Next Bonus, 100!!
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"Loki was sent flying!"
Hajrudin and the other giants watched in horror.
Jin was simply too dominant.
He was completely overpowering Elbaf's strongest warrior.
"ROOAAR..." Loki was enraged, humiliated by his defeat at the hands of a human he had scorned. He wanted to use that power.
But he was too heavily injured. He was spent. He had nothing left.
He collapsed, defeated.
Jin lowered his fists.
Steam rolled off his body, melting the snow before it could touch him.
He could see the shame in Loki's eyes.
He was a good sparring partner.
"Loki," Jin said, "I'll give you another chance. I'll be back in two months. Eat, rest, recover your strength. Then we'll fight again. And I'll make you accept your defeat. But until then, you're going back in chains. Can't have you causing any more trouble. Don't worry, though. I'll make sure you're well-fed."
Loki, who prided himself on Elbaf's history of conquest, was a traditional warrior. He had a certain obsession with strong opponents. He refused to accept this defeat.
He grit his teeth. "Fine. I'll be waiting."
"Heh... you can't become the 'Sun God' with strength alone," Jin said with a smile. He gestured for Hajrudin and the others to come and chain Loki back up, telling them to treat his wounds and feed him regularly.
The other giants were reluctant, but Hajrudin agreed.
Jin didn't leave right away. He had the giants butcher the boars and other massive beasts that had been killed in the fighting and start a barbecue. He opened his subspace and brought out ale from the carrier, sharing it with everyone, including Loki.
The other giants, out of fear and disgust, kept their distance. Loki just sneered and called them cowards.
Jin had Hajrudin unlock one of Loki's arms so he could eat and drink.
"Hah... good stuff!" Loki laughed, taking his first drink in three years. Even his gaze toward Jin seemed to soften.
"You're strong, little king," he said, tearing a chunk of meat from a boar's leg. "Stronger than that weakling Shanks. You're the fourth strongest person I've ever met."
"Oh?" Jin said, taking a bite of his own meat. "Who are the first three?"
"First, of course, is Rocks," Loki said without hesitation. "Second is my old man. And third... is me!"
His mouth was tougher than his bones.
Jin didn't comment. "I'm curious," he said. "Did you really kill King Harald?"
"Hm?" Loki's hand froze. "Hahaha! Of course I did!" he boomed.
"I don't think so," Jin said. "The way you speak of him, you put him on the same level as Rocks. I can tell you still respect him. Killing your own father for a Devil Fruit... someone else might do it, but you? I don't buy it."
"Why not?" Loki said, stunned. "Why do you think I couldn't?"
"A gut feeling," Jin replied. "And from the way you fight... you're not that kind of person."
"What?? You think you know me? What kind of person do you think I am?"
"Unloved," Jin stated simply.
"HUH?? Unloved? What the hell does that mean??"
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"It means," Jin said, "that you're just a kid who was either ignored by his father or scorned by his mother, and now you're desperate for validation. But you don't know how to get it. You tried to please people, and you failed. So you closed yourself off. Your pride is a shield for a fragile ego. The slightest comment sets you off, makes you think you're being insulted. And to protect yourself, you lash out, you use violence. You destroy everything around you to prove how strong you are. But at your core, you're not a bad person. You just act like one to get attention. You use your strength to hide the emptiness inside."
"Hey! That's not me!" Loki snarled. "I'm the strongest warrior in Elbaf! I'm going to become the legendary 'Sun God' who brings about the end of the world!"
"Why are you so defensive?" Jin chuckled. "See? You still consider yourself a part of Elbaf. You don't want to destroy the world. You just want to be acknowledged. Even your desire to become the 'Sun God'... it comes from the same place. You're unloved. You're starved for praise, for recognition."
"Shut up!" Loki roared, smashing his flagon. "I'm not some weakling! I did those things! And after I beat you, I'm going to destroy the world!"
Jin just shook his head. "And that... is why you'll never be the 'Sun God'."
"Why not??" Loki raged. "I AM THE SUN GOD!"
He threw a punch.
Jin met it with his own, blocking it easily and sending a jarring shockwave back up Loki's arm.
"You don't understand what the 'Sun God' means," Jin said, his voice calm. "Your fists only hold rage and violence. And fists like that hurt you as much as they hurt your opponent. The strongest fists... they have to have love in them.. You know what that is? If you want to learn, I can teach you."
"I don't need that weakling crap," Loki sneered. "Next time, I'll beat you!"
Jin just smiled and shook his head.
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He said his goodbyes to Loki and returned to the "Upper World."
Hajrudin found him alone. "King Jin... do you really think Loki didn't kill my father?"
He had overheard their conversation and was stunned.
