The room fell into dead silence.
The joy that had come with the return of the two giant captains had long since vanished.
Harald rubbed his temples.
As the king of the Giants, he couldn't afford to be willful.
If he had known that the first skill a king must learn is compromise, Harald swore he would never have become king.
"Prince… Loki."
Finally, Brogy, unable to stand it any longer, spoke up, "There's no need to be so extreme. Perhaps we could invite the two leaders of the Beasts Pirates to Elbaf."
"After seeing their character and strength, you can make your decision."
"You wouldn't want to set sail with some strange humans, would you?"
Loki looked at Brogy in surprise. Most other giants referred to him as the Cursed Prince Loki!
Or at the very least, 'Monster Prince', 'The Creature Who Cursed His Mother', and so on.
Only a handful of giants, like Brogy, directly addressed him as Prince Loki.
Loki silently adjusted the white cloth covering his terrifying eyes.
"I will never acknowledge the path you are taking now, Father."
He turned and left.
"Brogy, Dorry, I'll be waiting for you in the Underworld, that is, if you have the courage to come."
"Don't disappoint me."
The glass door to the balcony slammed shut.
"I'm sorry. That child's personality has become somewhat twisted, and it's all my fault."
Harald sighed heavily, his hands still massaging his temples.
By chance, Brogy noticed the strange tattoo on Harald's left arm through his wide sleeve.
'That mark...'
"That tattoo, Harald… Did you join a pirate crew founded by someone else?"
"A pirate crew?"
Harald looked down, "Ah, you mean this tattoo?"
"This is the symbol of the World Government. I've been trying to integrate our Warland Kingdom into the World Government's trade system. They said this tattoo is the mark of joining them."
"Many human kings on the seas have this tattoo, though mine is a bit special."
"Is that so? But that sounds really tough, kabababa~"
Brogy didn't pay it much mind.
"If it were me, I'd probably get a headache from all that and die."
Dorry and Brogy huddled together, raising their barrels of ale.
"That's why we're not cut out to be kings, Brogy, gyagagaga~~"
"You two bastards!"
Harald brought out a third barrel and clashed it forcefully against the barrels raised by his two brothers.
"Let's drink to your return, barahaha~"
…
Several days later, the Giant Tribe's grand banquet concluded.
After a full day of rest, Dorry and Brogy set out together on the path to the Underworld.
The bottom of the Treasure Tree.
Endless ice and snow enveloped the first layer of the Warland Kingdom.
Heavy rain and fierce winds lingered like old friends, with no intention of leaving.
Along the coastline of the Underworld, the rainbow bridge descended from the middle layer, Sun World.
A mist ship sailed down along the rainbow road.
Ding-Dong~
"Ara, if it isn't Captains Dorry and Brogy. What rare guests."
Inside the port tavern at the edge of the Underworld, Mato looked up from wiping a glass.
Her golden shoulder-length hair curled slightly at the ends.
A few freckles dotted her fair face, but these 'flaws' did not diminish the giant girl's charm.
Instead, they added a touch of sunshine and playfulness.
"Ripley, the giant captains are back~ Bring out the good ale~~"
"Got it~ Honestly, I just came to see how you're doing. I'm not a tavern waitress, Mato!"
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry! But you're my best friend, after all!"
Mato laughed apologetically toward the inner room of the tavern before turning back to Dorry.
"Sorry, since this is a public tavern established by Ida-sama, it might be a bit noisy. After all, besides giants, human pirates from nearby also come here."
Dorry glanced at the human pirates boasting loudly in the hall and scoffed disdainfully, "A bunch of trash. Compared to those two men from the Beasts Pirates, calling them trash would be an insult to trash."
"Hey, giant! What the hell are you saying?!"
A Conqueror's Haki, vastly different from that of Bazel and Kaido, burst forth.
