The Giant Kingdom, Elbaf.
The enormous Treasure Tree Adam rose from the ground, standing majestically on the sea, towering and magnificent, reaching straight for the sky.
The Treasure Tree Adam was tens of thousands of meters tall, with a vast, two-tiered crown, its branches and leaves lush and verdant.
Rivers hung inverted, iron clouds swirled, and rainbow bridges emerged everywhere, like pillars supporting the heavens.
The Treasure Tree Adam was divided into three layers.
Heaven, Yang Realm, and Underworld.
The Yang Realm was vast, home to over a dozen Giant villages.
The Giants all revered martial prowess and warriors, and these dozen or so villages often had conflicts and continuous battles, thus they settled according to their customs, forming tribes such as the Artisan Village, Hunter Village, Fisherman Village, Wine Village, West Village, and East Village.
The Underworld was located at the roots of the Treasure Tree Adam. Due to climate and light conditions, tens of thousands of years of permafrost accumulated, and snow-capped mountains stretched for dozens of kilometers, earning it the name 'The First World After the Sun's Demise'.
Here, there were prisons for the kingdom's criminals, execution grounds for convicts, and beasts known as 'Mountain Lords'.
The Giant Kingdom's castle in the Yang Realm, Olst.
In the towering and majestic giant castle, Harald, with his bull horns and massive physique, looked with a complex expression at his son Loki, who was bound and sitting on the floor below.
Loki was 30 years old, which translated to 10 human years, and his physique, over ten meters tall, already surpassed that of most Giants.
Not long after Harald ascended to the throne, he formed a Giant team to venture into the Grand Line. Young and powerful, he was invincible, and wherever he went, he wreaked havoc and destruction.
It wasn't until he met Itan and learned about human civilization and its greatness from her that he began to repent his past. He decided to learn from other kingdoms of the world, sincerely establish diplomatic relations with human kingdoms, and transform Elbaf into a prosperous and civilized nation.
The Giant royal family considered Itan's bloodline impure, so they recommended Esterida, a royal bloodline from the Wine Village, to be Harald's queen.
Esterida gave birth to Loki, who perfectly inherited Harald's bloodline. He was young, powerful, and possessed the ancestral Giant royal physique; if he reached adulthood, his body would be at least fifty meters tall.
Ordinary adult Giants in the Giant Kingdom were mostly between twelve and fifteen meters, while some more formidable warriors had physiques around twenty meters.
Elbaf, known for its martial prowess, revered strength and admired size. A majestic physique was an absolute advantage in the eyes of the Giant Race.
"Father, I want to go to sea!!"
Loki's eyes were bandaged, his face full of unwillingness and anger: "I want to defeat the Marine and the World Government to avenge Rocks!"
Loki was considered inauspicious at birth; he had a pair of terrifying snake eyes. Esterida, who was fond of geomancy, believed he would bring destruction and disaster, so she threw Loki into the Underworld.
Unexpectedly, Loki, shortly after birth, powerfully defeated over a dozen Mountain Lords and climbed from the Underworld up the Adam tree trunk to the Yang Realm.
Subsequently, Esterida died, and Loki was cared for by his aunt.
It was called care, but it was actually abuse.
Afterward, the Giant Kingdom successively fell into fires, storms, cold waves, and famine, making it difficult for the citizens to survive.
Fortunately, human kingdoms that had established diplomatic relations with the Giant Kingdom responded to Harald's request, transporting supplies and pulling Elbaf back from the brink of death.
Harald became even more convinced that only by establishing diplomatic relations with humans was the way forward for Elbaf.
So he boldly snuck into the World Government during the World Council. As a result, due to his conspicuous size and the riots caused by Rocks at the time, he was tragically pursued by World Government soldiers.
This also led to a fateful enmity with Rocks, who had kidnapped several kings and killed an Admiral.
"Stop talking nonsense, Loki!"
Harald glared at Loki, furious at his lack of progress: "The World Government isn't as simple as you imagine, and besides, Rocks's fate was already sealed! You'd better stay put in Elbaf, and don't you dare go anywhere!"
Loki gnashed his teeth, making a clacking sound: "Damn it, you used to go to sea too! I'm just chasing my dream!"
"Such an unrealistic dream will only drag Elbaf into an endless abyss. Do you want to take all of Elbaf down with you?!"
Harald's eyes blazed with fire; the more he interacted with the World Government over the years, the more he realized its power.
Now, he only wanted to protect Elbaf, to bring a prosperous and civilized life to the Giants living there, and to coexist peacefully with humans.
This was his grand ambition.
Itan looked at Loki with concern. Her maternal instincts overflowing, and not believing in so-called fate, she naturally didn't think Loki was a symbol of destruction and disaster.
Moreover, she understood the hardships Loki had endured in his youth.
Itan advised, "Harald, don't talk to the child like that. Loki just doesn't understand the situation overseas..."
Loki, seething with anger, immediately took it out on Itan: "Stop nagging, old hag, don't pretend to be sympathetic here. Do you think I'll be grateful to you like this?!"
Harald, Haerding: "Shut up, Loki!"
Itan, however, was unfazed. She somewhat helplessly stopped Harald and Haerding, then looked at Loki with doting affection: "It's alright, little Loki~"
Harald rubbed his forehead, looking helpless: "Don't spoil him too much, Itan."
Leiding, wearing a helmet, said in a deep voice: "Harald, the Leviathan Kingdom has been restless lately. Something big might happen soon."
Leiding, Haerding's master, was deeply trusted by Harald.
Harald paused, lost in thought.
The Leviathan Kingdom was one of the kingdoms they had established diplomatic relations with, but matters concerning the Leviathan royal family, without the King's permission, were difficult to interfere with regarding succession.
Harald sighed, his eyes filled with regret: "Oro VII is getting old... I wonder if the next successor will continue the alliance policy. Human lifespans are, after all, too short compared to ours."
Harald was over a hundred years old now, which translated to just over thirty in human years, in his prime, and this state could last for at least another eighty to a hundred years.
The Leviathan Kingdom was a slave-owning country, famous worldwide for its domestic gladiatorial arenas, where incidents of slaves harming people frequently occurred.
In fact, Harald initially didn't want to ally with the Leviathan Kingdom, as the streets were full of slaves from various races, which somewhat displeased Harald, whose views had long evolved.
However, Oro VII actively showed goodwill, and after much hesitation, Harald still decided to establish diplomatic relations with the Leviathan Kingdom.
And now, the World Government had been stringing Harald along.
As Elbaf, the world's number one kingdom, with unique advantages, the World Government should have been overjoyed if it joined them. Instead, their attitude towards the Giant Kingdom had always been ordinary.
It was truly strange.
Harald always had a feeling, as if an invisible net was closing in on him, closing in on this country.
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