This research island, which would be known as Punk Hazard in the future, was suddenly scoured by waves of terrifying Conqueror's Haki.
The researchers and guards on the island had no time to react before they collapsed one after another, foaming at the mouth with their eyes rolled back.
The Rocks Pirates and the Flying Battleship of the Giant Race sailed out from a giant rainbow gate, grandly descending onto the island.
"Is the Great Hammer Corps frozen on this island?"
Mountain Beard Yaruru had long suspected that the Great Hammer Corps had fallen into the hands of the World Government.
After all, over two hundred years ago, no force other than the World Government could have suddenly wiped out the Great Hammer Corps, which consisted of a hundred giants.
Even if they encountered extreme weather, some giants who were good at swimming should have escaped.
It was impossible for everyone to have vanished.
"The World Government has likely been conducting giantification experiments all along."
Fang Huo slowly landed on the ground, his Radio Observation Haki spreading rapidly.
He remembered that the Numbers in the future Beasts Pirates were failed experimental subjects from Punk Hazard.
Those were among the experiments led and improved by scientists after the World Government captured Vegapunk and Caesar.
However, he didn't know how those Ancient Giants eventually fell into the hands of Beast Kaido.
Whether some people sold them to Beast Kaido at a high price, or if Kaido snatched them himself.
Logically, although those Numbers were a bit mentally abnormal, they could still follow orders.
They were much better than that brainless fire dragon.
To the World Government, these giantification experiments should have been considered a success.
After all, the sixty to seventy-meter-tall Numbers possessed destructive power exceeding that of ordinary Giant Race members.
The Numbers later became the main force of the Beasts Pirates' expeditionary units.
They seized a lot of territory for the Beasts Pirates.
How could the World Government bear to let these Ancient Giants become the Numbers of the Beasts Pirates?
---
"giantification experiments?"
"Could it be that the giants of the Great Hammer Corps all became the World Government's experimental subjects?!!"
Yaruru and Harald were instantly enraged; they could not accept their clansmen being treated like guinea pigs.
"Damn it! We will definitely make the World Government pay the price!"
Giants like Dorry and Brogy roared with murderous intent.
The Great Hammer Corps were their seniors; they never expected them to meet such a fate.
"Most of the giants should still be frozen."
"Let's go! Let's find them!"
Fang Huo waved his hand; his Radio Observation Haki hadn't discovered the location of those frozen giants yet.
But it had to be said, the frozen giants of the Great Hammer Corps were, in a way, truly lucky.
During the massive poison gas explosion caused by Caesar Clown, only one of the three major research institutes on the island survived.
These frozen giants happened to be in the freezer of that surviving laboratory.
Furthermore, after the battle for the position of Fleet Admiral between Akainu and Aokiji, the center of Punk Hazard was blasted through, forming a central lake of ice and fire.
This laboratory still survived and was not destroyed.
It wasn't until the Straw Hat Pirates landed on Punk Hazard that Chopper, Nami, and the others encountered these frozen giants while rescuing the giantified children.
---
"Boys, even if we have to turn the whole island upside down, find the Great Hammer Corps!"
Rocks mobilized all the Cadres to search the island.
"Jiehahaha! I'm going to take away all three of these laboratories!"
"The valuable experimental equipment inside is all my loot!"
Golden Lion Shiki flew in front of a laboratory and slammed his palm directly onto the ground.
Before long, the ground began to vibrate.
A massive laboratory rose from the ground and floated into mid-air.
The first laboratory Golden Lion Shiki chose did not contain the frozen giants.
They should be in one of the other two laboratories.
Under the search of the Rocks Pirates and the Giant Race, they soon found a large number of giants frozen in the underground freezer.
"Carreras!!"
Only Yaruru, the over 350-year-old elder present, recognized these giants of the Great Hammer Corps from over two hundred years ago.
He tremblingly reached out to touch the ice sculptures, his eyes filled with despair.
Could these giants really be revived?!
Giants like Harald, Dorry, and Brogy, who were only about a hundred years old, didn't know their seniors from the Great Hammer Corps at all.
But seeing their giant predecessors frozen in various poses made them increasingly furious.
"Such powerful freezing force. Is it the awakened Logia type Chilly-Chilly Fruit power?"
Rocks touched the ice on a frozen giant, his expression quite solemn.
Did an awakened Logia type freezing ability user appear in the World Government over two hundred years ago?
Or was it that Imu or Saint Nusjuro possessed such powerful freezing force?
Although the Hellish Bone Horse that Saint Nusjuro transformed into had a certain amount of demonic freezing power, it was impossible for it to freeze so many giants for over two hundred years.
"It should be an awakened Logia type freezing ability!"
Fang Huo felt the almost eternal freezing power on it; the appearance of these frozen giants was very similar to the effect of the freezing ability.
It seemed the Chilly-Chilly Fruit user of that era was an extraordinary monster.
Even Saint Nusjuro's chilling ghostly qi couldn't completely freeze the Third-generation Pacifista Kuma.
"Can they still be revived?"
Rocks asked Fang Huo; he was now a bit unsure himself.
After all, they had been frozen for over two hundred years; who knew if they could be restored.
"I... I don't know."
Fang Huo spoke solemnly. Although there was the future example of the pirate Byrnndi World, who broke out after being frozen for 30 years.
And his age was almost the same as before he was frozen.
But thirty years versus over two hundred years—the gap was quite large, and Fang Huo couldn't say for sure.
However, since a certain Oda chose to plant the foreshadowing of the Great Hammer Corps...
Having the Rocks Pirates and Yaruru mention it repeatedly...
And specifically arranging for them to be on the Frozen Peninsula...
It might truly be possible to move them to the Flaming Peninsula for defrosting.
Eventually becoming one of the important aids for the Straw Hat Pirates to overthrow the World Government.
The frozen giants of the Great Hammer Corps first survived Caesar's massive poison gas explosion, then survived Akainu's magma scouring, and were even encountered by Chopper, Nami, and the other members of the protagonist's group.
With so much foreshadowing...
There was no reason to announce their total wipeout before they even debuted.
So Fang Huo also believed the Great Hammer Corps could be revived.
He also believed in Rocks' intuition and, even more so, that a certain Oda wouldn't just mess around and create a wiped-out Great Hammer Corps for no reason.
The Great Hammer Corps might be key characters in rebuilding the Noah and piloting the pluto battleship.
a certain Oda only needed a few panels to have a few Elbaf giants move all the books from Ohara back to Elbaf.
Then he could also use a few strokes to have the frozen Great Hammer Corps be defrosted on the Flaming Peninsula left by Akainu and join the final battle.
This would be to avenge the grudge of being frozen and also to fulfill Joy Boy's promise to the Mermaid Princess to rebuild the Noah.