Chapter 27: Hakoku!

Boom!

With a final, thunderous clash, Dorry and Brogy each smashed their shields into each other's faces.

"The seventy-one thousand three hundred and twentieth battle…"

Using his last strength, Dorry rolled his eyes and said, "Still, civilian!"

Brogy rolled his eyes as well.

Boom!

The next second, Brogy and Dorry fell on their backs simultaneously.

Click, click, click!

Gahgahgahgah!

Falling to the ground, Dorry and Brogy let out their trademark bursts of laughter.

"Hey! Brogy, I met two very interesting young people. One of them gave me the feeling that he was superior to me," Dorry laughed as he looked at the sky.

"Oh? I really want to meet this young man who can make you feel like this. But I also met two little girls, one of whom looked like an angel. But every time she spoke, she had to mention something Ace said. Ace must be very important to her, right? Come on!" Brogy laughed.

"Ace?! The young man I met is called Ace," Dorry was stunned when he heard this.

"Really? No wonder that angelic girl cared so much, click, click, click!" Brogy responded.

The two giants were having a great time chatting.

A burst of laughter made Dorry and Brogy look down.

"Yo."

Ace raised his hand with a smile on his face. Behind him, Kaya's pretty face blushed, her hands covering it in embarrassment. Uncle Brogy's voice was so loud that everyone heard it.

"Gahgahgahgah! This is the young man I told you about. How about it, Brogy?" Dorry struggled to get up, sat cross-legged, and laughed.

"Oh? Are you Ace? Just being in close contact is very stressful. No wonder Kaya cares so much, click, click, click!" Brogy also sat cross-legged and laughed.

"Uncle Brogy!" Kaya shouted with a pretty blush.

"Uncles, do you want to have a banquet together? I still have some good wine here," Ace said, looking fondly at Kaya, then at Brogy and Dorry.

"Drink?! Hey, Dorry, let's call it a truce for now. Come on, come on!" Brogy said excitedly.

"Of course, there will be a banquet if there's wine, gah gah gah gah!" Dorry's eyes lit up. Wine was the favorite of Elbaf warriors, but Dorry and Brogy hadn't tasted it for who knows how long.

To thank Ace for the wine, Dorry and Brogy went to hunt the fattest dinosaur on the island.

Amid the cheers, the atmosphere of the banquet became more and more lively. Brogy, curiously pointing at the Devil Fruit in Nami's backpack, prompted Kaya to recount everything that had happened before.

"You mean someone wants to use such despicable means to let me win the battle with Dorry?" Brogy's eyes widened.

Dorry also stopped eating, his smile fading.

"Well, their purpose was to use the Wax-Wax Fruit ability to catch you when you were exhausted, Uncle Brogy, after you win. It's for your reward of 100 million Baileys," Kaya explained.

Dorry and Brogy looked at each other, then stood up and solemnly saluted Ace as Elbaf warriors.

"tt…" Nami, Vivi, Kaya, Nojiko, and Tashigi looked at the two giants saluting and stood still.

"Thank you for helping me and Dorry," Brogy and Dorry's faces were full of solemnity. They had no doubts about Kaya's words. Although they were Elbaf warriors who thought with their fists, they could still distinguish the truth from falsehoods from such a kind girl.

"No, I'm not here to save you," Ace raised his head, looked at Dorry and Brogy, and smiled slightly. "But this kind of battle involving honor must not be disturbed by anyone, right?"

Ace laughed. Dorry and Brogy were stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Click, click, click!"

"Gahgahgahgah!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Ace, Dorry, and Brogy looked up to the sky and laughed.

"What a respectable young man. Yes, the fight for honor cannot be interrupted. For us Elbaf warriors, honor is more precious than life," Dorry said solemnly.

"Is there anything you need our help with? After receiving such great help from you, we Elbaf soldiers must repay you," Brogy said solemnly.

"Repay?" Ace smiled when he heard this and pointed at Brogy and Dorry's axes and swords. "Your weapons seem to be reaching their limit, right? Even if the fight lasts for another hundred years, you still won't be able to determine the winner."

Dorry and Brogy were stunned when they heard this, then looked at their weapons with complicated expressions.

