Chapter 440: Loki's Mockery
Kuraigana Island · Ancient Castle
The night wind howled, and the ocean waves crashed against the cliffs. In the distance, the Red Hair Pirates' ship gradually faded into the dark horizon.
High up in the ancient castle, Mihawk's hawk-eyes remained fixed on the distance, his expression stern and profound.
—The battle intent from moments ago still lingered, but right now, his state of mind was exceptionally complex.
"...Even you chose to accept that kind of power, Shanks."
The murmur from the bottom of his heart was drowned out by the wind.
Perona floated beside him, her fluttering pink hair dancing in the wind, unable to hold back her complaints:
"Hey, hey, hey—what kind of riddles were you two playing at just now? Why couldn't I understand a single word?!!"
Mihawk didn't answer immediately. After a moment, he spoke plainly: "Perona, you should probably head back to the Florian Triangle."
Perona froze, floating half a foot higher in shock, her eyes full of confusion: "Huh? Why? I was having perfectly fine fun here!!!"
Mihawk withdrew his gaze and turned toward the castle, his cape snapping in the night wind.
His footsteps echoed on the stone steps, and his voice drifted back slowly: "Tell that idiot of yours, Moria—lock his doors tight recently, and don't go running around."
Perona blanked for a second, then puffed up her cheeks and chased after him, pouting: "Tch—like I want to bother with that idiot! Though, to be fair, if that guy didn't have a death wish, I wouldn't have floated all the way here."
She crossed her arms, nagging as she floated: "Back then, wasn't he researching that shadow-fusion Oars thing? Once the experiment showed a tiny bit of success, his ego inflated to the sky."
"Good thing Kuma passed by. Annoyed by his yelling, he swatted him and Oars flat with one paw... and conveniently swatted me all the way to this ghost island. Later on, I heard that it was actually Roy's arrangement."
At this point, she stuck out her tongue, looking helpless: "So I ended up mooching off you~"
Mihawk paused slightly but didn't look back, saying flatly: "Which is why I'm telling you to go back and remind that idiot."
"Lest he get too full of himself again and gets casually killed by someone passing by."
Perona flailed in mid-air, her cheeks puffed out, stomping her feet in anger: "Wh-what are you even talking about! I hate you riddle-speakers the most—!!!"
Inside the castle, the candlelight flickered and shadows danced.
Mihawk's figure was gradually swallowed by the darkness, leaving only Perona flailing in the air, her cheeks puffed out as she angrily chased him inside.
—The night grew even deeper.
...
Meanwhile, Elbaf · Kingdom of the Giants
The heavy beating of war drums echoed, shaking the earth like thunder and making the stone walls of the entire royal capital tremble.
Inside the Giant's Royal Palace, blazing fires illuminated the massive pillars that reached the vaulted ceiling.
High up on the throne platform, Loki sat like a God of War draped in beast pelts, resting one hand on a massive war hammer as he looked down at the two cloaked figures in the hall.
A sinister smile hooked the corners of his mouth, his voice booming like a thunderclap: "Yo—where did these little mice come from? You say you want to see me, but you don't even have the guts to show your faces?"
As his words fell, the cloaks slowly slipped down, revealing two sharp silhouettes.
—It was none other than Saint Figarland Shamrock and Saint Maffy of the Holy Knights.
Saint Shamrock's expression was cold and arrogant, his aura as sharp as a sword blade: "To think... the Kingdom of Giants would once again crown you as king, Loki."
He took a step forward, his aura instantly enveloping the entire hall. His voice was deep, carrying an undeniable oppressive pressure:
"Join the Holy Knights, and I will give you everything you desire!"
The hall plunged into a sudden silence, so oppressive that even the crackling of the flames could be heard clearly.
And then—
"Hmwahahahahaha!!!"
Loki threw his head back and laughed maniacally, his voice roaring like thunder, shaking dust loose from the hall's stone walls!
