Bang!
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A dull boom rang out.
In the Underworld, at the very bottom of Elbaf, a snow-white werewolf stood off to one side. In front of him stood a giant who looked as tall as a mountain.
"I'm done. I'm done."
Seeing the giant prepare to attack again, the white wolf waved his hand. His snow-white fur gradually shrank, and his body went from nearly three meters tall back to around two meters.
"Somehow, I feel like I'm the one getting the short end of the stick in these sparring matches."
Mongge smacked his lips. As an old man fighting a "young" giant like Harald, he wasn't getting much of a workout.
After all, they always stopped before either of them got hurt. There was no winner or loser.
Naturally, the younger one had more room to improve.
"I don't think I'll be able to finish this mission anytime soon."
Mongge looked at the system panel.
[Marine Era 1460, June 30. After two months of sailing, you have finally reached the homeland of the giants, the Land of Giants, Elbaf.]
[Mission One: Defeat a Giant Tribe warrior.]
[The Giant Tribe warriors of Elbaf are renowned throughout the world. A certain emperor once said that if she allied with the Giant Tribe, she could become ruler of the seas.]
[Mission Reward: Giant Tribe Combat Technique—Hero's Spear!]
(Completed)
[Mission Two: Recruit crew members.]
[As the captain of a pirate crew, how can you do without loyal crewmates?]
[Mission Reward: Each crew member recruited slightly increases Cellular Activity.]
(Current crew members: 2)
[Mission Three: Defeat Harald, the Giant King!]
[Unbelievable! The Giant King of Elbaf is willing to face you in a fair one-on-one contest. This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.]
[Mission Reward: Increased Conqueror's Haki strength and increased Cellular Activity.]
(Incomplete)
That was why Mongge had kept challenging Harald to duels for the past six months.
Conqueror's Haki was a quality possessed by only a select few. For it to grow, its wielder had to fight others who also possessed it.
Sparring wasn't enough. They had to fight to the death.
The confidence cultivated through battle after battle would become nourishment for Conqueror's Haki.
Mongge and Harald had clashed Conqueror's Haki many times during their countless spars, but until the day they truly tried to decide a winner, their matches wouldn't help it grow much.
It was easy to fool your enemies.
Fooling yourself was the hard part.
"Gurururu, Mongge, I'm heading back. The Winter Solstice Festival is almost here. If I don't get back soon, Mary will scold me again."
Speaking of his wife, Harald, whose fearsome face belonged to a giant, showed a hint of tenderness.
"Get lost, then!"
Mongge waved him off with a look of disdain. After living for so many years, he couldn't stand watching people flaunt their affection right in front of him.
Over the years, Mongge had met women he liked, but as a pirate, he knew he couldn't stay in one place for long.
Unless he brought them aboard his ship.
Otherwise, every meeting might be their last.
Deep down, Mongge was still a traditional man. He couldn't bring himself to sleep with someone and then leave without a care.
Of course, if they were both willing, that was different.
"The Winter Solstice Festival, huh..."
On Elbaf, the Winter Solstice Festival was a celebration of the sun, death, and rebirth.
Before the festival, the people of Elbaf fasted for twelve days. They weren't allowed to eat anything and could only drink water.
Mongge remembered that the last time they had visited Elbaf, they'd left before the Winter Solstice Festival began, so they hadn't experienced the giants' celebration.
This time, though, Mongge would be staying on Elbaf for a while, so he would definitely experience several Winter Solstice Festivals.
Half a year had passed.
Mongge's overall condition had changed dramatically.
He couldn't exactly call himself young.
But compared with six months ago, he had more or less returned to the condition he'd been in at around sixty.
At sixty, Mongge could fight Harald, the Giant King, for an entire day and night and end in a draw.
And now that he'd mastered Conqueror's Haki, he was even stronger than he'd been ten years ago.
Mongge had only regained his former condition, while Harald had genuinely grown stronger.
After all, at one hundred and fifty, Harald was in his prime. He had fought Mongge to a draw ten years ago, and there was no way he'd made no progress since then.
Mongge even suspected Harald had already touched that threshold.
The realm that, in the future, would be said to be attainable only by Marine Admirals, Four Emperors, and the vice captains of certain pirate crews.
In truth,
this fearsome-looking Giant King wasn't all that fond of fighting.
If Harald had really been willing to train hard,
he might have already crossed that threshold.
Following close behind Harald,
Mongge headed toward the village.
"Give it your all, Hajrudin!"
"Give it your all, Rocks!"
"Take him down!"
"..."
In front of the Home of Lambs, Hajrudin and Rocks were sparring as usual.
But compared with six months ago, Rocks had become much stronger. He'd once needed to rely on his speed to narrowly beat Hajrudin. Now, even in a direct contest of strength, he didn't fall behind at all.
"If things keep going like this, is Rocks really going to surpass me?"
Fighting two adult giants at once, Lipri glanced toward Rocks and felt a deep sense of crisis.
"Hey, Lipri, don't get distracted during a fight!"
"Yeah, don't underestimate us!"
The two giants, one fat and one thin, reminded Mongge of the Fat and Thin Monks. As former members of the Giant Soldier Pirates, they weren't weak.
Even with Mongge giving Lipri extra training, it would still be difficult for her to beat those two veteran warriors anytime soon.
Around the village, many giant women were kneading dough.
Since the giants would be fasting for the Winter Solstice Festival, they made large quantities of high-calorie sweets beforehand.
Everything seemed just as it always had.
But Mongge knew that while the others only had to endure a little hunger and grit their teeth until it was over, for Charlotte Linlin, this was a hurdle she couldn't overcome.
Gluttony Disease!
Charlotte Linlin had suffered from this illness since birth. If she went too long without eating, she would lose consciousness and go on a rampage.
It was this illness that had forced Charlotte Linlin's parents to abandon her.
But an illness was something that needed treatment.
Mongge hadn't spent the past six months doing nothing. He'd written to doctors he'd known in the past, asking them how to treat Gluttony Disease.
In the end, they'd come to just one conclusion.
Willpower.
Only by controlling her body with her will could she free herself from the effects of Gluttony Disease.
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