"Heh heh!"
The two giants glanced at each other after hearing Ian's words, then turned to Ian. "If that's the case, we can't just pretend we didn't see this!"
"Ian! Let us see your strength!"
Ian rubbed his forehead.
Of course, the giant race was known for being battle-hungry.
Seeing a powerful enemy, how could they resist the urge to fight?
"Is that so?"
Ian smiled. "It might not be that interesting for you."
"Gahh hah hah hah! In fact, being defeated by a strong opponent is itself quite the fun thing!"
Brogy laughed heartily.
Dorry had already raised his massive shield and sword. "Come on, Ian! Let us witness the strength of today's pirates!"
"Well then," Ian smiled. "Let's do this. But let me say this first: it's not ideal to fight on a ship, so I'll end this battle in an instant."
"In an instant?"
Brogy raised his shield and giant axe. "Now this is getting exciting, Ian!"
"Come on, friend!"
Dorry cheered. "Come, defeat us!"
"Then—"
Ian's lips curled slightly. "Here."
Swish!
In an instant, he had already disappeared.
"What—"
Dorry's exclamation barely left his mouth when he suddenly noticed a shadow.
He instinctively raised his shield to defend.
Boom!
With an earth-shattering crash, Dorry's shield shattered. His entire body was launched like a cannonball, flying past the deck and crashing into the sea on one side.
"Ga-ba-ba-ba-ba! Dorry was instantly sent flying?"
Seeing his close friend get knocked away, Brogy didn't feel any sense of loss. Instead, he laughed even louder, raising his massive axe and swinging it down towards Ian with a powerful kick.
"You're flying too."
Ian chuckled lightly, using his Moon Walk to gather strength, spinning in mid-air and delivering a whip-like kick to the massive axe.
The finely crafted giant axe from Elbaf instantly shattered. After ninety years of fierce battles, this weapon had accumulated significant damage. Now, with Ian's internal destruction Haki hitting it, there was no reason for it to remain intact.
Brogy's hand was sent flying, his body stumbling backward.
At the same time, Ian had already launched himself in front of him, gently pushing.
Emission!
A technique that uses the burst of Haki to send the enemy flying.
Though he never learned it from Kizaru, such a simple move didn't need formal training.
Bang!
The next moment, Brogy was sent flying off the deck.
Ian landed lightly on the ship's rail, looking down at the two giants who were now thrashing in the sea below. "How's that?"
"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh! That was awesome!"
Dorry, who was the first to surface from the water, laughed loudly. "What a powerful strike! Impressive, Ian!"
"Ga-ba-ba-ba-ba! No chance to fight back at all!"
Brogy also surfaced from the water, laughing heartily. "How embarrassing. I thought we'd at least have a proper fight."
"Your weapons are too damaged. How could they possibly withstand my Haki?"
Ian said with a smile. "And after ninety years of battles, your bodies have taken too much wear and tear."
One could say, fighting two battles every day for ninety years without ever holding back, yet they still remained as lively as ever. It was truly hard to understand.
"Change weapons and rest for a while, there's no way I could win that easily."
Ian said.
This wasn't just modesty.
These two could withstand Topman Warcury's attacks, even bouncing him back. There's no way they could be that weak.
"Hehehehe! A loss is a loss, no need for an explanation!"
"Gabbababbabbab! Yeah, it's just that we're not as skilled!"
Ian chuckled lightly.
Rough and straightforward, that's what giants are like.
They're a group of easygoing people.
After this small episode, the Golden Dragon Ship continued forward.
Along the way, the two giants told Ian and the others many things about the Giant Kingdom.
Its location, history, heroes, and also, its beliefs.
"The Sun God, he is the deity worshiped by our giant race!"
Dorry said, "It is said that he can freely change his form, just like the sun, bringing light and hope to the world."
"The Sun God?"
Yamato was stunned, looking at Ian, "Isn't that your DF ability?"
"Huh?"
Both giants froze.
"Ian's ability?"
Law was also taken aback, "Come to think of it, Ian, what's the name of your ability?"
They had been following this guy for years, seeing him use his DF ability countless times, but Law only just realized.
It seemed like Ian had never told them the name of his Devil Fruit.
Did he only tell Yamato, the person who grew up with him?
"My ability is called the Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Winged Dragon of Ra (Sun God)."
Ian explained, "It should be different from the Sun God you giants worship."
Whether Joy Boy is the sun god, worshipped by the Giants, remains unclear.
He didn't know whether the legend of the sun god came first, and then Joy Boy awakened his Nika form in response to it, or if Joy Boy himself created the legend of the sun god.
All he knew was that his version of the sun god was completely different from the Giants' legend.
The two Giants exchanged a glance.
Then…
"Gahaha! What a coincidence!"
"Hehehe! Perhaps, this is the meeting of fate!"
The Giants didn't mind at all. In fact, they found it quite amusing.
They didn't feel that their beliefs were being trampled on in the slightest.
Soon, the Golden Dragon reached the outer edge of a snow-covered island.
"Is that Drum Island?"
Law, wrapped in a fur coat and exhaling clouds of cold air, gazed at the island with anticipation. "The legendary medical nation! It's said that the world's best doctors are here!"
After all, he was a doctor himself.
"I'll help you get some medical books later, but before that," Ian smiled, "there's someone we need to bring with us."
The Munch Munch Fruit—that was indeed a very powerful Devil Fruit.
How could it be wasted here?
Almost as soon as Ian arrived at Drum Island…
At Marine Headquarters, in Marineford.
The sharp sound of an alarm instantly put this fortress of justice on high alert.
Admiral Sengoku stood on the high tower of the headquarters, gazing at the sky, sweat pouring from his forehead. "Shiki! You bastard! Why aren't you rotting away in some corner of the world? What the hell are you doing here now?"
In the sky, a man silently floated there.
The golden striped kimono and long golden hair fluttered as he held a cigar in his mouth, looking down at the Marine Headquarters below and the Fleet Admiral Kong standing at the peak of the headquarters.
Shiki the Golden Lion!
Shiki the Golden Lion who escaped from Impel Down nine years ago, breaking the Impel Down record! The man who had been in hiding all these years, how could he suddenly appear now!
Shiki gently flicked the ashes from his cigar and casually said, "Just wanted to say, I'm back."
"By the way, here's a little gift for you. I hope you like it."
He snapped his fingers lightly.
Kong paused for a moment.
Then, his expression instantly changed as he looked up in shock.
In the depths of the sky, something black suddenly began to fall.
It grew bigger and bigger!
A sharp explosive sound screamed through the air, causing the sky to darken.
Fleet Admiral Kong's eyes nearly burst, "Shiki! What the hell have you done!"
The thing falling from the sky… was an island!!
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