Sammy motioned for his officers to stay where they were.
He straightened his collar, took a breath, and walked alone toward the two enormous figures lying before him like fallen mountains.
“What an incredible battle!”
Sammy raised his voice so the giants could hear him clearly.
“To personally witness a duel between the legendary warriors Dorry the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre, the two great heroes of the Giant race—is an honor beyond words!”
“Hm?”
Dorry planted one massive arm against the ground and pushed himself upright.
Even while only half-kneeling, his enormous body cast a shadow that completely swallowed Sammy.
“Huh?
Little human, you know who we are?”
Brogy also sat up beside him.
His enormous face broke into a grin.
“Looks like we’ve finally got some visitors again, Dorry!”
“Of course I know you!”
Sammy spread his arms enthusiastically.
“The two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates!
Mighty warriors who once sailed the seas with weapons fit for giants!”
“I’ve heard stories about the two of you since I was a kid!”
Sammy grinned.
“I never imagined I’d actually get to meet the legends themselves!”
“GABABABABA!”
Dorry burst into booming laughter, clearly pleased by the praise.
“So our names are still remembered out there after all these years!”
Brogy grinned as well.
Then he licked his dry lips.
His enormous throat moved as he swallowed, and his eyes suddenly sharpened with interest.
“Hey, little guy.”
Brogy leaned slightly closer.
“Do you people have any booze?”
“We sure do!”
Sammy answered without hesitation.
“What kind of sailor goes to sea without good alcohol?”
“Oh?”
Brogy’s grin immediately widened.
“Then you’re our guests!”
He slapped his knee.
“Share some of that booze with us!”
Sammy laughed and waved both arms toward his officers, who were still nervously watching from a distance.
“ALDO!
ISAAC!”
The two snapped to attention.
“STOP STANDING THERE LIKE IDIOTS!”
Sammy pointed back toward the coast.
“GET TO THE SHIP AND BRING ALL THE RUM!”
Then he grinned.
“Bring everyone else too!”
Sammy threw one fist into the air.
“WE’RE HAVING A FEAST!”
“GABABABABA!”
Brogy’s thunderous laughter rolled across the clearing.
“Now THAT’S what I like to hear, little guy!”
…
Some time later, an enormous bonfire blazed in the clearing.
The smell of roasting dinosaur meat filled the air.
Barrels of rum had been carried over from the Swordfish, while the Jellyfish Pirates gathered around Dorry and Brogy in what was probably the strangest feast any of them had ever attended.
“GABABABABA!”
Dorry slapped his knee and laughed.
“So all of you really came from the West Blue?”
“That’s right.”
Sammy tore a large chunk from a beautifully roasted piece of dinosaur meat.
“We spent six full years preparing ourselves before finally challenging the Grand Line.”
Aldo immediately puffed out his chest.
“Exactly!”
He gestured proudly toward Sammy.
“We spent six years fighting our way across the West Blue!”
“And our boss already has a bounty of SIXTY-NINE MILLION BERRIES!”
“Sixty-nine million?”
Brogy scratched his beard.
“Not bad at all!
Gabababa!”
He lifted an enormous slab of sizzling roasted meat and placed it on a gigantic banana leaf before pushing it toward the pirates.
“The meat’s ready!
Eat as much as you want!”
Unfortunately, aside from Sammy and a few of his officers, most of the crew didn’t move.
They stared at the piece of meat, which was larger than some of them.
Then their eyes slowly shifted toward Brogy’s fingers.
Just two of those fingers looked capable of crushing a man flat without any effort.
The crew went completely silent.
T-Terrifying…
So these are giants?
Just standing next to them makes my legs weak…
This is too scary.
I don’t even have an appetite anymore…
Captain Sammy and the officers are already joking around with them like old friends?!
As expected of Captain Sammy!
“Don’t be shy!”
Brogy laughed.
“This dinosaur meat is delicious!”
He pinched one of the rum barrels between two fingers as casually as a normal person might pick up a shot glass.
Then he tipped his head back and poured the entire barrel into his mouth.
“Ahhh!”
Brogy smacked his lips.
“Good stuff!”
He looked at the tiny empty barrel between his fingers.
“Just not enough of it!
Gabababa!”
Sammy watched him for a moment.
A thoughtful gleam flashed through his eyes.
Then, as casually as possible, he turned toward Dorry.
“By the way, Dorry…”
Dorry looked down at him.
“You two have been around this part of the Grand Line for a long time, right?”
Sammy took another bite of meat.
“Have you ever encountered a pirate crew called the Rumbar Pirates?”
