Disclaimer: Godzilla and One Piece are the sole properties of Toho Co. LTD and Eiichiro Oda respectively. KP360 claims no ownership of anything save for any OCs, abilities, and locations.
Song: Two Souls-Towards the Truth by fripSide (Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kissen-hen Opening, episode 6-12)
Nobody expected what just happened to occur. One minute the warrior giant was drinking his fill and the next he's wheezing and coughing up blood. To the 3 onlookers, a sudden attack like this is something they never expected. Whatever caused the explosion seemed to have done considerable damage to the giant, as Dorry is now hunched over, blood seeping out of his mouth. None of them knew how the explosives got there.
"How-How did that sake explode?" Vivi whimpered "Could the other giant have-" That idea was quickly dashed when Luffy shot her a glare.
"Were you not paying attention to their battle?" Luffy demanded "If they fought for 100 years, why would either one of them think doing such a thing?!"
"Luffy's right. Those two seem way too hands on to do any underhand tactics like that. If Brogy wanted to sabotage the duel, he would've had many opportunities to do so. It just seems too out of place." Gian agreed.
"Then how could that have happened? Who else could've done it?" Vivi asked.
"You… you guys… did this?!" a rumble sounded from behind them. The 3 turned to see Dorry staggering up, injured but with rage in his eyes. The giant shakily raised his sword, ready to stab the 3 of them. Vivi's eyes widen in horror as she realized the giant's misjudgment.
"He thinks we were the ones who set the trap!" Vivi realized, she wanted to tell everyone to run, as there was no way that the giant would listen to them in his rage-induced frenzy. Beside her, Carue almost fainted from fear and instead simply bolted into the underbush. But before she could do that, she noticed that Luffy and Gian did not budge.
"We aren't going to be able to run from this." Luffy told her.
"But we all know it wasn't one of us! We can't prove that to him if you get killed!"
"There are other ways to get the point across. Sometimes, there will come a time when talking just doesn't work well." Gian repeated.
"But you don't have to fight!" Vivi cried. She then ran between the giant and Luffy. "Dorry-san! Please listen! We don't know anything about the sake exploding!" She pleaded. Dorry eyed the 3 people. They looks like such honest youths, and logically they wouldn't do something like this… But if it wasn't them, then the only one left would be Brogy, and there is simply no way the other giant would do such a thing.
With that in mind, Dorry raised his longsword with a war cry, intending to strike down these small humans.
"So it has to be that way, huh…" Gian sighed "Guess we have no other choice but to convince him physically." The longsword sliced downwards, intending to cut the Kaiju-Zoan user in half. Gian's eyes flashed their usual amber color as a fiery blue aura enveloped him, his Partial Transformation revealed as the blue wave dissipated. Using both hands, he quickly caught the blade as it descended, pushing back against it in a deadlock.
Vivi's eyes widened in horror as the form that Gian took snarled as it pushed back against the sword, the combined force actually cracking the ground beneath him. The burst of energy that the man released was on a completely different level than what Mr. 0.5 could do. And such strength! Although he's still dwarfed by the giant, he was gripping the sword and throwing his weight back with only slight effort! This is what a monster's strength is, and Vivi could do nothing except look on.
Clearly she wasn't the only one familiar with it, as Dorry's eyes widened a fraction when he recognized the form.
"You…have a…"
"That's right… I had no other choice if you're to be acting like this. Please bear with us for now. DO IT LUFFY!" Gian barked back.
"Gomu-Gomu no… ROCKET!" and Luffy shot himself towards the giant's stomach. Dorry let out a bellow of pain before slumping over, knocked unconscious with blood dribbling out of his mouth.
"Sorry it had to come to this. But we need you to quiet down for now." Gian sighed as he reverted back to normal.
"Your transformation seemed different this time." Luffy noted "That fire wasn't there before!"
"Yeah… I don't know how that happened either. Another thing to note is that I hardly feel tired after doing so. It's like being on this island makes it easier to access my powers." Gian nodded. He then checked the unconscious Dorry over "His pulse is still there. He's alive, at least."
"Still… who could be so wicked to do such a thing?!" Luffy seethed.
"Could someone else really have done it?" Vivi asked, having gotten over her shock.
"There has to be. Like I said before, the other giant had so many opportunities to do something, but yet they fought on equal footing for the past century. Not to mention the only person in the crew that regularly drinks is Zoro, and he has no idea that there would be giants on this island, not to mention it isn't something any of us would do anyway. That means somebody must've tampered with the alcohol before Brogy got possession of it." Gian confirmed.
"That's right… we're not alone on this island." Luffy deduced.
"Now the question is how they managed to set the trap?" nobody there could come up with a conclusion. It was then, another rumble sounded, the 3 looked up to see the volcano from before spewing up another gush of magma. Luffy and Vivi paled as they saw that, and beside them Dorry began to stir.
"Dorry-san! You can't! You can't fight with your injuries!" Vivi cried.
"This…this is nothing!" Dorry panted as he got to his feet. In reality, he knew just as well as they did that this wound is more serious than the ones he's ever gotten. However, he can't stop. Not now, not after all he's endured.
"What? What's he going to do?" Gian questioned, though he had an idea of what, and if that were the case, his heart was feeling the same as Luffy and Vivi is right now.
