“This is still too slow.”
Hua Ye walked through the streets of Hachinosu, ignoring the strange looks other pirates gave him as he muttered to himself.
Too slow.
The number of Quincy was increasing far too slowly.
If he had to personally create every single one, how long would it take before the Quincy flag flew across the entire sea?
The deeper their influence spread and the more the Quincy system encroached upon this world, the greater that power would become.
It seemed he needed to be a little more flexible.
“Yo, Hua Ye!”
Hearing someone call him, Hua Ye looked up.
Ahead stood a man wearing a black coat over his bare upper body.
His wild blue-and-white hair jutted upward, and a lightning-shaped mark ran along the left side of his face.
Rocks D.
Xebec.
The boss of Hachinosu.
“Rocks?”
Hua Ye’s gaze shifted toward the saber hanging at Rocks’ waist.
Eclipse.
“What’s this?
You look like you’re heading somewhere.”
“Hahaha!
You know me pretty well!” Rocks laughed.
“I’m going to Elbaph.
How about it?
Want to come with me?”
Instead of answering immediately, Hua Ye asked,
“Roger and the others are still hanging around Shakky’s tavern?”
“Don’t worry, Shakky’s fine now.
That bastard Roger already sailed off.
Said he’s still going to Lodestar Island anyway.” Rocks walked closer with a mocking grin.
“What do you think?
You already told him the truth and he’s still going.
Isn’t Roger an idiot?”
“Unlike you people, I wasn’t worried about Shakky.”
Hua Ye gave him a flat look.
“When do we leave?”
“Right now!”
* * *
Standing at the bow of the Rocks’ Fury, Hua Ye watched Hachinosu recede into the distance.
Most of the crew’s major members hadn’t come along this time.
Nearly all of them had visited Elbaph with Rocks at least once before, and they could more or less guess what he wanted there.
Naturally, they had lost interest.
Only ordinary crewmen were operating the ship.
Small-time pirates certainly didn’t have the courage to tell Rocks they weren’t coming.
“What kind of man is the King of the Giants?” Hua Ye asked.
“A coward who’s terrified of death.” Rocks didn’t hold back in the slightest.
“That weak personality doesn’t deserve a body as powerful as his!”
“I’ve heard he’s one of the only men on these seas whose strength is almost equal to yours.”
Hua Ye was still more interested in combat power than personality.
“Hehehe.
He’s still got a long way to go!”
Rocks laughed casually and didn’t bother discussing the comparison further.
Hua Ye glanced at him and suddenly remembered something.
This was probably the last time Rocks would ever visit Elbaph.
During this meeting, Harald would reject Rocks yet again.
Worse, Harald would agree to the World Government’s demand that he kill Rocks in exchange for allowing Elbaph to join the Government.
Rocks would be furious.
Harald would remain firm.
And the two of them would finally break apart for good.
They had known each other for sixteen years.
Their relationship went all the way back to Rocks’ first major appearance on the world stage, when he had stormed the Holy Land alone, kidnapped five kings, killed a Marine Admiral, and unexpectedly crossed paths with Harald.
Hua Ye knew exactly how Rocks’ story ended.
He also understood Harald—the man some manga readers compared to another Kozuki Oden—and what kind of person he really was.
Unlike Rocks, who was a genuine villain through and through, Harald was a wise king devoted to his country and his people.
He had spent his life trying to change the world’s image of giants as embodiments of evil.
Because of that, Harald could never truly become someone who shared Rocks’ ambitions.
For no other reason than that the burdens they carried had been different from the very beginning.
Harald lived for his people.
Rocks lived for himself.
Ironically, in a world like this one, it was someone like Harald who seemed abnormal.
Rocks had less than a year left to live.
After this would come the God Valley Incident, sparked by Shakky.
That island would become Rocks’ grave.
A titan of a man like Rocks would eventually be controlled by Imu and reduced to desperately begging Roger and Garp to kill him.
