Chapter 101: Giant Guards! The Emperor's Captured Friend

Fifty years. Fifty god forsaken years serving as soldiers of the World Government's Judicial Island; yet in actuality they were little more than gatekeepers. Gerd and Kāshī, were members of the giant race, the greatest and largest species in EarthLand; they were meant to be warriors or in Gerd's case a wife, she despised the sexist roles of her peoples traditions, yet here they both were ripped from their families and friends at age twelve and made slaves to the government. No honour, no freedom...no choice. Both giants had similar backgrounds; Kāshī was kidnapped from his Elbaf home in the middle of the night leaving behind his parents and his brother Harujdin. Moreover, Gerd had been sold to the Government by a woman who she had once thought of as a mother figure; a role model. And ever since that day, fifty years ago, that girl had grown up leaning the hard way about trust, duplicity and greed. Mother Carmel was no saint, she had played everyone for fools. The one regret Gerd had was that she had failed to keep her promise to her best friend from the orphanage all those years ago. Mother Carmel; the slaver, selling children to celestial dragons, corrupt marines, Cipher Pol for indoctrination and to lesser nobles who wanted sadistic fun. 'I will keep my promise, even if I have to wait another fifty years'.

Neither she nor Kāshī had any idea what had happened to anyone form their pasts, Enies Lobby was a veritable black hole of news. The Five Elders made sure of that, and with there always being some form of navy presence smuggling was non existent. Hence, the soul crushing loneliness and barely controllable simmering hatred they both harboured to their bosses. And yet as they stood either side of the drawbridge entrance to Enies Lobby they both heard the familiar chime of the latest train pulling into Waterfall Station; not knowing that the single biggest event since the Burning of the Gods was about to take place. And their freedom was nearing. Turning her head towards her fellow giant, Gerd, motioned for him to get back into some semblance of compliance and duty; she didn't want to see his beaten and tortured body again, all because his warriors pride refused to bend. "Get ready for more arrogant bastards!" Kāshī muttered inner his breath, smiling as he caught an uplift in Gerd's facial expression. Standing up, flinching at the sounds of their chains rattling, both giants took ahold of their double bladed axes and took up the sentinel positions awaiting the draw bridges lowing and arrival of new honourable guests.

"Rocketman's going off the rails!" Granny Kokoro yelled over the tannoy system, as the train smashed through the buffers at the end of the line and continued right into the station complex itself; crushing several marines and black suited officials. Vivi clamped her hands over Suki and Chimney's eyes preventing them from seeing the mess of bloodied bodies being flung over the train and being crumpled even more than they already had been. Zoro and Sanji managed to somehow keep themselves somewhat upright, and dragged the masked hitch hiker in the window to keep them from being squashed. The masked guy was now on the receiving end of scowls and frowns from both ether swordsman an the chef, expressions that he knew meant that they had sussed him out but weren't telling anyone, as it wasn't their place to do so. There was suddenly an almighty crash as the train struck a concrete bollard flipping the train onto its side, detaching the locomotive from the carriage and sliding them into the main street outside. Just a few hundred yards from the drawbridge, and the actual island beyond.

"This looks intriguing..." Kāshī muttered, gripping his axe yet refraining from moving into attack position. Gerd didn't move, she remained where she stood shocked at the manner of the trains arrival, and the destruction in its wake. Just then the carriage began to dissipate and turn into a pile of sand, from which emerged seven people; all but three of them looking shaken by their ordeal. "That was great!" A teenage boy wearing jean shorts a white T-shirt and a straw hat yelled, grinning; before being assaulted by two girls one orange haired and one blue haired. "No it bloody wasn't!" Both girls yelled. Gerd felt the strong sense of camaraderie between each of the seven people, which surprised her greatly, and made her less wanting to move forwards. But then the order came, in the form of electric shocks administered from their collars. It always meant the same, 'kill them'. Kāshī was the first to move, "Let's deal with these people quickly, that way we can avoid further shocks".

