The Battle to Select the Fleet Admiral
Late at night.
Elbaf erupted in revelry as the people spontaneously held a festival to celebrate the king's return.
They believed this was a blessing from the god Elbaf and named the day "Divine Favor Day".
The elders also learned of King Ha's resurrection and intended to go to the old castle to meet the king, but Loki stopped them.
"Pops wants to be alone right now, let's talk about it tomorrow."
Harald emptied the castle and sat alone on the throne, waiting quietly.
As the noise outside gradually subsided and the giants went home to rest, moonlight shone through the window.
Harald rested his elbows on his knees, clasped his hands in a fist, and bowed slightly, as if imitating a thinker.
Suddenly, the moonlight shining in illuminated a figure.
Then the moonlight was blocked by Adam's canopy, and his figure blended into the shadows, becoming indistinguishable, as if the scene just now was an illusion.
Harald looked up and saw a human standing out of thin air.
"My benefactor, I still don't know your name?"
"My name contains power, but you are not worthy to know it yet."
In the past, Dimon had always used a pseudonym, not because he didn't want to use his real name, but because his real name contained power and he couldn't easily say it.
It was just a name, yet it contained power... Harald didn't understand, and found the human before him increasingly mysterious.
Wait, is it really a human?
Harald shook his head, not wanting to delve any deeper into the matter.
Regardless of the other party's motives for resurrecting him, they are at least outwardly his benefactor, and he currently has no indication of being controlled.
"Then, my benefactor, I will not ask you why you resurrected me. As agreed, I give you my blood and Loki's blood."
After saying that, he took out two huge wine barrels from behind him.
It is described as enormous because, to humans, the barrel is indeed dozens of times larger.
"Hongjue."
"Yes, Master."
Hongjue hopped and skipped from Dimon's shoulder into the barrel, then activated his ability to absorb all the blood inside.
Harald was a kind man, and he donated at least several hundred liters of blood.
Dimon was very satisfied with this.
"Very well, I like people who keep their promises. Well then, farewell, King of Giants, I hope your second life will be even more wonderful than your first."
After saying that, Dimon snapped his fingers.
With a snap, white light outlined a huge cube, enveloping him and Hongjue within it.
The next moment, the figure vanished into thin air, and the storyboard collapsed, scattering like shattered mirrors.
The Underworld, beneath the roots that once imprisoned Loki.
Dimon stepped confidently out of the storyboard, an unstoppable smile on his face.
We've struck it rich!
With so much blood, how many Conqueror's Haki Edition Longevity Wine could be made?
Harald was indeed an honest man; he provided blood according to the giant's physique, and the father and son together provided at least 1,000 liters.
"Then quickly find Mammon to handle it. As for Loki's case, keep a portion and send it to Vegapunk."
Suppressing his inner turmoil, Dimon strode over to Treasure Tree Adam.
This seemingly endless World Tree makes you realize the meaning of insignificance only when you stand before it.
Who knows how many years it has lived—thousands of years, tens of thousands of years?
Dimon stood quietly under the tree, waiting until midnight, the moment the count was refreshed.
He reached out and pressed his hand against the tree trunk, activating his talent.
Animation!
Golden light flooded the Treasure Tree Adam. At that moment, all the giants in Elbaf could clearly feel that their mother tree seemed to be rejoicing, its branches swaying in celebration...
The tree's emotions permeated the entire island, infecting all the creatures that inhabited it.
Even the giants who were already asleep felt warmth in their dreams.
Such a dramatic change also surprised Dimon.
This is the most significant event he has ever undertaken since he began to Animation all things.
Hello, Lord.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice echoed in my mind.
Dimon raised an eyebrow slightly. "Was that you speaking? Treasure Tree Adam."
Yes, thank you for giving me true life; you are the true Creator.
"Can't you speak?"
[I can only convey my voice to your heart; I cannot speak like a human.]
Dimon nodded knowingly. "Let's give you a name first. From now on, you'll be called... Adam."
He paused, then asked, "Do you know about the Sunlight Tree Eve?"
Adam's voice sounded like a very gentle man's, Dimon immediately thought of another legendary giant tree.
Sunlight Tree Eve.
Its roots reach the lowest layer of the Red Line, absorbing sunlight from the sea and transmitting it up to 10,000 meters deep, bringing "daylight" to Fish-Man Island.
[In the past, I've heard about the Sunlight Tree Eve from travelers passing through this area; it's another very famous tree.]
"Eve could absorb sunlight and release it at her roots. What special abilities do you have?"
