Elbaf.
The Yang Realm, Walrus School.
In the huge square in front of the school, several large figures sat together, the atmosphere somewhat somber.
One of them was an old giant over twenty meters tall, with white hair and beard like two cascading waterfalls. He wore ancient Viking-style armor and a horned helmet, and was none other than Elder Yaruru, the oldest living warrior of the Giant race.
At this moment, he was stroking his beard, which could be used as a carpet, and his cloudy old eyes revealed a sharpness that was beyond his years.
"We must take the matter of Navy Marshal Akira appearing in the waters near Elbaf seriously," Yaruru said slowly and deeply, like the tolling of an ancient bell. "Although I don't know why he suddenly changed course and left in haste, my intuition tells me that his original destination was Elbaf."
Sitting opposite him were Gaban and his giant wife, Lipri.
Lipri was also over ten meters tall, with a head of beautiful red hair braided into thick plaits that hung down to her chest. She wore a set of leather armor that allowed her to move freely, outlining her stunning curves. She had a beautiful face, but at this moment her brows were furrowed and her expression was solemn.
Gaban, on the other hand, seemed a bit lazy, leaning against Lipri's legs with his eyes half-closed, as if he hadn't woken up yet.
"While we prepare, we must also find out why he suddenly left." Yaruru's gaze swept over the other Giant race warriors present.
Those warriors were also clad in heavy armor, wielding giant axes or longswords, each exuding a fierce aura. They were the elite Giant Warrior Pirates left behind in Elbaf.
Just then, a series of heavy footsteps came from afar.
A young giant warrior rushed over, barely catching his breath, and urgently said to Yaruru, " Elder Yaruru! We just received news that the Navy Marshal has arrived at Rocky Port on Hachinosu Island with a training ship!"
" Hachinosu Island?" Lipri paused, taken aback.
Gaban's half-closed eyes snapped open in that instant, and he became instantly conscious.
The giant warrior took a deep breath and continued, "All the pirates who have defected to Ochoku during this period have been executed on the spot!"
The square fell silent instantly upon hearing this.
Yaruru stopped stroking his beard.
Gaban abruptly stood up, looking up at the giant warrior who was much taller than him, his face filled with disbelief.
"There were at least 150,000, or even more, pirates on Hachinosu Island! Akira wiped out all the pirates on the island with only a training ship?"
This sounds like a complete fantasy.
"Not just the training ship." The giant warrior swallowed hard, his voice still trembling with shock. " Dracule Mihawk, and Kaido's son Yamato, among others, also participated in the battle. But..."
He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts.
"What ended the battle on Hachinosu Island was not the interns and Mihawk, but a... Conqueror's Haki."
"According to intelligence from my people, over 90% of the pirates on Hachinosu Island died from that Conqueror's Haki that covered the entire island. Although we couldn't see who released it, besides that Navy Marshal, there's probably no one else with such power."
Gaban instinctively gasped.
Conqueror's Haki, wiping out hundreds of thousands of pirates?
He had followed Roger across the seas, what kind of grand scenes hadn't he seen? But even Roger, and even Rocks perished at God Valley, couldn't possibly have wiped out hundreds of thousands of pirates with just Conqueror's Haki. Even if they could, they couldn't have killed all of them! Keep in mind, in recent days, there have been at least eight hundred to a thousand pirate crews gathered on Hachinosu Island, meaning there are at least eight hundred captains on the island, more than half of whom are high-ranking pirates with bounties exceeding 500 million. Such a massive force—could Akira have cleared them all out with just Conqueror's Haki?
"Where is Ochoku?" Gaban suppressed his shock and asked.
"Dead." The giant warrior answered decisively, "Including Ochoku, the pirates on Hachinosu Island were completely wiped out; not a single one survived."
"In addition, Marshal Akira executed the King of Portoria, who had cooperated with Ochoku, on the spot, and demoted all members of the royal family and nobles of the Kingdom of Portoria to commoners and sent them back to their country."
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Yaruru's cloudy eyes.
