Meeting the Giant King!

Harald, the Giant King of Elbaf.

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

Led by Yaruru,

Magnus had just arrived at the castle when he met the Giant King.

"Long time no see, Magnus."

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

"You've grown old."

Ten years ago, Magnus had not yet shown signs of age, and his fighting strength had been close to its peak. Harald still remembered their battle, which had lasted nearly a full day and night. The destroyed forests and vegetation had nearly covered a small part of Elbaf.

But now, Harald saw only a white-haired old man.

It made one wonder.

How much of his peak strength Magnus still retained.

"Haha, everyone grows old eventually, don't they?"

Magnus did not mind Harald's words, because they were the truth. Compared to ten years ago, he had indeed aged considerably.

Yet this aged appearance was countless times better than it had been two months ago.

At the very least, even facing Elbaf's strongest Giant warrior now, Magnus could still hold his head high and look him straight in the eye without the slightest hint of fear.

An invisible pressure rose from both men.

Crackle—

"This is..."

Yaruru, standing some distance away, narrowed his eyes.

What was he seeing?

A terrifying pressure suddenly erupted from Magnus, met by the equally unyielding aura of Giant King Harald.

The two auras collided, and a biting gale suddenly swept through the spacious hall. Red-and-black lightning spread between Magnus and Harald.

"Conqueror's Haki!?"

Watching Magnus stand in the hall and face Harald without yielding even slightly in presence, disbelief flashed through Yaruru's eyes.

How did Magnus possess Conqueror's Haki!?

If he had not known Magnus, Yaruru would never have thought it strange for a Great Pirate like him to possess Conqueror's Haki.

But that was the truth.

Even though Magnus had made such a great name for himself upon these seas.

Ten years ago,

during Magnus and Harald's battle, he had not released Conqueror's Haki even once.

Magnus had not possessed Conqueror's Haki.

That was the greatest reason why, despite being a pirate and only a Great Pirate, Magnus could not ascend to become an emperor or gain the recognition of other pirates.

Magnus lacked the bearing of a king!

But after ten years apart, Conqueror's Haki had actually erupted from Magnus?

Did that make any sense?

Magnus was already seventy. By Giant standards, that was nearly three hundred years old.

An old man with one foot in the grave.

Yet before entering the grave, he had awakened Conqueror's Haki?

Who would believe that if they heard it?

Yaruru finally understood why Magnus, at such an advanced age, had refused to give up and still chosen to sail out to sea.

Because of Conqueror's Haki!

How could someone with Conqueror's Haki allow himself to die an ordinary, unremarkable death?

"Haha, Magnus, is this the confidence that brought you to see me?"

Harald looked at Magnus, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.

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

A smile appeared on Magnus's face as well.

Whether Harald was truly a pacifist or merely pretending to be one,

he needed sufficient strength to subdue the other Giants and make them obediently listen to him.

Strength was precisely the reason one became king!

"Gurararara, you want to set your sights on the Divine Tree. If you lack the ability, then no matter what sort of deal it is, my people will never agree to it."

One of the two clashing auras abruptly withdrew. Harald smiled. "Magnus, my friend, forgive me for greeting you this way. After all, whenever I see you, the scar you left on my face ten years ago starts aching faintly."

Harald pointed at the scar on his face.

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

"You only got a scar on your face. Back then, you broke one of my arms. It took me a full week to recover."

After all, Zoan Devil Fruit users excelled most at recovery!

"Gurararara!"

"Puhahahaha!"

Though they spoke that way, both Magnus and Harald burst into laughter.

"Bring the wine!"

Harald stepped down from his throne and casually sat before Magnus. At over forty meters tall, he looked like a mountain.

Among the Giant race were ancient Giants with twin horns growing from their heads.

Ordinary Giants were only around twenty meters tall.

But Giants possessing the bloodline of the ancient Giant race far exceeded that height.

"Tell me, what can you offer?"

Having long learned from Yaruru why Magnus had come to Elbaf, Harald did not beat around the bush. He asked directly, "What do you have that can move me enough to trade branches from the Divine Tree for it?"

"Very simple."

A smile appeared on Magnus's face.

"Peace and prosperity."

"Oh?"

Hearing Magnus say that, Harald's expression immediately turned serious.

If Magnus wanted to exchange treasure for Adam Wood, it was not as though Harald could not agree. But he would absolutely not trade enough for Magnus to build an entire ship entirely from Adam Wood.

Friendship was friendship.

Magnus's relationship with Elbaf was not good enough for Adam Wood to be handed over freely.

"I heard that you, Harald, wish to find a new path for Elbaf."

Forty years ago, the two captains of the Giant Soldier Pirates had dueled because of their discord. The Giant Soldier Pirates had been disbanded for a full forty years now.

Perhaps ordinary Giants had not noticed.

But Harald knew full well that the supplies in the warehouses, once plundered by the Giant Soldier Pirates, were gradually dwindling.

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

This gave Harald a sense of crisis. He began to wonder whether plundering was truly the Giants' only path of development.

Other than plundering, was there another way to make Elbaf prosperous?

Carmel's arrival gave Harald inspiration.

Perhaps plundering was not necessary.

Trading with people from the outside world might also allow Elbaf to flourish.

Harald's thoughts had already been apparent ten years ago, when Magnus first met him.

But back then, Magnus had not cared about such matters.

He was not Elbaf's king.

Why should he worry about Elbaf's affairs?

Things were different now. If Magnus wanted to obtain a large amount of Adam Wood from Elbaf, he had to gain Harald's approval.

Harald asked, "You have a way?"

Magnus replied, "Yes. I have a way to help Elbaf establish ties with the outside nations."

A Great Pirate who had roamed the seas for so many years.

What did he have most of?

Knowledge, experience.

Connections!

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