Gerd was muttering to herself; Robin didn't know what she was saying. For a giant standing seventeen meters tall, Robin was far too small. If Robin didn't use her ability, even if she slapped Gerd's foot, Gerd wouldn't feel it.
"Gerd? Gerd? What's wrong?"
The giant next to her saw that Gerd was in a daze and reached out to push her shoulder.
Only then did she snap out of it, put down the axe in her hand, picked up the large medical kit, and walked over.
The Spear of Elbaf is a legacy of the Elbaf, but over the years, different giants have developed their own variations of the Spear of Elbaf.
Just like Fish-Man Karate, it has evolved into different styles.
Yamato's Spear of Elbaf was inherited from Kaido, who in turn learned it from Charlotte Linlin, truly a direct lineage. And when Charlotte Linlin was learning this technique in the kingdom of giants, Gerd was present as well.
She had been Charlotte Linlin's childhood playmate. Before Charlotte Linlin's eating disorder erupted, they could be considered good friends.
Outsiders had an extremely slim chance of learning the giants' inherited techniques.
The fact that Yamato's technique carried a faint resemblance to Charlotte Linlin's made Gerd somewhat suspicious.
But before figuring out the details, she needed to check on her comrade first.
"Hajrudin, how are you?"
"Still alive… but the disparity is just… way too big."
Among the young giants, Hajrudin was considered one of the best. He hadn't been away from the kingdom of giants for long before suffering a crushing defeat, and it was even a one-hit knockout.
"Sorry, sorry! I thought a big guy like you could take a hit, I didn't expect you to be so weak. Ah, no, that's not what I meant! I didn't mean to use that much force, I just overestimated, wait, no, I mean..."
"Cough cough, Miss Oni Princess, there's no need to say more. I understand what you meant."
If Yamato kept talking, Hajrudin might really die from embarrassment.
"In Elbaf, strength is everything. Your power is undeniable, and by all rights, I should honor my promise. But there is one question, what exactly is your relationship with that devil, Charlotte Linlin?"
Hajrudin was also Gerd's childhood playmate, so he had also seen Charlotte Linlin. If even the spectator Gerd could tell, then there was no way Hajrudin, who fought her directly, wouldn't have noticed.
"Devil?"
"Sixty-one years ago, I was only twelve. That was the first time I saw Linlin in Elbaf. She was extraordinarily gifted; at five years old, she had already shown terrifying talent. So the elders allowed her to learn alongside us.
But during the twelve-day fasting of the Winter Solstice Festival…"
Gerd started to speak of events from many years ago, which made Yamato understand why everyone in the kingdom of giants rejected Charlotte Linlin.
"That arranged marriage was originally a chance to ease tensions. But Linlin's daughter chose to run away from it. Prince Loki wasn't angry, but he was deeply heartbroken. Linlin's reputation in Elbaf declined even further.
Giants who go abroad can join any force. But they must never have direct ties with Charlotte Linlin, or they'll be expelled."
Elbaf didn't go so far as to reject all indirect connections. If they had, the entire Underworld of the New World would have to be cut off. With no newspapers or sea transport, Elbaf would suffer enormous losses too.
So their prohibition is simply that they cannot join the Big Mom Pirates and cannot have any connection with Charlotte Linlin's relatives. Other than that, there's not much else.
"There's no relationship, it's just some business deals. According to Dad, we might become enemies at any time. But for now, there aren't any major conflicts between our pirate crews."
Gerd and Hajrudin exchanged a glance, which could be considered a tacit approval of the other's decision.
"We are willing to become mercenaries under your command, but we cannot carry out any missions that involve getting close to Charlotte Linlin."
"Mission… wait a second. Robin, who is in charge of assigning our missions?"
Due to the disparity in strength, the New Giant Warrior Pirates changed their employer, becoming external mercenaries for the Beasts Pirates under Yamato's banner, though these giants had some doubts about this young miss' way of thinking.
For the Beasts Pirates, this was merely an insignificant personnel addition. But for some rising businesses, it was a devastating blow.
"Hey, Buggy."
"Isn't this Mr. 3? Why are you still wearing this outfit? Those giants should be arriving soon. Don't let them look down on us!"
With the help of a cloak to make his body appear larger, Buggy was strutting in front of his underlings.
He knew very well his own limits, so he could only use this method to increase his intimidation factor.
"That's exactly what I came to talk about. The giants said they found a better place, so they're sorry about what happened before. They said maybe we can work together again if there's a chance."
"What?! Which b*stard dared to steal business from me?! Who was it?!"
"Forget it, Buggy."
"3, times have changed. I'm a Shichibukai now too! Hey, you guys, anyone…."
"It was the Beasts Pirates."
"Anyone want a drink?"
Buggy forcefully held back his words; this was someone he couldn't afford to offend. Losing future employees was just something he'd have to accept.
After recruiting a new batch of employees, Yamato and Robin also re-planned their itinerary. However, she wasn't the only one recruiting people.
Following Yamato's recruitment of giants and Queen's recruitment of troublemakers,
Tesoro also began seeking out new members.
To be precise, he was simply organizing a team-building activity.
When the Summit War broke out, he had thought the Beasts Fruits would suffer a major blow. Unexpectedly, the development of events was completely different from what he had imagined.
Out of consideration for Kaido's strength and their obsession with the "immortality drug," the World Government tacitly allowed the Beasts Fruits to continue existing.
Afterwards, they shifted their focus to the Beasts Fruits' Medical Department. During this period, many people from the medical department were poached, and some spies were even planted. Indirectly, this caused a sharp increase in Who's-Who's workload.
After the residual effects of the Summit War gradually faded, Cavendish made his debut. A year and a half of training plus his good looks allowed him to rise to fame, becoming the new star of the Entertainment Department.
He also began to enjoy this feeling of being the center of attention. To him, being a celebrity seemed much more enjoyable than being a pirate. This team-building event was also meant to celebrate the success of his debut. It was just that he didn't quite like the location chosen for this team-building event.
"I'm just saying, we've got plenty of money, right? So why did we come to the Tehna Gehna Kingdom? Aside from the Longarm Tribe, there's nothing particularly special here."
The Tehna Gehna Kingdom is located on Kenzan Island in the Grand Line. It is the homeland of the Longarm Tribe. It's also a rather isolated country, lacking understanding and awareness of the outside world.
"It's true that there's nothing particularly special here, but I heard there's a singing skeleton here. I think it would be perfect to fill a gap in our lineup."
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