"That volcano… is the signal of their duel." That confirmed it.
"Vivi's right, with how hurt you are right now, this duel could be your last!"
"Then so be it… as a warrior of Elbaf… I will not run away from a battle! Even if I have lost the Will of Elbaf's Gods!" Dorry gritted as he willed himself to stand. "To run away from Elbaf's judgement…. Is to reject my title as a warrior!"
"But can't you see that the battle was sabotaged?! Someone deliberately set this up so you would lose! There's no shame in calling off the fight to look for the culprit!" Gian called out urgently.
"You humans… don't know how the God of Elbaf judges things. As a warrior… once the call of battle sounds… I can't stop… You, who possesses the soul of a warrior Kaiju… should know this…" At this point Dorry was practically about to fall over, but his pride kept pushing him on.
"I'm sorry… I apologize for doubting your honesty earlier, but I cannot let you two interfere." Dorry grunted in pain before swinging his sword downwards, slamming the flat side of the blade into the two youths and sending them flying into the base of the Sea King skull. The two smacked into the bony surface with a grunt of pain, but Dorry wasn't finished yet. Using all his strength, the giant broke off a piece of the skull and used it to literally pin the two under it as Vivi cried out in concern.
"What the hell?! This is unnecessary! /Oi, old man! Get this rock off of me!" Gian and Luffy cried out respectively. But Dorry was already walking away.
"Luffy-san! Gian-san!" Vivi rushed over.
"I'd say something about between a rock and a hard place but I'd just hate myself if I do that…" Gian gritted in pain. Luffy, being made out of rubber, didn't feel the same thing but he was rather mad nonetheless.
What are we going to do? Dorry-san is going to get himself killed if he continues!"
"After what you just saw… do you think we can do anything?" Gian sighed "It's like the Black Knight, he can get his arms and legs cut off and his pride would still make him fight with all he has..." Vivi could say nothing after hearing that, not even bothering to ask about what he was talking about. She can see it too that the warrior giant cannot be held back.
And with that the two giants once again faced each other with weapons raised.
"Gababababa! Feeling recharged after that drink, Dorry?" Brogy laughed.
"Geyagyagyagyag! You bet!" Dorry gave the best grin he could. And with that, Ax met longsword once again in a loud CLANG.
However, the battle was not like before. While their previous ones saw to it that there was no clear victor, this time Dorry's reaction time was considerably slower due to his injury, and many times he was forced to defend himself as Brogy attacked.
"Eh? What's the matter there Borgy? You seem sluggish, don't tell me that the sake is that strong! Gababababa!"
"Heh, don't imagine things that aren't there." Dorry shot back, putting in as much bravado as he could.
Meanwhile, Luffy, Vivi and Gian were still worried about their giant friend, when out of the underbrush tumbled out Usopp, panting and sweating as if he was just chased by a ghost.
"L-Luffy… Gian… I found you guys at last!"
"Huh? Usopp? What's going on?"
"N-Nami… she's gone! We were going to return to the ship but then we got chased by dinosaurs and then Nami thought she saw you but then she disappeared and it's horrible-" Usopp blubbered out a stream of words.
"WAAAHHHH?! OUR NAVIGATOR IS GONE?!" Luffy wailed.
"Hold on a second… nobody else saw her?" Gian questioned.
"I'm sorry! I was so scared of the dinosaurs that I wasn't watching her! I heard her scream and when I turned around she was already gone! Oh I'm a terrible person! I let my nakama die right beside me and I can't even do anything!"
"Don't think that way! She could've just gotten lost!" Vivi tried to coax.
"We'll look for her right away, well you guys might have to since the two of us are stuck... We have to be extra careful now, there's now somebody else besides us on the island and there's a good chance they're out to get us." Gian winced "Ah shit, I think my legs are losing their feeling!"
"What do you mean by that?" Usopp asked.
"Before Dorry-san and Brogy-san went to do battle, Dorry-san drank down an explosive-rigged barrel of sake that caused his insides to rupture. If you watch them right now, you can see that Dorry isn't as responsive as he was an hour ago." Gian explained "Speaking of which, Dorry-san pinned us down here to stop us from interfering…"
Usopp's eyes widened as he saw that, indeed, Dorry wasn't fighting like he was before. That look of surprise was soon replaced by anger as he comprehended this new knowledge.
"Who would do such a thing?! How dare they sabotage such an honorable duel between two warriors?!"
"That's what we're trying to figure out, we have no idea what their goals are, or if they had any to begin with. But it doesn't matter now, Dorry already went on ahead, he doesn't even listen to us." Gian gritted.
"But they've been fighting on equal footing for 100 years! If he's injured then-"
"Yes… and we can't do anything…"
"How dare they… HOW DARE SOMEBODY MESS UP THEIR DUEL?!" Usopp in particular had plenty of reasons to be angry. Seeing the two giants fight earlier had greatly inspired him. So much in fact, that he wants his vision of being a warrior of the sea to be similar to that, one based on honor. The thought of somebody tarnishing that enraged him to no end.
And indeed, Dorry could not hold up for much longer. Forced on the defensive for the majority of the fight had tired him out too much. He was too slow to block one last swipe of the ax from Brogy, as he let out a shout of pain and crimson blood gushed out of the fresh wound. With a loud thud, Dorry crashed into the ground, unmoving. The battle that had lasted a century, at long last, comes to an end.
