"Gegyagyagya!"
Dorry, who was sitting nearby watching the battle, let out a bold laugh.
"Ryoma! Relying solely on reaction to dodge and defend won't work! You're just taking a passive beating like this, you won't be able to catch Brogy's openings at all!"
"You have to feel it! Predict it! You must insightfully grasp the trajectory of his attack before the axe is even swung!"
Predict it?
Ryoma took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the churning blood and energy within his body.
He understood the logic, of course. Although his Magic Perception could capture the opponent's aura and energy flow to a certain extent, it was more of a post-event tracking rather than a pre-event prediction.
The battle will of the Giants was of a purity and directness never seen before—no schemes, no fancy tricks, only the most primitive and wild combat instinct. This extreme purity of will was the perfect whetstone.
Having understood this point, Ryoma slowly closed his eyes. He gave up using his vision to capture Brogy's movements, which were fast enough to be a blur, and instead immersed his entire mind, trying to use his spirit to perceive that oncoming, majestic battle intent.
"Oh? Are you planning to give up resisting?"
Seeing Ryoma close his eyes, Brogy did not stop. Instead, an even more soaring battle intent erupted from him.
He raised his axe again, and this time, a layer of invisible Haki was faintly wrapped around the blade.
"Then take this move and see!"
The axe swung down once more, this time with speed and power more violent than any previous strike.
At the very moment the axe was about to hit him, Ryoma's body took a small step to the left at an extremely bizarre angle.
It was just this one small step that allowed the lethal axe to whistle past, almost grazing the tip of his nose. The violent wind from the axe blew his hair back, and the sharp airflow even cut a tiny bloodstain onto his cheek.
He dodged it?
Not just Brogy, even Dorry on the side was stunned.
They saw it clearly. Ryoma's movement wasn't fast, one could even say it was a bit sluggish, but he managed to avoid the strike with the smallest possible margin, just at the right moment.
"Gabababababa!"
Brogy was startled at first, then burst into an even louder laugh. He pulled back his axe, smashing a deep pit into the ground.
"Interesting! It seems you've already grasped a bit of the knack! Ryoma!"
Dorry slapped his thigh happily. "Gegyagyagya! That's right! That's the feeling! Keep it up! Ryoma!"
Ryoma slowly opened his eyes, his chest heaving violently, and his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.
In that moment just now, his mind had gone blank, and the whole world seemed to have vanished, leaving only Brogy's pure and powerful intent to attack.
He had vaguely "seen" it. Before Brogy's muscles exerted force, he had vaguely "seen" the trajectory of that axe. Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, the sensation was clearer than ever before. In that moment, the world seemed a bit different in his perception.
He looked up at the battle-ready Brogy, an excited curve hooking at the corners of his lips.
"Again!"
"Gababababa! Good! Now that's more like it!"
Brogy's battle intent was completely ignited. He gripped the axe with both hands, his massive body charging once more. This time, his offensive became even more violent and continuous.
The axe whistled as it tore through the air, sometimes splitting down with enormous force, sometimes sweeping through. Every strike contained terrifying strength enough to level a small hill, stirring up sand and stones until the entire clearing was filled with dust.
Ryoma closed his eyes once more. In the midst of this storm-like attack, his figure became more agile than ever before.
Brogy's axe seemed as if it would crush him every time, yet at the last moment, he would always narrowly avoid it by a hair's breadth. His body seemed no longer under his own control, but rather guided by that invisible "prediction," making the most perfect evasive maneuvers in advance.
Gradually, Ryoma was no longer satisfied with mere evasion.
After dodging another of Brogy's slashes by stepping aside, he pressed his right index and middle fingers together, condensing a trace of extreme cold at his fingertips. In the instant he crossed paths with Brogy, he tapped like lightning onto the giant's iron-like calf.
Ice Pierce!
A sharp ice spike instantly erupted from Brogy's calf. Although it was immediately shattered by the giant's formidable muscles and Armament Haki, the bone-chilling cold still caused a microscopic stagnation in Brogy's movement.
Though this small injury was negligible for the thick-skinned giant, it was a clear signal that Ryoma had already transitioned from passive dodging to being able to find opportunities to counterattack.