The wood of the Treasure Tree Adam is extremely resistant to damage, making it difficult to destroy even by war and artillery bombardment. On the black market, a single branch can fetch a staggering price of nearly 200 million.
Roger's Oro Jack and Straw Hat Luffy's Thousand Sunny in the future both have keels made from the wood of the Treasure Tree Adam.
Even a single, intact tree branch could support a village of giants, providing a habitat and a means for the giant race to live and reproduce.
Such a giant tree, once Animation, should possess some special abilities, right?
[Creator, what ability are you referring to?]
"I'm asking you, I don't know anything about your situation."
[I don't have Eve's ability to transmit sunlight. If that's not what you're referring to, then...]
Suddenly, a tender new branch fell from the Sun World, passing through the heavy blizzard, and arrived at Dimon's feet.
[This is a newly sprouted branch of mine. If you plant it elsewhere, it may grow into another giant tree in the future.]
It didn't seem to have any special power... Dimon picked up the newly sprouted branch, not feeling particularly disappointed.
However, Adam's next words rekindled his hope.
[A newly grown giant tree can nourish a piece of land, and perhaps a new race of giants will be born.]
"What do you mean? You created the giants?"
[A long, long time ago, I don't know how many years ago, the humans living here were of ordinary physique. They built a nation around me, passed it down through generations, and gradually evolved into a race of giants.]
[If this is the ability you, Creator, are referring to, then perhaps this is my ability.]
The progenitor of the giants?
Perhaps it could be called the Giant Mother Tree...
Dimon seemed thoughtful, but it didn't sound like it would be of much use for the time being; transforming ordinary humans into giants would take a long time.
The World Government has been conducting experiments on human gigantification.
Whether it's useful or not, Dimon will keep Adam's newly sprouted branches safe for now.
Chapter 176 The Battle for the Selection of the Fleet Admiral
"Everything is settled, I'm leaving."
Dimon carefully accepted the gift from Adam, then left a teleportation mark on the tree.
Hongjue jumped onto his shoulder. "Master, there's another human who has mastered Conqueror's Haki. Aren't we going to draw his blood?"
Gaban? Maybe next time.
We currently have enough Overlord's Blood; it's not too late to act when needed.
In the golden light of the teleportation, Dimon returned to the Wave-Breaking Warrior.
"Zuizui."
"Yes, Master."
"Go find Mammon."
While the New World is shrouded in darkness, the Paradise of the first half of the Grand Line is still in broad daylight.
The Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Pangaea Castle, the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the entire army.
This is a simple room, without any fancy decorations, and it is not large, about forty or fifty square meters.
Behind the desk, an elderly man stood with his arms crossed, a hint of helplessness on his face.
The old man has a tall and strong build, a suture scar on his left eye, and a mountain-shaped white hair and beard.
"I'm saying, are you just going to shirk your post and leave the mess for the next person in charge, Sengoku?"
Steelbone Sky, the former Fleet Admiral, is currently the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's armed forces.
The term "entire army" refers to the navy, judicial armed forces, and prison guards.
These three correspond to the three major agencies under the World Government: Marine Headquarters, Enies Lobby, Impel Down. (Note)
"Someone has to be held responsible for the destruction of headquarters. Who else but me? The Five Elders?"
After stepping down, Sengoku was not as rigid as before, and his tone of voice became much more relaxed.
"Shh, be careful not to be overheard. This is Pangaea Castle, and the Five Elders are up here."
Kong sighed and slapped his forehead. "That bastard is trying to kill everyone. He used to be such an honest person."
Sengoku chuckled and said, "Let the next leader worry about the Seven Deadly Sins; I'm quite relaxed now."
"You have only stepped down from the position of Fleet Admiral. Until the next Fleet Admiral is selected, you will have to temporarily assume the duties of Fleet Admiral."
"That's what I came here for today."
Although there are various speculations and unreliable rumors in the World Economy News Paper about the next Fleet Admiral, the World Government has not actually made a decision yet.
"I recommend Aokiji to be the next Fleet Admiral."
Your recommendation is useless!
Steelbone Kong glared at him. "That depends on the Five Elders' opinion. I met with them yesterday, and their opinions are not unified."
With the Five Elders hoping Kizaru would become Fleet Admiral, others favoring Akainu, and Sengoku recommending Aokiji, the situation regarding the selection of Fleet Admiral was quite chaotic.
Recalling the situation when he stepped down, Sengoku's performance as Admiral was so outstanding that there was no controversy whatsoever.