"It's… finally over…" Brogy breathed out, and there was no joy in his voice. Although this duel is won, it came at the price of losing a dear friend "After 100 years… and all those draws… this battle is finally over…" tears began dripping down the giant's eyes as he thought back to all their fights.
He was unable to further comprehend his victory however, as another snide voice suddenly cut him off.
"Enjoying your victory? I must say that was quite a battle!" the ferns near Brogy broke to reveal a man of medium height with a smug smile on his face. The man was dressed in neat clothing, as well as orderly hair tied into the shape of the number 3. His bespectacled face had the air of an intellectual feeling. This man is Mr. 3, and he was the one who set the trap that wounded Dorry. The man smile grew wider as he realized that this giant had fallen into his trap as well.
"Who are you?! What do you know about this?!" Brogy demanded.
"I'm a nothing but a humble sculptor, an artist if you will. Me and my partner Miss Goldenweek both are" Mr. 3 stepped aside to reveal a small girl sitting down and enjoying rice crackers. Miss Goldenweek indeed looked the part of an artist, with a large pink hat and two pigtails "But right now, we have to capture you." He held out two wanted posters, they appear dated by quite some time, but the appearance is still roughly the same "Dorry the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre, two giant pirates that are worth 200 million beri total! We have already taken care of one, and now it's your turn!" Brogy only then realized what had transpired.
Brogy tried reaching for his weapon but suddenly felt himself trip and crash heavily into the ground. When he turned to look at his legs he was shocked to find them bound with some form of white substance. He tried to break them apart, but whatever bound them had a grip harder than ordinary steel and his legs simply won't budge.
"Tsk, tsk. Is this any way to thank the person who helped you win your duel?"
"What did you say?! What did you do?!"
"Oh nothing, I just had a few associates plant a bomb in that sake earlier. It's what gave you the edge." Mr. 3 snickered.
"You tarnished our duel?! Do you have no morals?!" Brogy roared and tried to reach for him, but Mr. 3 simply sidestepped.
"Oh, you two are such simpletons. It was a foolish fight to begin with! Now quiet down, I need to get prepared."
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Mr. 3's sneer was nothing short of sinister as his left hand produced the same white substance that bounded the giant's legs; it eventually molded itself in the shape of a sword "Oh this? Nothing really, except me turning you into my next piece of artwork." And without another word, the man stabbed the white sword into Brogy's hand, the giant letting out a pained scream.
Meanwhile:
"That was Brogy-sama!" Usopp realized "Something bad happened to him!"
"Of all the times I could be stuck under a rock…" Gian strained, before smacking his fist into his palm "Wait, how did I forget I could just Transform?! That'll lift the rock off… yeah! I'll do that!" moments of panic really affected his mind set. However, before he could even do any of that…
"You people won't be going anywhere!" A familiar voice declared. Vivi looked up in horror as she saw the duo she encountered at Whiskey Peak holding an injured Carue hostage.
"Who are they?" Usopp whispered.
"Two members of Baroque Works that Zoro and I encountered back in Whiskey Peak, guess they don't know when to quit." Gian snarled.
"This is certainly an interesting day. Originally we were planning to lure the Princess away from the two of you, but it seems that won't be necessary anymore!" Mr. 5 sneered.
"Now it all adds up… who else could make bombs? You tampered with the sake didn't you?!" Gian shouted.
"You're smart… and while I desperately wish for the chance to pay you back for what you did to me back in Whiskey Peak, we're a bit short on time so we'll be taking the princess first."
"What's the rush? How about you let me out so I'll really give you that chance? Or do you not like getting your ass handed to you?" Gian taunted. His head then flung backwards when Mr. 5 kicked it, a resulting explosion clouding the rock and making Luffy wheeze.
"Gian-san!" Vivi cried out.
"If you don't watch your mouth someone's gonna shut it for you!" Mr. 5 snarled as he raised his leg for another kick, before Miss Valentine reminded him of their mission, to which he reluctantly decided to stop.
"To think we had to interrogate the bird to find you, when you were here all along!" Miss Valentine added. Said duck is battered all over and could barely let out a warble.
"How could you?! Carue has nothing to do with this!" Vivi snarled.
"So you two were the ones who sabotaged the giant's duel!" Usopp realized.
"It seems that Strawhat has more crewmates… I suppose we should take care of them first." Mr. 5 sighed.
"Kyahahaha! Of course, Mr. 5!" Miss Valentine sneered.
Vivi got out her peacock slashers and got into a fighting stance. She knew she doesn't really have much of a chance against 2 more experienced agents, but with Luffy and Gian currently incapacitated there isn't any other option. Beside her, Usopp raised his slingshot as well, rage evident in his eyes despite his fear.
"So you two think you're a match for us? It'll be the biggest mistake you'll ever make" Mr. 5 growled, and that fact could not be more apparent when Usopp fired the Kayaku Boshi yet Mr. 5 didn't even seemed phased by the explosion. What it did, however, was send Miss Valentine up into the air; the female agent cackling all the way as she increased her weight and came crushing down on the duo. The impact sent Usopp reeling and Vivi to tumble into the arms of Mr. 5.
