The Dead Marine

[Gain: Giant Power (Rare) +54+540 → 945 (Level 2 Giant Young Child)]

[Gain: Giant Power (Rare) +70+700 → 1645 (Level 3 Giant Youth)]

[Gain: Hagoku +17+170 → 187 (Level 2 Giant Warrior)]

On the warship, the supplementary gains from the other six giants were gradually obtained by Figo.

The level of Giant Power leaped, rising directly from Level 1 to Level 3. Figo could feel a noticeable improvement in his physique, and more critically, the change in his lifespan!

The one-time boost of over a thousand points in Giant Power brought a clear difference. Figo felt as if some shackle within him had been undone, every cell brimming with vitality, as though he had returned to his adolescence.

This wave alone added at least ten years to his life!

But... adolescence? At 28, was he still going to keep growing? Besides joy, Figo had a faint worry about this.

Other kinds of growth were fine.

The problem was height.

He was already 2.5 meters tall. That was enough.

Sure, in the world of pirates, non-giants could grow to an exaggerated seven or eight meters, but Figo didn't want to end up like that. For one thing, being too big made it hard to find a wife.

He'd have to keep an eye on it from now on. If he really was still growing, he'd need to figure something out. His mental limit was no more than three meters.

That was a concern for later.

Besides the giants whose gains had been supplemented, the two other CP9 members were also recorded in the Prison Archives.

They indeed weren't SR, both R9. Their Crime Indexes were a bit higher than Peslo's, one at 14 and the other at 16. Probably because they handled more miscellaneous tasks, like publicly rescuing the giants this time—that was their doing.

"I said the cells weren't enough." Scanning the seven cells, Figo muttered to himself.

The Nun and the three CP9 occupied one cell, leaving only six for the seven giants. The two smallest giants were squeezed into the same cell.

Because of the warship's limited capacity, these cells were only eight meters high. Giants over twelve meters tall barely fit in a single cell, and two sharing one meant they were practically hugging each other.

Both of them had tears in their eyes.

"Boo hoo... Benefactors, we've dragged you into this!"

As they spoke, they glanced curiously at the Nun, wondering why the promised three benefactors had become four... but that didn't matter.

"Tell us your names, benefactors! Even if we're to be executed, even if we never meet again, the Giant race will forever remember your friendship!"

Peslo's face remained wooden throughout.

What use was that? You're all captured. No friendship is getting back to Elbaf. Once Yamauba's identity is exposed, there'll be more trouble. The mission is a complete failure. Everything will have to wait until we return to the Holy Land and face the Five Elders.

His silence only moved the giants more.

What kind of spirit was this? Since when did short people have such good hearts?

"Boo hoo..."

"Damn you, evil Warden!"

"Even if you beat and humiliate us, the champions of the Giant race will never yield!!"

Figo was numbed by the crying, reminded of the jailers who had tearfully seen him off. Why did everyone in this pirate world have this habit? Since he'd already gotten the gains, he thought for a moment and ordered, "Go clear out the aft cabin. Move the four of them in there."

"Yes, Lord Figo!"

The Marine soldiers moved immediately.

Peslo remained silent, cooperating as he was escorted into the aft cabin. Only after the door was locked did he nudge his two companions with his toe to wake them.

Little Tiger CP9 had been smashed by a giant and felt like every bone in his body was broken. Luckily, he was an Animal Type Devil Fruit user with strong defenses. He let out a long groan, came to, and tried to sit up, but was tripped by his chains.

"Wha... what happened?"

Female CP9 was less injured and woke faster, asking in shock, "Brother Peslo? Is that... Yamauba? What's going on? Is it that Warden? What the hell is he trying to do!"

"Warden..." Little Tiger pieced things together from his broken memories, hissing, "That guy's a monster. We underestimated him. Brother Peslo, you got caught too, right? And those giants were brought back?

So... next, we need to find an opportunity with his cooperation, save ourselves, then rescue the giants a second time to deepen the friendship? This process is way too complicated, Brother Peslo!"

Female CP9: "..."

Peslo: "..."

You still think this is an act?

Outside.

"These reckless bastards!"

"Good thing Lord Figo was on the warship this time, or they might have actually pulled it off!"

"Lord Figo, a few of us need to head to the island town. The Commander and the others... we don't know what's happened to them yet."

Figo: "I'll go. You stay here, guard the ship, watch the prisoners, and wait for my return."

All this circling around, catching people—one of Figo's goals for this trip, experiencing the sights of a pirate world town, still hadn't been achieved.

All the prisoners on the warship side were properly locked up. Unless CP9 went mad and exposed their identities, breaking the unspoken agreement between both sides not to reveal the truth of the execution, there shouldn't be any more surprises. This trip, Figo could pick up his people while making a quick stop in town, let Old Xiao and the others stock up on supplies, and then set sail back.

So Figo disembarked from the warship and headed toward the town. But he hadn't gone far when he ran straight into Xiao returning.

For some reason, Xiao was skulking as he walked, darting from behind one tree to another, his expression extremely cautious and wary, as if the warship side was infested with man-eating monsters.

"Old Xiao, why are you back alone?" Figo walked over and asked.

Xiao hadn't noticed Figo yet. Startled by the sudden voice, he plopped down onto the ground with a thud, his face pale, even trembling slightly. When he saw it was Figo, his face lit up with excitement and he jumped straight up.

"Fi, Lord Figo! You, you came from the warship side?"

His state was truly strange. Figo asked in confusion, "Yeah, what's wrong? There were some surprises on the warship side—three CP9 and seven of the Giant race, I've captured them all..."

"Good capture!!" Xiao bellowed.

Figo: ?

Xiao trembled as he said, "Fi, Lord Figo, those bastards from CP9... those bastards, all the Marine soldiers involved in the execution except me are dead!"

"...What?"

A few minutes earlier.

Town center, execution platform.

Nearly half an hour had passed since the CP9 intercepted the execution grounds and the Giants escaped. Finally, some bold residents dared to climb onto the platform to check on the Marine soldiers.

"All, all killed?"

"How could this happen?"

"Is there no one alive?"

Xiao lay on the ground, almost falling asleep.

No one alive? Everyone's alive, more like.

Counting the time, the CP9 lords' work should be done. I can get up now, right?

Just then, a town resident checked on him. He seized the moment to groan, clutching his head as he sat up, pretending to be a bit dazed.

"Someone's alive!"

"This colonel is still alive!"

The residents were pleasantly surprised and asked, "Colonel, are you alright?!"

"Ah, I'm fine..." Xiao responded vaguely, feeling a bit odd. Did the CP9 lords hit that hard? None of my subordinate Marine soldiers have woken up?

"What about the others and the enemy?" he asked.

"The two bastards who raided the execution grounds have already escaped with the Giant race!" someone answered. "As for the others... your subordinates, well, it seems only you... only you are still alive."

What the hell? Xiao was stunned. Shaking off the residents helping him, he quickly walked to the nearest Marine soldier lying on the ground, crouched down, and checked.

No breath.

His face instantly turned pale.

Impossible!

He hurried to check the other Marine soldiers.

But...

Dead! Dead!

All of them were killed!