"You bastards, where are you planning to go make trouble this time!?"
Just as the giants of Sun World's West Village were all gathering and clamoring over the Straw Hat Pirates' actions, a giant as massive as a small mountain suddenly appeared at the edge of the crowd and questioned the giants present in an aged voice.
The newcomer's body stood dozens of meters tall. The giants who already seemed enormous to ordinary humans looked like children before him.
An aged face, a fluffy beard towering like a mountain, and a sharp greatsword that pierced straight through the top of his skull.
The newcomer was none other than the former captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates, and also the most prestigious figure in all of Elbaf—the 345-year-old Mountain Beard, Jarul!
"Elder Jarul!"
At the sight of Jarul's arrival, all the giants instantly looked as if they had found their pillar of support, and every gaze turned toward him.
Though the giants of Elbaf were warriors who feared neither heaven nor earth, yearning for freedom and adventure, the Straw Hat Pirates' name now resounded across the seas. Even bold warriors like them had no choice but to remain cautious.
Ever since Jorul had been accidentally beaten to death by Big Mom when she was five years old, Elder Jarul, the only remaining elder of the giant race, had become the spokesman for all the warriors of Elbaf.
Yet in the face of the giants' questions, Jarul immediately lowered his brows and swept his gaze across the crowd, speaking indignantly:
"What a bunch of cowards! Something this minor was enough to scare you into this state!?"
"Panicking and rushing around like this—what do you look like!? Where is even a trace of the glory of Elbaf's warriors!?"
Jarul had already been filled with dignity to begin with, and now that a greatsword was stuck through the top of his head, he seemed not only imposing, but also faintly eerie.
After hearing his rebuke, all the giants could not help lowering their heads.
Because they had to admit that after learning the Straw Hat Pirates intended to act against Elbaf, there truly had been a trace of panic in their hearts.
Even though they believed the great warriors of Elbaf feared no powerful enemy and could sweep away every invader…
This was the Straw Hat Pirates, after all!
The strongest pirate crew on the seas today, with countless elite troops and mighty fighters under their command. Single-handedly, they had nearly beaten the World Government into disbanding on the spot.
Even Kaido and Big Mom, two of the mighty Emperors of the Sea, had been easily defeated by them.
In the present world, they did not know who else could possibly stand against the Straw Hat Pirates!
After learning that such a terrifying force had turned its blade toward them, how could they not feel panic?
But with Jarul's stern rebuke, the flames of fighting spirit ignited once more in everyone's hearts.
That was right!
So what if they were the Straw Hat Pirates!?
They were warriors who bore the glory of Elbaf!
For a moment, the eyes of all the giants instantly grew resolute. One by one, they raised their heads and looked toward Jarul with passionate, determined gazes, as though answering him…
They feared no challenge!
Yet in the very next second, Jarul slowly stroked his fluffy beard and said, "Just yesterday, I already spoke with Hajrudin, who has joined the Straw Hat Pirates."
"The Straw Hat Pirates actually have no intention of directly sending troops against Elbaf."
Eh!?
The giants were stunned.
So, Elder Jarul, the reason you were so calm was because you had already communicated with the Straw Hat Pirates in advance!?
For some reason, at that moment, the giants actually felt as though they had been betrayed.
But in the next second, they cast aside that insignificant feeling and looked anxiously toward Jarul.
Betrayal or not, now was not the time to discuss that…
"Elder Jarul, what did Hajrudin say!?"
From within the crowd, a giant wearing a black eyepatch asked the question.
His name was Redding. He had been Hajrudin's instructor during his childhood, and he had always been filled with anticipation and support for Hajrudin's dream of restoring the glory of the Giant Warrior Pirates.
"Hajrudin said…"
Jarul slowly opened his mouth, but very quickly, like an old man with dementia, his body abruptly froze in place as if someone had pressed pause.
The giants were long used to this.
After all, he was a 345-year-old warrior, and Loki had stabbed a sword into his head. It was perfectly normal for him to show some early signs of dementia.
Sure enough, after a long while, Jarul came back to himself as though power had suddenly returned.
"Hajrudin said they are currently searching for a solution. However, the Straw Hat Pirates do indeed intend to make the warriors of Elbaf submit and obey their orders."
"So… war is unavoidable!"
"What!?"
