Elbaf!

Marine Era 1460, June.

Elbaf.

It was a kingdom of giants in the latter half of the New World.

For an adventurer who had traveled a long way,

the first thing they saw upon arriving at the Isle of Giants was the towering Giant Tree, so tall it seemed to prop up the heavens and the earth.

The Adam Tree!

"Wow, it's huge!"

He had thought it was just an ordinary big tree. It wasn't until they had sailed for a day and a night and neared their destination that Rocks finally understood: it wasn't that the Adam Tree was small, but that they had been too far away from it before.

Only when they got close would they understand

why the Giant Kingdom of Elbaf was said to be a country built on a tree.

"Hahaha, scared you, didn't it? I was shocked the first time I came here too."

Rocks was still just a rookie pirate, nowhere near what he would become in the future, whether in experience or strength.

As he gazed up at the towering tree, a trace of nostalgia flickered in Mongge's eyes.

It had been ten years since his last visit.

"Come on. If we're lucky, the Rainbow Bridge will be raised, and we can go straight to the Giant Village. But if you want to have a couple of drinks at the tavern on the shore, I don't mind. Hahaha."

There were, broadly speaking, two kinds of countries in this world.

Government Affiliated Nations.

And Non-Government Affiliated Nations.

Government Affiliated Nations had to abide by the laws issued by the World Government and pay "Celestial Gold" to the World Government in exchange for its protection.

Non-Government Affiliated Nations were countries that didn't pay Celestial Gold, or couldn't afford to.

In a world where the oceans covered more than 90 percent of the surface, travel between countries depended entirely on sailing ships. The booming maritime trade naturally attracted plenty of unsavory characters.

Although Mongge considered himself an adventurer more than a pirate, subjective opinion and objective fact didn't always line up.

In any case, he was now one of the unsavory characters in the eyes of the public.

And the natural enemy of those unsavory characters was the Navy!

The Navy was an organization under the World Government.

Any country that paid Celestial Gold received the Navy's protection.

So what about the ones that didn't pay?

Those countries became lawless lands, paradises for pirates.

Of course, there were exceptions.

For example, the Land of Giants, Elbaf!

Elbaf was a Non-Government Affiliated Nation, so it naturally had no Navy protection. But its immense national strength meant that ordinary pirates didn't dare go near it.

After all, most pirates were bullies who preyed on the weak.

"Hey, is Balde here?"

After docking their sailboat on the shore, Mongge brought Rocks to a tavern on the coast of Elbaf. The tavern's doorway alone was twenty meters high. By comparison, Mongge and Rocks, two men of ordinary height, looked like little dwarfs.

"Balde? Do you mean my dad?"

The reply didn't come in the gruff voice Mongge remembered. Instead, a girl answered. A round-faced young woman with orange eyes, pale blond hair, and a few freckles pushed open the door.

But when she looked outside, she couldn't see anyone.

"Hey, down here!"

Only when Mongge called out did she notice the two little figures waving at her feet. She finally realized what was going on. "You're... people from outside?"

She was only a girl by Giant standards. In Mongge and Rocks's eyes, there was no doubt that she was a giant.

She was over fifteen meters tall. When she opened the door, the gust of wind it stirred up had nearly blown them both away.

Suddenly, Mongge seemed to remember something.

"Hey, you're Mado, right? It's me, your Uncle Mongge. Have you forgotten me? I'll be really sad if you have!"

If Mongge remembered correctly, the girl before him was Mado, the tavern owner Balde's daughter. When he had visited ten years ago, he'd spent plenty of time drinking at the tavern, and most of that time had been spent telling stories to the little girl before him, who had been only twice his height back then.

At last, Mado seemed to remember. A delighted expression spread across her face.

"You're Uncle Mongge? You've changed so much. I almost didn't recognize you."

"Pffft, hahaha! People get old awfully fast if they let themselves go. Give it a few more years, and even I won't recognize myself."

Mongge laughed heartily at Mado's words.

There was a curious phenomenon in this world: those who held on to their dreams didn't change much, even as they grew old.

But those who lost their dreams, or went astray, changed a great deal in spirit and appearance.

Perhaps that was what they meant by "the face reflects the heart."

Without the system and with no hope in sight, even if Mongge hadn't died at Farell's hands, he probably would have become a decrepit old man in just a few years.

But now, although Mongge was still old, his spirit was completely different.

"Uncle Mongge, come on in! I'll mix you a glass of Green Fairy, our specialty here in Elbaf. It's been ages since you've had any, hasn't it?"

"Hey, hey, I just got here. Are you trying to make me lie on the floor for two days, little Mado?"

Mongge laughed a couple of times, then pulled Rocks forward.

"Let me introduce you. This is the new crewmate I just picked up. He's still a snot-nosed brat. I figure we'll be staying in Elbaf for a while, so please look after us."