"Nicely done! Ryoma!" Dorry roared excitedly.
He was even happier than if he had won a duel himself.
"Brogy! If you lose to a little guy, don't blame me for laughing at you for a hundred years!"
"Shut up! Dorry!"
Brogy let out an angry roar, his offensive becoming even more ferocious.
The axe in his hand danced with a powerful wind, forming a dense, airtight web of attacks that completely locked down all of Ryoma's evasion space.
Faced with this even more violent attack, Ryoma's perception reached its peak. He could clearly "see" the trajectory of every attack, "hear" the rhythm of Brogy's every breath, and even "feel" the minute changes in the giant's muscles every time they exerted force.
The entire battlefield formed an incomparably clear three-dimensional picture in his mind.
Just as Brogy made a wide, sweeping slash, attempting to cleave Ryoma along with the ground beneath him, Ryoma did not retreat. Instead, he lunged forward against the violent wind of the axe.
Frost spread beneath his feet, and a smooth ice path instantly condensed along the face of the axe Brogy was swinging.
Using this momentum, he slid rapidly along the ice path, his target aimed directly at Brogy's chest, which was wide open due to the swing of the giant axe.
This change caused a heavy look of astonishment to flash in Brogy's eyes. He hadn't expected this small fellow would dare to counterattack in such a bold manner.
"Gegyagyagya! Well done! Just like that!" Dorry waved his fists excitedly, his roar shaking the sky.
In the blink of an eye, Ryoma's figure had slid to the end of the axe. He leaped into the air, cold air gathering on his palm, and slammed it toward Brogy's broad chest.
Dozens of sharp ice thorns wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki erupted from Ryoma's palm, striking against Brogy's breastplate.
Puff! Puff! Puff...
A series of dull piercing sounds rang out.
Although most of the ice thorns were blocked by the solid armor and the formidable Haki, the extreme cold and impact still made Brogy let out a muffled groan.
His massive body actually retreated a step under this impact. A thick layer of frost instantly covered his chest armor, and cold air continuously seeped in through the gaps.
Ryoma used the counterforce to perform a beautiful flip in the air, landing steadily on the ground dozens of meters away.
His chest was heaving violently. The sequence of maneuvers just now had been a huge drain on his mental energy, and a wave of fatigue washed over him like a tide.
But he had not only predicted the attack. In that split second, he had also used his abilities to create an opportunity for a counterattack.
"Gabababababa! Impressive! Ryoma!"
Brogy looked down at the striking patch of frost on his chest. Instead of being angry, he burst into an unprecedentedly hearty laugh.
He slammed his axe heavily onto the ground, his gaze toward Ryoma filled with praise and appreciation.
"You fellow, in such a short amount of time, you've already managed to reach this level. You're simply a monster."
"Alright, Brogy, let's stop here for today."
Dorry walked over, his massive palm gently patting Brogy's shoulder. "Ryoma is doing this kind of training for the first time, his mental exhaustion must be great. He needs to rest well."
He turned to Ryoma, his massive face full of a sincere smile. "Ryoma, you are the most talented human I have ever seen. Your speed of progress has surprised us both."
A trace of a smile appeared on Ryoma's face. Although his spirit was somewhat fatigued, his heart was incomparably full.
He could clearly feel that the membrane obstructing his perception of the world had been punctured. He had finally learned Observation Haki.
"Gababababa! That's right!"
Brogy hoisted his axe back onto his shoulder and announced boldly, "To celebrate Ryoma's progress, and to celebrate finding such a great opponent, we will continue the banquet tonight!"
Hearing this, Dorry immediately raised his arm in agreement, "Gegyagyagya! That's a great idea! Bring out all the wine and meat left over from yesterday! We won't stop until we're drunk!"
The two massive figures walked to Ryoma's sides.
Brogy reached out his hand, wanting to pat Ryoma's shoulder to show closeness, but Ryoma's stature was so small that the action looked a bit comical for a moment.
Looking at these two giants who were incredibly straightforward and bold, the fatigue in Ryoma's heart was swept away, leaving only the satisfaction of having fought with the strong and the joy of having made new friends.
"Alright."