It took between 15-20 hours to complete it (not counting his chest that was done afterward). According to Dwayne, it tells the story of his life, what's important in his life - strength, protection and loyalty to family. It tells a story from beginning to end.
His cousin Tanoa'i, who also got a tattoo of the same magnitude that took 24 hours, was with him during the process of receiving this tattoos. Other cousins and friends were around too. They talked about the story of their heritage as well and played music and sang in order to take their minds off of the pain of getting the tattoo.