"You are right. The strength of the two of us is very similar, even if a hundred years pass, we will not be able to determine the winner. But…" Dorry laughed suddenly. "The weapon is broken, but we still have fists. It won't be a problem to fight for another hundred years, gah ka ka ka ka!"

"Dorry is right, click, click, click!" Brogy laughed, showing the heroic spirit of an Elbaf warrior.

"I do have a suggestion," Ace said, smiling. "As you continue to fight, your physical skills will inevitably age, and maybe you will all die of old age in the end. This is really a pity for the soldiers. Why don't you join forces and attack me while your weapons are still intact? If I win, how about you think of ways to become stronger, wait until you feel you can beat me, and then have an honorable battle with me?"

Ace stood up, looked at Brogy and Dorry, and laughed.

Boom!

Conqueror's Haki erupted from Ace, causing the clouds in the sky to roll back.

"Conqueror's?!" Dorry and Brogy looked at the purple-black lightning swimming in the atmosphere in shock. Facing Ace's body, which was much smaller than theirs, they felt their breathing stagnate.

"Click, click, click!"

"Gahgahgahgah!"

Dorry and Brogy looked at each other and laughed.

"Such Conqueror's Haki made us feel so much pressure with just a simple release," Dorry exclaimed.

"Unexpectedly, we could meet the owner of Conqueror's Haki here. You are right; our final outcome is probably to die of old age on this island. This is indeed a pity for the soldiers," Brogy laughed.

"How rude, we still don't know your full name," Dorry said solemnly.

"Portgas D. Ace," Ace said.

"We, the warriors of Elbaf, Dorry (Brogy), challenge you, Conqueror's Haki owner, Portgas D. Ace!" Dorry and Brogy said solemnly. They didn't need to say anything about accepting the challenge. Facing the king, he is still such a considerate king. Even if they are proud Elbaf warriors, they must do so in the name of challenge. What they want to challenge is a king.

"Ace!" Nami, Kaya, Vivi, and Nojiko were shocked by this sudden scene. Tashigi also stared blankly at the sudden scene.

"Ace…Uncle Brogy…" Kaya wanted to say something, but Nojiko stopped her.

"Did Ace say it? The glorious battle must not be interrupted, and…" Nojiko smiled. "Ace is our destined captain. He will definitely win."

Kaya, Nami, Vivi, and even Tashigi looked shocked.

"Well, well, I'm not a member of your pirate crew yet," Vivi said weakly, her pretty face a little red.

"Hey? Did I mention that Ace is your destined captain?" Nojiko looked at Vivi strangely, with a teasing smile in her beautiful eyes.

"Woo…" Vivi covered her pretty face and hid behind Nami as if struck by lightning. Tashigi's face also turned a little red. Just now, why did she put herself in…

"Hahahaha, okay, I, Portgas D. Ace, accept the challenge from the Elbaf warriors, Dorry and Brogy," Ace laughed, and with the laughter, the sky stirred by Conqueror's Haki began to roll back, and the surrounding trees began to crack. Countless ancient creatures on this prehistoric island fled towards the edge of the island. They felt that in the center of the island, there was something more terrifying than those two giants.

"What a Haki man, Gaga Kaka Kaka!"

"Click, click, click!"

Dorry and Brogy felt the Conqueror's Haki and burst into excited laughter. Challenging the strong is the greatest wish of every Elbaf warrior.

"Hey, Dorry, we only have one chance against this man," Brogy looked at Dorry and grinned.

"Ah, I can feel it. If the attack fails, we will be killed immediately," Dorry also showed his teeth and laughed.

"Ace! This is our strongest attack!"

"Woo! Drink!!!"

Brogy and Dorry growled lowly at the same time. The arms holding the sword and ax were covered with veins, and the two swords and axes, already dilapidated and on the verge of breaking, were now wrapped in a layer of red and green energy.

'Red Ogre' Brogy and 'Blue Ogre' Dorry, the strongest attack!

At this time, Nami and others had already reached a place far away from here. With Haki, Vivi and Tashigi were on the big trees, nervously looking at the fighting position.