"Don't worry, we aren't going to kill you just yet. We'll leave that to Mr. 3. But as for you 3…" Mr. 5 scoffed before shooting another Nose Fancy Cannon at the now downed trio of boys. Not even bothering to check them again, he began dragging Vivi away, with the princess both angered and fearful to realize Mr. 3 was also on the island.
However, the bomb wasn't enough to kill the 3 of them as Luffy, Gian and Usopp coughed away while the smoke cleared.
"Goddammit… if only I wasn't stuck under this rock…" Luffy scowled "I'll never forgive them!"
"And I was going to pound them to bits in my Partial Transformation too… that Mr. 5 bastard especially. It's a shame I left Atom Splitter back at the ship…" Gian rubbed his now healed face "That's it… we've wasted enough time already, let's make them pay!" Just like before the same fiery blue aura burst around Gian's body before revealing his transformed self. With the increased strength he easily lifted the rock off the two of them and threw it to the side, before picking Usopp and Carue up.
"You two fit to keep up?" he asked. He was definitely ready; the Goji Goji no mi's super regeneration healed even quicker the more advanced his transformed state is, and his bone realigned themselves in a matter of seconds.
"Even if I sustain anymore injuries… I won't forgive them either!" Usopp replied adamantly, his usual cowardly feelings all gone for the moment. Carue likewise let out a quack, angry tears in his eyes.
"Ok! Let's go kick their asses!" Luffy declared as the 4 set out to save Vivi.
Soon:
Mr. 3 was almost at the climax of his plan when the trees nearby split apart to reveal the 4 people he thought had died.
"Mr. 5… I thought you said you've killed them…" he grunted irritably.
"Oh please… that little pebble he threw couldn't even hurt a fly!" Gian sneered.
Mr. 3's eyes widened at the sight of the Partially Transformed man. The bounty they received didn't mention he was a Kaiju-Zoan user… he had thought only that man in their organization has something like that… beside him, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine had similar thoughts. The man was hiding this?!
"Why is there a giant cake?" Luffy asked.
And it was a very strange and terrifying sight indeed. To the right of Mr. 3 was a large white object, shaped just like said pastry. But what's more appaling was the fact that their nakama were currently trapped atop the massive construct, with the white substance steadily creeping up their bodies. A few distances away they saw Brogy pinned to the ground with 4 white swords impaling his arms and legs with the same white substance covering parts of his body, the giant seemed to have angry tears running down his face. That sight in particular infuriated Luffy and Usopp.
"Brogy-sama! We're here to avenge you!"
"Usopp-kun…"
"Luffy! Gian! Usopp!" Nami shouted "You're here!"
"Carue!" Vivi also cried with relief, happy to see her duck alright.
"Hurry up and take them out!" Zoro shouted; one of his legs seemed to be freshly cut for some reason.
"That's exactly what we're about to do!" Luffy declared and cracked his knuckles.
"We got your back! Go get 'em you two!" Usopp shouted… while hiding in a tree with Carue… it seems like all that sudden courage left him…
Mr. 3 regained his composure as he looked down at his opponents.
"It seems I will be adding 'Straw Hat' Luffy and "Beast Warrior' Gian to my collection as well!"
"You sure about that? You're two lackeys there had their asses handed to them a day ago by me and Zoro, what could you possibly do?" Gian retorted.
"Simple, by using my intellect. Even if you have the powers of a Kaiju-Zoan, it's nothing in the face of a superior mind! Candle Lock!"
The same white substance that appeared around them now shot out of Mr. 3's arms. Luffy and Gian soon found themselves bound by it as it wrapped around their legs.
"Gah! This thing tripped me!" Luffy cried.
"Wait… is this wax?!" Gian noted with surprise.
"That's right! I ate the Doru Doru no Mi, which makes me a wax human! The wax I produce from my body are harder than steel, so even strength from the likes of a giant or Kaiju can't break out of it!" Mr. 3 gloated, and it would seem that way, as try as they might, Gian and Luffy could not break free.
"Oh, and did I mention that you guys don't have much time? The longer this battle goes, the more wax my Giant Candle Service Set produces, until it completely coats your friends and turns them into wax statues!" Luffy's eyes widened as he saw that, at the top of the giant cake, there was multiple flames lit, the heat slowly dripping wax down onto his nakama.
"Oh no! We have to knock it down!" Luffy immediately threw a Gomu Gomu no Pistol at the cake, but found that it didn't even budge once! To his horror, Nami, Zoro and Vivi were extra frantic as more wax rained down upon them.
"Oooh! Big mistake! The more you hit it, the faster the process is! So it's best you don't!"
"You bastard!" Luffy snarled.
"I have to say, I'm thoroughly disappointed. The Marines gave a dumb kid like you a 30 million bounty? What a joke! Now how about I show you just what it's like to have your nakama turned to wax statues? Starting with 'Beast Warrior' Gian!"
Gian's eyes shot into saucers as he felt the wax lock around his legs expand more and more, and befor long his entire body was covered by it with only his head remaining. As the wax slowly crept up his neck, he stopped struggling and dipped his head.
Then he began chuckling.
