I am really sorry for not uploading any chapters for past few days.
I am really sick right now and also got Malaria. My body temperature is not dropping below 100 F and there's a constant ache in my body that is killing me.
Two days ago, I had my birthday and we can't even celebrate it due to me being sick.
I am totally bedridden and only getting off it to go to the washroom.
As I am writing this, my parents did not know that I am off the bed and uploading this.
But the matter of fact is, I am still alive and had not yet kicked the bucket. So, please give me some time to recover from this and I'll be back on uploading.
Thank you.
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The last chapter I had written is chapter 70, and Luffy and Yuji is finally facing off Crocodile.
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Attendance Please:
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The shockwave from Broggy's axe striking Dorry's sword was immense. It bent trees for miles, as if an invisible god had dragged a finger across the island. A powerful gust of wind howled toward the cliff where Luffy, Yuji, Nami, Usopp, and Vivi stood, watching the duel.
They covered their faces as their clothes whipped against their skin, then peeked through their fingers at the two giants who had just pushed each other back like colliding continents.
"SUGOI!!!!" Luffy and Usopp shouted together, their voices perfectly in sync with pure excitement. They turned to each other and grinned.
Nami and Vivi stood frozen, their faces filled with terror.
"Th—This is… insane!" Vivi exclaimed as the giants clashed again. Another shockwave rippled through the air.
"I don't understand," Nami said. "How is this island still in one piece if they've been doing this for a hundred years!?"
"Because they are holding back."
Yuji's voice cut through the wind as he watched Broggy dodge a sword swipe from Dorry, a strike that could have sliced the top off any mountain like a boiled egg.
Nami turned to him, confused. "Huh? How do you know that?"
This time, Usopp answered. There was something different in his voice, a quiet confidence that made everyone turn toward him.
"Because they don't want to kill one another."
Luffy, Yuji, Nami, and Vivi all stared at him.
"You see," Usopp continued, his eyes never leaving the giants, "whatever started their duel over a hundred years ago… it had to be just a fight between best friends. Like Zoro and Sanji." He paused. "Because if it were really that serious, neither of them would have forgotten the reason. That only proves one thing, they're still doing this for the love of the game."
Silence.
Luffy and Yuji nodded as if Usopp had just stated the obvious, that the sky is blue.
Vivi tilted her head, trying to process his words.
Nami rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Hmmm… I can understand some of what you just said, like how Zoro and Sanji would definitely fight each other given the chance." She paused. "But what I don't get is… how did you figure out those two idiots are best friends!?"
Luffy, Yuji, and Usopp stared at her with the same blank expression shared by three men who had just been told that breathing was harmful.
"W—Why are you guys looking at me like that?!"
The three shook their heads slowly, filled with pity.
"H—Hey, answer me!" Nami stammered, her voice rising.
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BACK AT THE DUEL—
Dorry slammed his shield into Broggy's face with a thunderous sound. Broggy stumbled backward. In that moment, Dorry thrust his sword toward his friend's exposed belly, a lethal strike to any outsider.
But Dorry knew. He knew his friend could dodge it.
And just as he expected, Broggy, without even looking, blocked the thrust with his shield. Then, in one smooth motion born from a century of combat, he flipped his axe and swung it upward at Dorry's chin.
Dorry leaned his head back as the axe passed by, close enough to shave his beard.
But Broggy saw it coming. He shifted his grip mid-swing and brought the axe down with all his terrifying might.
Dorry rolled aside.
It was the best decision he had ever made.
Broggy's axe split the ground before him. A crack raced forward for miles, devouring earth and stone until it reached the distant sea. The sea itself parted, two towering walls of water standing upright before crashing back down.
Luffy, Yuji, Usopp, Nami, and Vivi's eyes widened.
"My God!" Nami covered her mouth, her fingers trembling.
Vivi stepped back instinctively, her composure shattered.
Usopp looked from Broggy to the giant crack in the earth, then back again.
