Gerd retreated from the crowd, watching her companions brawl with the human pirates, a worried expression on her face.
"You guys, wait..."
"Gerd-chan~"
"Ripley-san! Thank goodness, you're finally here! Hurry and stop everyone!"
Gerd looked anxious, hugging Ripley's arm and acting spoiled.
"Aren't they guests? If they are guests, shouldn't we treat them with courtesy? Didn't the King teach us that a long time ago?"
"Don't worry, Gerd."
As her elder by five years and a frequent visitor to Ida's bar, Ripley had honed her ability to read people and situations.
She looked towards Jarul, who also hadn't joined the fray.
"Elder Jarul, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Your friendship with King Harald is not shallow… you would never easily make such a provocative move."
Jarul stroked his enormous beard, which was nearly as long as he was tall, and let out a strange laugh.
"Gerd-chan, you should learn more from Ripley."
His laughter ceased as he watched Loki and Bazel, smiling and fighting side-by-side in the melee, his expression growing increasingly complex.
As the eldest elder of the Giants, his status was not merely that of the former captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates… he was also a respected elder, mentor, and subject to Harald, considered both teacher and friend.
Twenty-seven years ago, Harald, not heeding his advice, secretly infiltrated Holy Land Mary Geoise as a soldier.
He wanted to voice his views and his long-cherished wish for an alliance at that Reverie.
But not a single person responded.
Later, he was inexplicably caught up in the incident involving the death of a former Marine Admiral.
After that, Harald escaped from Holy Land Mary Geoise and returned home to Elbaf.
He even pulled him aside to discuss the events that had occurred during the Reverie and the story of the Galleila being frozen. (T/N: In the previous chapter, I wrote the group as Maul Corps, but after researching, I found their name is actually Galleila, the ancient warrior group of giant shipwrights.)
Then another eight years passed.
After discussing the details with him, Harald ordered the closer of the eight tree paths of the Sun World, expending great effort to make the various villages coexist harmoniously.
He formed a small trade system.
Finally, he announced his dream…
Flashback…
Harald stood outside the walls of Aurust Castle, shouting his dream to the representatives from each village:
"I want to connect the nations of the world closely, make the nations of the world accept the existence of giants, and allow all giants to live freely!!"
After that, Harald set out once again, carrying his dream with him.
Flashback end…
'The cursed prince...'
Jarul shook his head, dismissing this absurd thought.
As one of the few elders trusted by Harald, Jarul understood the King's view of this child of his.
In Harald's eyes, whether it was his eldest son, Hajrudin, or his second son, Loki, they were both his beloved children.
But fate always finds a way to disappoint.
Because Estrid's superstition regarding earth-wind art, she 'prophesied' that Loki would bring disaster to Elbaf.
She even 'prophesied' that Harald would one day die by his son's hand.
Using this as a reason, she abandoned the newborn Loki by throwing him down into the Underworld.
She then fell seriously ill... until she passed away not long after from her illness.
And because of these words, Loki endured a nightmare of a childhood.
Living in his homeland, yet homeless.
No matter how much Harald tried to compensate afterwards, Loki never showed a trace of a smile again.
Even at the age of ten, he allowed the giant beasts of the Underworld to attack the giant villages, setting fire to and burning down a village.
But even this could not fill the hollow soul within Loki's small body.
At fifteen, while Harald was away on an expedition, Loki once again controlled those giant beasts of the Underworld to destroy villages, violently beating up giants who were weaker than him and who mocked him.
Even his older brother, Hajrudin, was defeated.
Jarul witnessed everything that happened at that time. He saw Loki crying alone after everyone escorted Hajrudin away.
He saw Loki jumping from the Sun World into the Underworld in a failed suicide attempt. He saw Loki living with wild beasts, yet showing a genuine smile... until now...
Jarul's cloudy pupils reflected the image of Loki fighting alongside humans, with a smile on his face.
'Loki, it seems you have found companions you can trust.'
Harald will surely be very happy to know this news.
"The Giants does not form alliances with the weak. To successfully achieve cooperation with the Beasts Pirates, they must pass this trial."
