"Take us to the mass graves," Lynch ordered.
...
The mass graves were a stark contrast to the Valley of the Heroes. Shrouded in darkness for years, the air was thick with the smell of decay, and crows circled overhead.
"Tell me, where did you bury the bodies?" Lynch asked.
The giant trembled. "No, if I remember correctly, it should be right here."
Lynch looked at Hilda. "Look."
As they cleared away the weeds, two wooden signs—nearly completely corroded—appeared. The names on them were barely legible. Beneath the signs was a small mound, about half a meter high.
It was a world apart from the grand tombs in the Valley of the Heroes.
"Dad! Mom! Hilda is here!"
Despite the years, Hilda recognized her parents' graves. She collapsed on them, crying uncontrollably.
Lynch sighed but stayed silent, not interrupting the moment as Hilda reunited with her family. He gently pulled the giant aside, giving the girl time to grieve.
After a while, Hilda emerged with swollen red eyes. Her shoulders trembled occasionally, and the sight was heartbreaking.
"Have you finished?" Lynch asked, turning back to her.
"Yes, I'm done. Thank you," Hilda replied.
She took Lynch's hand, placed it on her forehead, and smiled through her tears. "Even if I die now, I have no regrets."
"Ouch! That hurts!" Hilda cried out, rubbing her forehead.
Lynch had simply flicked her gently with his finger.
"You're still young. Stop talking about death all the time."
"You said you wanted to see the world outside. After I finish what I need to do, I'll take you."
"Also, I'll help you move your parents' graves and find a better place for them."
The soft words lingered in Hilda's ears. She looked at Lynch's profile, lost in thought.
No wonder she had been so unlucky before. Meeting Lynch just before her death might have drained all her remaining luck...
"I like you the most," Hilda suddenly said, wrapping her arms around Lynch and resting her head against him. "Thank you, thank you."
Back at the Giant Village, a giant dressed as a scribe was waiting for them. He blocked their path.
Though he was clearly a giant, he wore a formal robe and glasses that gave him a scholarly appearance. But his posture seemed arrogant, as if he didn't care about his appearance at all.
"The King has an invitation for you. The humans from afar," the giant said, looking down at Lynch with a look of clear superiority.
Lynch sneered. "Doesn't he know who I am? Tell him to come here and see me."
Dorner looked at Lynch with an almost pitying expression. "If you don't accept the invitation, there will be consequences."
"Come here, capture him, and take him to the king for disposal,"
Dorner ordered, unwilling to engage in a fight himself.
Holding his scepter, he stepped back as several giants, armed to the teeth, emerged from hiding and surrounded Lynch.
"Humans, let's capture him. Maybe we'll live a little longer."
"Little bug, if you dare challenge the great giants, today will be your last!"
Five giants, clad in fine iron armor and wielding massive swords, closed in on Lynch. Their eyes burned with murderous intent.
These five were the strongest among the giants, second only to the giant king. They were both elders of the giant clan and members of the king's guard.
Their strength rivaled that of Vice Admirals, far surpassing the typical giants.
This is why the giants proudly called themselves the "strongest country" and "strongest clan."
"If you're not afraid of death, come at me all at once"
Lynch's body suddenly expanded, growing to nine meters tall, nearly matching the giants' size. Dragon scales began to emerge from his skin.
With a fierce motion, he opened his massive, spiked hands, electric sparks dancing across his fingertips. Iron sand from deep beneath the earth was pulled toward him, forming into a mace in his hand.
The giants stared in shock.
"Is this really a human in front of me?"
"How can someone shrink and grow like this? Is this a Devil Fruit power?"
Before they could recover, Lynch moved first.
"Raime Hakke!"
The mace, charged with thunder and lightning, flew through the air like a bolt of lightning, striking one of the giants squarely on the head.
Boom!
Thunder erupted, teeth flew, and one of the giant elders was sent flying, crashing to the ground, motionless.
"Kaido's Raime Hakke is still as effective as ever," Lynch thought. "When I get the chance, I'll make sure to learn the rest of Kaido's stick techniques."
"Despicable human! You attacked us without warning!"
Seeing their fallen comrade, the remaining four giants became wary.
A human who could strike down a giant elder with one blow deserved their full attention.
The giants of Elbaf had the blood of warriors running through their veins.
"Hakoku!"
"Hakoku!"
The four giant elders worked in pairs, unleashing a combined version of Hakoku. The resulting shockwave spread for thousands of meters, shaking the ground and threatening to engulf everything nearby.
The power of the attack was terrifying, ten times stronger than the previous giant's "Hakoku."
In Little Garden, Blue Ogre and Red Ogre had once used this technique together to defeat an Island Eater, a creature far too large for an island.
The shockwave roared like a wind dragon, tearing the earth apart.
"Hahahaha, five of you ganged up on me, and you call me despicable?"
The combined "Hakoku" from the four giant elders couldn't even shake Lynch, who had transformed into his half-animal form.
The giants saw hundreds of tons of boulders vanish under the shockwave, only to notice Lynch standing unharmed. A sense of dread filled them.
What is this human made of?
Lynch calmly advanced step by step, facing the shockwave, and swung his mace.
"Raime Hakke!"
The thunder dragon roared, shaking the world. The mace, crackling with blue arcs, grew larger and larger in the giants' vision.
"Boom!"
Another giant elder was knocked unconscious.
In less than half a minute, two giant elders had fallen.
"Come on, Lynch! Defeat them!"
Hilda cheered for Lynch, but halfway through, she remembered she was also a giant.
Covering her mouth with her small hand, she glanced around nervously. "Uh, I hope no one heard that..."
"No matter what, come on, Lynch!"
"Strong human, your strength has earned our respect."
"But if you want to harm the giants, you'll have to step over our corpses first!"
The two giants fell one after another, and the remaining three giants grew bolder as they fought.
Giant warriors never fear!
They formed a triangular formation, swinging their massive swords and charging at Lynch. The air crackled with a sharp, unpleasant sound as the swords swung.
"Raime Hakke!"
All that responded was Lynch's indestructible figure, surrounded by the powerful Raime Hakke wrapped in Conqueror Haki coating!
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TO BE CONTINUED
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