Underworld, near the tavern.
A meteor fell straight from the sky!
"Boom!!!"
The coast trembled violently, and a massive cloud of dust shot up into the air!
"Hey, what happened?"
"A meteor?"
The pirates staying at the tavern were startled and hurried towards the explosion site to see what was going on.
As the dust settled, a gigantic humanoid crater appeared before them, so deep that they couldn't even see the bottom.
"Eh? Doesn't that look like a person?"
"Could it be that a giant fell down?"
"Don't be ridiculous, it's thousands of meters high up there!"
While the pirates were debating, a large hand reached out from the crater, gripping the edge.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
"My back, my back hurts!"
"I think my leg is broken too."
"I'm so stupid, why did I try to show off like Kaido!"
"Wouldn't it have been better to just come down on the ship?"
Gurd crawled out of the crater, holding his back and groaning, his whole body in pain, even suffering from a concussion that made everything appear as if it had a shadow.
Huh? A person?
Gurd shook his head and looked around at the equally bewildered pirates, quickly straightening his posture and pretending he wasn't injured.
"I'm not dead!"
"Damn it, I survived again!"
"Can you really survive a jump from ten thousand meters?"
Gurd muttered loudly to himself.
"Eh?!!!"
The pirates stared in shock.
So this man was trying to commit suicide?
"This man is the Earth Calamity Gurd!"
"The vice-captain of the Beasts Pirates, Kaido's right-hand man!"
"A bounty of 1.99 billion Berries !"
Huh? He's become the vice-captain?
Gurd felt elated upon hearing this, pretending to be aloof as he looked at the pirates, raising an eyebrow: "Oh, it's you guys. I remember seeing you a few days ago; you're the small fry under Red Hair, right?"
"Uh-huh!"
The small fry nodded vigorously.
We are small fry.
The smallest of the small fry.
So please don't cause us trouble!
Wah, Red Hair, when are you coming back?
There's a monster, so scary!
Gurd ignored the small fry and walked towards the nearby coastline, where the Groudon Ship was docked.
It hurt so much; he needed to rest for a bit.
In the distance, his subordinates rushed over.
"Lord Gurd!"
"Oh!"
Gurd smiled and waved.
They gathered around him, their eyes filled with admiration. They had seen the phenomenon in Elbaf, the entire sky seemed to be on fire; it must have been Lord Gurd's doing.
Did he destroy Elbaf?
Lord Gurd is truly wicked!
Back on the Groudon Ship, Gurd lay stiffly on the sofa, not wanting to move at all. Not only was he in pain from the fall, but he was also exhausted.
A few girls were in the lounge, sitting around Gurd, their eyes full of curiosity and a bit of gloom, especially Yamato.
Though she was somewhat disappointed with the trip to Elbaf, the giants were quite nice, and she didn't want to see their race perish.
Seeing this, Speed asked on behalf of everyone, "Gurd, did you really destroy Elbaf?"
"What do you mean destroy? I'm not that kind of villain!"
Gurd corrected her, displeased.
"Although Elbaf did suffer a serious blow, with the village burned to the ground, I did this to give Elbaf a new life; they should be thanking me!"
This war wasn't just a simple outburst of anger; that was merely a side effect. His main goal was to gain the power of the giants.
He looked down on the giants, who were immersed in peace.
His methods were indeed extreme.
But if those giant warriors still had a shred of shame and pride from their past, this war would surely awaken them.
And he, the "savior," well, he might also be their greatest enemy, but at least he could attract some admiration from the giants.
Just like the Beasts Pirates, the pirates supported Kaido because they admired his strength.
Moreover, he fought the giants openly, under the witness of the God of Elbaf, without any underhanded tricks.
To deal with a target like this, one must use suitable means, and by taking the giants from under Red Hair's command, he indirectly weakened Red Hair's influence.
Hehe.
Oh, and Loki.
"Loki?!"
Gurd blinked and quickly checked around his body.
Oh no!
He had been so caught up in the fight that he didn't know where he had dropped the key!