“The Rumbar Pirates?”
Dorry stroked his beard and tilted his massive head.
He thought for several moments before shaking it.
“Doesn’t sound familiar.”
Then he narrowed his eyes curiously.
“What?
“No.”
Sammy waved a hand.
“Nothing like that.”
His expression became just solemn enough to seem sincere.
“Someone asked me to search for them.”
Sammy then told the giants the story of the Rumbar Pirates.
He explained how they had once sailed the seas with a young Island Whale named Laboon.
How the crew had promised to return after traveling around the world.
And how Laboon was still waiting at Twin Cape even after all these years.
Of course, Sammy already knew where the remains of the Rumbar Pirates were.
Their ruined ship was drifting somewhere within the Florian Triangle.
But right now, Sammy needed a respectable reason to keep the Jellyfish Pirates wandering around the first half of the Grand Line for a while.
A reason that would keep them far away from the disaster that was about to unfold at God Valley.
As captain, Sammy technically had the authority to decide where the crew sailed.
But simply ordering everyone to wander aimlessly would eventually raise questions.
A captain needed a destination.
A purpose.
Something his crew could believe they were working toward.
Searching for the Rumbar Pirates was perfect.
Not only would it give them a believable reason to remain in Paradise, but it would also strengthen Sammy’s image as a captain who valued promises and loyalty.
And what sailor wouldn’t want to follow a captain who took a promise seriously?
“Gabababa…”
Brogy’s rough laughter softened slightly.
“To think there’s an Island Whale that loyal…”
He rubbed his beard.
“That’s actually pretty moving.”
Then his expression brightened again.
“So what else has happened out on the sea lately?”
Brogy leaned forward eagerly.
“We’ve been stuck here for so long that it’s been ages since anyone told us what’s happening in the outside world!”
Fitch looked around the clearing.
His eyes moved over the shattered trees and enormous scars left across the battlefield.
“Speaking of that…”
He glanced toward the giants.
“You really have been here for a long time?”
“Yeah.”
Isaac joined in, his deep voice rumbling.
“Why have the two of you been fighting each other all this time?”
Dorry and Brogy looked at one another.
At almost the exact same moment, proud smiles spread across their enormous faces.
“In the giant kingdom of Elbaf, there’s a rule.”
Dorry spoke first.
“If two people in the village have a dispute and neither side is willing to back down…”
Brogy raised one massive fist.
“…then we accept the judgment of the God of Elbaf!”
“The judgment of the God of Elbaf?”
Aldo blinked.
“What does that mean?”
“The God of Elbaf will always protect the one who is right!”
Dorry declared.
“The one who is right will survive!”
“So…”
Brogy stretched out one enormous arm and pointed across the ruined clearing.
“This island is our arena!”
“The one who is right will eventually win the battle…”
His grin widened.
“…and live!”
“Huh?!”
Marcus’s narrow eyes widened in disbelief.
“Then what exactly were you two arguing about in the first place?”
“What were we arguing about?”
Dorry reached up and scratched the side of his helmet.
He frowned.
Then…
“GABABABABA!”
He burst into laughter.
“I DON’T REMEMBER!”
Dorry turned toward his companion.
“Brogy!
Do you remember?”
Brogy slapped his enormous belly.
“GABABABABA!”
“I DON’T REMEMBER EITHER!”
“…”
The Jellyfish Pirates stared at them.
Then nearly everyone shouted at once.
“WHAAAAAT?!”
Several jaws practically hit the ground.
“You’ve been fighting for all these years…”
“…OVER SOMETHING YOU DON’T EVEN REMEMBER?!”
Aldo, however, reacted completely differently.
His fists slowly clenched.
His eyes burned with excitement.
“No.”
Everyone looked toward him.
“I get it.”
Aldo stared up at the two giants with unmistakable admiration.
“This…”
His grin widened.
“THIS is what it means to be a real man!”
Some of the crew blinked at him.
Aldo continued passionately.
“A man has to have something he refuses to abandon!”
“Something he believes in so strongly that even risking his life doesn’t matter!”
His voice grew louder.
“Because some things are worth MORE than your own life!”
Aldo pointed toward Dorry and Brogy.
“Maybe they don’t even remember what started their argument anymore!”
“But the conviction behind it is still there!”
“They’ve fought for decades because neither of them is willing to betray whatever belief drove them to fight in the first place!”
Aldo’s eyes practically burned.
“THAT…”
He clenched his fist.
“…is a true warrior!”
Sammy slowly rose to his feet.
He walked toward the bonfire.
