Golden Lion Shiki still didn't know what he had missed, as Barzeb Seven and his group had already arrived at Jabba's secluded residence.
Along the way,
Mihawk was eagerly awaiting the end of the banquet so he could immediately challenge Jabba and witness just how powerful the strongest man truly was.
Barzeb Seven's assessment of Jabba being higher than Roger was somewhat unexpected, but Mihawk believed Barzeb Seven wouldn't lie.
There must be something unknown about him.
Perhaps Jabba was hiding his strength?
Like the Three Little Undercover Agents describing the black fat man Teach of the Whitebeard Pirates?
And when Ripley, the female Giant Race member who was over twenty meters tall and heavily pregnant, called Jabba her husband—
Mihawk, Kuma, and Ginny were instantly petrified, their jaws hanging open, and even the Electric Duck was momentarily stunned and frozen in place.
A monstrous wave surged in their hearts.
Moments later, the three people and one duck synchronized their expressions and movements, sometimes turning to look at Jabba, sometimes looking up at Ripley, the female Giant Race member.
No matter how they thought about it, it seemed impossible!
Not only did the top halves not match, the bottom halves didn't match, and the middle didn't match either—the height and physique of this couple were completely disproportionate in every way!
So the question was: How did they do it?
How did a human body conquer a female Giant Race member ten times its size and get her pregnant?
The three people and one duck remained silent for a long time, only feeling an itch in their heads, as if something was about to sprout.
At this moment.
Mihawk had long forgotten about sparring with Jabba; his entire being was focused on one question: Could Barzeb Seven have used the pretense of bringing back a crewmate to specifically come to Elbaf to find the answer?
And the strongest man, Jabba, was indeed terrifyingly formidable. No wonder even someone as confident as Barzeb Seven greatly admired him.
The title of the Strongest Man was well-deserved.
Ripley held her stomach, laughing non-stop. The reactions of Mihawk and the other two were practically identical to those of Rayleigh and Shakky back then.
"Little Barzeb Seven, Sister Shakky told me your cooking is exceptionally good. I've been looking forward to this for a long time."
Barzeb Seven tilted his head up, his eyes meeting a field of white, and those surging waves were perhaps the most beautiful sight in the world.
Look not at what is contrary to propriety, look not at what is contrary to propriety!
"Big Sister, I'll go cook right now."
Fifty-nine-year-old Ripley, when converted to human years, was just over nineteen. Barzeb Seven calling her "Big Sister" was both reasonable and very polite.
When dealing with women, especially beautiful women, calling them "Big Sister" is always correct, regardless of age.
Under normal circumstances, Uncle Jabba would likely bid farewell to this world before Ripley reached even one-third of her lifespan.
After all, the Giant Race can live for three or four hundred years, three times the lifespan of humans.
Realizing this issue, Barzeb Seven processed the ingredients while contemplating the feasibility of Vice-Captain Rayleigh and Uncle Jabba's Semi-Retired Employment Plan.
Sabaody Archipelago... Elbaf... The Morning Star Pirates' station on Sabaody Archipelago, and a station in the Giant Kingdom of Elbaf?
That's a great idea!
Instead of letting the Wings of the Pirate King retire peacefully, it's better to keep them working hard. Fifty years old is the age most worth striving for!
They should struggle and strive, even if it's for their families.
[Uncle Jabba, you certainly don't want Big Sister Ripley to live alone in solitude later, do you?]
[Vice-Captain Rayleigh, don't you want Aunt Shakky to remain eternally youthful? Hmm? Then I'll go tell Aunt Shakky.]
[Hehe... All of you come work for me.]
After all, they are the Wings of the Pirate King; even if they can't constantly sail on the ship, they can certainly serve as reserve strength.
Of course, all of this is predicated on Barzeb Seven being able to find pure gold, and enough pure gold to distribute among so many people. If he can't find it, wouldn't it all be for nothing?
He shouldn't be that unlucky.
