The Twisted Harald

Far away on Whole Cake Island in the New World, Mobius had no idea what had happened. Even if he did, he would not have cared much.

Even if Totto Land did not come looking for him, he would find them someday.

That was a Devil Fruit gift pack~

Right now, Mobius cared more about Fish-Man Island, because the battle in the distance had already ended.

After hearing no movement for half a day, Mobius looked at the awakened Neptune family behind him, as well as Jinbe, who had hurried over to guard them, and slowly nodded.

"Sounds like it's over outside. Shall we go take a look?"

Jinbe hesitated slightly, but Neptune stepped forward. After thinking for a moment, he asked,

"Mobius, are those outside really Newgate and Harald?"

"If my senses are not wrong."

"I believe you."

Neptune smiled. Heaven knew how reassured he had felt the moment he woke up and saw Mobius greeting him.

Having made up his mind, Neptune did not hesitate and prepared to go outside.

Jinbe immediately requested to escort him, and Otohime also said she wanted to go. But under the teary-eyed gaze of her youngest daughter, Shirahoshi, she decided to comfort the child first.

Thus, Mobius led Jinbe and Neptune out of Ryugu Palace.

The moment they stepped outside, they heard two booming voices shouting at each other.

"Gurarara! Harald, you've gotten more and more terrifying. Giants really are powerful."

"Are you any weaker than the giants, Newgate? What a monstrous freak of strength."

One giant and one super-sized giant sat cross-legged on the ground, chatting casually. Their words were full of old friends teasing each other.

Sensing someone approaching, Whitebeard and Harald turned their heads toward Neptune at the same time. One burst into laughter, while the other looked deeply apologetic.

"What a sorry sight, Neptune."

Whitebeard bluntly commented. Neptune indeed looked awful at the moment. His fluffy orange hair and beard were covered in dust, making him look like a worn-out ball of yarn. Though he had tried his best to clean himself up, the results had been limited.

"Who do you think caused that, bastard?!"

Neptune shot back without any politeness. He and Newgate were old acquaintances as well.

Hearing that, Harald looked even more ashamed. His lips moved a few times before he could only say, "Sorry, Neptune, I..."

"Enough."

Neptune raised a hand to stop him and looked at Harald, his old friend who belonged to the same kind of special race. His tone was calm.

"I know, Harald. That was not what you wanted. You did it for your country."

"If I were in your place, I probably would have made the same choice."

Those words made Harald lower his head even further. The mark on his hand, which gave him both strength and pain, seemed to burn even hotter now.

"Why not come in for a drink? There isn't much fine liquor, but there's enough to entertain you."

Neptune extended the invitation. How could old friends reunite without drinking their fill?

"Gurararara, of course."

Whitebeard laughed loudly. He was not about to stand on ceremony.

"I..."

Harald wanted to go, but when he looked at the collapsed Ryugu Palace, he gave a bitter smile.

"I'll pass. I still have a mission."

He was no longer merely the king of a nation.

Even Whitebeard turned to look at him, displeasure written across his face.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's just one drink. Don't tell me you're scared, Harald?"

Shaking his head, Harald did not answer. He merely looked at Neptune and finally said,

"If you ever need me in the future, just say the word, Neptune. I'll do everything in my power."

This was the only thing he could offer: enough strength.

With that, Harald turned to leave.

Looking at that twisted fellow, Neptune opened his mouth, yet did not know what to say.

It seemed that a thick barrier had already formed between them.

So Neptune looked at Mobius, hope shining in his eyes.

Help me, Royal Advisor.

Mobius looked at the grown men and twitched the corner of his mouth.

Why were they all so twisted? What happened to all that boldness... Sigh, I suppose middle-aged men had their own troubles too~

"King of the Giants, please wait."

Mobius spoke up, stopping Harald.

"His Majesty Neptune now has an idea. He wants Fish-Man Island to be able to reach the sea as well, bathe in sunlight, and be accepted by the nations of the surface."