Jarul's words once again shook the giants' spirits.
But since even Elder Jarul had said war could not be avoided, their choice became simple.
The worst outcome was nothing more than death.
Though the warriors of Elbaf possessed the proper fear of death, they would not flee from a necessary death when it came.
For the glory of Elbaf, they would rather die standing than live on their knees.
They simply had not expected that Hajrudin, the son of Elbaf's king, would actually choose to join the Straw Hat Pirates and become one of their subordinates.
Thinking of this, Redding once again looked ahead in confusion.
"Elder Jarul, did Hajrudin really say that? Did he say anything else!?"
"Also…"
"I remember Dorry and Brogy saying they got along extremely well with the Straw Hat Pirates!? Could the Straw Hat Pirates really disregard the friendship between them completely!?"
Redding looked toward Dorry and Brogy, who stood on either side of Jarul.
As captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates who had disappeared for a full hundred years, their stories had been heard by many young giants since childhood.
It was just that not long ago, because their weapons had broken during their duel, and because of the persuasion of the Giant Warrior Pirates' members Kashii and Oimo, the two had finally decided to return to Elbaf, forge completely new weapons, and then continue their duel.
Upon hearing Redding's question, Dorry and Brogy instantly let out their respective distinctive, hearty laughs.
"Gegya gyagya gyagya gyagya…"
"Gabababababa…"
"What a pity!"
"On the road to chasing dreams and goals, even friends with the deepest bonds will not yield in the slightest!"
"That is what a warrior should do!"
At this moment, a wavy-haired giantess who had arrived at some unknown point also walked with enchanting steps to Jarul's side and gently shook her head at the gathered giants.
"There is no helping it. After all, the current world has already entered a state of multipolar division."
"Elbaf, with its large number of giant warriors yet without ever choosing a side, is already unique and exceptionally conspicuous on the stage of the world."
"Whether for the strength Elbaf currently possesses, or for the potential displayed by the giant race, no one can resist the temptation of a group of powerful giant warriors!"
The giantess raised her head, revealing a pair of eyes filled with wisdom. They stood in stark contrast to her sparse clothing, which barely covered only the essential areas.
This person was none other than Teacher Ripley, one of the founders of Walrus Academy and the one responsible for teaching young giants biological knowledge.
At the same time, she was also one of the important figures who had gradually guided Elbaf, once filled with savagery and ferocity, toward becoming a land of wisdom.
In truth, the Straw Hat Pirates were not even the first party to take action.
Recently, strange figures had often emerged from the Underworld, which connected Elbaf to the sea.
After some investigation, Ripley discovered that they were members of the World Government's Cipher Pol Organization. They had been sent by the World Government to make contact with Elbaf and draw Elbaf under the World Government's command.
It was just that those people's strength was far too ordinary. Many of them had not even made it deep into the Underworld before being hunted down and wiped out by the enormous creatures there.
There was no helping it.
Under the Straw Hat Pirates' repeated suppression, the reliable manpower the World Government could still use was now less than one-tenth of what it had been.
Even these Cipher Pol Organization members were people with little skill but great courage, who had resolutely stepped onto the path of persuading Elbaf for the tempting promises made by their superiors.
After hearing Ripley's explanation, the gathered pirates fell silent once more.
Mighty Elbaf had actually fallen to the point where it had to seek survival in the cracks between other organizations, and even had to submit to others in order to continue surviving?!
A desolate atmosphere instantly spread across the entire West Village square.
Seeing this scene, Ripley also let out a soft breath.
The glory of Elbaf… that had already been something from over a hundred years ago, had it not?
Back then, the pirate crew formed by Dorry and Brogy had indeed swept across the sea without equal.
But that was because in that era, there had not been so many pirates on the sea, nor so many powerful fighters.
It was only after Roger's appearance and death that the Great Pirate Era descended.
In just a little over twenty years, the sea seemed to have changed completely, and the strength of pirates had grown greater and greater.
Even the former Emperor of the Sea Charlotte Linlin, who had been easily defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates, was someone who had, in a rage at the age of five, killed the pride of the giant race—the former captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates, Jorul.
It could be said that the sea of today was no longer the sea the giants once knew.
That was why they had founded Walrus Academy, to make more giants understand the situation outside.
