Brook wasn’t thrilled with the terms on the table. After a mont’s thought, he decided to push for one more condition.
"Your offer’s fine, but I want Elbaf to establish diplomatic ties with the Hell Pirates. No ddling in each other’s affairs, just free developnt for both sides!"
Brook grinned, his skeletal chuckle echoing. He didn’t need to conquer the giants to bend them to his will—gold and trade could do the trick just as well. A few deals with his cunning "little rchants," and Elbaf would be eating out of his bony hand!
"No way!" King Harald shot back. "The World Governnt won’t stand for that. Elbaf stays neutral—we don’t care if our people join the Marines or beco pirates, but we don’t tie ourselves to any faction! At best, I can promise to keep my warriors off your back in private. But you’d better move that Hell Giant Fortress of yours far away, or don’t bla when the Giant Marines co knocking!"
King Harald held firm to Elbaf’s neutral stance. He couldn’t control every giant’s ambitions—so joined pirates, others the Marines. And he wasn’t above using the Giant Marines to keep Brook in check. Elbaf had connections on both sides of the law, after all, from the Rocks Pirates’ giantess officer Jennifer to the Marine Headquarters’ giant Vice Admirals.
In fact, a Vice Admiral was due back in Elbaf for leave in a few days, bringing a chance to recruit young warriors for the Marines. Maybe Harald could use him to stir up so trouble for Brook.
"Fine, we have a deal," Brook relented. "But let’s hope we don’t have another Thalrik incident. Next ti, things might not end so peacefully!"
Brook played along for now. The Hell Pirates needed ti to slowly worm their way into Elbaf’s affairs. King Harald wasn’t as reckless as he seed, pulling the Marines into the mix to keep things balanced.
"When the ti cos, I’ll deliver the goods in person," Harald growled. "And I’ll get a good look at you, you so-called ’new overlord’!"
His tone dripped with irritation. He itched to crush the Hell Pirates for daring to ddle in Elbaf’s territory and capturing one of his generals.
"Yohohoho! I look forward to your visit, Your Majesty!" Brook replied, unfazed. "I’m dying to see the might of Elbaf’s Spear in action!"
Brook sidestepped ntioning Harald directly, instead hyping up Elbaf’s legendary weapon, the Spear. It was enough to make Harald slam down the Den Den Mushi in a huff.
Harald nearly crushed the snail in his massive hand but thought better of it. Maybe he’d buy a batch of those oversized Den Den Mushi from Brook later. Elbaf’s communication system—yelling and running—was painfully outdated.
...
A short while later, a giant burst into the hall, shouting to King Harald with no regard for decorum, all rough and rowdy as giants tend to be.
"King! John Jax has landed at Dorn Port, and he’s brought back a giant from the outer seas!" the ssenger bellowed.
"That guy’s been a Vice Admiral for decades and still hasn’t built a proper crew under him. What a disgrace!"
Harald sighed. The giants who joined the Marines were too damn honest, serving as the World Governnt’s muscle without ever giving back to Elbaf. They’d co ho, snatch up promising young warriors, and leave without a thought for their holand.
Why couldn’t they bring back Marine tech—cannons, forging techniques, or even so iron ore? They got brainwashed by all that "justice" nonsense and forgot Harald’s orders to bring ho weapons or resources.
Still, Harald saw an opportunity. Let Jax et Brook and send a ssage that the Hell Pirates’ tentacles were creeping into Elbaf. The Marines needed to know.
"King, I’m back! And I’ve got a little surprise for you!"
A booming voice echoed before its owner appeared. John Jax, a hulking giant with knotted muscles and a mask, strode in. Trailing him was an orange-haired giant, looking far too gentle for Elbaf’s warrior culture.
"Jax, what kind of surprise is this? You didn’t even bring back a few dozen giant cannons!" Harald grumbled. "You call yourself a Vice Admiral? Can’t even pull strings to beef up King City’s defenses!"
"Cough—well, the Fleet Admiral says it’ll take another year or two to get those cannons ready," Jax replied with an awkward grin.
"Anyway, let introduce you!" Jax pivoted, gesturing to his companion. "This is Jaguar D. Saul , from the South Blue—a lost mber of the D Clan! He’s 78 years old and already a Marine Commodore!"
Jax’s voice swelled with pride. As the ancient guardians of Elbaf, they knew the weight of the D Clan’s na—a remnant of the ruling families of the ancient Great Kingdom.
The World Governnt had its Celestial Dragons, descended from the Twenty Kings who founded it 800 years ago after the Hundred-Year War. That war left other races battered, retreating to their corners of the world, while humans rose to dominate. The D Clan, once enemies of the Twenty Kings, carried a legacy few still understood.
"D..." Harald mused, eyeing the orange-haired giant. Unlike Elbaf’s battle-hungry warriors, Saul had a kind, almost soft deanor. "The world’s forgotten most of the D Clan’s history."
No wonder the World Governnt took him in—a descendant of their ancient foes, tad by their system.
"King," Jax said seriously, "Mary Geoise is easing up on the D Clan. They’re sending signals of coexistence, even letting them join the Marines. Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp is their poster child—a model D they’re pushing hard!"
Saul, inspired by Garp’s fa and driven by his own sense of justice, had braved the risks of his D heritage to enlist. To his relief, the Marines not only accepted him but fast-tracked his career. Now a Commodore, he was a symbol of Mary Geoise’ new approach: embrace so D Clan mbers to control them, rather than driving them all to piracy.
With Rocks D. Xebec and Gol D. Roger stirring up trouble, the Five Elder were slyly pitting Garp against them—D Clan against D Clan. It was a clever move. Why let the "Enemies of the Gods" run rampant when you could recruit their talent to fight their own kind?
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400 Chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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