With the advantage of his over sixty-meter height and powerful Observation Haki, Loki took in the shocking scene unfolding throughout the Giant Kingdom.
All the awakened giants, regardless of their location, stood up and simultaneously turned their heads to look in his direction.
Loki's heart suddenly tightened.
He also possessed powerful Observation Haki.
The moment these giants awakened, he not only detected their aura fluctuations but also heard the voices from their hearts!
And currently, these giants' hearts weren't filled with confusion, but were all calling out the same name.
—Sun God.
Clearly, the Observation Haki released by Orion had not only awakened them but had also transmitted the same information to every giant, silently altering these giants' thoughts and perceptions!
Before Loki could recover from this silent shock, the dozen or so giants closest to them, after fully awakening and looking in their direction, instantly displayed expressions of near fanatical worship on their faces.
Their massive bodies trembled slightly, not from fear, but from excitement.
"Sun God!"
A giant warrior was the first to voice the cry from the depths of his heart.
As this warrior's shout echoed, more giant warriors joined in one after another.
"Sun God!"
"It's the Sun God!"
In an instant, the words "Sun God" resounded over Elbaf, shaking the surrounding leaves into trembling whispers.
Orion smiled faintly in acknowledgment, ignoring the violently fluctuating emotions of the Giant Prince behind him, and strode forward.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
As Orion stepped forward, the giants who had just been fervently shouting fell completely silent the moment they saw him approaching.
Then, their towering figures automatically parted to both sides, clearing a broad path for Orion.
They straightened their spines like the most loyal guards, welcoming the deity in their hearts with an attitude akin to pilgrimage.
More and more giants converged from all directions.
Without clamor or crowding, they simply stood silently and swiftly along both sides of the path, straightening their bodies, suppressing their fervor into the highest form of reverence.
Hancock, Mihawk, Yamato, and the others witnessed this visually stunning scene, exchanged glances, then silently quickened their pace to follow.
They were the Fleet Admiral's retinue, and also the first witnesses to this miracle.
Loki's enormous body stiffened for a moment, but ultimately he moved his legs, following step by step at the very end of the procession without straying an inch.
Strangely, none of the awakened giants cast even the slightest glance at him, the Cursed Prince.
No contempt, no anger, not even hatred.
It was as if he didn't exist at all.
Everyone's attention was focused on that not-so-tall figure at the very front.
When Loki followed behind Orion's group, passing by the giants who had spontaneously lined the path, those standing orderly on both sides moved, turning to follow behind Loki.
In the distance, giants emerging from villages, fields, and forests converged like countless streams flowing into the sea, spontaneously gathering behind Orion to form an endless torrent that surged majestically toward the Owl Library.
High atop the towering tree in West Village, Elder Jarul and a group of warriors watched from afar as the dense formation of giants gathered behind Orion.
After a long silence, Jarul's tense body suddenly relaxed.
He let out a heavy breath as if relieved of a great burden, then slumped weakly to the ground, murmuring.
"Subduing the enemy without fighting, achieving victory without shedding blood."
"Such an unimaginable method."
"With this Fleet Admiral at the helm, the Marines will prosper for another century."
After this moment of reflection, a trace of worry suddenly flashed across Jarul's face, and he turned his gaze toward the direction of the Red Line.
As an elder of the Giant Kingdom, how could he not know that atop the Red Line existed a king who had controlled the World Government from behind the scenes for eight hundred years.
Now that the Marines had produced an extraordinary king, the World Government under the balance of these two rulers might move toward a bright future.
But there might also come a day in the future—
When Orion stepped into the plaza before the library, followed by that endless torrent of giants,
The entire square fell instantly silent.
The giants who had been gathered together, including Saul and Ripley, all unconsciously straightened their backs at this moment.
All the trainees, including Luffy, Zoro, and Ace, fell completely silent at this moment.
Watching the figure strolling leisurely through the forest of giants, smiles simultaneously appeared on their faces.
This was their Fleet Admiral.
Even leading only a group of trainees like them, he could sweep everything before him!
Orion passed through the crowd, glanced around, and finally stopped before Rayleigh and Gaban, smiling as he looked at the two.
"From now on, Elbaf is under my command. I trust you two have no objections?"
The corner of Rayleigh's mouth twitched slightly.
With his old bones, how dare he object!
Not to mention that who controlled Elbaf had nothing to do with him—even if it did, what could he possibly say in the face of this monster?
Gaban's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but to his horror, he found that the moment he faced this Fleet Admiral, he couldn't utter a single word.
Not only was the pressure Orion exuded overwhelming, but at this point, anything he said would be useless.
Just then, Hancock suddenly ran up to Shakky and exclaimed excitedly.
"Shakky, you're here too!"
Shakky looked at the radiant Hancock and replied calmly, "Why shouldn't I be here? All these years, I've been living on Sabaody Archipelago, afraid to leave easily for fear of drawing the attention of the Marine higher-ups. Now that I have you as my backing, I'm no longer restricted in my movements!"
"Eh?" Hancock blinked, confused. "What do you mean? Was that why you never left Sabaody Archipelago before? You and Rayleigh could leave because of my husband?"
Two question marks popped up above Shakky's head as she asked in surprise.
"Husband? You two... got married?"
Hancock shook her head, her face flushing as she leaned close to Shakky's ear, feigning shyness and speaking mysteriously, "It's even further along than marriage!"
Shakky froze again, then lowered her head to look at Hancock's stomach.
"Pregnant?"
Hancock shook her head again. "Not quite that far yet!"
Although Hancock and Shakky spoke very softly, almost whispering, Rayleigh, who was standing nearby, couldn't make out their words clearly.
Still, he promptly reminded them, "You can continue this conversation later. It's not just my Observation Haki that's strong here—be careful someone else might overhear it!"
As he spoke, Rayleigh gestured with his chin toward Gaban, practically writing "this old guy is trouble" all over his face.