New World, Elbaf.
Sun World, West Village Market.
"Yasotakeru!"
Gaban, dressed like a butcher, swung two battle axes and sliced the giant wild boar hanging in front of him into neat cuts of meat in one breath.
Not far away, Ripley clapped enthusiastically.
"So cool. As expected of the man I chose!"
Gaban slowly wiped the pork fat from the axe blades with a towel and said helplessly, "In the past, I never would have imagined that all my skills would one day be used for something like this…"
"What? Do you dislike our current life?" Ripley frowned.
Gaban quickly waved his hand.
"How could I? I like our current life very much. I was just feeling emotional."
Although Gaban was wealthy enough, since he had been one of the three main fighters of the Roger Pirates and had received plenty of treasure, after coming to Elbaf, he still came to the village every day with Ripley to sell all kinds of meat.
While Ripley placed the cuts Gaban had just sliced onto the stall, Gaban bought a newspaper from a News Coo.
"Oh? A new release? This time it is… ScandalousGirlfriend: Whitebeard Jr.?"
Gaban spread open the newspaper with a smile and began reading. Before long, his face turned red, and he clicked his tongue.
"Valthior really is getting better and better at writing this kind of thing…"
That was right. Although the pen name was Lord Roger, ever since Young Garp, Gaban had already recognized the true mastermind behind it.
Other than that unreliable bastard Valthior, who else could do something like this?
As one of the strongest powerhouses, Gaban was naturally the type with plenty of energy.
The more he read, the more heated he became. Gradually, his attention shifted to Ripley at the stall. He swallowed and said, "Hey, Ripley, it looks like business is slow today. Why don't we close up and go home? I have an Eight-Level Great Storm technique I want to show you…"
Ripley froze at first. Then a blush appeared on her face. She looked around and scolded him softly, "Do not say things like that outside…"
But when she thought of Gaban's tricks, Ripley also felt a little tempted.
However, just then, a giant ran over from a distance and said, "Ripley, Mr. Gaban, Elder Jarul invites you to the castle to witness something…"
"Witness?" Ripley asked in surprise. "Is today a special day, Hajrudin?"
That was right. The one who came to deliver the message was none other than the giant prince, Hajrudin.
Normally speaking, Ripley's status was not high enough to mix with the royal family. But she had married Gaban.
Back then, as one of the three main fighters of the Roger Pirates, Gaban had been deeply involved in the incident where Harald almost enslaved all of Elbaf. Because of that, he was greatly respected by the giants of Elbaf.
Considering his strength and rich experience, whenever Elbaf had any major matter now, they would discuss it with Gaban.
This was especially true because King Loki was still very young and did not have much experience.
"Loki said he is going to challenge Ragnir today and eat the Devil Fruit passed down through Elbaf's royal line," Hajrudin said with a click of his tongue.
Gaban immediately became interested. He jumped onto Ripley's shoulder and asked curiously, "I have wanted to ask this for a long time. What kind of fruit have you been hiding?"
"Elder Jarul never mentioned it to you, Mr. Gaban?" Hajrudin asked in surprise.
After learning that Gaban did not know the details, Hajrudin explained as they walked, "It is a Mythical Zoan of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Nidhogg. It is also called the Thunder Dragon form… This fruit is very suitable for us giants, because its power seems to scale with body size. If an ordinary human eats it, the power they gain will not be especially strong. But if a giant like me ate it, I would become very powerful. As for Loki… he has Ancient Giant bloodline. His talent and strength are already terrifying. If he successfully eats the Devil Fruit this time, he may become a true monster…"
"Nidhogg?" Gaban had recently been reading Elbaf's books often to make his wife happy and learn about the local culture.
So he now knew something about Elbaf's old myths and legends.
"Back then, Valthior told me that you might be hiding the power of the giant wolf Fenrir. I did not expect it to be the black dragon Nidhogg… Looks like he guessed wrong," Gaban said, touching his chin.
"Mr. Valthior understands Elbaf's culture very well?" Hajrudin asked curiously.
He was still very interested in Valthior. After all, his father, Harald, was currently frozen in the deepest basement of the castle.
And that was Valthior's work from back then.
"Valthior is smart and knows a lot. He is the most educated among us…" Gaban's eyes filled with nostalgia as he said this. Then he smiled. "Today's newspaper also said Little Oars declared war on him. Maybe in a few days, news will come that they clashed."
As they chatted and laughed, Gaban and Ripley arrived inside the castle.
Soon, they saw Elder Jarul, and… Loki sitting on the throne.
After Harald was frozen, Loki had no choice but to become Elbaf's new king. However, he hated government affairs. Over the past two years, he had repeatedly told Jarul that he wanted to go out to sea.