"AMAZING!!!" Luffy threw his hands into the air as if trying to grab the sky. Then he spun toward Yuji with the expression of a child who had just discovered fire. "Oi, Yuji, is this the Haki thingy? Tell me, tell me…"
Yuji, equally stunned, shook his head slowly. "I… I don't know, Luffy. Even though I'm close to awakening my own Haki, I've never actually felt what it's like." He turned to Usopp, who was still staring at Broggy. "Oi, Usopp…"
The sniper snapped out of his trance. "Huh… Wh—what is it!?"
"You can already use some form of Observation Haki. So tell us…" Yuji's eyes gleamed. "Did you sense anything when Broggy swung his axe down?"
Luffy turned to Usopp, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Nami and Vivi also stared at the sniper, even though they didn't fully understand what was happening. Nami had heard Yuji mention Haki before, she knew it was important.
"I…" Usopp paused, choosing his words carefully. "…There was something, but I can't quite describe it." He met their eyes. "That's all I can say for now."
Just then, Dorry's laughter boomed across the battlefield.
"GEGYAGYAGYAGYAGYAGYA… Looks like you're not holding back anymore, eh, Broggy!?" He stood, brushing debris off his shoulder. "Trying to impress our little friends?"
Broggy's laugh answered, "GABABABABABABA… What can I say? It's been so long since we had visitors."
Dorry grinned. "You're right." He gripped his sword tightly, and the air around him shifted. "Then I don't have to hold back anymore either."
He raised his sword high and spun it three times.
Then he slashed diagonally at Broggy.
Broggy raised his shield immediately but was pushed back by an invisible force. Grinning, he deflected the attack to his right, toward rows of massive mountains.
The invisible force cut through them diagonally, clean and sharp. The severed peaks slid from their bases with a groan that shook the island.
"THERE IT IS… I SENSED THAT SAME THING…" Usopp shouted, pointing wildly at Dorry's sword and Broggy's shield. He spun to Yuji. "Is that Haki!?"
Yuji grinned. "Yes, my friend. I can now say for sure that our giant friends are using Haki. More specifically—" His grin widened, "—Armament Haki."
Usopp turned back to the clashing giants. Each strike now felt heavier, and the ground shook violently, with cracks spreading everywhere.
"So this is what Armament Haki can do, eh!" Luffy muttered. He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if trying to feel something that wasn't there yet.
Then Dorry and Broggy raised their weapons, a sword and an axe, for what felt like the final clash.
"DORRYYYY!!!"
"BROGGYYY!!!"
Yuji's instincts screamed. He grabbed Nami and Usopp and jumped off the cliff. Luffy, acting on pure reflex, grabbed Vivi and followed.
Just in time.
The shockwave from Dorry and Broggy's final clash radiated in all directions, shaking the entire island of Little Garden to its core. It completely destroyed the cliff where the group had stood just moments before.
Luffy and Yuji, still holding their friends, looked up.
Their eyes widened.
The sky itself had split in two.
A perfect, clean divide stretched from horizon to horizon. Clouds parted like curtains, revealing blue sky through the wound in the world.
'These two are really something else,' Yuji thought. 'Even without Conqueror's Haki, they split the sky with just their Armament Haki. And I'm sure that was the advanced version.'
He looked down. Dorry and Broggy had been thrown back by their own Haki. Their weapons and shields were scattered far away. Both giants lay on the ground, their chests heaving.
"73,466 battles…" Broggy said, his voice filled with exhaustion and pride.
"…73,466 draws." Dorry finished.
Silence.
Then, both of them began to laugh.
"GABABABABABABA/GEGYAGYAGYAGYAGYA!!"
The laughter echoed across the ruined landscape. It was the sound of something ancient and indomitable.
Then both giants sat bolt upright, as if struck by the same terrible thought. They turned toward where the cliff had been and screamed in unison.
"AAAHHHHHH… WE ACCIDENTALLY KILLED OUR LITTLE FRIENDS!" Dorry clutched his head in horror.
"My little friends… what have I done?!" Broggy stared at his hands.
A distant yell came from below.
"OII, WE'RE FINE…"
"Huh!?" Both giants bent down, their huge faces hovering just above the ground.
Luffy, Yuji, and Usopp grinned up at them.
Nami and Vivi knelt on the ground, embracing each other tightly as tears streamed down their faces.
"W—We almost died!" they cried out together.