"As the king of the Giant Kingdom, which has already been accepted by the nations of the surface, no one understands these matters better than you. Please stay and offer your guidance."

Though the giant king had fought with great vigor, Mobius, who knew the story, knew that Harald had long since turned over a new leaf and yearned for peace and equality.

Hearing this, Harald's steps froze. Then he suddenly turned around and looked at Neptune.

"What did he say? Neptune, you want to be accepted by the nations of the surface too?"

Harald knew that although his old friend appeared gentle, the generations of suffering endured by Fish-Man Island had long made him distrust humans. He only wanted to keep his people settled in one place and live peacefully.

Harald had invited Neptune before, only to be refused. Why now...

Neptune was momentarily speechless. In the past, without any plan, he could only remain in one place. But now, with Mobius's guidance, he could see a path forward.

"The Royal Advisor is right, Harald. People change, just like you did."

Neptune smiled. Decades ago, Harald had been an infuriating bastard too!

The giant king froze, then laughed. Yes, people always changed. Since Neptune was willing, he naturally had to help his friend.

"I understand, Neptune. Let's have a drink together."

Harald nodded. There was no reason left to refuse.

Whitebeard looked at Mobius with a trace of surprise. This brat was Neptune's royal advisor? He really did seem capable.

The three giants reached an agreement and prepared to drink heartily and talk through the night.

Before that, however, they still had to deal with the chaos from the earlier battle.

"Jinbe, take the doctors and tend to the island residents."

Neptune gave his orders. They first had to soothe the residents who had fainted under the pressure of Haki.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Jinbe responded decisively. Though he had gone through a fierce battle earlier, his powerful physique had already allowed him to recover somewhat.

"Gurarara, I'll lend a hand too." Whitebeard did not want to sit idle, so he sent Marco, the Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit user under his command, to help.

Mobius glanced at the young and somewhat immature Marco, then slowly nodded. His aura was evenly matched with Katakuri's from earlier.

Come to think of it, he wanted the Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit too.

"Me as well."

Harald also ordered the subordinates who had come with him to send giant doctors to help. He led his own separate team, all of whom were giants, so the CP Organization could not infiltrate them.

Therefore, ten thousand meters beneath the sea, Harald could slack off for a while. After all, no one would think he had not contributed during the earlier battle.

As the three sides sent their men to help at once, Fish-Man Island, which had fallen into panic as large numbers of residents woke up, quickly returned to calm.

Seeing this, Mobius informed Neptune and went to retrieve Shyarly and Hatchan. They should be waking up around now.

Once the island was properly settled, a conversation that would soon affect the world was about to begin.

"Glug glug..."

Kaido lay silently on the seafloor, his body slightly weak, though he could still maintain the most basic transformation of the Azure Dragon Fruit.

Thanks to the Fish-Fish Fruit, Kaido bore the title of the strongest creature in land, sea, and air. Even underwater, he would not drown and could still breathe.

The waves stirred up by Whitebeard and Harald's battle had pushed him who knew where.

Kaido did not care. The moment he learned Whitebeard had arrived, he had already considered retreating. The current Beasts Pirates were not suited to go to war with Whitebeard.

Once he had been out of contact for too long and King noticed he had not returned, King would arrange for men to search for him.

So Kaido was not in a hurry. Instead, he was in the mood to enjoy the undersea scenery.

"Worororo, the sea has brought another interesting fellow."

Kaido shook his head and laughed, still recalling his earlier battle with Mobius. What kind of ability user was that brat?

Kaido thought about it for an entire day. Not because he figured it out, but because dawn arrived.

While he was bored out of his mind, a slightly childish voice suddenly sounded beside Kaido's ear.

"Mister, who are you? Why are you lying here?"

"Hm?"

Kaido turned his head slightly and discovered an enormous figure beside him, vaguely almost as tall as he was.

"Mister? Who are you, brat?"

"My name is Jack."

The thirteen-year-old banded grouper fish-man, Jack, answered honestly.