The giant race of the present day could not even talk about dominating one side. Even preserving themselves had become difficult.
Hajrudin, who possessed the bloodline of Elbaf's royal family, was nothing more than a barely passable pirate on the sea.
But immediately afterward, Jarul spoke again.
"Oh, right!"
"Although war is unavoidable, Hajrudin said that in order not to harm the friendship between the giants and themselves, the Straw Hat Pirates are willing to subdue Elbaf through a gentler method."
Listen to that—what a niche combination of words!
Subduing Elbaf had actually been paired with the word gentle!?
At that moment, the warriors did not know whether they had gone mad, Elder Jarul had gone mad, or Hajrudin and the Straw Hat Pirates had gone mad…
In any case, someone among them had to be mad. Otherwise, how could anyone say something like that so naturally?
"What method?" Redding acted as the mouthpiece for the gathered giants and asked on his own initiative.
Jarul's dim, aged eyes also flashed for an instant, and he slowly said:
"Challenge matches!!!"
"Hajrudin said we may establish any number of arenas in Elbaf."
"When the time comes, the strong fighters under the Straw Hat Pirates will challenge them one by one and defeat the giant warriors defending those arenas."
"If, within one week, every arena is occupied by people from the Straw Hat side…"
"Then Elbaf must publicly announce that it is joining under the Straw Hat Pirates' command and become a blade in the Straw Hat Pirates' hands."
"If, at the end, even one of all the arenas is still being defended by a giant, then the Straw Hat Pirates will acknowledge Elbaf's independence and protect Elbaf from the dangers of the World Government."
"What!? Isn't this looking down on us warriors of Elbaf way too much!?"
"Exactly! They're actually allowing us to set up any number of arenas!? Then if each of us becomes the arena master of our own arena, how will the Straw Hat Pirates respond!?"
"Don't be stupid! Didn't you see what the newspapers said? The Straw Hat Pirates are preparing to broadcast this entire event live from every angle, without any blind spots. Do you want the whole world to see you get defeated by tiny humans and leave behind recorded footage of it!?"
"That's right. Even if the Straw Hat Pirates allow us to decide the number, as warriors of Elbaf, we could never do something so shameless!"
"Since these are challenge matches, then naturally, we must select Elbaf's strongest warriors to defend the arenas!"
"…"
"…"
For some reason, the giants who had originally been worried about going to war with the Straw Hat Pirates, after hearing the rules the Straw Hat Pirates had set, actually had not a single person object. All of them tacitly accepted the rule of challenging and defending the arenas, which naturally also meant tacitly accepting the wager of recognizing the Straw Hat Pirates' rule afterward.
Old Master Zhou was right.
In a pitch-black room, if you wanted to open a window, others would not agree. But if you said you wanted to tear open the roof, then they would agree to let you open the window.
Compared with the miserable event of directly going to war with the Straw Hat Pirates, full of risk and sacrifice and with little chance of victory in the end, deciding Elbaf's final allegiance through peaceful challenge matches against the Straw Hat Pirates was clearly easier for them to accept.
Among those present, only Ripley, who understood a little psychology, could not help sighing at how skillful the Straw Hat Pirates' methods were.
The rules of the wager already gave Elbaf an absolute advantage, and the challenge match format could also display the strength of both sides at the same time, giving Elbaf sufficient respect…
Since the other side had already shown more than enough sincerity, as honorable warriors of Elbaf, they seemed to have no reason to reject the Straw Hat Pirates.
It was just that in the next few days, one could foresee that the entirety of Elbaf would argue endlessly over the list of arena defenders.
"Oh, right."
Just then, Elder Jarul spoke again.
"Because Hajrudin and the others are also members of Elbaf, although they are under the Straw Hat Pirates' command, they will participate as Elbaf warriors, and all of them will become members of Elbaf's arena-defending side."
"Hmph. Hajrudin, huh? At least he still has some conscience." Hearing this, the corners of Redding's mouth rose slightly. It was hard to tell whether he was pleased by Hajrudin's actions or looking forward to reuniting with his student.
But then Elder Jarul said something that made everyone present fall completely silent.
"In order to witness Elbaf's full strength, the other side specifically requested that Loki must be made one of the giant arena defenders, to ensure that Elbaf can display enough strength and potential."
(End of Chapter)