"Hmmm? What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing… just that I realized you have the worst possible match up right now…"
"Still trying to sound tough even as you're about to die? You sure are a stubborn one!" Mr. 3 snapped.
"That, I am. But it was your mistake to assume that I know nothing about the properties of wax. I'll let you in on a secret, I know a family where 3 of them are scientists, and they know all about the chemical properties of wax." Gian's mouth had a dim glow to it as he prepared an Atom Ray, the wax almost covering his head now. At the last moment however, he clamped his mouth shut as the wax completely covered him.
And then a blue glow lit up his entire body and the wax coating was blown off into all directions the next instant. Mr. 3's eyes were the size of saucers as he saw that.
"That's right, wax can't take heat. And it just so happens that the Goji Goji no Mi's radiation produce a ton of that! It's the same reason why your hair has a small lit flame on it, right? You're technique cannot do anything to me!"
Mr. 3 gulped, this just became many times more difficult. "S-so what if you can dissolve my wax? The rest of your nakama are still at my mercy! And in case you didn't know, you're outnumbered here."
Gian simply smirked before heating up his fist and melting off Luffy's shackles "I think the two of us are more than enough for you amateurs. But first…" Gian's dorsal fins glowed blue for a second before he fired the Atom Ray at a large group of trees behind the large white cake, lighting them on fire. Mr. 3 yelped as he saw the giant wax construct began to droop and melt, freeing the 3 that are trapped.
"Now Luffy, why don't we start?" Gian grinned savagely as he charged forward, his fist cocked back and glowing with atomic energy. Mr. 3 hastily raised a wax wall in an attempt to shield himself, but the heat from the punch is enough to cut a hole through the barrier, which Gian ripped out of the way. Before he could punch anything however, multiple explosions peppered the side of his body, causing him the grunt in pain as he turned and glared at the source.
"It makes me so mad that you just won't die!" Mr. 5 snarled as he blew into a revolver, clearly the source of the explosions earlier "I'm gonna finish you off here!"
"Oh, that's right… I still owe you one for that kick earlier…" Gian growled "Luffy, go get the wax man, I have something to settle."
"Breeze Breath Bomb!" Mr. 5 shouted and unloaded the entire revolver at the Partially Transformed Kaiju-Zoan user, the resulting explosions completely enveloping him. To his horror, when the smoke cleared, Gian's amber colored eyes were blazing even more with anger as he continued to charge forward, each step partially cracking the ground.
Mr. 5 didn't even have a chance to move as Gian raked his claws across his chest, the force so great that it sent him flying back several feet, snapping through several trees. He was out before he even hit the ground.
"That's the power of a Kaiju…" Brogy noted as he viewed the whole process. He has heard tales of Kaiju before, but he didn't think he'd see one in his lifetime!
"G-Gian-san… it's like he has no restraint left…" Vivi whispered hoarsely, fear creeping back into her voice again. It was like Mr. 0.5 all over again; there wasn't as much savagery, but the amount of strength was terrifying nonetheless.
"It's what a battle is like, if you don't fight with all you got, you will lose." Zoro told her.
"But he doesn't have to be-"
"From the way I see it, the bomb guy just pissed him off. He really does show no mercy when that happen." Zoro dismissed.
Vivi nodded slightly and continued to watch the fight. Even if that's the case, she still didn't like seeing it.
Back with Gian, it seems that even Miss Valentine has decided she has nothing left to lose as she tried to throw out a kick, increasing her weight in an attempt to make it hit harder. But Gian simply spun around and lashed out with his tail, sending the woman spiraling into the ground, knocked out as well.
"That outta teach you not to mess with me… now it's just the wax man…"
Mr. 3 was panting hard right now. Try as he might he could not keep up with the vicious strikes of the rubber boy. And now it seems that Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were down as well! He spots Gian walking back towards him, his dorsal fins glowing.
The next moment, the Atom Ray shot out of his mouth… but not towards the Wax human, but towards Luffy!
"WHA?! GIAN WATCH WHERE YOU'RE AIMING!" Luffy yelped as he narrowly avoided the searing beam, his clothes slightly singed.
"What just happened?! I was aiming at Mr. 3!" Gian protested and charged up another Atom Ray, only to fire it at the sidelines where Nami, Zoro and Vivi were standing.
"Oi! Are you crazy?!" Zoro snapped as Nami and Vivi screamed as they huddled together.
"What's going on?" Nami was bewildered.
"I swear I'm not doing that on purpose!" he tried again, but once again diverted his aim at the last second, this time at the tree where Usopp and Carue were hiding, sending them tumbling out with a yelp.
"Help! I've been possessed!" Gian scrambled around, this time lifting his tail in an attempt to smack Luffy with it, one that was once again intended for Mr. 3. The self-proclaimed sculptor now had a devious sneer on his face; he knows exactly what just happened.
It was then Usopp got up groggily, before looking down and spotting something peculiar on his shirt.
"W-Why is there this red mark on me?!"
"Huh?! I have one of these too!" Luffy also noticed a similar marking
"We have one as well!" Nami noted as did Zoro and Vivi.
The bushes the rustled, to reveal a stoic Miss Goldenweek, holding what appears to be a color palette.
"What will this beast do now? Every attack you throw will be aimed at those who bear the Togyu no Aka." The little girl explained before retreating back into the underbrush to eat more rice crackers.
