The King of Giants had been pinned to the ground by an even larger mythical beast. The savage battle unfolding before everyone carried an almost legendary feeling, as though one of Elbaf's ancient myths had suddenly come to life.
Roger seized the opportunity, plunging his blade into Harald's eye. Planting his feet firmly on the giant's cheek, he roared, "Hey, Harald! Is your self-awareness still in there!?"
For a brief instant, clarity flashed through Harald's remaining eye. His body stiffened as though he had suddenly woken from madness.
But the moment passed almost instantly.
Darkness surged back into his gaze as he roared violently, "My state has never been better! You bastards who covet Elbaf—I won't let a single one of you go alive!!!"
Clearly, although Imu had already withdrawn his consciousness from Harald and was no longer personally monitoring him, Harald's mind had long since been corrupted and influenced.
The changes had already started before he even returned to Elbaf.
From the moment he signed that contract, he was no longer the same person he once was.
Previously, because Imu wanted to seize control of Elbaf, Harald's own will had resisted fiercely. But now, Imu's order was simply to kill Shiki and the others who threatened Elbaf. Harald himself had no objection to that goal, so he never realized he was still being manipulated.
As for why Imu had withdrawn his consciousness and stopped watching altogether...
Maybe he was afraid of pain?
After all, this wasn't the first time.
Back at God Valley, after using the black transformation to control Rocks, Imu had also quickly withdrawn his awareness and stopped observing.
In the original story, when Harald fought Loki, Imu likewise wasn't monitoring the battle, which was why he never even knew how Harald died.
And now, history was repeating itself.
Ever since signing the contract at Mary Geoise, Harald had felt his power increase to an unbelievable degree.
Before leaving the castle earlier, Imu had even poured the power originally meant to control Harald directly into him instead, boosting his strength even further.
It could be said that the current Harald had reached the absolute peak of his life.
Across the entire sea, in a true one-on-one fight, no one besides Imu himself could defeat him now.
Not even Rocks in his prime.
Harald suddenly threw his head backward and smashed the back of his head violently into the ground.
Boom!
The earth cracked apart from the impact, and the terrifying shockwave sent Roger flying away.
At the same time, the Frost Sky Ice Zheng transformed by Valthior let out a painful roar.
Harald's giant sword had pierced straight through Valthior's Susanoo defenses and stabbed deeply into the belly of the giant frost beast. The sharp blade, slick with boiling blood, emerged from the beast's back.
Seizing the moment where Valthior's grip loosened due to pain, Harald delivered a brutal elbow strike to the Ice Zheng's jaw. The monstrous force flipped the massive beast off his body.
Harald looked utterly wretched at this point—half of his neck was shredded, ten bloody holes from claws pierced his shoulders, and his right eye was blinded by Roger.
But the man possessed an immortal body. As he struggled to his feet, black smoke billowed from his wounds, and in a blink, he had fully recovered!
"Zanpa!" (Slicing Wave!) Shiki roared as he swung his sword.
The razor-sharp slash tore across Harald's waist, ripping open a horrifying wound so deep that even his internal organs were exposed to the open air.
But Harald didn't care about the injuries at all.
The brutality in his eyes only grew fiercer as he let out a furious battle roar. Gripping his giant sword with both hands, he unleashed a devastating slash.
"Hakoku!!" (Sovereignty!)
A soft pop echoed out first, almost like the sound of uncorking a wine bottle.
But what followed was absolute destruction.
Harald still didn't even bother looking at Shiki. His true target remained Valthior from beginning to end.
The world-shattering shockwave of Hakoku surged straight toward the Ice Zheng that had just been thrown away moments earlier.
Everything in its path was destroyed.
The earth split open into a gigantic trench dozens of meters deep, and even the indestructible branches of the Treasure Tree Adam buried beneath the soil were shaved apart by the attack.
Seeing that Valthior couldn't possibly dodge, Roger—who could have avoided it—flashed a look of ferocity.
