Next Bonus, 100!!
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A figure had materialized out of nowhere, taken down Jack, and was now trying to take him away.
Zoro's brow furrowed. "He's our prey,"
"Oh?" Galdino's gaze fell upon him. "You must be the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro."
"Yeah," Zoro snapped, his hand already on his swords. "You want a piece of this?"
"Zoro..." Saga stepped in, holding up a hand. He offered a disarming smile. "President Galdino, we got here first. You're not going to stiff us on the bill, are you?"
'President?' Zoro thought, surprised.
"Of course not," Galdino chuckled. "His bounty is yours. In fact, I'll quadruple it."
"Four times the reward? 48 million Berries??" Saga gasped.
"That's right. There was an... oversight in the intelligence brief. His bounty was revised upward after he consumed a Devil Fruit."
Zoro was stunned. For the past two years, the highest-paying job he'd taken was for seven million, and he hadn't even collected the final payment on that. But this job—even split four ways, that was still twelve million Berries each. That was more than he'd made in the entire last year.
He knew the reality of bounty hunting. It wasn't just dangerous on the job; even collecting the reward was a minefield of corruption and red tape. For a ten-million-Berri head, you were lucky to walk away with half after the Marine officials took their cut.
Maybe this Bounty Hunters' Guild wasn't so bad after all.
"Then what about him?" Zoro asked, gesturing to Jack.
"If you're still feeling testy, you can take a hand or a foot," Galdino said with a wave. "Just leave him alive."
"Why keep scum like this alive?" Saga asked, his brow furrowed.
"The man himself is worthless," Galdino said with a conspiratorial grin. "But the Devil Fruit he ate? That's another story."
Zoro and Saga exchanged a look, not understanding.
"Just leave him to me," Galdino purred, a dark chuckle in his throat. "He won't be causing any more trouble."
A Mythical Zoan user, no less.
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New World, Elbaf!
The Fountain of Warriors.
Located southwest of the West Village, the fountain's basin was a vast, sandy beach formed from a fossilized and weathered part of the great Treasure Tree Adam. The waterfall that fed it created its own gentle waves.
It was also the playground for the children of the Giant Tribe.
The Walrus School was situated right next to it.
Saul had established it twenty years ago at the request of King Harald after escaping from Ohara.
"Eh? Shanks is here? And a human king?"
After Colon told her what had happened at the tavern, Ripley had rushed off to inform Jarul before heading back to the tavern with her son. She then led Jin and the others to the school.
It was a reunion of old friends—a flood of tears and heartfelt words as Robin and Saul shared the stories of their years apart.
The giant children were more interested in Brook, Uta, and Carina, listening intently as they sang.
Jin and Shanks sat at a nearby table, sipping the giants' customary drink, a sour fruit juice.
Shanks was explaining the current situation in Elbaf.
"The heart of Elbaf is the world-renowned Treasure Tree, Adam," he began. "It's divided into three realms: the 'Celestial Realm' at the top, the 'Mortal Realm' in the middle, and the 'Underworld' at the bottom."
"The Celestial Realm is the area above the Mortal Realm, at the very peak of the tree—even higher than the White Sea."
"Most of the giant warriors live in the West Village, here in the Mortal Realm. Island Clouds and Sea Clouds coexist here, intertwined with Adam's branches, forming a solid ground with its own landmarks and bodies of water."
"The lowest level, the Underworld, is a prison and execution ground. It's completely shielded from the sun by the tree's canopy. Its permafrost, frozen for tens of thousands of years, is known as the 'First World After the Sun Died.' It's also home to many giant beasts known as 'Mountain Lords.' Because of how difficult it is to explore, most human adventurers think the Underworld is Elbaf."
"As for the King of Elbaf..." Shanks paused. "After what happened eleven years ago, the previous king, Harald, died. The throne... has been vacant ever since."
"Oh?" Jin said. "What happened?"
"Loki killed his father," Shanks stated grimly.
He went on to explain the history of Harald and Loki.
"Three years ago, I captured Loki after he went on a rampage at sea. That incident is what led to me becoming one of the Four Emperors. Loki was bound in Seastone chains and imprisoned in the Underworld, near the roots of the Treasure Tree."
Shanks cautioned Jin once more: when you deal with giants, forget about schemes and trickery. This is a nation that reveres two things—warriors and battle. That's the only way to earn their respect.
Jin fell into thought. He knew there had to be more to the story of Loki's patricide, something connected to Imu and the Flower Room.
Just then, he felt a vibration from the badge Imprint given to him by Crocodile. News from the East Blue.
A Mythical Zoan?
That was unexpected. In the original story, there was no mention of such a person or such a Devil Fruit in the East Blue.
Could it be the ripples of his own actions?
It was very likely. He had completely disrupted the ecosystem of the East Blue, and such a drastic change was bound to create unforeseen variables.
And Zoan fruits, especially Mythical ones, were known to choose their own masters, appearing before them in all sorts of strange ways.
It seemed another Devil Fruit was about to fall into his lap.
He was one step closer to the next evolution.
He wondered how things were going with Kid. The fruit he really wanted was the Magnet-Magnet Fruit. In his hands, he was confident it could be just as powerful as the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—a fruit that could change the world.
"Bozazazazaza...!"
A hearty laugh boomed from outside.
"Well now, what's all this? It seems we have some little guests!"
Jin looked up.
A massive figure was slowly making its way into the school. He was even taller than the average giant, reaching a height of twenty meters.
He was also much older. His beard was a mountain of white snow, and sticking out from the top of his head was the hilt of a sword. A massive beast pelt was draped over his shoulders.
Behind him, a dozen more giant warriors from the West Village peered in curiously.
"Grandpa Jarul!" the giant children cheered, swarming around him.
Jarul smiled fondly, patting their heads.
"Elder Jarul," Shanks said in greeting.
"Bozazazaza! Shanks!" Jarul bellowed.
"A giant as big as a mountain!" Brook exclaimed.
Carina's eyes were wide. "Why does he have a sword stuck in his head?"
"Thanks to this helmet, I barely managed to keep my head," Jarul boomed with a laugh. He then turned his gaze to Jin. "Little guest, you must be the King of the Winter Blossom Kingdom, King Jin. I hear you've taken in Dorry and Brogy?"
After Harald's death, Loki's act of patricide had made him an unacceptable heir to the throne. The giants would rather have no king at all than let Loki rule.
Hajrudin? He was too weak.
And so, the affairs of the nation were now handled by the highest-ranking military officer, Jarul.
"I am," Jin replied.
"Bozazazaza! Then are you here on a state visit, or for an adventure?"
"A bit of both," Jin said, nodding. "The strongest nation in the world... of course I had to come see it for myself. In fact, I've brought some supplies, like food and other goods, to trade."
Jarul's eyes lit up. "Well, you are most welcome! Hey! You lot! Go prepare a feast!" he called to the giants behind him.
"Yes, Elder Jarul!"
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