Gian gritted his teeth at the statement "So that's why all my attacks were launched at them instead… that's a real cheap blow you know that?!"
"Cheap? This is how a battle is to be won! I did say that my intellect will triumph over your strength, did I not? And with me and my partner combining our tricks, victory is assured!" Wax began to gather around the artist, piling up until a new form is created. This resembled some form of giant automaton, fit with boxing gloves and heavy armor. Only Mr. 3's face peeked out of a small opening.
"Now, let's see if you can handle the Candle Champion! To let you know, I once defeated a pirate with a 42 million bounty with this! It is my ultimate art creation!" Mr. 3 threw one of the construct's fist forwards, pushing Gian back.
"Dammit… this thing actually hits quite hard! And I can't do any attacks or else it might hit them instead… what do I do… wait, if that red mark was painting on their clothing… then couldn't they-" he was interrupted in an attempt to dodge another blow from the Candle Champion.
"Everybody! You need to ditch the clothes! This way the mark will come off too!"
"They won't get the chance! Champ Fight: Oraga Hatake!" Mr. 3 shouted as he threw multiple punches forwards while moving like a bulldozer, plowing towards the remaining Strawhats. In this barrage the group found themselves too busy running to shed any clothing.
"Well shit… guess there's only that way left… Everybody, run towards me!" Gian shouted as the group did just that, leading Mr. 3 to them all the way. At the last moment, they noticed that Gian swallowed another Atom Ray and that his body was glowing blue again. With wide eyes they hastily jumped out of the way, but Mr. 3 couldn't stop in time and ran straight into the grasp of the Kaiju-Zoan user.
"Atom Pulse!" once again, atomic energy burst through his pores, sending a wave bursting from him, with the Candle Champion bearing the brunt of the attack. The resulting heat was so intense that it singed the mark right off his nakama, freeing them from its control and leaving a small hole in whatever piece of clothing the mark was on.
"The mark is off! You did it- ow! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Luffy cheered then began to pat his shirt in an attempt to cool off.
"Good job, try not to burn us next time you do that…" Zoro grumbled.
"Looks like I need to paint another-" Miss Goldenweek noted as she reached for her pallet, only to feel a tap on her shoulders. Turning around she found herself face to face with an annoyed Carue. She didn't even get the chance to say anything before the duck head-butted her, knocking her out.
Back with the crew, Luffy and Gian then noticed a groan coming from the melted blob that is the remains of the Candle Champion. Mr. 3 crawled weakly out of the remains, at this point he realized he had lost. There was simply no way he could overpower all of them… he gave a yelp as he felt himself lifted until eye level by Gian, who by now had transformed back to a regular person. Fury was clear in his eyes, along with the rest of the group.
"Hey, now… let's talk about this…"
"Yeah, I'll tell you something. I don't appreciate when people use me against my friends…" Gian growled "So we will do the only thing necessary. Luffy?"
The captain didn't need another word as he cocked back his fist and rammed it straight into Mr. 3's face, sending him flying and knocking him out as well. At last, it seems like the battle is over.
"That was an incredible battle! You two truly are worthy of being warriors as well!" Brogy stated as he was freed from his torture.
"We're just a few people who can't stand certain actions." Gian answered.
"Indeed, what that man did was most dishonorable. To think he'd sink so low to tamper with our fight…" Brogy gritted "He dare question the judgement of Elbaf… he knows nothing!"
"Now I wonder what I will do… the one reason for me being here is gone… BWAAAAHHHHH!" Brogy burst into tears, the very thought of his dead friend is nigh unbearable.
"He's making a rainbow with his tears!" Luffy pointed out.
"For crying out loud… can't a guy get some rest?!" a voice nobody expected to hear was heard, and that almost made everybody jump out of their skin. Brogy especially was slack jawed.
"AHHHH! ZOMBIE GIANT!" Gian faceplanted.
"Don't be stupid, you idiot! B-But how?!" Usopp snapped.
None other than Dorry the Blue Ogre limped towards them, exhausted and with a scar crusted with dry blood, but very much alive.
"Dorry-san? But you were…" Vivi asked.
"Yeah… but I guess it wasn't enough to kill me! Dorry wheezed before finding himself tackled by his giant companion.
"ACK! Brogy stop! I may be alive but I'm still injured!"
"I'm just so glad you're alive! Though how? I was sure I landed the final blow…"
"It appears our weapons have been dulled by our century long brawl." Dorry explained.
"That's right! All that fighting must've made them lose their edge!" Usopp realized.
"Oh thank Elbaf! My friend is alive!" Brogy sighed.
"Heh, that eager to knock my teeth out again?"
As the giants continued to hug it out, the rest of the crew were huddled around discussing what to do next.
"How are we going to get off the island?" Nami brought up the question again "We can't wait a year! Especially not with the situation going on with Vivi!"
"With everything going against us… it seems like the only thing that we can do is just drift and hope for the best…" Gian sighed.
"That's suicide! We'll never make it!" Usopp yelped.
"Perhaps we don't have to!" a voice rang from the forest behind them. The crew turned to see none other than Sanji riding out on a sabre-tooth tiger, which appeared quite beaten up. He got off and quickly presented an unexpected surprise, but one that was very welcome.