"This is a battle tacitly approved by Harald. No matter how much Dorry and the others explain the strength of the two leaders of the Beasts Pirates…"
"Without seeing it with their own eyes, the Giants will not easily yield."
"Only after this battle will the Giants believe Dorry's words."
Jarul pulled the two women further back to avoid getting caught up in the fight.
"Only if they defeat those unruly tribesmen can everyone accept whatever decision Harald makes next."
"Harald did the same when he first became king."
"He defeated all the tribesmen who opposed him and ascended to the throne of the Giant King with the title of the strongest."
As he explained the past of the Giants to the two women, the battle in the distance was nearing its end.
Bazel, having activated his Gear 3's deification, was like a deity descending to the mortal world. Most Giants were defeated before they could even touch him.
Although other members of the Beasts Pirates also suffered defeats and severe injuries, their expressions remained fanatical even until the moment they fell.
Ripley's eyes scanned the faces of the fallen humans one by one, her surprise growing.
"Elder Jarul, these humans are strange. They are a rare type of human I've ever seen."
"They are like us giants, maintaining their passion and fighting spirit throughout the battle."
"Even when knocked down, they glare fiercely at their enemies with their eyes."
Jarul pointed at Bazel, who was still fighting:
"Because of that man, he has become the faith of these human pirates."
"As long as he doesn't fall… no, even if he falls, it will only ignite the madness of those who can still move."
"This is a terrifying crew. Looking at them, I am reminded of that great war group composed of ancient giants."
As soon as his words fell, Bazel's roar echoed across the harbor.
"Comrades!!"
The fallen pirates, hearing this shout, slowly regained consciousness, their rolled-back eyes returning to normal. They supported themselves with their weapons, struggling to rise.
Staggering, they gathered together, standing beneath Bazel, who floated in the sky.
"We are the Beasts! The indestructible, ever-victorious Beasts!!"
"Oh!!!"
The pirates felt their boiling blood reignited, their eyes burning with flames as they looked at the still-standing giants.
At this moment, some Giants instinctively took a step back, unable to meet their gaze.
"No one can defeat us!!"
Bazel descended from the sky, landing in front of everyone.
His smile was unruly and crazy, the fighting spirit burning in his eyes as dazzling as the sun in the sky.
"As long as we can still move, even death cannot stop us from moving forward!"
He stepped forward with his right foot, Conqueror's Haki erupting. The aura of the Yamata no Orochi enveloped the remaining forces of the Beasts Pirates.
Loki pushed aside the body of a fellow giant pinning him down and pulled Dorry and Brogy to the back of the formation.
At this moment…
The Giants found they could no longer clearly see the faces of the human pirates.
They could only see pairs of eyes glowing with scorching red light fixed upon them.
"With me…"
The sound of a deep breath was strikingly clear on the battlefield at this moment.
"Charge!!!"
Bazel began to accelerate like a locomotive, leading his able-bodied subordinates in a charge toward the enemy.
The pirates roared in perfect unison, raising their weapons and following behind their leader.
"Indestructible and ever-victorious!!"
"Beasts! Beasts! We are the invincible Beasts Corps!!"
At this moment, nothing could stop their charge.
Boom!
The Beasts Pirates, shrouded in their overwhelming aura, crashed into the last standing Giants.
The two forces collided like balls of light.
The clashing sounds of swords and weapons rang out.
Moments later, the phantom of the Yamata no Orochi vanished after one last roar towards the sky.
A bruised and battered Bazel floated next to Loki, his right fist raised.
Loki was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth turned up into a grin, revealing several missing teeth.
Bang…
A large and a small fist bumped together.
Bazel: "A satisfying fight, Loki."
Loki: "I wanted to say the same thing, Aniki."
Behind them, Dorry and Brogy sat down, breathing heavily, their weapons discarded beside them.
"Gyagagaga, I've wanted to do this for a long time! Brogy, we won!"
"This was a great fight, Dorry!"
The battle between the 200+ members of Beasts Pirates vs. 50 Giants hereby concluded.
"It's a great victory!!!"