World's Strongest Nation

The battle was ultimately interrupted. After venting his frustration and anger through his fierce assault, Rocks calmed down as well.

After all, when it came to being difficult to deal with, Annus surpassed even Harald.

That was because, while being lightning itself, a natural element, Annus also possessed top-tier Haki.

Especially in terms of Observation Haki, no one on all of Hachinosu could surpass Annus. It would not be an exaggeration to call him the man standing at the pinnacle of Observation Haki.

If Annus wished to avoid confronting others head-on, they would not even be able to touch his true body.

With Observation Haki capable of seeing the future and complete mastery over elementalization, achieving that was not difficult for Annus.

This was also the fundamental reason why Annus had never appeared disheveled or humiliated in his past clashes with Whitebeard, Shiki, Linlin, and the others.

While Logias did not possess the extraordinary resilience against blows that Mythical Zoans had, elementalization made up for that weakness.

"You're actually stopping? What a pity!"

Shiki, Whitebeard, and the others watching the battle all sighed in disappointment.

To these troublemakers who loved a spectacle, the more fiercely Annus and Rocks fought, the better. Ideally, both sides would suffer, exposing themselves to humiliating states worth mocking.

Besides, if the two stopped fighting, the betting pool could not continue.

"What a bore! What a bore!" Shiki sighed, shaking his head regretfully.

At the center of the battered, crater-riddled deserted island, the smoke and dust gradually dispersed as the battle came to an end.

"That's enough for today, Annus! I'll come find you again tomorrow! I hope you'll change your mind by then!"

With a cold snort and that parting threat, Rocks left the deserted island without looking back, heading toward Hachinosu.

It was a technique similar to Geppo. For a supreme powerhouse like Rocks, even the Six Powers, famed for being complex and difficult to learn, were something whose essence he could grasp with a single glance.

Rocks's departure greatly disappointed the spectators. When Annus swept them with an indifferent gaze, they wisely slipped away.

"Mamamama! Let's drink together another day, Annus!"

Linlin leaped onto Thundercloud Zeus, the Homie created from her own soul, and headed toward Hachinosu.

"Jihahaha! Same here!"

Shiki also manipulated the ship by the shore into floating, with Kaido, Whitebeard, and the others aboard.

After everyone had left, Annus glanced over the devastated deserted island. He was silent for a moment before transforming into lightning and departing as well.

However, he did not head toward Hachinosu. Instead, he shot toward Elbaf, the land of giants.

A winding bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, crossing the vast sea and arriving several hours later at Elbaf, located in the latter half of the New World.

The deep sea constantly churned with enormous waves, and vicious fish as large as Sea Kings occasionally leaped from the surface. Ahead lay the shadow of the World Tree, reaching from earth to sky. Between its double-layered canopy hung waterfalls and clouds.

Before such a colossal "world," even the lightning Annus had become appeared incredibly small.

The tiny bolt of lightning plunged directly into Elbaf's Underworld, an eternal frozen land that had not received sunlight for tens of thousands of years, eventually vanishing amid endless snow-covered mountains.

Within the towering, excessively massive snow mountains lived equally enormous ferocious beasts known as Mountain Lords. Yet whenever lightning flashed, those beasts revealed fearful expressions.

At the same time, on a snowy field within the mountains, a giant boy with demonic golden vertical pupils and a black horned helmet raised his head toward the lightning flashing through the blizzard.

Because he was a freak who had undergone atavism, this giant boy was even larger than some adult giants.

"Little Loki, long time no see."

The lightning descended upon the clearing before the giant boy and transformed into Annus's true form.

Loki, Harald's second son, was known as the "Cursed Prince" and the "Shame of Elbaf."

But in truth, Loki was merely a pitiful child hated by his biological mother from the moment he was born and thrown from a cliff into the Underworld.

His tragic childhood had shaped Loki's extreme personality. Having never experienced love, he treated everything with violence, indifference, and cruelty.

However, in Annus's eyes, Loki remained a very kind-hearted boy, the perfect example of someone sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.

In the past, the Rocks Pirates had visited Elbaf many times. Naturally, Annus had opportunities to interact with Loki and had repeatedly tried to guide him.

"Annus! It really is you!"

The young giant prince revealed a delighted expression. Sitting on the ground, he looked down at Annus, the shadow of his massive body engulfing him.

"Where's Rocks? Didn't he come with you?"

Yet no matter where he looked, little Loki could not find the figure he had longed to see.

"Yeah, I came alone... Loki, is Harald on the island?"

"I see..."

Hearing that Rocks had not come, little Loki seemed somewhat disappointed, but he still answered Annus's question.

"My old man is in the Sun World. He should be over at Aurust Castle right now..."

"Got it. Thanks, Loki. I'll come find you later." Annus nodded at his words and transformed into lightning, flashing upward from the Underworld.

"Huh? You're leaving just like that? I still have questions I want to ask you!" Little Loki reached out in stunned disbelief, trying to stop him, but the lightning had already vanished into the depths of the snowstorm.

Watching this, regret surfaced in little Loki's strange golden vertical pupils.

"What's with that?!"

Little Loki complained as he kicked aside a huge boulder at his feet. The boulder, over ten meters tall, rumbled and trembled under the immense force.

Rocks was one thing—he had always treated him like he was invisible—but why was Annus, who had always paid attention to him, ignoring him this time too?

Besides, they had not seen each other for two years!

Annus, speeding away from the Underworld in the form of lightning, paid no attention to little Loki's thoughts.

Instead, he directly crossed the Rainbow Bridge, passed the spectacular giant branches and island clouds, and arrived at Elbaf's Aurust Castle—the castle where King Harald resided.

Aurust Castle was built upon one branch of the World Tree. It stood higher than every village in the Sun World and was also the center of Elbaf's power.

Beneath the castle's outer gate, two giant guards wielding great axes and large shields spotted the incoming lightning.

"Stop!"

The great axe and shield crossed, blocking the way.

"Beyond this point is the castle where the great King Harald resides! Identify yourself!"

During his previous visits to Elbaf's Sun World, Annus had never revealed his Devil Fruit ability, instead arriving via the Rainbow Bridge. Thus, the two giant guards could not identify him from the lightning.

Little Loki had only recognized him because he had witnessed Annus elementalize, though that had happened in the Underworld.

"I am Annus. Please inform Harald that I have something I wish to discuss with him."

Annus hovered before the two giant guards and revealed his true form.