It was an extraordinarily tragic end.
“Rocks.”
Hua Ye suddenly spoke.
“You’ll never become King of the World.”
Sea wind heavy with moisture swept across the deck.
The two stood facing each other at the bow while waves rolled endlessly around the ship, unable to disturb either man.
Rocks looked intrigued.
Before he could respond, Hua Ye continued.
“Because the one who will become King of the World…
is me.”
Standing directly before Rocks, in the era that belonged to Rocks, Hua Ye declared his ambition without hesitation.
Rocks burst into laughter.
His joyous voice rolled across the sea and sky and seemed to linger forever.
“Good!
That’s perfect!
That’s exactly how it should be, Hua Ye!
If that old bastard Harald thought the same way you do, the three of us alone could turn this entire world upside down!”
* * *
Elbaph — The Underworld.
Terrifying black-red lightning ravaged the land.
The sky itself had already been split apart by tangible force, fractured into several enormous sections.
The collision of overwhelming Haki generated shockwaves that peeled layers of earth away from the ground.
Trees and stones flew through the air.
Snow and ice were swept into the raging storm like violent ocean spray.
The enormous forest had already been devastated beneath that unstoppable power.
Beasts living there fled in terror, because even a moment’s delay could see them shredded by stray sword energy.
At this moment, the name “Underworld” finally seemed appropriate for the hellish landscape unfolding below.
“WAAAAAAAH!!”
Aside from the two people actually fighting, nobody present could even remain standing.
Spectators were nearly blown all the way to the horizon.
One child tried desperately to hold onto a massive tree.
The thick trunk lasted less than half a second before snapping apart entirely.
Only after retreating an unknown distance—far enough that the battlefield could no longer be seen clearly—did the world-destroying pressure finally become bearable.
“Seriously!
Why did they suddenly start fighting again?!
Damn it!
Now I can’t even watch!”
Loki sat on the ground with his arms folded, sulking furiously.
He had been extremely excited when Rocks arrived.
He’d planned to pester the pirate again and beg Rocks to take him aboard his ship.
But somehow, his father Harald and Rocks had suddenly started fighting instead.
“You’re…
Loki, aren’t you?”
Huh?
What was that voice?
Loki suddenly heard someone call his name.
He looked left, right, forward, and behind himself, but couldn’t find anyone.
Then realization struck him.
He lowered his head.
Only then did he notice the tiny person standing beside his foot.
“You…
You’re with Rocks?
You came from outside!”
Loki immediately brightened.
He dropped down onto his stomach and brought his enormous face closer.
The difference in size between them was absurd.
Loki’s head alone, lying horizontally on the ground, was practically comparable to a city wall in an ordinary human kingdom.
“Yes.”
Hua Ye quietly took several steps backward so that Loki’s hot breath wouldn’t blast directly into his face.
Bandages covered Loki’s eyes.
A braid hung down on each side of his face, two black horns rose from his head, and a broad helmet decorated with golden buttons sat over his hair.
His size was enormous.
But judging by his appearance alone, he was obviously nothing more than a child magnified countless times.
“Who are you?
Rocks came here a few years ago and I don’t remember you!
Did you join recently?
Why didn’t the others come?
How long is Rocks staying this time?
Can you tell him to take me on his ship?
If he agrees, I’ll owe you a favor!”
Loki had probably been bored out of his mind for years.
Now that he’d finally found someone from outside to talk to, he rattled off everything in one breath.
Hua Ye knew that no matter how enormous Loki looked, mentally he was still simply a child.
Loki was unhappy living in Elbaph.
Once he’d met people from the outside world, it was only natural that he would dream about leaving and having adventures of his own.
Faced with Loki’s excessive enthusiasm, Hua Ye smiled faintly.
“You want to go to sea?
Why not?”
He looked up at the giant child.
“Join me.”
“Okay!
It’s a deal!” Loki shouted immediately.