Night fell.
Elbaf.
A sudden downpour saved Elbaf; although the village was gone, as long as the people remained, the village could be rebuilt.
The giants gradually woke up, receiving treatment for their injuries from the doctors.
In a secluded corner, a mother with a swollen cheek was scolding her son, who also had a swollen cheek, directing her fury at the child's father.
"Your son got beaten up, and your wife got beaten up too; how can you just sit there!"
"Sorry, Ripley."
Gaban knelt on the ground, honestly admitting his fault.
Colon spoke up for his father.
"Mom, Dad didn't do anything wrong!"
"Shut up, I haven't even scolded you yet!"
Ripley's eyes blazed with fire: "You dared to provoke such a powerful enemy, you little brat, you better kneel and repent!"
"Thud!"
The little guy knelt faster than his father.
The scariest person in the world is a mother, a hundred times scarier than that red monster!
The father and son lowered their heads, secretly exchanging glances.
Son, you were really brave today!
Dad, I'm a warrior!
"What are you two whispering about?"
"Sorry, we were wrong!"
After being scolded for a whole hour, Ripley finally let the father and son go.
Colon's eyes sparkled: "Dad, that pirate was really amazing today; he felt even stronger than Shanks!"
"Haha, maybe."
Gaban shook his head and smiled.
Watching his partner and son get beaten, he did feel a bit anxious, but he also knew that Gurd hadn't gone too far; he had merely knocked them out.
With the giants' physique, this level of injury was nothing compared to when Ripley beat him while he was fooling around.
He pretended not to see.
However, the heavy rain after the war was indeed beyond his expectations and minimized the damage to Elbaf.
"This was all part of your calculations, huh?"
Gaban couldn't help but sigh.
Although many giants died in this war, from a long-term perspective, it was definitely more beneficial than harmful for Elbaf.
For so many years, he had secretly investigated; King Harald's peace policy was probably not as simple as it seemed and might be hiding a huge conspiracy.
He hoped the giants could awaken.
And that kid Gurd.
Shanks might have met his match!
"Dad!"
Colon clenched his fist excitedly!
"I want to join that pirate's crew!"
"Ah?!"
Gaban's mouth fell open.
Wait, what's wrong with this kid!
He had planned to wait until his son grew up a bit and send him to Shanks' ship as an intern; how could he go to the enemy's ship?
"No way, you're too young!"
"I'm not that young anymore!"
Colon was full of fighting spirit.
"That pirate treated me like a real warrior; he wouldn't brush me off like Shanks!"
"I've made up my mind; Mr. Gurd is my idol, and I want to join his side and become his support!"
Gaban remained silent for a long time, his face dark as he stood up to seek outside help.
"Ripley, you need to take care of your son; make sure to beat him up hard; this brat wants to become a pirate!"
"Colon!!!"
Mom's roar!
On the other side, at Orlsto Castle.
On the steps outside the main gate, a gigantic metal key was stuck in the ground, the very Loki's Key that Gurd had forgotten to take.
The key was picked up.
It was Hajrudin.
Gerd and the others were tense.
"Hajrudin, are you really going to release Loki?"
"Exactly!"
Hajrudin nodded slowly.
He couldn't forget Gurd's question.
Was he afraid of Loki?
Yes!
He had always been reluctant to admit this, but witnessing Elbaf's destruction while being powerless had deeply pierced his heart.
He would no longer run away!
Even if it meant releasing Loki!
"Gerd, Road, Bagu!"
Hajrudin looked at his three companions and spoke solemnly: "I've decided to join Mr. Gurd's side and serve him!"
"Eh?!"
The three were dumbfounded.
Elbaf was almost destroyed by Gurd; why would they want to become his subordinates? Gurd was the enemy of E
lbaf!
Hajrudin looked towards the town.
The giants were all bandaged up, their spirits low, but he knew that this outcome was Gurd's mercy.
That man was worth giving his life for!
"I want to join Gurd's side, to fight for him in this world, and then defeat Loki, becoming the king of all giants!"