Chapter 509: The Giant's Approval, Big Mom's Purpose
For a long while, Big said nothing, and Charlotte Linlin simply waited in silence.
She understood that this was not a choice that could be rushed.
Once the giants decided, it would mean binding their entire race to Ryuunosuke's side.
The woman standing before them was someone who had once clashed with the giants so bitterly that the grudge seemed impossible to mend. Yet from the moment she arrived, Charlotte Linlin had not mentioned that history at all.
On the surface, everything she said and did appeared to be for the sake of the giants and the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
That alone made Big wary.
If the woman in front of him harbored any hidden malice, the consequences could be catastrophic.
"Then let me ask you this," Big rumbled at last. "What do you gain from all of this?"
The information she had brought was not exactly a secret. If he truly wished, he could verify it in a short time.
From the giants' perspective, her proposal was almost entirely to their benefit.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates would gain a powerful ally.
The giants would gain protection and leverage in a turbulent age.
So what was Charlotte Linlin's stake in this?
"Repayment of a debt," she answered calmly. "And atonement."
"Of course, if I can repay a favor, atone for my sins, and gain the friendship of the giants along the way…"
She smiled, suddenly looking far younger than she appeared.
"Then that will be my final pursuit."
Her eyes were clear and steady as she spoke.
Big's massive features slowly relaxed.
Giants could be suspicious at first, but when they decided to trust, they did so with their whole hearts.
"I see."
"In that case, I will believe you."
"From this day forward, the friendship of the giant race will be yours."
Big extended his enormous hand and curled it into a fist, lowering it toward Charlotte Linlin.
"It is my honor to receive it," Charlotte Linlin replied.
She thrust out her own fist, and the two knuckles met with a dull boom.
It was a rite that belonged to the giant race.
Once that fist bump was exchanged, the friendship was considered eternal, unless Charlotte Linlin herself betrayed them.
With that gesture, the old grudge between her and Elbaf was wiped away in one stroke.
One was the true homeland of the giants.
The other was only a branch.
Even if Elbaf was unwilling, they would ultimately have to accept Big's decision.
"Chief Big," Charlotte Linlin said, turning her gaze toward the distant horizon, "that tree…"
She pointed at the colossal trunk that pierced the sky.
"Adam?" Big replied instinctively. "What is it, Miss Charlotte Linlin? You have taken an interest in Adam?"
Now that he had acknowledged her as a friend, his guard had relaxed almost completely.
"Adam, the Treasure Tree…" Linlin murmured. "But something is strange."
"I have seen Adam in the West Blue. It was nowhere near that size."
"Compared to this one, both its stature and its aura were far weaker."
"The West Blue?"
Big blinked, then nodded.
"The Adam in the West Blue is just a cutting taken from this tree," he explained. "A sapling, nothing more."
"Long ago…" He paused, then tilted his head. "But why do you ask?"
For generations, the giants had guarded this tree without ever discovering a deeper purpose beyond its sheer size.
Even obtaining a single branch had required the combined strength of the entire race and the help of one other man.
The effort had cost many lives before that branch finally took root in the West Blue.
So Charlotte Linlin's sudden interest in Adam puzzled him.
"I am curious, that is all," she said. "May I go over and take a closer look?"
Big threw his head back and laughed.
"Of course. As a friend of the giant race, such a request is nothing at all."
His confidence in Adam was absolute.
For giants, the rite of adulthood and the right to call oneself a warrior required leaving even the smallest mark on the trunk of that ancient tree.
Those who could not manage even that much were not considered soldiers.
With such a trial as their standard, he had no doubt about Adam's durability.
"Thank you."
Charlotte Linlin gave a short bow.
In the next moment, her figure vanished.
She moved so quickly that even her own children did not have time to react.
They could only stare blankly, still having no idea what their mother was actually planning to do.
Big, seeing that she had left her children behind, did not suspect anything.
"Everyone," he called out, "go and see to your preparations. Get our ships in order."
"We cannot have them rotting in harbor when the time comes to sail."
"I am truly looking forward to meeting this Dragon Hunter Pirates crew that Miss Charlotte Linlin spoke of."
He laughed heartily, the sound echoing across the enormous city.
"Understood, Chief!"
"We will get ready right away!"
"We can finally go out to sea again!"
"I will prepare supplies first!"
In an instant, excitement swept through the giants.
They did not hate their peaceful life here, but there were always those who longed to see the world beyond their shores.
San Juan Wolf had been one such giant.
He had failed to leave a single mark on Adam during his rite of passage.
Unable to become a warrior, he had left in frustration, his heart full of resentment.
In the end, he had built his own ship and gone to sea alone.
Since then, more and more news had drifted back from the outside world.
Stories of the seas only made the giants yearn even more for the life beyond their homeland.
Under such temptation, how could anyone not dream of setting sail?
At the moment, however, Perospero and the others were in a far less romantic mood.
Every giant they passed seemed to have a louder voice than the last.
Their casual conversation was like thunder.
Perospero and the rest were forced to constantly cloak themselves in Armament Haki just so their eardrums would not burst from the sound alone.
…
Meanwhile, aboard the Eternal Ark of the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
Ding.
"Congratulations, host," the system's cold voice rang out in Ryuunosuke's mind. "You have received the giants' high recognition."
"You have obtained fifty thousand reputation points, the strength of the giants, and the glory of the giants."
"Huh? The giants?"
Ryuunosuke paused with a piece of food halfway to his mouth.
A surge of raw, overwhelming power erupted inside his body.
This time there were no strange abilities, no subtle enhancements.
It was pure physical strength.
Power as heavy and dense as a mountain.
Recognition from the giants.
And not from a single giant, or even a handful of them.
This was the approval of the entire race.
Ryuunosuke frowned.
He could not remember having any serious contact with the giants at all.
The only ones who even came close were the Brogy and Dorry he had encountered long ago, but his interactions with them had been brief and superficial.
There was no way that alone could earn him the blessing of an entire race of giants.
"Did they find out we are heading for Laugh Tale or something?" he muttered. "And then… started worshipping me for no reason?"
For once, Ryuunosuke was completely at a loss.
He genuinely had no idea what had triggered this.
"Captain, did we recruit another new crew member?"
Najenda walked over just then, looking him up and down.
She had gotten used to it by now.
Every time someone new officially joined the Dragon Hunter Pirates, the overall strength on the ship would spike in a noticeable way.
How long had it been since the last time?
The crew still had not finished digesting the power from their previous training and rewards.
Everyone was already pushing their limits, trying desperately to absorb what they had gained.
And now, here it was again.
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