The dancing flames cast shifting light and shadow across his face.
He looked around at his crew.
Some appeared shocked.
Some confused.
Others were visibly excited by Aldo’s words.
Then Sammy spoke. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Aldo’s right.”
The chatter gradually faded.
Sammy looked toward Dorry and Brogy.
“Watching these two made me start thinking…”
He turned back toward his crew.
“What about us?”
Silence settled around the bonfire.
“Every one of us fought our way here from the West Blue.”
Sammy’s voice carried clearly through the clearing.
“We’ve spent years living with our heads practically hanging from our belts, never knowing whether we’d still be alive tomorrow.”
“Some of you left your families behind.”
“Some abandoned your hometowns.”
“Some said goodbye to parents, brothers, sisters, wives, children, and friends…”
Sammy’s gaze passed across face after face.
“We’ve sacrificed all of that.”
His expression hardened.
“So what exactly are we doing it for?”
No one answered.
“Is it only so we can afford another feast tomorrow?”
Sammy gestured toward the food and rum around them.
“Is it just so we can steal another pile of Berries and split the loot?”
His voice sharpened.
“If that’s all we’re living for…”
He paused.
“…then how are we any different from insects spending their entire lives crawling in circles?”
Several pirates lowered their heads.
“Dorry and Brogy have spent decades fighting each other.”
Sammy’s voice gradually rose.
“And watching them made me realize something.”
He pointed toward his chest.
“A person has to know what they truly believe in!”
“What they truly want!”
“Not something another person forced onto you.”
“Not some goal you’re chasing because everyone else told you it was important.”
Sammy’s fist tightened.
“I’m talking about something that comes from the deepest part of your soul!”
“A desire so powerful that you’d be willing to burn your entire life pursuing it!”
The bonfire cracked loudly beside him.
“Now…”
Sammy swept his gaze across the crew.
“I want every single one of you to think carefully.”
His voice dropped slightly.
“What do YOU want?”
“Do you want to earn a hundred million Berries, return home, build the biggest house in your hometown, and make sure nobody ever dares bully your family again?”
A few sailors looked up.
“Do you want your name to thunder across the Grand Line?”
“Do you want people to tremble the moment they see the flag of the Jellyfish Pirates?”
More eyes began shining.
“Do you want to become the greatest swordsman in the world?”
“Or the strongest gunman?”
“Do you want to become so powerful that everyone who hears your name has no choice but to respect you?”
Sammy looked toward Hans.
“Or maybe you want to explore every corner of this mysterious sea…”
“…and draw a legendary map with your own hands?”
Hans stared at him.
Sammy spread his arms.
“Your goal can be enormous!”
“It can be small!”
“I DON’T CARE!”
His voice thundered across the clearing.
“But you NEED one!”
“You need to understand why you picked up your sword!”
“Why you loaded your gun!”
“Why you’re standing here on this island, thousands of miles away from home!”
Sammy struck his fist against his chest.
“When you finally discover what you truly want…”
“…you’ll have a reason to keep moving no matter what happens!”
“You’ll train because YOU want to become stronger!”
“You’ll sharpen your skills because YOU have something waiting at the end of the road!”
“And when you’re trapped in a hopeless situation…”
Sammy’s grin slowly appeared.
“…you might discover strength inside yourself that you never even knew existed!”
The fire crackled.
Sammy pointed toward the crew.
“FIND IT!”
His voice boomed.
“GRAB HOLD OF IT!”
“And then…”
His expression burned with excitement.
“…like a true warrior, spend every drop of blood, every ounce of strength, and every moment of your life making it REAL!”
The crew stared at him.
“Because if you can do that…”
Sammy turned slightly and looked toward Dorry and Brogy.
“…then one day, when we finally look back on everything we’ve done…”
His smile widened.
“…we’ll be able to laugh just like these two giants.”
Sammy threw his head back slightly.
“With no regrets!”
“Knowing that no matter how crazy, dangerous, painful, or ridiculous our lives became…”
He slammed a fist into his palm.
“…we can still say-”
“MY LIFE WAS DAMN WELL WORTH LIVING!”
The bonfire crackled loudly in the silence that followed.
Dorry and Brogy listened quietly.
Slowly, approving smiles appeared on the giants’ faces.
Around them, the members of the Jellyfish Pirates fell into deep thought.
For perhaps the first time in a long while, many of them weren’t thinking about treasure.
Or food.
Or tomorrow’s battle.
They were thinking about themselves.
About why they had come this far.
And about what they truly wanted from the life they had chosen.
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