"I'm a man who's awakened the quality of a king! I'm destined to conquer these seas, the future Pirate King, Adams Beron…"
"Ah, yes, yes, I get it. Could you please shut up? Your little bit of Haki isn't worth showing off here."
Dorry picked his ear, looking utterly contemptuous.
"The presence I felt from Kaido and Bazel was hundreds of times stronger than yours!"
The pirates smashed their glasses and stood up.
"Hey, you giant bastard, what are you talking about? Don't think we won't dare to fight just because we're in Elbaf!"
"That's right! We're free pirates!!"
"Is Elbaf planning to declare war on us humans?!"
Dorry frowned slightly, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword. Just as he was about to make a move, Mato pulled him back.
"You can't start a fight here, Captain Dorry."
Mato bowed apologetically to the humans and promised to bring them fine ale later.
Hearing about better ale, the human pirates sat back down.
"...Mato, it's been years. Since when did Elbaf become such a weak place?"
Brogy's expression was as gloomy as the Underworld's sky.
"It's just that you two have been away for too long."
Ripley brought over a large barrel of ale, first pouring the humans a cup larger than their own height before sitting down beside the two giants.
"King Harald plans to integrate Elbaf into the World Government's trade system. A crucial part of that is changing the current nature of the giants."
"You both know what giants were like before, but Harald doesn't like it."
"He believes reasonable force is necessary, but senseless violence is something the future giant nation should eliminate."
A letter was tossed onto the table as Ripley leaned back against the bar stool.
"A few days ago, I received a letter from the king. He wants to establish a school specifically for giant children, but due to the lack of teachers and books, the plan has been put on hold for now."
"However, candidates for teachers have already been selected."
"Besides me, a few other good-natured giants received this letter."
Dorry picked up the letter and skimmed through it, his frown deepening with each line.
"How could Harald come up with such a foolish policy? Elbaf has always been the birthplace of war. Even if change is needed, it shouldn't mean turning the next generation of giants into humans."
Handing the letter to Brogy, Dorry didn't touch his drink and turned to Ripley.
"You're not seriously planning to teach those kids how to hold a pen in school, are you?"
Lipuli shrugged, "What else can we do? Defy the king's orders?"
Dorry fell silent.
Brogy handed the letter back to Ripley, stood up, and lifted the barrel of fine ale that had just been brought out.
"We'll discuss this later. Let's go, Dorry. It's time to find Prince Loki."
"Mato, we'll gladly take this barrel of fine ale!"
"Wait!"
Mato's expression changed slightly. "You just said you're going to find Loki... that cursed prince?!"
"Exactly. We don't plan to follow those outdated traditions."
Before leaving, Dorry turned to Mato and laughed, "We are the new generation of giants. Don't worry, Mato. Harald knows what Brogy and I plan to do."
"If all goes well, we'll take Loki with us. That way, it'll be good for both Elbaf and him."
"Leave? Where are you planning to go?" Ripley asked curiously.
"Set sail, join the Beasts Pirates, and become pirates!"
…
A few hours later, Dorry and Brogy, carrying prey and ale, found Loki leaning against the trunk of the Treasure Tree, dozing off.
"You finally came. I was getting impatient waiting."
Loki opened his eyes. When he was alone sleeping here, he had no habit of covering his eyes.
"Wolf, Eagle, go play elsewhere. We have important matters to discuss now."
Thud~~
The plucked and bled prey landed in the snow. Dorry skillfully set up a bonfire, while Brogy, after putting down the ale barrel, started working on the fire.
Loki made himself at home, lifted the lid of the large ale barrel, and scooped up a handful to drink heartily.
"Haven't had this in a long time. It's from the port tavern, right?"
"That tavern was founded when my brother's mother was still alive. She said it was the Giant Tribe's window to the outside world."
"Now then, two great captains..."
Wiping the ale from the corner of his mouth, Loki looked at the two rare visitors.
"Can you tell me about those two men?"
"Especially the one you mentioned..."
"The man who somewhat resembles my idol!"
---
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