Ripley had only been joking.
In her eyes, there was no way someone Magnus's age would still train like them.
Who knew—Magnus actually jumped down from her shoulder.
"What, just training, right?"
Clenching his teeth, Magnus smiled at Ripley and Rocks.
"If the crew is training, then as captain, I need to lead by example!"
And so, Ripley and Rocks watched in shock as Magnus took off his shirt and hefted a massive boulder—several times larger than himself—onto his back.
His thin, scar-covered frame wasn't bulky, but it was shockingly solid—tense and defined like a sculpture.
Even Magnus was stunned. Since when did my body get this good?
Just a month ago, he still had a beer belly!
Now, aside from his outward signs of age, his body was no worse than that of a young man.
In fact, Rocks glanced at him, made a quick comparison—and realized Magnus had more muscle than he did.
That couldn't stand!
Weighted training—it was on!
Watching Rocks struggle to lift a stone of his own, Magnus couldn't help but laugh.
"Puhahaha, kid—know your limits before you start showing off! Carrying that huge stone, you might not even be able to walk!"
"Shut up!"
Face flushed, Rocks tried to jog with the rock. Magnus didn't stop him.
Don't listen to your elders, and you'll suffer for it soon enough.
The three of them, each with their burden, continued their journey to the village of giants, bickering all the while—but their steps were slow, steady, and full of resolve.
The Village of Giants
"What?! That bastard Magnus came back again?!"
A deafening roar echoed as an old giant, whose beard flowed like a waterfall and dragged along the ground, exploded in fury.
"This time, I'm going to kill that brat for deceiving my great-great-granddaughter!"
"Pokakaka~ Let it go. You're no match for him anymore. We'll need Dorry and Brogy for that. Face it—we're old now."
Standing beside him, another equally elderly giant laughed.
"And besides, Ripley didn't run away, did she?"
"Hmph! Ripley was supposed to join the Giant Warrior Pirates! When Dorry and Brogy return, I'm sending them to take her adventuring!"
The giants and Magnus's White Wolf Pirates were old frenemies. Ten years ago, when the White Wolf Pirates first came to Elbaf, they brawled with several of the villages' giants.
It was only thanks to King Harald stepping in that things were calmed down.
Giants were strong.
But not all giants were that strong.
With Elbaf's two greatest warriors, Dorry and Brogy, missing for thirty years, the only one still capable of matching Magnus was King Harald himself.
But Harald wasn't a warlike king. He preferred diplomacy and peace to bloodshed.
And once it was clear the White Wolf Pirates weren't here to invade, Harald personally welcomed them as guests.
Of course, the giants revered strength.
And anyone who could fight King Harald to a draw, like Magnus, earned their respect.
With Dorry and Brogy gone, the White Wolf Pirates had become living legends among the youth—unlike the "mythical" captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, long vanished.
This drove the older generation of giant pirates crazy with jealousy.
They just wanted the White Wolf Pirates to leave already.
"What's Magnus doing here again anyway? Didn't he just leave not long ago?" grumbled the waterfall-bearded old giant.
He was the one who had earlier defended Magnus.
"Lord Yaruru, it's been ten years already."
A nearby giant explained, "To the little people outside, ten years is a long time. Besides, Captain Magnus is getting old. Maybe he came to retire in Elbaf. Isn't he acquainted with Sister Carmel too?"
"Only ten years, huh? Speaking of which, how long have Dorry and Brogy been gone? Why aren't they back yet?"
Yaruru snorted. He wasn't happy.
Their king didn't like fighting. Dorry and Brogy were absent. And now there was no one left in Elbaf who could beat Magnus.
"If only I were a hundred years younger!"
The old giant swung his massive sword in frustration.
Crack!
"Ah—my back!"
"Pokakaka, Yaruru, I told you—don't go flailing around at your age. Ripley's gonna chew you out again when she gets back."
Yaruru's companion laughed heartily.
Honestly, he wasn't worried about Magnus returning. They'd acknowledged him as a strong one, after all.
The giants may have been insular, but they weren't blind. If the White Wolf Pirates were some vile, cruel crew, they'd never be welcomed here.
"Everyone, prepare to welcome our old friend!"
"Oh right—Ripley went to the underworld layer, didn't she?"
Yaruru suddenly recalled. The giants used special Den-Den Mushi to connect the upper and underworld layers. The only reason they knew Magnus was coming was from Mardo's message.
"Seems so. Mardo said Ripley would be returning with Captain Magnus."
"WHAT?!"
Still being helped into the house by two giants, Yaruru's eyes went wide at the news.
"MAGNUS!! I'M GOING TO KILL THAT BASTARD!!"
And thus, chaos erupted once again in the village of giants.
At the edge of the village, among the towering houses, stood a modestly sized home—tiny by comparison.
An older woman in a black nun's habit puffed on a slim cigarette, her eyelid twitching uncontrollably.
"Damn… I've got a bad feeling about this."
She paced around the room, agitated, when suddenly—
A child's scream rang out from outside.
"Mother! Help me!!"
A giant little girl was being chased by another equally giant girl, with a group of human-sized kids watching nearby.
"I'm gonna die! Linlin's gonna kill me!!"
Hearing the shout, the old nun gave up on thinking and hurried outside.
"Linlin! Calm down! It's time for dinner!"
"Dinner?!"
The chubby little girl in the pink dress stopped in her tracks, eyes shining. She ran straight toward the old nun.
"What are we having? Is there cake?!"
"No cake today, but Uncle Cassie went hunting and shared some meat. We're having carrot stew."
"Yay!!"
The other children cheered.
Watching them, the old nun's stern face finally softened into a warm smile.
But just as she turned to prepare the evening meal…
A voice rang out from nearby.
"Puhahaha~ Carmel, you haven't changed one bit. Well, actually—you have. You've gotten even older! A full-on grandma now, haha!"
That voice…!
Even after all these years, she recognized it instantly.
And her blood pressure soared.
"Magnus?! Why hasn't the Navy thrown you in Impel Down yet, you bastard?!"
"Haha, the Navy can't catch me!"
Magnus tossed aside the massive stone on his back, grinning wide.
"Well, it's been a long time. You haven't done anything to disappoint me… right?"
"MOTHER!!"
(End of Chapter)
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