Jarul had never agreed. And since Loki had not taken control of Ragnir, he had always felt unwilling, so he had not simply run away from home.
Gaban had seen Loki many times over the past two years. But unlike before, beside Loki's throne now stood a very square, extremely heavy-looking war hammer. In Loki's hand was a Devil Fruit smaller than one of his fingernails.
At the same time, the war hammer Loki had used before had been shattered. Only half of its handle remained, lying on the cracked floor not far away.
"Is that Ragnir?" Gaban asked curiously.
"Mr. Gaban." Loki nodded at him. "That is right. Just now, I finally conquered it…"
Seeing Gaban's curiosity and eagerness, Loki smiled. "Want to give it a try?"
"Then I will not hold back!" Gaban jumped onto Loki's throne and reached out to grab Ragnir's handle. He pulled with all his strength.
Gaban's old face quickly turned red. The muscles in his arm tightened, and his heartbeat sped up. But after a moment, he still gave up.
"It did not move at all… What a terrifying weapon."
Just its weight alone already meant enormous destructive power.
If Loki could wield this weapon, even Gaban felt he would be very troublesome to deal with.
"Looks like even Mr. Gaban acknowledges my strength!" Loki said excitedly. "Now, please watch as I eat this Devil Fruit and fulfill my father's long-held wish!"
The instant his words fell, Loki did not hesitate at all. He tossed the tiny Devil Fruit in his hand into his mouth.
Immediately afterward, surging power began to flow through his body. Lightning crackled from his horns. Black dragon scales and sharp claws continuously appeared.
"Hey, Loki, control your power!" Seeing Loki's transformed body keep expanding as if it were about to burst through the entire castle, Jarul quickly shouted.
Soon, a massive half-beast black dragon-man appeared before everyone.
Loki's body had already been huge, but now it looked even more oppressive.
Gaban, the smallest person present, looked at the enormous Loki and could not help sighing.
"This really is… incredible power."
"I can become even bigger!" Loki looked at everyone and said, "I can cover Elbaf's Sun World!"
Soon, Loki returned to his original form. Then he looked excitedly at Gaban and asked, "Mr. Gaban, with my current strength, do you think I am strong enough to run wild on the sea?"
"Huh?" Gaban asked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"I am going to give the throne to Hajrudin. Then I will go out to sea, form a pirate crew, destroy the World Government, find a way to free my father from being controlled, and avenge him!" Loki said through gritted teeth.
"No. What you need to do now is be a proper king…" Jarul scolded, trying to stop him.
"My father gave up too much to make Elbaf a member nation of the World Government. Now, I will make Elbaf's name sweep across the sea again! I will rebuild the Giant Warrior Pirates!" Loki said in a deep voice.
"You…" Jarul was furious and was about to say more.
Loki directly interrupted him. He grabbed Ragnir and said arrogantly, "I have had enough of sitting on this throne for the past few years and dealing with those boring matters I have no interest in. Now, let us speak according to Elbaf's tradition. The victor is king. Anyone who wants to stop me, step forward and fight me!"
Jarul was stunned by Loki's aura for a moment. Then he drew the long blade at his waist. "In that case, this old man will…"
Seeing this scene, Hajrudin could not help saying, "Mr. Gaban, aren't you going to..."
"This is a matter of your giant royal family. I have no intention of getting involved," Gaban said without hesitation, waving his hand.
Although Loki now looked very strong, Gaban still had more confidence in his own strength. If he truly had to act, he should be able to suppress Loki. But it definitely would not be easy.
Just as Loki and Jarul were about to clash, a figure suddenly walked out from the depths of the castle.
Her presence looked so ordinary, and she could even be said to be the weakest person there. But the moment Loki saw her, he immediately changed from arrogant and domineering into a trembling kitten.
"Ida…" Loki awkwardly called her name.
Harald's lover.
Hajrudin's mother.
Loki's foster mother.
And one of the few people Loki sincerely respected from the bottom of his heart.
"I will count to three. You obediently put down your weapon and go handle government affairs with Elder Jarul according to the original plan…" Ida stood with her hands on her hips, glaring angrily at Loki.
"Ida, I…"
"One!"
"I am the king of Elbaf!"
"Two!"
"Jarul, let's go!"
And just like that, the spirited King Loki ultimately failed to go out to sea.
Standing on Ripley's shoulder, Gaban smiled and said, "Did you feel it?"
"Feel what?" Ripley asked in confusion.
"The scent of the sea on Loki… He will not belong only to Elbaf," Gaban said, raising a brow. "Sooner or later, his name will also resound across the sea… When that time comes, all of you will surely be proud of him."
After a slight pause, Gaban grinned. "And that day is not far away…"
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