"This- This is a…" Nami stuttered.
"Yup, it's an Eternal Pose to Alabasta!"
"Where did you find this?" Gian questioned.
"Oh, it was lying around in a small wax house, belonging to some guy called Mr. 3. I suppose you guys took care of him?"
"Yeah, don't worry about him anymore, but this is great news!"
"Yeah! We can set sail again!" Luffy cheered.
Vivi immediately ran over and enveloped the cook in a big hug "Oh thank you Sanji-san! This is the best thing that can happen!"
"Oh… it was nothing really~" Sanji swooned at that.
"Good to see you're useful for something…" Zoro snorted.
"Oi! Who won the hunting contest again?!" Sanji snapped, rage in his eyes.
"I did, Dartboard Brow! Did you really think you could beat me in that regard?"
"Oh you freaking Marimo I'm gonna-" and just like that, the two of them butted heads and glared hard at each other, causing everyone else to sweatdrop. Gian sighed; why did he get the feeling this will be a common occurrence from now on?
"This is certainly a lively crew, isn't it Dorry?" Brogy laughed at the scene.
"It sure is, friend." Dorry smiled lightly.
"Well we should be going now, Goodbye Giant old men!" Luffy laughed and waved.
"Wait, there's one thing I want to do before we leave." Gian remembered. The next second, the remaining Strawhats were knocked on their butts by a pulse of energy, as Gian emerged in his Full Transformation, which to his surprise is even taller than the two giants by around 10 meters!
"Wait… I'm actually bigger?"
"Gababababa! Did you really think we'd be smaller? I'd expect a Kaiju-Zoan eater to be at least more knowledgeable about their monster!" Brogy chuckled.
"You two know of the Kaiju-Zoans?"
"Of course! Believe us when we say that the Kaiju themselves have their place in Elbaf history!" Dorry told him.
"That's right! The old stories we heard in our youth, of how proud warriors chosen by Elbaf have faced Kaiju in battle! They may be bestial in nature, but they have noble souls like the best of warriors! It is an honor to do battle with one, no matter the outcome!" Brogy added.
"I… did not know that. This is the first time I heard about it actually." Gian revealed "Maybe what I saw in that stone block has some relation to this story…"
"Well, we thought they were mere folktale material as well, until we witnessed your transformation today! And while we would love to test our strength against the living soul of one, it appears your journey is one of great urgency, so we will put that on hold for now." Dorry nodded.
"Yeah… I guess, thanks for the knowledge." Gian nodded as he transformed back "Ok, let's go back to the ship!"
"…Didn't you once said that you'd only use the Full Transformation in urgent situations?" Sanji gave him a flat look.
"Yeah, but this time it was brief, plus I was really curious so I'll bend the rules just this once." Gian brushed him off.
"That's not an excuse." Zoro muttered.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Oh yeah, I can't move right now, so may one of you help carry me back to the Merry?"
"YOU CAN CRAWL!" everyone shouted.
"You guys are jerks…" Gian scoffed before noticing Vivi giving him a small frown.
"You shouldn't use your powers so recklessly."
"…Fine, I'll warn you guys next time…"
Vivi giggled at that; she was sure of it now. Gian-san is nothing like Mr. 0.5.
A bit later the Straw hats have begun to sail away, each of them still waving farewells back to the giant duo.
Usopp in particular is extra vocal. His time spent in the giant's presence has helped shaped his identity, and was a very gratifying experience.
"We'll go to Elbaf one day, won't we?" he asked the rest of the crew.
"Totally! I want to go there too!" Luffy agreed.
"I would like that as well, especially after our little conversation today I'm really interested in learning more about the Kaiju Mythos." Gian nodded as well.
"YEAH! I'M GOING TO BECOME A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA LIKE THOSE TWO!"
However, all was not over. For without realizing, the Straw hats were soon enveloped in darkness.
Ashore, Dorry and Brogy were also waving their own tearful goodbyes when the scene unfolded. Wordlessly they drew their weapons. This was something they had expected to happen, but they were not about to let that ruin the journey of their new friends.
"There's still the Island Eater that we must take care of." Brogy mentioned.
"Indeed, the monster that devoured all who set foot away from the island, who's excrements are large enough to become islands."
The creature that swallowed the Going Merry is none other than a giant goldfish. It's red and white scales, normally beautiful, looked deadly on such a creature.
"We will not let your stop our friends!"
"Behold our strongest attack!"
"HAOKOKU!"
With a mighty roar, both giants smashed their weapons into the ground in a single vertical swing. The blow so mighty that it caused a vibrant shockwave to erupt, shooting right at the giant fish. The monster stood no chance as the burst of energy tore a hole clean through its stomach, and carried the Going Merry out with it!
"OhGoodLordAboveI'vebeenagoodpersonandhaven'tsinnedmostofthe- Wait… we're alive!" Gian was in the middle of an urgent prayer as he accepted death before realizing he could see the sun again.
"We were just eaten… Dorry-san and Brogy-san saved us!" Nami realized.
"Thank you! We owe you one!" Luffy waved again.
The two giants only waved back with large grins on their faces. The force of the blow was so much that it completely disintegrated their aged weapons. However, in their mind that was a small price to pay.
