"What?!"
The moment Fang Huo spoke, not only did Loki and Ida stare wide-eyed, even the Executives of the Rocks Pirates froze.
Whitebeard Newgate seemed to sense something in the dark; he instantly memorized those words.
He would learn from Fang Huo—one day he too would adopt a son!
Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I'm a proud Giant, prince of Elbaf!
How could I become the adopted son of a puny human like you?!"
Loki's face flushed scarlet with rage and he burst into curses.
Even if Fang Huo had healed him twice, he would never acknowledge this tiny human.
"wahaha! Serves you right, Fang Huo!"
Rocks doubled over, clutching his belly in wild laughter; he felt Fang Huo was simply toying with the arrogant giant prince.
"I'm not joking."
"Loki, my door is always open to you."
"By the way, this fellow Harald will spend his life bowing and scraping to join the World Government."
"He'll shave his head bald to show his wish to become a member nation."
"Later he'll go to Marineford, break off both his horns, just to prove his desire for peace."
"In the end he'll willingly become a Celestial Dragons Knight, his life bound by Imu's Deep-Sea Contract, king of the world."
"To keep Elbaf from becoming the Celestial Dragons' war machine, Harald will finally beg you to kill him before Imu takes complete control."
"Loki, your mother Aestrilda's prophecy wasn't wrong—you will personally slay your father Harald!"
"Of course, it will be Harald, already under Imu's sway, who seeks death of his own accord."
"Loki, if you don't want any of this to happen, call me Godfather and I'll reverse the future and change this cursed fate!"
—Unmoved by Loki's fury or Rocks' uproarious laughter, Fang Huo calmly spoke of Harald's bleak and miserable future.
"Harald's desire for peace and for opening relations with the outside world isn't wrong in itself."
"But he underestimates the evil of the Celestial Dragons and doesn't understand the grudge between the Giant Race and Imu."
"Loki, have you seen the murals in the Hammer-Thunder Canon?"
"Your Giant Race once followed the sun god nika and fought as allies against Imu and the Twenty Kings."
"In other words, the Giant Race is the World Government's enemy—the defeated side of that great war."
"Now Harald wants to join the member nations—how do you think the Celestial Dragons will treat you losers?"
"Perhaps only by becoming the Celestial Dragons' slaves and the World Government's army will they accept your kingdom."
—Before Ida could retort, Fang Huo continued to expose the historic grievances between Elbaf and the World Government.
He knew Harald had chosen the path of peace only because of Ida's influence.
When Harald had first set sail, he too had been a hot-tempered giant warrior.
In truth, neither Ida nor Harald were wrong to seek peace; what was wrong was this world under Imu's control.
Imu would never easily accept a powerful defeated nation like Elbaf—an ally and follower of that bastard Joy Boy.
Imu only wanted to turn the Giant Kingdom into servants and soldiers.
Fang Huo piled on the grim future awaiting Harald and the old hatred between Elbaf and the World Government.
Ida, Loki, and Hajrudin's pupils shook as if an earthquake had struck their eyes.
The Rocks crew listened with relish, marveling at the depth of the World Government and growing ever more curious about that blank century of history.
"Loki will kill his father?!"
The half-blood prince Hajrudin, whose mind worked rather slowly, filtered out everything else and focused only on the prophecy that Loki would slay Harald, exploding in anger.
In Elbaf, whispers that Loki was a cursed prince had long circulated.
Loki's birth had brought the land countless natural disasters and calamities.
His own mother had prophesied that this cursed child would personally bring about his father Harald's death.
Though Harald forbade anyone to spread or discuss the "rumor," countless giants still privately feared the prophecy.
Many giants loathed and dreaded the cursed prince Loki.
"Don't spout nonsense, Hajrudin! Loki is not that kind of child!"
Ida slapped Hajrudin across the head; she refused to believe the drivel of this pirate.
These wild future prophecies were every bit as hateful as Queen Aestrilda's curse!
"Loki!! Don't listen to these pirates!! You will always be Harald's pride!"
Seeing Loki sink into confusion and fear, Ida hugged the poor child tight.
First Aestrilda, now this pirate—why heap such curses and prophecies upon Loki?
"Our first mate is a Prophet, and his predictions have never once been wrong!!"
Babel, Sanbel, and Kiel Bastard spoke with grave faces.
They were plainly unhappy that Ida doubted Fang Huo's prophecy.
"I only fought Harald once, at Holy Land Mary Geoise; I don't know him."
"Even Harald's name and the fact he's king of Elbaf came from Fang Huo's foresight."
"And Loki, he foretold the tragedy of your birth—a natural-born Conqueror's Haki monster!"
"If you weren't so young and giants took so long to grow, I'd haul you onto the Rocks Pirates right now."
After digesting Fang Huo's prophecy, Rocks realized that a monster as mighty as Harald could end up like that.
To keep this valued ally from becoming Imu's pawn and ultimately being slain by his own son,
he had to change Harald's future.
To that end he even spoke up himself, bolstering the credibility of Fang Huo the Prophet.
He hoped first to sway Ida, Loki, and Hajrudin's hearts, thereby changing Harald's "peace-seeking" mind.
"Tsk, even if Harald begs for death, you'll still be the patricidal cursed child!"
Golden Lion Shiki, cigar clamped between his teeth, floated in the air and let out a wicked laugh as he regarded the giant boy with devilish slit pupils.
What a splendid prophecy!
He loved watching such tragic tales unfold.
"Impossible! I will never raise a hand against my father!"
"I won't let Father become the World Government's lackey! Won't let him be controlled by that so-called king of the world!!"
Loki's demon-slit pupils burned crimson, and a tremendous burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted.
Ida, closest to him, felt her vision blacken and nearly fainted.
Hajrudin's eyes rolled back and he collapsed.
"No wonder even the first mate envies that natural Conqueror's Haki—so powerful!!"
Maron, Kiel Bastard, and Bolo Gram all raised their arms against the raging Haki, envy showing through their grave faces.
Fang Huo likewise released his Conqueror's Haki, shielding the pregnant Shimotsuki Furiko and Stussy from Loki's violent aura.