"Sorry… Shanks."
King Ymir shook his head with a helpless sigh.
"Under the gaze of the gods of Elbaf, giants do not lie."
"Fleet Admiral Wright has already deduced nearly everything. The only thing he lacked… was confirmation. I cannot deny his question directly."
"No need to apologize, Your Majesty Ymir."
To the king's astonishment, Shanks casually walked up to Wright. The latter stood, and the two clapped hands in a friendly gesture.
"You sly dog," Shanks grinned. "I'm starting to think you knew I'd show up at Marineford and had someone tracking me ahead of time."
"A war that massive? No way you'd sit it out," Wright replied with a smirk. "That'd be way out of character for someone like you, always trying to keep the 'balance.'"
Wright picked up a massive Elbaf-style tankard, took a huge swig, then tossed it to Shanks, who caught it with a wry smile and downed a hearty gulp himself.
"That obvious, huh?"
"Of course. And don't forget, figuring out how you became a Yonko gave the Navy's strategy division a collective headache for months."
"Um… Shanks! You and the Fleet Admiral…"
King Ymir was completely baffled now. He leaned in, squinting between Wright and Shanks.
"You two… know each other?"
"Hmm… we've shared a drink or two. Something like that."
"…"
King Ymir felt his intelligence being thoroughly insulted. "Shared a drink"? One is the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, the other is an Emperor—how in the world would that happen?!
"Let's set that aside for now. What matters, King Ymir, is what I said before—there's no ill will from me or the Navy toward Elbaf."
"Even if you're allied with Shanks, that still holds true. He's… not quite like the other Yonko."
Wright smiled knowingly. The very fact that Shanks had appeared in the Elbaf royal court proved one thing: he'd long since noticed the Navy's investigation of the giants.
This moment… might just be the beginning of that long-discussed "cooperation."
"Getting praise like that from you, Wright, is no small thing."
Shanks chuckled and sat down, turning his eyes to Wright.
"But what really surprises me… is that you know what happened in Elbaf all those years ago—what happened with Big Mom and Carmel."
"That story… it's only passed down within the giant clan. The Navy shouldn't even know it exists."
"But the Navy did know Carmel disappeared," Wright said flatly.
Shanks and King Ymir both nodded.
"So the Navy's been secretly investigating since back then?" Shanks asked.
"You could put it that way… but there's something important I need to tell you both."
Wright glanced seriously at King Ymir, then fixed his gaze on Shanks—his tone grew grave, which made Shanks instinctively tense.
"Shanks… if you weren't here right now, I would never have revealed this to the giants—not even as Fleet Admiral."
Ymir and Shanks locked eyes. The latter immediately understood the implication behind Wright's words.
"So… this was orchestrated by the Navy? Or rather, by the World Government?"
"That's right," Wright confirmed. "The World Government has coveted the power of the giants for a very long time—as I'm sure you both already know."
Seeing them nod, he continued:
"Ever since Carmel disappeared over sixty years ago, no more giants have joined the Navy. Even those who leave Elbaf for the seas have become rare."
"The World Government's obsession with giant strength led to their long-standing interest in Elbaf. When they couldn't secure it through diplomacy or allegiance… they turned to dark science—specifically, the research into human gigantification."
"And that brings us to Bartholomew Kuma. As a king, he destroyed a human gigantification lab in the South Blue's Sorbet Kingdom. For that, the Government branded him a 'tyrant,' forcing him into piracy."
"It's only in recent years that the Navy has had the chance to shut down gigantification experiments altogether—and redirect focus to other weaponry."
"You mean… the Pacifistas?" Shanks muttered.
"Exactly. But—!"
Wright's tone suddenly sharpened.
"Carmel… to the giants and the orphans of the 'House of Lambs,' she was the 'Light of the World.' A Mother figure who radiated compassion across Elbaf."
"I'm not wrong, am I?"
"…Indeed." King Ymir nodded, eyes clouded with uncertainty. Giants of his generation still remembered the legends of a century past—Carmel had, indeed, been their living Madonna.
So why was the Fleet Admiral emphasizing this now?
"Holy Mother Carmel, real name 'Sam'—had been trafficking children for fifty years by the time she disappeared."
The words slammed through the air.
Shanks and King Ymir shot to their feet, visibly shaken. Wright's voice turned cold, recounting a truth too terrible to believe.
"One hundred years ago, she struck a deal with the World Government. Together with the Navy, they staged an elaborate execution of the Giant Warrior Pirates… and she secretly infiltrated Elbaf."
"She founded the House of Lambs, took in abandoned orphans, raised them lovingly… and every two years, she sold the most promising children to the Government—for recruitment into CP."
"Now do you understand? Charlotte Linlin, who destroyed the village in Elbaf… was her 'commodity.' Carmel protected her, even at the cost of fleeing Elbaf. At just five years old, Linlin was her final transaction—before she 'retired' at the age of eighty."
Silence. A cold, suffocating silence fell over the royal court.
Fortunately, only King Ymir and Shanks were present. Had the rest of the giants heard this…
"No… this can't be…"
King Ymir collapsed onto his throne, his massive body trembling.
"'Holy Mother' Carmel… a child trafficker?!"
And yet the chilling authority in Wright's voice made it impossible to doubt. The story, the events, the logic—all led to one truth.
If even the Fleet Admiral was saying it…
"Wright! Is this… is this all true?!"
Even Shanks couldn't believe it. Though allied with Elbaf and familiar with Big Mom's past, he'd never imagined this dark origin.
"Every word," Wright said solemnly. "Even I was staggered when I first learned of it. And to this day, not even the Navy's giant Vice Admirals know they were recruited… through the dealings of a slaver."
"Charlotte Linlin is the wielder of the Soru Soru no Mi (Soul-Soul Fruit)—a Paramecia-type."
That caught their attention again.
"But did you know… Carmel was the previous user of the Soru Soru no Mi?"
Shanks and King Ymir both broke into a cold sweat.
Then what exactly… happened that day?
The day Carmel vanished.
The day a five-year-old Linlin inherited a godlike power.
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