An Oni in God's Valley

As the crew had to stay in Little Garden, they decided to do a joint sparring session, where Brogy, Dorry, Kuzan, Greenbull, and Joichiro would all fight against Koa by himself. Despite their combined strength, they couldn't match Koa, who was using his full power along with basic applications of Haki. It felt like an adult fighting children. Though both Brogy and Dorry had their Hakis awakened and applied them to their weapons as they clashed with Koa's, Joichiro, Kuzan, and Greenbull had not yet awakened Armament Haki, making it harder for them to keep up, even with the use of their Devil Fruits.

After more than five hours of sparring, only Brogy and Dorry were still standing. Kuzan, Greenbull, and Joichiro had collapsed from exhaustion as Koa gradually increased the intensity of the fight. Even the giants were barely holding on. Then, Koa activated the Rooster Talisman, moving so fast that both Brogy and Dorry ended up covered in wounds across their massive bodies. The only thing keeping them upright was their will to improve. Once hailed as the strongest warriors of Elbaf, they had grown complacent over the past hundred years, unaware that warriors like Koa could surpass them. Now, they were using Koa as a sparring partner to elevate their strength to a new level.

Koa then made a gesture, signaling the end of the sparring match. He gripped both his axes and leapt toward them. The giants readied themselves as well, preparing their strongest attack, coating their weapons in Haki, while Koa infused his own with Conqueror's Haki.

"Hakoku Sovereignty!" both Dorry and Brogy shouted as they unleashed their technique, having finished their preparation first. But this was exactly what Koa wanted. He observed their attack intently, aiming to learn from it and apply it to his technique. The flying slash from the giants hurtled toward Koa, but in his heightened focus, everything slowed down. His mind was working at full capacity, analyzing every detail.

Then something clicked. Koa gripped his axes tightly and launched his attack.

"Divine Sovereignty," he said. His attack, a more compressed and refined version of their flying slash, surged forward. An illusion of a raging bull formed behind it as it charged straight into the giants' combined strike. The result was immediate—Koa's attack obliterated theirs effortlessly and slammed into both Dorry and Brogy, sending them flying and rendering them unconscious, their massive bodies bleeding and battered.

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After a few hours, both Dorry and Brogy woke up and saw each other without a single mark from Koa's attack, making it seem like everything had only happened in a dream, as there was no evidence of the clash. But when they looked around, they saw that the once-dense forest was now completely barren.

As they approached the area where Koa and the others were staying, they found Koa alone with Kuzan and Greenbull. Both were punching the ground, their hands bleeding, while Koa stood over them shouting instructions.

"Ignore the pain! Just keep punching! Focus on punching—that's what you should do!" Koa yelled as he coached both Greenbull and Kuzan through one of the most brutal training routines he knew. It was Garp's training method—the legendary regimen known in One Piece lore for building pure, overwhelming strength. This was the same method Garp used to punch San Juan Wolf into the sea without even using Haki, relying solely on raw power. It was a training Kuzan should have recognized, as it was what allowed him to once match the strength of the old Garp. Now, Koa was passing it down to them, with Greenbull getting a head start.

"Ohhh, you're alive! Hahahaha! Sorry about that last part," Koa said as he noticed Dorry and Brogy were awake and apologized for going too far.

"No worries. A real warrior stands no matter who the enemy is or how much pain they're in. We're just ashamed it took us several hours to wake up," both Brogy and Dorry replied, their fighting spirits fully rekindled by the battle with Koa.

"How did we get healed anyway? We had multiple wounds, and I know our recovery isn't that strong," Brogy asked, curious about how they had recovered so quickly.

"That's a trade secret only my crew gets to know," Koa replied. "If you want to find out, you'll have to join our pirate crew." Despite his respect for Dorry and Brogy, Koa was cautious. He knew that even great men could fall under the influence of Imu in the future. If they joined his crew, Koa could protect them from that corruption, unlike if they remained in Elbaf.

"KABABABABABABABABA! No matter!" Brogy laughed, understanding that some secrets are meant to be shared only among trusted companions on a shared journey.

The trio continued talking while Kuzan and Greenbull kept punching the ground, and Joichiro prepared their upcoming lunch and dinner.

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The day ended as Joichiro finally finished preparing the lunch and dinner for all of them. Everyone had been so busy training that they had forgotten to eat lunch, so now they all gathered around a campfire they had made, with a feast of delicious food laid out in front of them. They sat together, eating and talking, the shared meal strengthening their camaraderie and deepening the bonds between them.

Brogy and Dorry had become like pseudo-members of the crew, fitting in naturally with the group. As they ate and drank, laughter and conversation filled the air. Koa began sharing stories from his time with the Roger Pirates, captivating everyone. He spoke of the harsh reality of the New World, emphasizing that mastering Haki was essential for survival there. It was a sea full of monsters—literal and human alike.

He recalled battles they had fought, including fierce encounters with Garp and Whitebeard, speaking with both admiration and caution. His stories weren't just tales—they were lessons, reminders of what it takes to thrive in the world ahead. Everyone listened intently, the flickering fire casting shadows as their ambition quietly grew under the night sky.