Zoro was the first to notice the rumbling of the ground, and as he turned his head he saw them. Two giants charging at them wielding double bladed axes. "Huh," he grunted. "Who the Government had giants?" Applying his headband, Zoro gripped both Wado Ichimonji and Yubishira with biting down on the handle of Elucidator. "Three Sword Style," he uttered, "108 Caliber Phoenix!" The multiple horizontal and diagonal flying slashes cut three gashes into Kāshī's shoulder which slowed the giant down enough for Sanji to leap into the air and unleash a series of kicks upon the enemy; "Concassé!" The chef yelled. The giant punched forward, knocking the chef backwards but then opening himself up to a massive lightning burst from Nami's Clima-Tact. Luffy was about to then use his dark-dark powers to end the fight when Suki rushed forwards and pointed at the collar, "don't hurt him! He wearing a slave collar!" Immediately the crew stopped attacking and looked at the young girl, who was now openly crying. "He's obviously being forced to do this, those collars emit an electric shock when never themaster wants something done". Vivi hurried forwards and wrapped Suki in a tight embrace, "Suki...I said you don't have to talk about if you didn't want to—" She was interrupted by the arrival of the second giant standing over them looking shocked that someone knew what was going on. "How do you know about these?" Gerd asked, pointing to her collar. "She doesn't have to answer, its too painful for her..."Vivi began. "Oh yes she does!" Snarled he other giant, now standing tall, axe straight at them, "who are you?"

Luffy instantly stood directly in front of Suki and Vivi, and used his powers to create a swirl of darkness in his right hand, "just try it! I dare you!" He snarled. Kāshī was so startled by the boy's conviction that his anger left his face, replaced by a vacant shock. "Kāshī! Stop, it's obvious they are care about the girl, so we should antagonise them any further," Gerd interjected. "The little lass is correct—" Gerd continued, "myself; Gerd, and Kāshī here were both kidnapped and sold to the Government as children..." Years of pent up sadness suddenly began to flood out of her, and she collapsed to her knees crying. "Gerd..." Kāshī tried comfortingly but the the collar around her neck sparked up making her yell out in pain. "Get up you pathetic giants! You call yourselves warriors of Elbaf, you are here to guard Enies Lobby! So get to it!" A voice screamed out over the island's speaker system. If the straw hats had seen the giants as enemies before, they didn't now as all animosity vanished replaced by sympathy and a desire to free them from tyranny. Seeing the distress and pain on the two giants faces luffy made his way forwards, still the darkness wrapped around his fingers. As he approached the female giant, Gerd he remembered, the other, glared at him. "What are you doing...?" Kāshī stumbled into silence as he witnessed the darkness engulf the slave collar, and then disappear leaving no collar in sight. "I know of the Governments cruelty, I witnessed a Buster Call on my home kingdom. And I won't let anyone else suffer the pain, in whatever form, from those bastards!"

"You two want revenge right? For what the marines and government did to you. So help us in our attack on Enies Lobby!" Luffy's invitation was instantaneous after he'd freed both Gerd and Kāshī from their collars, to the surprise of his crew and not least the giants. "You want our help?" Gerd whispered, still looking dumbfounded. "Of course!" Luffy responded, grinning, "freedom to do whatever you want is the greatest freedom of all!" Behind him, Nami blushed bright red as she remembered the moment when Arlong was defeated and her villages freedom was reinstated, as well as her decision to accompany the one she loved. Looking at each other, both giants lowered themselves to the ground and bowed. "Thank you! Thank you, so very much for giving us back our lives! We shall do whatever we can to aid in your attack," looking up at into the distance luffy saw the still raised drawbridge. Taking it as the sign to advance; the entire straw hat crew, two giants and a disguised Usopp all began moving forward. Kāshī raised his axe above his head, and took up a battle stance, "Hey straw hat! You and your crew may wish to move".

Before luffy or anyone else could ask why, Gerd simply picked up all the pirates in her hands and stood behind her fellow giant. "Kāshī is about to unleash the power of Elbaf upon the gatehouse and the Tower of Law, prepare yourselves". Zoro stared in wonder as he saw a stance he didn't recognise, then with deadly speed and accuracy; Kāshī spun around and released several spherical slashes directly at the drawbridge and the Tower of Law. The resulting damage was utterly catastrophic, all that remained was the buildings structural skeleton, and of course the drawbridge came down, undamaged and ready for crossing". And all the giant did was utter two words in combination with a deadly attack that only those of the giant race could master:

"Ikkoku Sovereignty!"