He stood up abruptly, his figure as massive as a mountain. A towering, overbearing pressure swept over the entire room.
Taking just one step, the stone stairs beneath the throne shattered into debris with a loud boom!
"What we do in Elbaf is not for you Celestial Dragons to dictate!!"
Through the bandages covering his eyes, a crimson light faintly glowed, his killing intent solidifying into something almost tangible.
Staring dead at Saint Shamrock, his voice was as cold as a blade scraping against steel: "Besides... that face of yours fills me with extreme disgust."
—The air in the hall abruptly turned freezing cold.
"...What exactly is your relationship with Shanks?"
The moment the name "Shanks" was spoken, Saint Shamrock's eyes instantly darkened. His aura spread out sharply like a blade, as if ready to slice the air.
The entire royal palace fell dead silent. The giant warriors standing guard all changed expressions, involuntarily tightening their grips on their giant axes and shields. The atmosphere felt as oppressive as an ice cavern.
Standing to the side, Saint Maffy clicked his tongue lightly, a mocking look in his eyes as a playful smirk tugged at his lips:
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... You really know how to hit a sore spot. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Loki sneered, baring white teeth that looked like fangs. His smile was cruel and provocative: "I did it on purpose, so what?"
He gripped his massive war hammer with both hands, his aura exploding like a hurricane and thunder, his voice deafening like war drums:
"Did you get everything that belonged to you snatched away by some wild little brother who popped out of nowhere, so you came here looking for outside help?"
"Too bad—"
He suddenly swung his giant weapon horizontally, his aura skyrocketing like a monstrous tidal wave, crashing down upon the two of them!
"I am Loki, the King of the Giants!!!"
"And what I hate most is you self-righteous Celestial Dragons—!!!"
Loki's killing intent pressed down like raging waves. The entire hall seemed to tremble endlessly in this moment.
Under this furious aura, Saint Shamrock's face completely darkened, his hand unconsciously resting on the rapier at his waist.
The blade was not yet drawn, but it already exuded a cold, biting gleam, as if ready to cleave the hall in two at any second.
Saint Maffy, on the other hand, was full of interest. With his hands in his pockets, a bizarre smile formed on his lips, his eyes sparkling with excitement:
"My, my, my—are we fighting? Are we fighting? This is going to be interesting~"
In an instant, Saint Shamrock's and Loki's auras violently clashed!
"BOOM!!!"
The air exploded, the stone walls trembling violently. The giant warriors surrounding the hall were forced to retreat continuously, the hands gripping their weapons shaking.
The entire land of Elbaf seemed to feel this shockwave.
In a forest somewhere, a short, stout figure raised his head, a trace of solemnity on his face.
"This is... the aura of the Holy Knights?"
—It was none other than the veteran of the Roger Pirates, the man who conquered a female giant: Scopper Gaban.
In the library on the other side, Saul stood before a towering bookshelf, holding a Den Den Mushi to his ear. His expression was uncharacteristically grave, his voice low:
"...A storm might be coming to Elbaf."
Inside the palace, the auras remained deadlocked for a long time.
Finally, Saint Shamrock took a deep breath, coldly withdrawing his sword intent. He flicked his cape and turned to leave.
Without looking back, he left behind a heavy, piercing sentence that echoed through the hall:
"You'd best watch yourself."
Saint Maffy shrugged his shoulders, chuckling as he followed him out: "Tsk, no fight after all... what a bore."
The two silhouettes gradually disappeared beyond the palace doors.
The hall returned to silence.
Loki tightly gripped his massive war hammer, staring dead at their retreating backs. A crimson light flashed in his bandaged eyes.
He snorted coldly in his heart: To think he actually held back from attacking... it seems this guy isn't as ignorant and arrogant as the rumors say.
Immediately after, he violently slammed the haft of his weapon into the ground, producing a booming crash. A wild, arrogant smile surfaced on his face:
"Boring—"
"When am I finally going to get a truly satisfying rampage!!!"
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