He began stroking his long beard again, and slowly said, " The Navy Marshal is making an example of someone."
"The fact that you obtained this information so quickly must be because he deliberately leaked it. Firstly, he's letting us know he's coming. Secondly, he's subtly sounding an alarm for us."
A look of confusion flashed in Lipri's eyes. "A warning? Why would Marshal Akira do this? Elbaf has never had a direct conflict with the Navy in recent years, and has maintained a fairly good relationship with the World Government."
"Don't forget," Yaruru's voice became meaningful, " Elbaf isn't just a Giant Kingdom."
"And the Giant Warrior Pirates."
"Since becoming Navy Marshal, everything Akira has done has had only one purpose."
"That is, to make this sea free of pirates!"
at the same time.
Holy Land, Flower Chamber.
In the garden, Saint Saturn was patiently explaining some profound scientific knowledge to a beautiful little girl.
The little girl was Aqua, dressed in a beautiful princess dress, her bright eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge, listening intently.
"... Therefore, the arrangement and combination of Lineage Factor determine the form and abilities of an organism, just like how different building blocks can be used to build different castles."
" Saturn, what kind of building blocks did Aqua build with?" Aqua asked curiously, tilting her little face up.
Saint Saturn smiled slightly and reached out to pat her head, "Your Highness is not a building block, but the most noble princess of the Holy Land, or more precisely, the most noble princess in the entire world."
Soon, the study session ended.
Aqua politely bid farewell to Saint Saturn and, accompanied by Luna, skipped and hopped away from the Flower Chamber.
Saint Saturn straightened his clothes, turned around and walked to the pavilion in the center of the garden, bowing slightly to the figure sitting in the shadows.
" Lord Im, Princess Aqua's science lesson has ended for today."
"Hmm." Imu responded faintly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger. " Aqua seems quite interested in science; you've finally proven somewhat useful."
Saturn blinked awkwardly.
Indeed, ever since Akira became Navy Marshal and incurred the Mary Geoise Treaty with the Holy Land, these Five Elders have become mere figureheads. They not only lost their voice, but they also no longer had the final say in the affairs of the World Government. This is because there are two argumentative Five Elders in the Chamber of Power, especially Sengoku, who is always ready to fight Izambaron at the slightest provocation!
Just then, Shenbing Gunko appeared silently in front of Imu and knelt on one knee.
" Lord Im, the latest intelligence from the New World."
Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible glint flashed in Imu's eyes, but his words were very concise. "Speak."
Gunko immediately reported, "We just received the latest intelligence from the New World: Lord Akira led his trainees to land on Hachinosu Island and slaughtered over 100,000 pirates, including Ochoku. He also executed the King of the Kingdom of Portoria, who was worried about being purged upon arriving at the Holy Land during his migration, and demoted all members of the Portovia royal family and nobles to commoners, sending them back to their country."
Imu blinked. "Who is Ochoku?"
"Furthermore, why would Akira go to the New World? As the ruler of the Holy Land, how could he personally go to capture pirates? What kind of behavior is that?"
"Contact Akira immediately and tell him that Mu wants to see him!"
Gunko stood there, stunned, his expression somewhat blank, but he still nodded subconsciously. "Yes, I will contact Lord Akira immediately."
Before she could even take out the Den Den Mushi, Imu's voice rang out again, tinged with confusion. "Who is Ochoku? What qualifications does he have to make Akira personally intervene?"
Saint Saturn quickly stepped forward and explained, " Lord Im, Ochoku was a member of the Rocks Pirates. During the God Valley Incident, he was turned by the World Government and betrayed Rocks, and has been based on Hachinosu Island ever since."
Imu thought for a moment, then coldly uttered three words: "Don't know him."
Then, she turned her gaze to Gunko, who was still kneeling on the ground, and frowned slightly. "What are you still standing here for? Hurry up and take care of Aqua."
"Huh?"
Gunko froze again, then his pupils contracted sharply, and he reflexively looked up at Imu, secretly exclaiming:
"Not good!"
" Lord Im's amnesia has flared up again!"
--