"Gababababa… oh, I'm so glad you little ones are okay," Broggy said, his relief evident.
"Me too. Gegyagyagya…" Dorry added, his laughter softer now.
Luffy and Usopp stared at the giants with a look approaching worship.
"You two were so cool during the duel," Usopp breathed.
"Yeah…" Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Dorry was like swish with his sword…"
"…then Broggy was like bam with his shield and blocked that Haki attack!" Usopp continued.
"Oh, oh, and that last clash, it was like whoosh—" Luffy spread his arms wide, trying to describe something too big for words. He smiled at the giants. "I wish I could do that."
"Yeah…" Usopp muttered quietly.
Dorry and Broggy looked at each other and smiled, then glanced down at the two young warriors.
"Do not worry, little warriors," Broggy said gently. "I believe that one day, you will be able to do it too."
"That's right," Dorry added. "Just believe in yourself and in your friends, and never stray from your path."
Luffy and Usopp's eyes widened, then they smiled, broad and bright.
"YOSH!!! Then I'll train harder so I can achieve my dream," fire burning in Luffy's eyes.
"Me too…" Usopp clenched his fists. "One day, I'll truly become a brave warrior of the sea, and the whole world will know my name."
"GEGYAGYAGYAGYAGYA… that's the spirit, little ones. Never lose that will of yours," Dorry nodded.
Broggy's face lit up. "This calls for a celebration." He looked at Dorry and said, "Let's share our handmade mead with the little warriors."
"Great idea," Dorry replied.
Just then—
"Mead, you say?"
The voice was familiar. Zoro emerged from the forest, carrying two unconscious bodies over his shoulders like sacks of grain.
"Is alcohol the only thing in that empty head of yours?!" Sanji followed behind, also carrying two limp forms.
"ZORO!!! SANJI!!! Where were you two? You completely missed the awesome duel!" Luffy's grin could have lit up a dark room.
"Yeah, man, that was something else," Usopp added.
"You don't say," Sanji said, looking around at the destruction with a raised eyebrow.
Zoro looked up at the giants. "Even though I didn't watch the duel, the shockwaves were felt all across the island."
Nami, still recovering, pointed to the obvious question. "Okay, we can talk about that dangerous duel that almost killed us later. But first…" She jabbed her finger at the unconscious people. "…Who the hell are these four!?"
"They're Baroque Works agents," Vivi said, her eyes fixed on the limp bodies with cold recognition.
"What!?" Nami exclaimed, spinning back to Zoro and Sanji. "How did you two even find them!?"
"Well..." Zoro rubbed the back of his head.
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FLASHBACK—
Before entering the forest, Yuji pulled Zoro and Sanji aside on the deck of the Going Merry.
"Something wrong?" Zoro asked.
"I want you two to keep an eye out for anything unusual in the forest."
Sanji rubbed his chin, the cigarette glowing. "Odd? Like what?"
"We know Baroque Works is after us because we helped Vivi…"
Zoro and Sanji nodded in agreement.
"…So who's to say they aren't already here, waiting in this dangerous forest filled with traps everywhere?"
Zoro and Sanji considered it carefully. The reasoning made sense.
"He's not wrong," Sanji admitted.
Zoro nodded slowly. "Yeah, that could definitely happen."
"Keep a watchful eye on your surroundings, both of you."
The duo nodded in agreement.
"We will."
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FLASHBACK ENDS—
The group turned toward Yuji in surprise.
Usopp spoke first. "It looks like Yuji's intuition was right."
They all nodded in agreement.
Vivi turned to Yuji, confused. "I thought you tied up Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine at Whisky Peak! What are they doing here?"
Yuji shrugged calmly. "Who knows? Maybe they freed themselves. I was never trying to kill them anyway."
Silence fell over the group. Even the two giants listened quietly, their massive heads tilted with curiosity.
"So… what now?" Nami asked, looking around for answers.
Sanji blew out a puff of smoke. "Well, we've got some explosive news for these two friendly giants."
Zoro scowled. "Yeah, and they're definitely not going to like it."
With that, Zoro and Sanji began to share everything they had overheard from the agents, a story that would soon transform the giants' celebratory mood into something far more perilous.
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See you in next chapter...