"Did he die?"
"I don't know, but he must be dead."
The smoke swirled around, and the giants stopped, squinting as they peered into it.
Through the haze, a tall figure emerged, seemingly unharmed.
"Did you really think you could kill me?" Lynch's gaze swept over them, and several giants shuddered.
"Quick! This kid is beyond our ability to handle. Go to the village and ask the clan elders for help!"
"You go and report, and I, Hadri, will hold him off!"
At that moment, the giants finally understood—the human before them was a monster.
Their combined attacks hadn't even left a scratch on him.
"Trying to escape now? It's too late."
Boom!
With a single punch, Lynch shattered Hadri's leg bone, leaving him howling in pain.
Lynch then turned to pursue the fleeing giants, taking them down one by one with powerful punches.
His fist, small in comparison to a giant's, seemed to be the hardest force in the world. The giants crumbled under its impact, as if they were nothing more than rubble.
The force of his blows could crush bones, tear muscles, and leave them lying helpless on the ground, unable to move.
After a few rounds, only the unconscious and groaning giants remained.
"That was incredible," Hilda said, her eyes wide with admiration.
"Hilda, come with me. I'll take you inside."
Lynch grabbed the watermelon knife from the ground, swung it to break open the 20-meter-high village gate, and charged in.
It reminded him of the time when he had stormed through Giant Village, slicing his way from one end to the other with that same watermelon knife.
"I'm coming."
Hilda followed closely behind Lynch, feeling uneasy as they passed the fallen giants.
However, she didn't try to stop him. She understood that Lynch was doing all of this for her.
To him, they were just enemies, but to her, Lynch was a friend.
"The warriors of Elbaf never retreat!"
"Leave Elbaf, evil humans!"
"Defend our village!"
The village was home to over 600 giants, making it a large settlement. Excluding the elderly, women, and children, more than 200 adult giants had attacked Lynch.
These were giants on par with Vice Admirals, easily the equal of over 200 low-ranking ones.
Any of them could pose a serious threat, but even Kizaru and Akainu would be wary in such a situation.
Several of the giants carried weapons covered in armament haki, and with their strength, even a single blow could crush a skull.
Lynch swung the watermelon knife he had picked up, cutting his way from the east end of the village to the west. Along the way, countless giants fell to the ground with each strike.
"How dare you, human, act so recklessly in the land of my people!"
As the giants sank into despair, a roar rang out, reigniting their hope.
A massive giant, 19 meters tall with a gray beard that reached his chest, stepped forward, wielding a massive sword.
"It's Henry, the giant hero!"
"Lord Henry, kill him!"
Henry, a former member of the Giant Pirates, was a legendary figure who once roamed the seas.
His strength was good, and he was deeply respected by the giants.
At 346 years old, he was the oldest giant in the village. Given that the average lifespan of giants is around 350 years, Henry was nearing the end of his long life.
"Hakoku!"
Henry swung his massive sword, unleashing a powerful shockwave. It was enough to instantly kill any giants in its path.
"Hakoku!"
Lynch unsheathed the watermelon sword and also unleashed his own Hakoku, which was even more powerful than Henry's.
When the two shockwaves collided, Henry's head shattered, and his massive body exploded like a watermelon.
"Lord Henry!"
"What's happening? How could you know our giant techniques?"
The giants were stunned. What Lynch had just used was clearly the giants' signature move, Hakoku.
"Hmph, are your moves really that hard to learn?"
"I once saw two giants dueling on an isolated island, and I simply memorized their techniques."
Lynch knocked down every fighting giant in the village, and even the hero Henry was defeated. The remaining giants, now protecting the children, looked at Lynch in fear.
Lynch grabbed one of the giants and said, "I won't hurt you, as long as you take me to the Valley of Heroes."
"Valley of Heroes..."
The giant gritted his teeth, determined to protect the children, and reluctantly agreed, "Fine, I'll take you there."
"Wouldn't it have been better to do this sooner?" Lynch said as he released the giant and called out to Hilda, "Let's go."
The giants watched in horror as Lynch walked away, rushing to help the wounded. They knew they had to inform the king quickly before the "evil human" returned.
Their actions were exactly what Lynch wanted.
Elbaf was surrounded by warships, and Lynch had no intention of letting any giant escape.
Valley of Heroes.
The valley was not gloomy at all; in fact, it was quite warm. It didn't resemble a tomb but more like luxurious little palaces. Marble monuments stood tall, lining the Valley of the Spirits.
"Let's go, Hilda. Let's find your parents' graves."
It had been more than ten years since Hilda's parents passed away. Aside from the burial day, this was the first time she had the chance to visit their graves.
Though she missed them dearly, she felt timid and scared, especially with how close she was to their resting place.
It wasn't until Lynch placed his warm hand on her arm that she found some comfort.
The giant who guided them seemed conflicted—regretful, angry, and frightened—all at once. He knew this was important to Hilda, but there was an unspoken tension.
Though she hadn't been here in over a decade, Hilda moved with familiarity, passing tombstones and leading them skillfully to a specific spot.
But when they arrived, her face turned pale.
"It's gone… Why is it gone?!"
She collapsed to the ground in shock. The graves were missing, replaced only by two large pits.
Lynch grabbed the giant and said, "What's going on? Where is the original tomb here?"
"They were dug up by us." The giant trembled: "Hilda is still alive. We were worried that her parents were buried in the Valley of the Heroes, which would affect the newborns of the giant tribe, so we dug their graves."
"You guys deserve to die." Lynch wanted to punch the giant in front of him to death.
While comforting Hilda, whose eyes were swollen and red, he asked, "I'll give you one last chance. Do you remember where you buried the bodies?"
"Remember, remember!" Facing death, the giant nodded, "We threw them in mass graves."
"A mass grave!"
Lynch knew exactly where that was. The name alone gave away its location.
Sometimes, there were things Lynch had to do for the greater good, no matter how difficult.
It was almost like kidnapping the giants.
A person of Lynch's status can't be easily classified as good or bad. If anything, he could be considered a good person with blood on his hands.
The giants had already intended to capture him, and now, Lynch's last bit of mercy for them was gone.
An ignorant race like this needed someone to teach them a lesson.
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
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