"I'm not a snot-nosed brat!"

"If you haven't even mastered Haki, what else would you be?"

When Rocks protested, Mongge showed no mercy. He smacked Rocks on the head, which Mado clearly took as a sign they were close.

"Hehe, Dad will be so happy to hear you're here."

Mado smiled sweetly, then peered past them.

"By the way, where are Sister Lily and the others?"

"They..."

Mongge smiled wryly. "I disbanded my pirate crew a while ago. Everyone's probably gone their own way by now."

"Compared to the lifespan of your Giant Tribe, ours is far too short. And the time we can spend fighting is much shorter too."

"As you can see, I'm an old man now."

Mongge raised his arm. The muscles that had once been so powerful had withered, and he was much thinner than before.

Mado lowered her head at his words.

"I'm sorry."

"Haha, don't worry about something so trivial. Look at me—I've set sail again, haven't I?"

Mongge laughed. His muscles still couldn't compare to what they'd been at their peak, but they were much stronger than they had been a month ago.

Perhaps that was one of the benefits of increased Cellular Activity.

"By the way."

After looking around and seeing no one in the tavern, Mongge asked Mado to bend down, then leaned in with a conspiratorial air. "Little Mado, have you cut down any branches from the Adam Tree lately?"

In Elbaf, the Adam Tree was also called the sacred tree. It couldn't be cut down lightly.

But there were exceptions to every rule.

For instance, when lightning struck during a rainstorm and set part of the Adam Tree ablaze, they would cut down the burning section to keep the fire from spreading to the other branches.

If they were lucky, some might still be left.

"Well..."

At Mongge's question, Mado looked troubled.

"Should I tell him?"

Her expression was exactly like her father Balde's.

"Mado, you've learned bad habits."

Mongge looked at her with an expression of utter heartbreak.

"Tell me, what do you want?"

"Hehe, just tell me more stories about what happened after you left whenever you have time, Uncle Mongge."

Mongge pretended to hesitate at Mado's words, then nodded firmly.

"Deal!"

Mado told Mongge that there had indeed been a batch of Adam Tree branches recently salvaged from a fire in Elbaf.

They were only branches, but anyone who knew that all of Elbaf was built upon the Adam Tree would understand that even its branches had a greater diameter than ordinary century-old trees.

But knowing that a batch of Adam Wood existed and figuring out how to get their hands on it were two entirely different challenges.

After all, the giants never sold branches from the Adam Tree. Even the ones salvaged from the fire were mostly used in their most important annual religious ceremony.

Stealing them was out of the question, unless Mongge wanted to make an enemy of every giant in Elbaf.

If the Giant Tribe had no wants or needs, then even Mongge would be helpless.

But Mongge knew what the Giant Tribe wanted now.

And, as it happened, he had a way to help them achieve it.

"Haha, anyway, it's not every day I get to visit Elbaf. I'm going to drink my fill. Little Mado, if the Rainbow Bridge goes up, remember to let me know."

Elbaf was divided into three levels: the Heavenly Realm at the very top, the Sunny Realm in the middle, and the Underworld at the very bottom.

Mongge and the others were in the lowest level.

The Adam Tree's canopy was so dense that it blocked out the sunlight. As a result, few plants grew in the Underworld where they were now, making it unsuitable for living.

So the giants generally lived in the sunlit canopy, the Sunny Realm.

To get from the Underworld to the Sunny Realm, they had to take a special Rainbow Bridge.

Still, as Mongge had said,

if you went all the way to Elbaf, you had to enjoy a good drink.

There was no use rushing.

He'd waited all these years. A few more days wouldn't make a difference.

"By the way."

Remembering something else, Mongge quickly asked, "Little Mado, is Sister Carmelo still in Elbaf?"

The proof that the future Four Emperors were still on this island was Holy Mother Sister Carmelo, a woman who commanded considerable respect even among the giants.

But Mongge had known Carmelo longer than the giants had. He knew all too well that she had another side to her.

"You mean Sister Carmelo? She's still..."

Mado hadn't finished answering when the tavern door opened again.

A spirited, wild-looking young woman walked in.

"Mado, get me a Green Fairy!"

"Sure."

Mado nodded quickly, then gestured toward Mongge and Rocks.

"Careful, Sister Lipri. There are two smaller customers here. And don't smash things when you get drunk, or you'll get scolded."

Mado chattered on, not noticing that Sister Lipri had frozen when she saw the little figures at the nearby table.

Mongge, seated on the table, greeted the girl who had just walked in. "Hey, Lipri! Long time no see!"

"Mongge?"

Lipri stared at Mongge in surprise for a moment. Then she clenched her fists.

"You old geezer!"

"Some long time no see!"

"You promised you'd let me join your crew when I grew up. It's been ten years!!!"