Meeting the King of Giants!

Harald, the Giant King of Elbaf.

He was also one of the strongest existing warriors of the Giant race.

Under Yaruru's lead.

Magnus met the Giant King as soon as he arrived at the castle.

"Long time no see, Magnus."

The Giant King sat on his throne, looking down at the aged pirate.

"You've gotten old."

Ten years ago, Magnus hadn't shown signs of aging and his combat power was near its peak. Harald remembered their battle, which lasted nearly a day and a night, destroying forests and vegetation that covered a small part of Elbaf.

But now, Harald only saw an old man with white hair.

It made one wonder.

How much of his peak combat power did Magnus still possess?

"Haha, doesn't everyone get old?"

Magnus didn't care about Harald's words, as it was the truth. His appearance had indeed aged significantly compared to ten years ago.

However, this aging was infinitely better than it had been two months ago.

At least now, even facing the strongest Giant race warrior in Elbaf, Magnus could still stand tall and meet his gaze without any fear.

An invisible aura surged between the two.

Zzzt~

"This is..."

Yaruru, standing not far away, his pupils contracted.

What was he seeing?

A chilling pressure suddenly erupted from Magnus, and in response, the Giant King Harald's aura was equally unyielding.

As the two auras collided, a fierce wind suddenly swept through the spacious hall, and red and black lightning spread between Magnus and Harald.

"Conqueror's Haki!?"

Seeing Magnus standing in the hall, facing Harald directly and not losing any ground in terms of aura, a trace of disbelief flashed in Yaruru's eyes.

How could Magnus have Conqueror's Haki!?

If Yaruru didn't know Magnus, he would never have believed that Magnus, a great pirate, wouldn't possess Conqueror's Haki.

But this was the reality.

Even though Magnus had made a great name for himself on this sea.

Ten years ago.

During the battle between Magnus and Harald, he hadn't unleashed Conqueror's Haki even once.

Magnus didn't have Conqueror's Haki.

This was the biggest reason why Magnus, as a pirate, merely a great pirate, couldn't ascend to the level of a king and wasn't recognized by other pirates.

Magnus lacked the presence of a king!

But after ten years without seeing him, Magnus had actually unleashed Conqueror's Haki?

Was this reasonable?

Magnus was already seventy years old, which, for the Giant race, was nearly three hundred years old.

An old man on the verge of death.

He had actually awakened Conqueror's Haki before entering the grave?

Who would believe such a thing if it were told?

Yaruru finally understood why Magnus, at his advanced age, still refused to give up and chose to go out to sea.

Because of Conqueror's Haki!

How could someone who possessed Conqueror's Haki allow themselves to die in obscurity?

"Haha, Magnus, is this the confidence you have for coming to see me?"

Harald looked at Magnus, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"After all, if I truly became an old man, I wouldn't even have the right to stand before you, would I?"

Magnus also showed a smile.

Regardless of whether Harald was a true pacifist or not.

He had to possess sufficient strength to subdue other giants and make them obey him.

Strength was precisely the reason for becoming king!

"Kukukuku, who told you to set your sights on the 'Divine Tree'? If you didn't have some ability, no matter what the transaction, my people wouldn't agree."

One of the two clashing auras suddenly retracted. Harald smiled, "Magnus, my friend, forgive me for greeting you this way. After all, seeing you makes the scar you left on my face ten years ago ache."

Harald pointed to the scar on his face.

"If you had grown weaker, I definitely wouldn't have been able to resist striking you and beating you up."

"You just got a scar on your face. Back then, you broke my arm, and it took me a full week to recover."

After all, the most outstanding recovery ability belonged to Devil Fruit users!

"Kurururu!"

"Puhahaha!"

Despite saying this, both Magnus and Harald burst into laughter.

"Bring the wine!"

Harald descended from his throne and casually sat in front of Magnus. His height of over forty meters made him look like a mountain.

Among the Giants, there was an ancient Giant species with two horns growing from their heads.

Ordinary Giants were only about twenty meters tall.

However, Giants with the bloodline of ancient Giants would far exceed this height.

"Speak, what can you offer?"

Having already learned Magnus's purpose for coming to Elbaf from Yaruru, Harald didn't beat around the bush. He asked directly, "What do you have that can impress me enough to exchange a branch of the Divine Tree?"

"It's very simple."

Magnus smiled.

"Peace and prosperity."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing Magnus's words, Harald's expression immediately turned serious.

If Magnus wanted to trade treasure for Adam Wood, while he wasn't entirely against it, he certainly wouldn't trade an amount that would allow Magnus to build a complete ship from Adam Wood.

Friendship was friendship.

Magnus's relationship with Elbaf wasn't so close that Adam Wood could be given away casually.

"I heard you're looking for new avenues for Elbaf, Harald."

It had been forty years since the two captains of the Giant Soldier Pirates had a duel due to their discord, and the Giant Soldier Pirates had been disbanded for forty years.

Perhaps ordinary Giants didn't feel it.

But Harald knew very well that the supplies plundered by the Giant Soldier Pirates in the warehouses were slowly dwindling.

Once they were depleted, there would be no way to replenish them.

This gave Harald a sense of crisis. He began to wonder, was plundering the only developmental path for the Giants?

Were there any other ways besides plundering to make Elbaf prosperous?

Carmel's arrival had given Harald inspiration.

Perhaps plundering wasn't necessary.

Trading with people from the outside world might also bring prosperity and flourishing to Elbaf.

Harald's thoughts were already evident ten years ago when Magnus and he first met.

It's just that at that time, Magnus didn't care about these matters.

He wasn't the king of Elbaf.

Why should he worry about Elbaf's affairs?

But now it was different. If Magnus wanted to obtain a large amount of Adam Wood from Elbaf, he needed Harald's approval.

Harald: "You have a way?"

Magnus: "Yes, I have a way to help Elbaf establish relationships with countries outside."

A great pirate who had sailed the seas for so many years.

What did he have the most of?

It was insight, experience.

It was connections!

"Harald," Magnus asked, "what do you think of the Merfolk?"