"Hey, what's going on here?"
As the ship ascended the Rainbow Bridge, Joy Boy walked over from the stern.
Being particularly sensitive to emotions and atmosphere, he immediately sensed the unusual tension here.
"First of all, my name isn't 'hey'…" Michael rolled his eyes. "Secondly, is this the first time you've seen this scene in the past two years?"
"Ahem, wasn't I just trying to break this slightly awkward atmosphere?" Joy Boy scratched his hair that resembled white smoke clouds.
"Seriously, what's going on between these two kids? They'd give everything for each other, yet give off the vibe they might never speak again... Remember when they lived with me in Elbaf? Such good sisters, how did it come to this?"
"If I could understand the entanglement between them, I'd have solved it long ago," Michael looked at Joy Boy and finally let out a long sigh.
"The saddest part is... in their relationship, neither of them is wrong."
"Neither is wrong..." Joy Boy nodded.
As someone representing the intuitive type, his gut told him...
Michael was right.
Then he tossed the matter aside, plopping down on the lounge chair next to Michael and sprawling out.
"How's Donquixote doing?"
"Same as always, puking at the stern," Joy Boy curled his lip. "Seasickness is firmly nailed into his bloodline."
"That's not necessarily true..." Michael raised an eyebrow. "In the coming era, being seasick would be terrifying."
"Not everyone needs to travel by ship, right? The Red Line is huge enough for them to roam, isn't it?"
"Hmph."
Michael rolled his eyes at Joy Boy.
About the future, he usually couldn't be bothered to explain much to Joy Boy.
After all, once explained, this guy would definitely fail to grasp it.
And once he couldn't understand, he'd unhesitatingly toss it aside!
If he couldn't get it, he wouldn't think about it!
"You still have the leisure to lie around here? Since we're already on the Rainbow Bridge, we're not far from Elbaf's surface world..."
"Ugh, nag nag nag, all you do is nag."
Joy Boy sighed mournfully and stood up.
Seeing the approaching West Village dock, Joy Boy squatted deeply, then launched himself forward with a burst.
Mid-air, he blew a breath into his own body.
Instantly, his form rapidly extended and expanded.
By the time he landed steadily on Elbaf's soil, he had transformed into a giant wreathed in white smoke clouds.
Towering far above ordinary giants.
Though still shorter than those with ancient giant bloodlines.
"Whew, ha!"
Taking a deep breath, Joy Boy shook his neck—this feeling of transforming into a giant was long overdue for him.
Joy Boy's appearance quickly drew the attention of nearby giants.
Given that his power and form bore striking resemblance to the Sun God of giant folklore, Joy Boy had always held an exceptionally revered status in Elbaf.
Coupled with his absence from Elbaf in recent years...
His sudden return instantly caused quite a stir.
Even when Michael and the others docked, no one came to attend to them.
But Michael seemed to have anticipated this. Without bothering about Joy Boy, he just tossed him a look.
Seeing Joy Boy nod slightly in response, Michael smiled and headed toward Elbaf's Orsuto Castle.That was the castle of the Giant royal family.
Presumably, the envoy from the Great Kingdom should be there.
"Are we... just going straight in like this?" Doflamingo followed beside Michael, speaking in a low voice.
"We're uninvited guests. Shouldn't we wait for the leader to join us?"
"No need to worry, Doflamingo... Joy Boy knows what he's doing. He'll make his entrance at the right moment."
Michael wore a calm smile. Though his words didn't contain any substantial information, just seeing that smile filled Doflamingo with reassurance.
Over the years, it had been proven countless times that Michael...
represented success.
...
"King Tyr, we come with sincerity... The Great Kingdom needs Elbaf, and Elbaf needs the Great Kingdom..."
Inside the Castle, before the throne of the Giant King, stood several tall and burly figures who were noticeably different from the Giants.
Clearly, these were the Buccaneers sent by the Great Kingdom.
At this moment, the man speaking to King Tyr of Elbaf was no ordinary Buccaneer...
He was the most revered figure among the Buccaneers.
His name was Heimdall, the mixed-blood child of Tyr's father's sister and a human.
Though he could never have inheritance rights, the Elbaf royal family had always acknowledged his status, granting Heimdall a highly respected position in Elbaf.
Thus, the Great Kingdom sought to leverage the cousin relationship between Heimdall and Tyr to persuade the Giants of Elbaf.
It had to be said, this was a wise choice.
Though Tyr harbored deep hatred for the Lunarian Race, the alliance proposal brought by his cousin stirred his heart.
After all...
Elbaf had been iSorated for far too long.
Apart from so-called "strength," almost everything else had fallen out of step with the rest of the world.
Ordinary Giants might not care about such things...
After all, for a long-lived race like the Giants, sensitivity to the passage of time and changes in the world was naturally low.
But as king, he couldn't afford to relax.
Especially now...
With the conflict between the Great Kingdom and the Revolutionary Army fully out in the open.
Elbaf would inevitably be drawn into this world war sooner or later.
The only reason he hadn't immediately accepted the generous terms brought by his cousin was...
Joy Boy.
Though he knew Joy Boy wasn't truly a Giant, he firmly believed Joy Boy was the real Sun God Nika.
So, he waited...
For the man wreathed in white clouds to appear before him.
He would stand by his side without hesitation, ready to follow him into the final battle.
"My, my, it's quite lively in here."
A mocking voice drifted in from outside the castle.
Tyr was momentarily stunned but then frowned.
That voice... wasn't Joy Boy's.
The next moment, a hole was blasted open in the castle's ceiling.
A man with six Wings descended from the sky.
"Your Majesty, first time meeting. You may call me Michael."
"Of course, you can also call me..."
"The End."