"Is this the giant clan's strongest fusion technique, Hakoku?" Ace felt the terrifying power approaching and smiled, his Haki surging.

"Interesting! I have to take it seriously too," Ace laughed and crossed his arms fiercely. "Hoo! Boom!"

Terrifying flames, like circles of Uzumaki, completely enveloped Ace's figure. The fear of soaring flames, the terrifying temperature causing the atmosphere to distort.

"Logia Devil Fruit power?! What a powerful fruit power," Dorry and Brogy felt the terrifying heat and marveled.

"Then, it's time to fight! Dorry!"

"Oh! Brogy!" Dorry's eyes flashed cyan, while Loki's eyes flashed red. The two raised their swords and axes high. The next moment, they suddenly crossed each other.

"Hakoku!"

The terrifying shock wave erupted like a volcano! At the same time, the already dilapidated sword and ax broke simultaneously.

"Great Flame Ring-!!!" Ace laughed, and the purple-black eyes in his eyes were dyed with a touch of red flame. Ace's pupils turned purple at this moment. "Boom!"

The monstrous flames, as if controlled by a pair of invisible hands, merged with the roaring purple-black lightning in the atmosphere. The next moment, all this violent energy was concentrated on Ace's right fist. The combined power of Conqueror's Haki and Mera-mera Fruit caused the surrounding atmosphere to begin to shatter. The next moment, the purple-red color in Ace's eyes suddenly flashed. Right fist, wolf smashed down.

"Great Flame Ring!- Red hole!!!!"

"Boom!!!"

The terrifying sea of fire, filled with extremely violent purple-black lightning, like an ocean composed of all flames, fell suddenly. With one punch, the endless fire domain fell down!

"!!!"

The endless fire domain and the roaring shock wave collided violently! "Boom!" With a loud noise that could shatter eardrums, the entire island began to tremble violently. Faced with this scene that seemed like the end of the world, countless creatures roared in fear.

"Bah! Bah! Boom!"

Under Dorry and Brogy's horrified gaze, the shock wave generated by Hakoku, Elbaf's strongest combined skill, began to wane.

"Hakoku, burned?!"

Dorry cried out in horror.

"Is this the legendary power?!!!" Brogy looked at the purple-black lightning swimming in the sea of fire and said in horror.

"Boom!"

The next moment, Hakoku's shock wave suddenly collapsed. The terrifying sea of fire drowned Brogy and Dorry, who watched in horror.

After an unknown amount of time, the burning flames began to gradually extinguish. Dorry and Brogy were lying on their backs on the ground, motionless with horrific burns all over their bodies.

"Your understanding is heaven-defying, and you learned a new Skill in the confrontation with Hakoku - Hakoku (Human Verison)!"

"Your understanding is heaven-defying, and you can understand the training method of Giants (modified) by yourself!"

In my mind, a line of text began to appear.

"Kaya!"

However, Ace did not dwell on this newfound power but shouted instead.

Whoosh!

Accompanied by the sound of breaking through the air, Kaya gasped slightly after using the shaved head.

"Give them treatment," Ace pressed his palm, and the field of understanding enveloped Kaya. At this time, Dorry and Brogy only had their last breaths. Kaya's current development of healing fruits alone could not save them. As for why Ace didn't hold back and attack elsewhere? In this kind of honorable battle, attacking elsewhere would be an insult to the honor of their warriors!

That is, Elbaf warriors, something more important than life.

"Cure!"

Kaya walked up to Brogy and Dorry, and the power of the healing fruit immediately enveloped them.

Bah! Pi!

The burnt rotten flesh fell off quickly, and the new flesh and blood began to regenerate quickly. The severely injured internal organs also recovered quickly due to the healing fruit's power blessed by the field of understanding.

Nami, Vivi, Nojiko, Tashigi, and the others also came from a distance. After seeing that Ace was not injured, they were relieved and watched quietly as Kaya treated Dorry and Brogy.

Call!

Even with the blessing of the realm of understanding, Kaya treated Dorry and Brogy for a full hour. Kaya wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled sweetly at Ace.

"Ace, they're okay now."

!!!

