged from the woods.
Lufia was holding a huge piece of meat with the bone still attached. Seeing Ralph in the giant's grip, she paused for a moment, then waved happily:
"Ralph! You're here too! Great! Uncle Dorry's roasted meat is super delicious!"
Then she spotted Zoro, Nami, and Usopp catching up, and her eyes lit up even more:
"Everyone! We're all together!"
As for Ralph's safety, Lufia just giggled.
"The giants are good people. Ralph will be fine!"
This was Lufia's intuitive judgment.
She had an almost beast-like sensitivity to people's hearts, able to discern who harbored ill intent and who was merely fierce on the surface.
However, good intentions could still lead to trouble!
Because Dorry was too agitated.
"Human! Speak quickly! What exactly happened to Harald..."
Dorry shook Ralph in his hand, trying to rouse him.
But for Ralph, who had already reached his limit, this was the final straw.
Ralph's head slumped weakly, and he completely lost consciousness.
Dorry and Brogy stared at each other.
"He fainted?"
Brogy leaned in for a closer look.
"Seems... like he fainted."
Dorry said somewhat awkwardly,
"Humans are so fragile."
"Now we can't ask him anything."
Brogy scratched his head.
"Hey! What did you do to Ralph?!"
Sanji was the first to rush over, his sharp gaze fixed on the two giants.
Despite the vast difference in size, he didn't back down in the slightest.
Princess Vivi also ran over. Seeing Ralph unconscious, she asked anxiously:
"Does your ship have a doctor, or someone skilled in medicine?"
Everyone's fingers pointed in unison at the unconscious Ralph.
Vivi: "Sigh..."
She sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead.
Actually, Nami had some medical knowledge, roughly at a beginner's level.
But with Ralph on the ship, she'd never shown it.
Now that Ralph was down, she had to step forward.
"Let me take a look."
Nami took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Dorry carefully crouched down, gently laying Ralph flat on the ground.
He performed this action with extreme care, afraid of causing further harm to this fragile human.
Nami examined Ralph's body.
"Breathing is steady, heartbeat is strong—there shouldn't be any life-threatening danger."
Nami let out a sigh of relief.
"Some ribs might be cracked, but not broken. Mainly exhaustion from overexertion, plus the earlier shock... He needs proper rest."
It was only then that Lufia realized the seriousness of the situation.
She crouched beside Ralph, looking at her companion's pale face, her expression showing panic for the first time.
"Ralph? Ralph, wake up!"
She shook Ralph's shoulders.
"Someone help Ralph!"
"Stop shaking him!"
Nami quickly intervened.
"He needs to rest quietly now!"
"Oh, oh..."
Lufia obediently withdrew her hands, but her eyes remained fixed on Ralph.
The atmosphere grew somewhat awkward for a moment.
The two giants looked at each other, both seeing apology in the other's eyes.
Through their brief time together, they had already formed a decent friendship with the rest of the Straw Hat crew.
A friend's companion is also a friend.
And now, they had knocked out their friend's friend.
That was rather impolite.
"Um..."
Brogy rubbed his large hands together, like a child who had done something wrong.
"How about... we eat something first? We can talk after this little brother wakes up?"
Dorry nodded, turning to tear off a large piece of golden, juicy roasted dinosaur meat from the grill.
The piece of meat was larger than Lufia herself, its aroma filling the air.
Sanji sighed.
He knew blaming the giants now was pointless, and judging by their expressions, they truly hadn't meant any harm.
"I'll handle the ingredients."
Sanji rolled up his sleeves.
"I'm good at lighting fires and roasting meat, but let me handle the seasoning. Ralph will also need some easily digestible food when he wakes up."
"I'll help too!"
Vivi volunteered.
As a princess, she wasn't skilled at cooking, but she could assist with preparations.
And so, a peculiar scene unfolded.
Two giants over twenty meters tall and a group of ordinary humans sat together around the same campfire.
Sanji showcased his exceptional culinary skills.
Not only did he re-season the dinosaur meat roasted by the giants, but he also cooked a large pot of rich, fragrant meat stew.
The aroma of the roasted meat drifted through the air, attracting many jungle beasts.
But upon seeing the towering figures of the two giants, they only dared to linger at a distance, afraid to approach, lest they end up on the grill themselves.
The rest of the Straw Hat crew gradually relaxed as well.
Zoro sat nearby with his sword in his arms, eyes closed in meditation, but his ears remained alert, constantly attentive to the surroundings.
Usopp was initially trembling with fear, but after tasting Sanji's specially prepared roasted meat, he immediately cast his fears to the wind.
Lufia ate with particular enthusiasm.
She held a piece of meat larger than her face in one hand, chewing with her face covered in grease, occasionally glancing worriedly at the unconscious Ralph beside her.
And the most eye-catching of all was the little black dinosaur Ralph had saved.
Zoro saved the little creature once again.
If not for his reminder, the little dinosaur would have successfully ended up on the grill!
The little creature had somehow made its way over, holding a piece of roasted meat Sanji had specially cut small for it, eating with loud "munching" sounds, its little black tail wagging happily back and forth.
At the same time, like Lufia, it also occasionally glanced toward Ralph.
The night grew deeper, the campfire crackling.
Just as this peculiar "feast" reached its midpoint, Ralph's nose twitched.
He smelled the aroma of meat.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The first thing that came into view was the flickering flames of the campfire.
Next, were his companions gathered around the fire.
And then, four huge eyes as large as lanterns.
Dorry and Brogy crouched by the fire, their massive heads leaning close, their four eyes fixed unblinkingly on Ralph.
In their gazes was the joy of seeing him awake, along with a thick, unshakeable apology.
"You're finally awake!"
Sanji noticed Ralph waking up.
He immediately ladled a bowl of warm meat broth and handed it to Ralph.
"Eat something to regain your strength."
Sanji, for once, wasn't smoking.
"Everyone's been worried about you. Those two have been waiting eagerly for you for an hour."
Ralph struggled to sit up.
His ribs still ached, but it was within bearable limits.
He raised his head and looked at the two giants.
"I'm sorry," Ralph spoke first, "I was also in the wrong earlier, being sharp-tongued and talking nonsense."
He paused, then continued:
"I want to apologize for my earlier remarks."
"Harald was not weak."
"As a king, he did everything he could for his country."
"If he hadn't been tricked by the World Government, Harald, if he had lived to this day, would surely have made Elbaph more prosperous and powerful..."
Before he could finish, "What—?!"
Two deafening roars erupted simultaneously.
Dorry and Brogy shot to their feet, their movements so forceful they nearly overturned the campfire.
An intense rage burst from the two giants, stirring a fierce wind through the surrounding jungle. Leaves rustled loudly, and the campfire flickered violently.
Everyone in the Straw Hat crew stopped what they were doing.
"What did you just say?"
Brogy's voice trembled, "Harald... is dead?"
Dorry stared fixedly at Ralph, his eyes beneath his iron helmet bloodshot:
"Speak clearly! Human! Tell us everything you know!"
"What happened over these 100 years?"
"What did Harald go through that made him choose to side with the World Government!"
"What kind of scheme could bring down such a powerful Harald!"
"What is Elbaph like now after Harald's death!"
Dorry and Brogy felt a complex mix of emotions.
While their best friend experienced the great ups and downs of life, they had known nothing.
While their country might have faced crisis, they were powerless, absent.
As Elbaph's once strongest warriors, the two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, for a hundred years...
What had they done?
They had fought for a full century on this isolated Little Garden.
And this... was exactly what Ralph wanted them to reflect upon.