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As they stepped out of the tree, Jin had only one objective left in Elbaf.
Loki.
"What?! You want to fight Loki, the strongest warrior in the Giant Tribe?" Hajrudin and Jarul were both shocked.
"That's right. I'm training my Haki by fighting different strong opponents. The only one who can be called a true king is the one who stands above all others with the qualities of a king. I will defeat them all—including Loki."
It was an outrageously arrogant declaration.
Hajrudin was stunned. 'Is this guy saying he's going to defeat everyone with Conqueror's Haki?'
He was completely disregarding the Yonko and all the other powerhouses of the world.
Saul and the others were also amazed.
Jin's ambition was imnse.
Scopper Gaban—ever the left hand of the Pirate King—was stunned for only a mont before he let out a hearty laugh. "Good! You've got guts! But if you want to fight Loki, you'll have to get through first. If you let him out and can't put him back... Shanks isn't here to clean up the ss. It would be a huge problem."
Shanks and his crew had other business. After dropping Jin's group off, they had stayed for a day before taking Uta to see the sights. They had agreed to et up at Gran Tesoro.
So Gaban wanted a fight.
"Alright," Jin said without hesitation. He looked Gaban up and down. "I just hope you've still got so gas left in the tank. Robbing the cradle, are we? Hope she hasn't wrung you dry already."
He shot a glance at Ripley.
Among the giants, Ripley, at nearly 80 years old, had only recently co of age. She was in her pri.
Gaban, on the other hand, was in his seventies or eighties, with one foot in the grave.
"Mom, what does that an?" Colon asked, scratching his head.
Ripley smacked him on his horned helt. "That's grown-up talk. Mind your own business."
Gaban's face darkened. "I've got more than enough to deal with you."
Marrying a long-lived species ca with its own set of problems...
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The training ground was a massive, open space, its floor paved with a single, solid slab of Seastone.
Hearing that Jin and Gaban were about to duel, warriors from all the surrounding villages—Hajrudin, Road, and the others—all gathered to watch.
In the center of the field, Jin stood with Shusui in hand, facing Gaban, who held two axes.
Jin's main weapon was his fists, but he was no stranger to blades. A less critical duel like this was a good opportunity to hone another skill.
"Who do you think will win?"
"My money's on Gaban. When he married Ripley, he had to beat several other suitors to win her hand."
"I think it'll be the king. He's on par with the Yonko. We've all seen what Shanks can do."
The giants argued, placing bets, enjoying the spectacle.
"Old man," Jin said, a single hand on his sword. "You can have the first move. I respect my elders."
"Hmph. Enough with the lip service." Every "old man" from Jin was another jab to the heart. Gaban was getting pissed... He gripped his axes, leaped into the air, and brought them down on Jin.
The twin axes beca a blur of countless afterimages, the wind from their passage a howling gale, a tsunami of force that sang with power.
"Eighty Pious Generals!"
It was a wide-ranging attack, a web of deadly axe-light. The watching giants all cheered.
Dad!" Colon cried, his eyes sparkling. "Go for it!"
"Bozazazaza! The Mountain-Devourer's style hasn't faded one bit!" Jarul laughed.
"Mountain-Devourer?" Robin asked, intrigued.
"They say that Gaban once took Roger to a hospital in the mountains for treatnt," Saul explained. "Unfortunately, they were surrounded by enemies. Gaban defeated hundreds of them by himself, with just his two axes. When the battle was over, there wasn't a single tree left standing on the mountain. And that's how he got the nickna."
"Roger... I've heard of that rookie," Brook said. "Yohohoho... I'm just a pile of old bones myself."
Jin swung his sword, shattering one axe-blade after another, and finally t Gaban's axes with his own blade.
CLANG!
The sound of steel on steel was a thunderclap.
Gaban was sent stumbling back four or five steps, his expression one of shock. The strength... it was monstrous. He now understood what Shanks had ant.
Jin moved like lightning, closing the distance and slashing horizontally with Shusui. There was no technique, just pure, overwhelming force.
Gaban blocked with both axes, clearly straining. The force behind the blade was imnse, sothing rarely seen among humans. No, not even a giant could match it.
"The left arm of the Pirate King," Jin said, his voice dripping with disappointnt. "Is this all you've got? You're no Rayleigh."
'You son of a bitch.'
Call him old, fine. But say he wasn't as good as Rayleigh?
Gaban was furious.
His eyes flashed, and he poured all his strength into his arms, his aura exploding, a wave of Haki that blasted Jin's sword away. He gripped his axes, his presence as heavy as a mountain, and with a step that made the ground tremble, he brought one axe down in a vicious chop.
"Heaven's Glee!"
It was a strike infused with the lightning of Conqueror's Haki, the sa move that had once cut one of the God's Knights in two.
The axe-light was brilliant.
Jin didn't dodge. He t the attack with his own blade, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki.
DOOOOOOM!
The air itself seed to drum, and the point of impact exploded. A wave of Conqueror's Haki washed over the watching giants.
The weaker ones collapsed. The giant children all fainted.
If the field hadn't been made of Seastone, it would have been vaporized. The clash was terrifying.
Gaban was pushed back a dozen steps. When he finally regained his footing, a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
"Gaban!" Ripley cried out, worried.
Hajrudin, Jarul, Saul, and the others were all pale. Jin's power was truly fearso. Gaban wasn't weak. Even in his old age, he could still hold his own against a top-tier opponent for a short ti.
"Good!" Gaban roared, the will to fight burning in his eyes like a fla. He was as agile as a leopard as he charged forward again, a true berserker.
His axes were a storm, a whirlwind of steel, the air filled with the deafening roar of thunder.
Jin t the assault with his own blade, his movents simple and direct, his Observation Haki predicting every blow.
The black blade was a cold, dark line, drawing beautiful arcs through the air.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Their speed was incredible, their forms a blur of afterimages.
Hajrudin was in awe. The power was terrifying. He wondered if he could even take a single blow.
Road and the others clenched their fists, their blood boiling with excitent.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
With a final explosion, Gaban was sent flying. A brilliant slash of light shot out a thousand ters, tearing a building in two.
"So strong!"
"Incredible!"
"He's unbeatable!"
The giants all gasped.
Gaban landed on his feet, but his shirt was torn open, and a long gash was bleeding on his chest.
Across from him, Jin stood tall, his longsword in hand, his expression calm.
To him, this victory was only natural.
He was not as large as the giants, but his presence was overwhelmingly powerful. It was a natural aura, an unspoken authority that commanded their respect.
Gaban took a breath, suppressing his discomfort, and smiled.
"Not bad," he said. "You've got the strength to back up your words. I lose."
He conceded defeat without hesitation. The fight may have been short, but he had been completely overpowered.
"I'm just getting old," he said. "Don't have the drive I used to. If I were younger, I would have given you a real fight. Now, I just want to live a few more years."
He gave Jarul a nod, a signal that Jin had earned his chance.
"But Loki isn't like ," he said. "He's still in his pri. You'd better be careful."
"I will win," Jin said, his voice calm and confident.
~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
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