Conqueror's Haki exploded from his blade, Ace. Standing before the beast that had been stabbed and couldn't yet get up, he roared:
"Kagutsuchi: Eishi!!" (Fire of Kagutsuchi: Benevolent Soldier!)
This was Roger's strongest technique.
Back at God Valley, he had used this very move in a combined attack with Garp to defeat Rocks.
But this time, there was no Garp, and he was facing a Harald who had signed a contract rather than being forcibly corrupted!
The Conqueror's Haki carried by the two slashes collided instantly. The world lost its color, and the Treasure Tree Adam trembled.
Massive amounts of leaves fell from the sky. The tides in the waters surrounding Elbaf surged, churning into a tsunami that spread in all directions.
The clouds in the sky were torn asunder. Black lightning shattered space, flickering incessantly.
The pressure forced blood to seep from the webbing of Roger's hands as he gripped Ace, but in the end, he couldn't hold it. In the next instant, his killing move was shattered, and the terrifying shockwave of Hakoku swept over him.
However, the moment his figure was about to be swallowed, the arm of the Ice Zheng beast reached out and scooped up Roger's tiny frame, shielding him in its chest.
Boom!!!
The enormous ice beast was struck head-on by Hakoku.
The Susanoo armor formed from Conqueror's Haki exploded instantly. Blood burst apart and vanished under the overwhelming force as the gigantic beast was hurled backward at terrifying speed.
Its body slammed directly into the massive trunk of the Adam Tree.
The impact shook all of Elbaf.
But perhaps due to Roger's desperate defense, or because Valthior's colossal frame and Susanoo had absorbed most of the force before shattering, the Treasure Tree Adam remained unpierced.
Either way, the frost-white beast—now stained red with blood—remained embedded deep within the trunk, like a hunted beast displayed as a trophy by Elbaf warriors
"Roger!? Valthior!?"
Rayleigh's expression completely collapsed as he shouted in panic while fighting Zephyr.
Zephyr instantly seized the opening and smashed a heavy punch directly into Rayleigh's face, sending him flying away as well.
Elsewhere, Gaban and Silver Axe were fighting Sengoku together.
But because Gaban had spent the entire previous night "challenging" the female warrior of Elbaf, his condition today was terrible. As he stared at the scene before him in shock, regret flooded his heart.
At that moment, Gaban hated himself more than ever.
If he hadn't indulged so recklessly yesterday, he wouldn't be in such a weakened state now.
After unleashing that full-powered Hakoku, even Harald—with his immortal body—couldn't help stumbling weakly.
It wasn't surprising.
That attack had exhausted nearly all of his strength and Haki in one explosive burst.
Still, as long as he was given a moment to breathe, he would recover again.
"What did you do to Roger?! You've got to be kidding me!!! You bastard!!!" Shiki's eyes were bloodshot as he roared in fury.
Suddenly, an entire island came crashing down from the shattered clouds above like a falling meteor.
Its speed was so terrifying that flames ignited around it in the sky.
Driven completely mad with rage, Shiki forced the meteor-like island downward and smashed it brutally onto Harald's body.
Boom!!!
The island exploded apart on impact.
Harald's exhausted body, temporarily lacking Haki protection, was blasted into pieces as blood and flesh scattered everywhere. His entire body was driven deep underground beneath the crushing force of the falling island.
A massive shockwave spread outward in every direction.
Everything it touched was obliterated.
More than a dozen giant warriors were blown straight into the Underworld on the spot, while a nearby warrior village was completely reduced to ruins.
It must be said that Shiki, in his own way, truly "loved" Roger.
In a certain tavern by the coast, Harald's lover, Ida, gripped a furiously shouting Loki with all her might. "Don't go over there! That is not a battle you can participate in right now!"
"But Father..." Loki roared while struggling violently.
"Haven't you realized it yet!? Your father's condition is completely wrong! I already felt something was off from the very first day he returned!" Ida shouted as she stopped him.
...
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