Just then, in the deathly silent square before the library, the crowd parted like a tide to both sides.
An elder giant, with a massive sword atop his head and a waterfall-like beard, strode forward steadily from the crowd.
It was Jarul, an elder of the Giant Kingdom.
Jarul slowly approached Orion, came to a stop, and spoke calmly.
"To make all of Elbaf submit without shedding a single drop of blood—truly worthy of the Fleet Admiral who now dominates the seas."
"Now that Elbaf is under your control, though I cannot change anything, I wish to know: where will you lead the people of the Giant Kingdom?"
"Will we become a new weapon of war under the World Government?"
"Or..." Jarul paused, his voice tinged with inquiry, "should Elbaf also follow the path of those member nations undergoing reforms on the Grand Line, advancing toward a new society that this old man has never even heard of?"
After a brief pause, Jarul continued, "While you command the vast war machine of the Navy and have no need for the giants' strength as mere embellishment, the World Government likely sees it differently—especially the one residing in the Flower Room. With the Grand Line nearly bowing at your feet, news of Elbaf's submission will surely unsettle the occupant of the Flower Room. She has long sought the aid of the Giant Kingdom to oppose Sun God Nika! Now that you've become Elbaf's Sun God, do you believe she will maintain peaceful relations with you?"
As he spoke, Jarul sat cross-legged on the ground, smiling as he looked at Orion. "Your power is undeniable, but have you witnessed the methods of the one in the Flower Room? Most importantly, what makes you so sure your current achievements won't ultimately serve another's purpose?"
With Jarul's words, all present—including Rayleigh, Gaban, Saul, and Ripley—turned their gazes toward Orion.
They too wondered: after using rare Observation Haki to alter the perceptions of the Giant Kingdom's people, making all giants mistakenly believe Orion was their revered Sun God, where would he lead these subjects of the Giant Kingdom?
Simultaneously, all giants fixed their fervent and reverent eyes on Orion.
Instead of responding immediately, Orion also sat cross-legged.
Though his stature seemed insignificant before Elder YJarul, his commanding presence as one who held power over life and death in this world made his physical size irrelevant—even making him appear more imposing than the giant elder.
After calmly observing Jarul for a moment, Orion smiled leisurely and said, "Elder Jarul, there's no need to repeatedly refer to 'the one in the Flower Room' in my presence. Her name is Imu—you may speak it freely."
"Of course, that's unimportant."
"What matters is: why do you assume my current actions will become Imu's windfall?"
"I care even less about what methods Imu possesses, because I always play with my cards on the table—the rest of you may act as you please!"
Jarul's eyes flickered before he turned toward Prince Loki standing nearby like a mountain, his expression turning grave.
"Since you fear no betrayal, you must have solutions for the Giant Kingdom's dilemmas. Take the Cursed Prince Loki. You brought him back from the Netherworld. Aren't you afraid he'll lose control again and commit atrocities in Elbaf after your departure?"
Orion narrowed his eyes.
Slowly turning to face the colossal Loki, he reinstated his playful smile. "Loki, did you truly kill your father?"
Loki was taken aback.
What kind of question was this?
His patricide and theft of the fruit, leading to his imprisonment in the Netherworld, was known throughout Elbaf.
Though puzzled, Loki bared his teeth in a bloodthirsty grin and declared bluntly.
"I killed him!"
Orion's smile vanished abruptly as he asked solemnly, "Are you certain the one you killed was your father?"
At these words, Loki's enormous pupils contracted sharply.
Jarul instinctively raised his eyes in surprise.
"What do you mean?!"They spoke almost simultaneously.
Orion paid no heed to their reactions, instead slowly sweeping his gaze over Gaban, Rayleigh, and Shakky before abruptly stating, "The three of you should still remember the God Valley incident from back then, shouldn't you?"
Shakky's body stiffened violently.
The lady's cigarette held between her fingers silently dropped to the ground.
That place was a mark of shame she could never erase from her life!
If many present still remembered the God Valley incident, she was the one who remembered it most clearly.
During that event, as the world's most beautiful woman at the time, she had not only been involved but was also captured by the Celestial Dragons to become the prize in God Valley's hunting competition.
Even after more than twenty years, the memory of being treated as a trophy by the Celestial Dragons still made her wake in terror from midnight dreams.
Orion observed Shakky's reaction but showed no trace of remorse, continuing nonchalantly.
"Lady Shakky, what's done is done, and I presume you've moved on. Speaking purely of this matter, I believe it wasn't entirely bad for you. At the very least, it was through this experience that you and Rayleigh officially came together."
Shakky instinctively turned her head to look at Rayleigh beside her.
The image surfaced in her mind of Rayleigh rescuing her during the God Valley incident and carrying her out of the valley.
Though the experience had been painful, as Orion said, the outcome had indeed been positive for her and Rayleigh.
At this thought, Shakky completely relaxed, a tenderness flashing across her face that even she didn't notice.
"Of course," Orion immediately shifted his tone, "I bring this up not to put a period on your past."
"The reason I mention God Valley is because of another person."
"Rocks, who was defeated by the combined efforts of Garp and Roger!"
Orion paused slightly, redirecting his gaze to Jarul and Loki, "Do you think what Garp and Roger defeated back then was the real Rocks?"
Without waiting for their response, Orion's voice suddenly rose as he stared intently at Jarul.
"You knew all along! What Loki killed wasn't his father Harald! But rather, just like Rocks who fell under 'Domi Riversi' during the God Valley incident, Harald had become a monster!"
"But for the sake of the Giant Kingdom, you had to let Loki bear the sin of patricide! After all, from the moment he was born, he had already carried the title of 'Cursed Prince'!"
"In my view, Loki is no patricide!"
"He is the true hero of Elbaf!"
"A heroic prince shouldn't be confined to that sunless Netherworld!"
As these words fell, dead silence enveloped the room!
Jarul's eyes widened in disbelief - he never imagined Orion would understand Elbaf's secrets so thoroughly!
As for Loki, his massive sixty-meter frame froze in place.
Since childhood, he had borne the curse, feared by his people, despised by his father.
Ultimately, to stop his father who had turned into a monster, he ended him with his own hands and shouldered the stigma of patricide, imprisoned in the Netherworld.
But now, this man standing at the world's summit was telling everyone that he was a hero!
Loki stared blankly at Orion, the bloodthirsty smile on his face completely gone.
From behind the thick bandages wrapped around his eyes, grievances and resentment transformed into scalding mist, silently surging forth.