"Who knows?" Jin shrugged. "It's just a feeling I have. Just like you have your feeling. It's all just speculation, without any proof."
Hajrudin fell into thought.
But if it wasn't Loki... then who was it?
He would have to ask Elder Jarul again.
"There's one more thing," Hajrudin said, his eyes burning with intensity. "You said you could awaken my ancient giant bloodline..."
Although he and Loki were half-brothers, and he had his own ambitions of becoming the king of the giants, without the blood of the ancient giants, he would never be recognized by the elders, would never be given the title of "prince."
Yes, Loki, though younger, was the recognized heir to the throne. If it hadn't been for the patricide, he would have been king. And even with Loki imprisoned, Hajrudin still couldn't become king without awakening the ancient bloodline.
Blood was everything.
"There's a chance," Jin said. "But it will require countless battles... and a little bit of luck."
Hajrudin was overcome with emotion. He prostrated himself before Jin, begging for his help.
In return, he was willing to serve him for one hundred years.
Jin accepted.
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Back in the Upper World.
During Jin's time there, Robin had completed her trade negotiations with the giants, and Ai had scanned and recorded all of their books.
When they heard that Jin and his crew were leaving, Colon, Scopper Gaban's son, asked if he could come along to see the outside world.
Jin had no objections. Hajrudin would be joining them as well, to go to Hannabal and see Brogy and Dorry.
After some consideration, Scopper Gaban and Ripley agreed.
They had thought that Jin's ship wouldn't be able to carry two giants, but the moment they stepped on board, they were "swallowed" and entered the ship's internal space.
Robin waved goodbye to Saul.
The demonic carrier set sail, leaving Elbaf behind.
After a few days' sail, they arrived at Gran Tesoro.
There, they rendezvoused with Shanks and his crew, who had just finished a tour of the New World with Uta.
The arrival of the music group—Uta, Brook, Carina—created a massive stir. They held a three-day performance, as planned, and a huge crowd of fans flocked to the city, bringing a new wave of excitement to Gran Tesoro.
From there, Jin proceeded to Silver Mine island, which the Nuts Pirates had told him about.
Katakuri had sent men to begin mining operations, and a large stockpile of silver ore was waiting for him.
Using the demonic carrier's built-in smelter and the power of the Melt-Melt Fruit, the refining process was ten times faster than before. In less than an hour, he had over a thousand tons of pure silver.
And Ai's scans estimated that there were over 100,000 tons of silver left on the island.
It certainly lived up to its name.
Jin opened the ship's interface.
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[Primary Authority: Captain Jin]
[Hull Data: Length 85m | Width 25.2m | Height 14.6m | Weight 2750 Tons] [Internal Space: 25.8 x 15.2 x 1.4 km³]
[Abilities: Munch-Munch | Mushroom-Mushroom | Candy-Candy | Hell's Red Serpent | Calm-Calm | Triceratops | Bomb-Bomb | Clay-Clay | Spring-Spring | Copper-Copper | Kraken-Kraken | Castle-Castle | Kilo-Kilo | Barrier-Barrier | Scream-Scream | Chain-Chain | Steel-Steel | Slow-Slow | Rumble-Rumble | Ton-Ton | Leopard | Silver-Spider | Tyrannosaurus | Giraffe | Wolf | Door-Door | Elephant | Gold-Gold | Luck-Luck | Pegasus-Pegasus | Titanoboa-Titanoboa | Melt-Melt | Mark-Mark]
[Armaments: Fighter Jets (15) | Main Cannons (56) | Heavy Cannons (325) | Firearms (12,068) | Blades (11,564)]
[Crew: Bartholomew Kuma (Cook) | Crocodile (Boatswain) | Trafalgar Law (Doctor) | Nico Robin (Intelligence Officer) | Maya (Secretary) | Vinsmoke Reiju (Enforcer) | Portgas D. Ace (Vice-Enforcer) | Uta (Musician) | Boa Hancock (Helmsman) | Jinbe (Vice-Helmsman)]
[Next Evolution Requirements: Soul Crystals (68,567/10,000) | Refined Steel (120,000/10,000 tons) | Gold (4,412/100 tons) | Silver (1,782/500 tons) | Rare Earth Metals (522/2,000 tons) | Biological Matter (22/30)!]
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"Materials aren't a problem," Jin mused. "It's the Biological Matter. Eight left... no, there's a Mythical Zoan in the East Blue, so that makes seven. Not too many. I can get them within a year."
With his current power and wealth, Jin now had many more channels for acquiring Devil Fruits.
After returning to Gran Tesoro, he left Carina there as a resident diva.
As a singer second only to Uta, her talent would be overshadowed if she stayed with the main group.
Who wants to be second-in-command when you can be the star?
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~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
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