If all else fails, he can activate Observation Haki and search the New World's Alola Sea, area by area, until he finds clues about the Anglerfish.
It doesn't matter if he can't find it quickly; with the big safety net, Straw Hat, finding pure gold is only a matter of time.
Thinking of this, Barzeb Seven hummed a little tune from his memory while processing the ingredients.
"Hmm~ hmm~ hmm~ hmm~"
Not far away, Jabba's eyelids twitched, especially when he heard Barzeb Seven humming the familiar tune again, and he subconsciously muttered a phrase.
"Barzeb Seven must be thinking up bad ideas again."
Mihawk, Kuma, and Ginny all nodded in agreement.
Whenever the Captain was happy enough to subconsciously hum a tune, someone was destined to have bad luck next. The last person to be so unlucky was Saint Elaine.
So who was it this time?
Who was worthy of the Captain's attention like this?
Because they were in Elbaf and had access to ingredients exclusive to the Giant Race, Barzeb Seven didn't waste much time preparing the food. Before long, the group gathered in the courtyard.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
The aroma of the Dandelion Wine stimulated everyone's appetite, and even Ripley couldn't help but sip a few bowls.
"Barzeb Seven, this wine is good." Jabba savored the aroma: "Remember to leave me a few dozen jars."
"Uncle, ten jars at most."
Even the landlord's family doesn't have surplus grain! Although Barzeb Seven had tens of thousands of points saved, unlocking the second Devil Fruit required two hundred thousand points.
Moreover, on the way to Elbaf, the store refreshed several items related to establishing a base.
The banquet lasted until late at night. After eating and drinking their fill, Jabba went for a walk with Ripley.
Barzeb Seven, under the cover of night, sped toward the direction of the Elbaf Royal Palace. His cheeks were flushed due to his excitement.
Lightning Squirrel, Big Brother is coming for you!
Solar Realm, Elbaf Royal Palace.
Inside the vast and enormous palace, the ceiling was so high it was out of sight. Every stroke carved into the four walls depicted the glory of the Giant Race ancestors—
There were warriors holding massive axes splitting tsunamis, sages presiding over sacrificial ceremonies, and grand scenes of celebrations where people drank heartily and rejoiced around bonfires.
After receiving the secret letter from the scout, Giant King Harald rubbed his brow in distress.
Many years ago, Elbaf had a terrible reputation, and the Giant Race was synonymous with negative images like violence and barbarism in the eyes of the world.
Harald loved peace. During his reign, he dedicated himself to reversing Elbaf's negative image and establishing friendly ties with the nations of the world.
After the God Valley Incident,
Hearing that his good brother Rocks had died, Harald personally went to Marineford, broke off his horns to atone, and offered to become a servant.
He was later dispatched by the World Government to serve as the right-hand man of the Marine, fighting pirates.
After the Great Pirate Era began,
Harald signed the shallow sea contract with Imu, the master of the empty throne, to become a Blade of the Gods, and received a formal promise from the Gorosei: as long as he was promoted to God's Knight, Elbaf could join the World Government.
Harald believed that—
Precisely because of the kingdom's efforts over the past decade or so, Elbaf was now moving toward a beautiful future, and he absolutely could not tolerate anyone destroying it.
However,
The ship, the attacking titan, brought back by Dorry, was highly likely to displease the Celestial Dragons, the World Nobles.
Therefore, Harald temporarily detained the members of the Giant Warrior Pirates in West Village, providing them with good food and drink, only hoping they wouldn't cause trouble.
But he never expected Beelzebul to arrive!
It wasn't that he was afraid of Beelzebul and his group—even his powerful brother Rocks only fought him to a draw back then—he just didn't want the hard-won peace of Elbaf to be destroyed by Beelzebul and his group.
Fighting on his doorstep was the worst possible option. These pirates truly caused distress.
Harald suddenly felt an intuition and looked toward a certain direction inside the palace. Three seconds later, a figure enveloped in fragmented electric light slowly materialized.
"Hello, Mr. Giant King."