"That was close… wait… Didn't you once say something about a giant goldfish before Usopp?" Gian suddenly remembered. When he didn't get a response, he turned to see the sniper passed out on the deck, foaming at the lips. It appears even he could not fathom the mere thought of his lie being a reality…
Far away:
The room was dimly lit, with smoke rising within the room, but a person could be seen silhouetted against the shadows. With so little light it was hard to make out who it was. However, if you were to be in the presence of this person, you would be intimidated immediately. The figure, male in posture, looked up to see someone else enter the room.
"It's been some time since you've given me an assignment, was starting to think you forgot about me." The new person rasped.
"You don't exactly give someone many options" the silhouetted shadow's voice was very gravelly, and added further into the intimidation factor. However, the one he is speaking to does not seemed to be affected at all.
"Oh, come on! I know I get a bit excessive at times, but it's part of my charm! Besides, I just can't help it! So many pieces of meat to chew up…" the new voice was sinister, and, if you knew it's history, one that is drenched by blood time and time again.
"That's what I meant… however, it is times like this where I need that excessiveness." The silhouetted figure reached out with his left hand, only instead it is a large golden hook, curved and with a wide base "You see, I have a few uncooperative agents that have been lying to me, and you're the perfect one for the job to dispose of them… do you accept, Mr. 0.5?"
The now revealed Mr. 0.5 grinned viciously as he bent down and lightly brushed his lips against the metal appendage. He, himself was not one that is you'd normally expect to find walking on the street. The man is of above average height, with a hunched, toned body. He wore what appears to be reddish leather that covered his chest and legs, and twin double bladed hand axes strapped to his back.
The man raised his head, a head that is completely covered by a bloodstained balaclava that revealed only his eyes and mouth; a mouth that had teeth filed into sharp points, and his coal black eyes lit up in savage delight. He knew exactly what this assignment will bring, and it will be wonderful.
"You had me hooked the moment you spoke the first word… Mr. 0".
A/N: Ok… I'll tell you right now that this chapter had been a complete pain to write. For a while I didn't know if my previous ideas would work so I did lots of revision. But now we're finally done Little Garden, and we'll finally be getting to Drum Island! And you all know what that means?
G: That' you'll finally quit being a virgin and ask your crush out?
Get out of here.
G: This is too easy.
A slight heads up: updates might be slowing down a bit. School has started again and that's where my main focus is right now. I'm sorry if the wait is a bit longer, but I need to get my priorities straight. But don't worry, the fun stuff is just beginning, so we'll have plenty more to get to!
Now, Responses to Reviews! And DAMN! That's 3 chapter now with double digit reviews! You guys are amazing and I hope you know that. Keep it up!
To Guest 1:
It's good to be back.
G: Always
To Vergil Leonidas:
Glad you enjoyed it! The backstory will be revealed more as the story goes!
G: More to come!
To Guest 2:
Oh I will, some day… one day…
G: 3 weeks later… many months later… so much later that the OCs of the story got tired of waiting and Author-san had to write in new ones.
You better not.
To tamagat:
Gian usually prefers hand to hand orientated combat, though now that he has Atom Splitter he has used that as well. The tendency to use the weapon decreases as he transforms, with the Full Transformation being completely tooth and claw.
G: And beams, don't forget the beams
And the beams. As for whose training him, that's a secret.
G: And also, scientists get freaked out by things too. Have you seen the video with the baby octopus?
To Xolsis:
Glad you enjoyed that. I will try to make up Devil Fruit OCs that can actually match up to him, most likely in a filler arc or something.
G: Why are you limiting my free speech?
That isn't even remotely the same thing.
To Matt:
You can decide next chapter, because that's your first taste of Mr. 0.5.
G: Also great name, I approve!
To Chance Green G King:
You'll see a bit of Mr. 0.5 in the next chapter, and if you can guess the Kaiju by then, good job!
To Kamen Rider Heisei:
G: This is oppression.
No it is justice.
G: Well it sucks.
You have no say in anything.
To anquan:
G: Finally, someone who sees the light!
Don't encourage him, he's just starting to mellow out…
But you can expect it to continue!
To Guest 3:
G: Check your privilege!
Why have you been on Tumblr…?
G: I'm not, I'm just using phrases that I think works.
It doesn't… and yes, full permission granted. I will even oversee the whole thing!
To haruaji11:
That vision will comeback in the future, and will be explained further.
To Kakusei:
Glad you like it, and when Gian does find out about what Robin's Devil Fruit will do, he'll be more interested than anything else.
… Aren't you going to say something?
G: I'd rather admire her silently from afar… after all you do that to the object of your affection all the time, to no avail might I add…
Don't bring me into this…
To pokemonking0924:
Vivi's encounter with Mr. 0.5 will be revealed next chapter! So look forward to that!
And, see Gian? That's what will happen.
G: Oh, I know that. I've been doing that for the last 5 minutes.
WAIT WHAT?! JUST LIKE THAT?!
G: Yeah, I've come to accept that we will meet again one day and will await that day, until then I will be patient.
Dreams do come true…
But yeah, we'll see you next time! Keep being amazing!
Leave a review and Gian will go LARP!
G: You're running out of things for me to do… are you?