That intelligent creature might have been human, or it might have been something else. It all depended on which species first rose to the top and laid down the rules of the world.
Clearly, the world of the Pirate King belonged to humans. There was no question about that.
But this world was nothing like Earth. It was full of wonders, a planet whose history stretched far beyond Earth's.
Over such an immense span of time,
what had allowed frail humans to challenge beasts like these for dominion over the planet?
This was not Earth. After humans appeared on Earth, no creature utterly beyond their understanding had ever emerged.
But this world, covered almost entirely in seawater, was teeming with Sea Kings!
If Sea Kings could develop intelligence, what had kept them from surging onto land and becoming the undisputed masters of this world?
"Giants."
"Yes. It had to be the Giants. The Ancient Giants."
As if something had clicked, Kuta suddenly raised his head and asked Other Shore, "There's something I've never asked you. In your era, who ruled this world, apart from you gods?"
"Humans!"
"I know they were humans. But not all humans are alike."
Kuta thought of the enormous skull on Onigashima, of Little Oars, and of Dorry and Brogy, who were still fighting on Little Garden.
If any race in this world could contend with the Sea Kings—setting aside Devil Fruits, those fantastical things that appeared only after the War of the Gods, and Haki, an ability inherent to living creatures—it had to be the Giants.
The World's Truth, Slowly Unraveled
"That?" Other Shore thought for a moment, then nodded. "There were enormous differences. In my era, humans were divided into many races. There were not just people like you, who are the dominant race