The next moment, Dorry and Brogy slowly opened their eyes.

"Gah ka ka ka ka! I thought I was really going to die this time. Thank you so much, Kaya," Dorry said, his gratitude evident. After waking up, both Dorry and Brogy looked at Kaya with profound appreciation in their eyes. Despite the honor associated with dying in battle for Elbaf warriors, surviving was always preferable.

"It's incredible, Ace. Hakoku, the combined attack of us two, was destroyed by you just like that. Gaga Kaka Kaka!" Dorry laughed, admiration and gratitude in his eyes. He appreciated Ace for not holding back in their confrontation.

"Ace, are you using Conqueror's Haki-Infusion?" Brogy asked seriously.

"Oh? Uncle, you actually know about this power? Yes, it's Conqueror's Haki-Infusion," Ace responded, surprised yet understanding given Brogy's heritage as an Elbaf giant.

"It's really that legendary power..." Brogy murmured. Those who possessed this power were formidable figures of the sea.

"Being defeated by Conqueror's Haki, our warrior's life is complete. Click, click, click!" Brogy laughed heartily.

"We must also fulfill our promise," Dorry said, smiling in relief as he looked at Brogy.

"The battle that has lasted for more than a hundred years ends today, Brogy," Dorry declared.

"That's right! Ace, you saved us and helped us relieve our obsession so that we can return to our homeland. But we haven't given you anything in return yet," Dorry said, looking uneasy.

Brogy shared the sentiment, as an Elbaf soldier, receiving such a great favor without reciprocation was against their honor.

"What I want has been obtained," Ace said with a slight smile, recalling the newly learned "Hakoku (modification)" and the strength training method.

"Hakoku (modified): The ultimate fusion of power and Conqueror's Haki, the limit of power! With one punch, the world collapses!" Ace felt the potential of his newfound abilities, realizing the power of combining Conqueror's Haki with physical strength.

"Strength training method: Understand the secret of 'strength' and use it to temper the body," Ace murmured, feeling his body's power materialize and surge with every breath.

"Is this the strength training method?" Ace clenched his fist, sensing the rapid increase in his physical strength.

"Dorry, Brogy, take my punch," Ace said, challenging them.

"Huh? Ace, we can't beat you," Dorry and Brogy replied simply.

"No, I'm talking about using pure power, without Haki and fruit abilities," Ace clarified.

"oh?" Dorry and Brogy laughed, ready to test their strength against Ace.

Dorry braced himself, but Ace's punch, fueled purely by physical strength, sent him flying into a rock wall.

"How? I told you, I already got what I wanted," Ace said, satisfied with his enhanced physical strength.

"It's incredible that your physical strength is stronger than mine," Dorry marveled.

"However, you can gain something, and we feel a little more at ease," Dorry and Brogy said simultaneously.

"However, this is not enough," they continued, nodding to each other before kneeling on one knee, offering Ace their highest Elbaf courtesy.

"From now on, no matter where we are, we will devote all our efforts to get there if Ace needs us," Dorry declared solemnly.

"By the honor of Elbaf!" Brogy added.

Vivi and the others watched in awe as the two giants pledged their loyalty to Ace. Nami, Nokigao, and Kaya smiled at each other, proud of their captain.

After accepting Dorry and Brogy's vows, the two giants decided to stay in Little Garden to contemplate their future. They assured Ace they would come to his aid if needed.

"Sail away! Next destination, Alabasta!" Ace declared, standing on the bow of the ship, his crew ready for the journey ahead.

"Fortunately, there is a permanent pointer; otherwise, we really have to wait for a year," Vivi said, grateful to be heading home.

As they approached Alabasta, Kaya expressed her excitement about seeing the desert for the first time, holding Ace's arm with a sweet smile. Vivi, however, felt anxious about the impending confrontation with Crocodile and the Baroque Works.

"Okay, get ready to dock. Vivi, what are you still doing? Hurry up and furl the sails," Nami called out, breaking Vivi's train of thought.

Ace reassured Kaya, confident that they could handle whatever challenges lay ahead. With his crew by his side, he was ready to face the obstacles awaiting them in Alabasta.