Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

Swoosh!!

As the giant sword and the giant axe were about to collide, a figure suddenly flashed into existence, blocking both the blade and the axe head with his bare palms.

BOOM!!!!

A violent shockwave erupted as Dorry's greatsword and Brogy's greataxe were both halted by Zane, who had suddenly appeared in the middle to stop them with his hands.

No.

To be precise, neither the sword nor the axe had actually touched Zane's skin; they were intercepted and repelled by the released Haki-Nen aura surrounding him.

Their footing faltered.

The sheer force transmitted through their weapons forced Dorry and Brogy to stumble backward, only stabilizing themselves after several heavy steps.

Falling with the lingering momentum, Zane landed right between the two giants.

"You two, would you mind if I joined this fight?" Zane asked with a smile, his hands unharmed and folded casually in front of his chest.

"A human?" Brogy looked at Zane in complete shock.

His amazement, naturally, was not because he had seen a human, but because of the way Zane had just blocked the dual strikes from him and Dorry.

"Impressive. No wonder you have the confidence to suggest recruiting Brogy and me."

Dorry was equally surprised, but he gave Zane a hearty thumbs-up, signaling his respect.

"Recruitment? Dorry, what on earth is going on!" Brogy asked, looking thoroughly confused by his old friend's words.

"Allow me to explain. My name is Zane, and I've come to recruit you both to serve under me," Zane intervened, clarifying his purpose to the newly arrived Brogy.

"Gabababababa! So that's it! In that case, does your request to join the battle mean you intend to defeat us both to earn our loyalty?" Brogy shouldered his greataxe, looking down at Zane with newfound interest.

Dorry's interest was also piqued.

Both he and Brogy were traditional giant warriors.

And in their tradition, strength was the only language that mattered.

If this human truly intended to recruit them by overcoming them in battle, it was a proposal that suited his temperament perfectly.

"If you two don't mind, that would be ideal. We'll let our strength speak for itself to decide who follows whom."

Seeing that the two giants were clearly hooked, Zane grinned.

Determining matters through strength was exactly how he preferred to do things.

"What do you think, Dorry? Any objections?"

"Objections? Don't be ridiculous! We are warriors of the Giant Tribe. Since when do we shy away from a challenge!"

"Gabababababa! Well said! Then let's let our strength do the talking!"

"Gegyagyagyagya! It's been a long time since I felt this way. I can feel the battle intent surging through my veins!"

Brogy and Dorry both burst into boisterous laughter. The intense aura they radiated was far more concentrated than before, causing the beasts throughout Little Garden to stir in a panicked frenzy.

'What incredible pressure... these two giants feel even more powerful than Saul!'

After Zane had descended, Nico Robin walked to the edge of the skull mountain.

Watching the two giants laugh with such abandon, she could clearly feel their thick battle intent even without having awakened Observation Haki.

It made her heart skip a beat in secret awe.

She then shifted her gaze to Zane, standing between the two massive figures.

Immediately, Nico Robin felt herself relax.

'With the Captain's strength, it won't be long before these two giants become members of the Hunting Team.'

Nico Robin chuckled softly and sat down with interest, ready to admire the heroic display her Captain was about to put on.

"Come then! Let me see the true power of the Giant Tribe!" Zane leapt backward, creating some distance. He moved from being sandwiched in the middle to facing both giants head-on.

"Here we come!"

"Dorry, don't you dare fall behind and shame our giant honor!"

Dorry and Brogy exchanged a glance and immediately charged forward from the left and right, laughing as they launched their offensive against Zane.

The earth groaned and shook.

The mere act of their running, given their massive size and power, created a thunderous commotion.

Armament Hardening.

A century of living and dueling together had clearly forged a profound level of unspoken coordination between Dorry and Brogy.

As they reached striking range, both simultaneously channeled their Armament Haki, coating their respective weapons in a dark sheen.

Dorry swung his greatsword in a wide horizontal arc from the side, while Brogy raised his axe high, bringing it down in a vertical cleave toward Zane's head.

'Their coordination is perfect, and their Armament Haki is quite formidable!'

Zane praised them silently in the face of the ferocious pincer attack.

He sprang into the air.

The horizontal sweep of the greatsword whistled through the empty space beneath him.

From above.

Zane concentrated his Haki-Nen into his right fist and met the descending greataxe head-on with a single punch.

BOOM!!!

A storm-like shockwave radiated outward with a violent blast.

The trees in the nearby forest were snapped and uprooted by the resulting pressure, sending a cloud of shattered branches and leaves into the sky.

The greataxe vibrated violently, forced back by a power that was simply superior.

Brogy's pupils contracted. He instantly tightened his grip on the handle, but the explosive impact still sent his massive frame stumbling back uncontrollably.

A massive shadow loomed over him.

Before Zane, who had punched the axe away, could even touch the ground, Dorry had already capitalized on the missed slash. He swung his left-hand shield forward, slamming it toward Zane like a falling wall.

He spun in mid-air.

Being suspended in the sky did not limit Zane's mobility in the slightest.

Seeing the shield wall crashing toward him, he used Moonwalk to gain leverage and executed a fierce, agile whip-kick.

THOOM!!

A heavy, muffled impact echoed across the clearing.

The shield—dwarfing Zane's entire body—was visibly dented by the kick. The sheer force was more than even Dorry's massive frame could anchor, causing his feet to leave the ground as he skidded backward.

Is this a joke?

Am I the giant here, or is he?

How can a human possess such terrifying strength?

Could he be another 'Natural Born Destroyer'?

Looking at his shield, which was coated in Armament Haki yet still dented by the kick, Dorry couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

"Watch this!"

With Dorry's support, Brogy regained his balance and stepped forward once more. He swung his greataxe so fast it left afterimages, hacking at Zane from every conceivable angle.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Zane, having used the kick against Dorry to propel himself, landed firmly on the ground.

Coated in Haki Infusion, Zane stood his ground and unleashed a flurry of punches, meeting Brogy's wild hacking strikes blow for blow.

Fist collided with axe.

Each clash sent out ripples of impact that pulverized the ground around them bit by bit.

Yet, strangely, the small patch of earth where Zane stood remained completely undisturbed, save for a light dusting of soil.

This sight caught Dorry's eye, deepening his astonishment.

As a warrior who had survived a hundred years of battle,

Dorry knew exactly what the lack of damage beneath Zane's feet represented.

It was a clear demonstration that the opponent was perfectly neutralizing every ounce of force in Brogy's strikes.

Or rather, the power generated by Brogy's swings was being completely countered by the force of Zane's punches, ensuring that none of the residual impact was transferred to the ground beneath him.

Such a feat...

It wasn't just a matter of god-like technique; it was proof that Zane's raw power actually eclipsed Brogy's.

"Brogy!!"

Recognizing the situation, Dorry's expression turned solemn even as he marveled at the sight.

Instead of rushing back into the fray, he quickly leapt backward, letting out a thunderous shout to warn his comrade.