Next Bonus, 100!!
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At the Fountain of Warriors, the waterfall crashed down with immense force, the mist at its base creating a rainbow in the air.
Jarul held a grand banquet to welcome Jin, Shanks, and their companions.
Scopper Gaban had also come.
"Shanks! Long time no see!"
"Gaban!"
Gaban had a wild mane of gray hair, tied back in a thick ponytail. His face was lined with the wrinkles of age, and a long, braided beard hung from his chin. A flame-shaped scar marked his right eye, and a pair of black sunglasses were pushed up on his forehead. He wore a floral-patterned Hawaiian shirt, shorts, dark boots, and a striped coat.
Next to him were his giant son, Colon, and his partner, the giantess Ripley.
The three of them standing together looked like an exaggerated, living kanji for the word "mountain."
The real question, Jin mused, was how Gaban had managed to get Ripley pregnant.
Truly... a man among men.
That must have been a night of cataclysmic proportions.
Jin's curious gaze caught Gaban's attention. "So you're the one who gave a Yonko a talking-to?" he said with a laugh. "Youth is a wonderful thing!"
Shanks had brought some newspapers to the school. Gaban had glanced through them and had gotten the gist of the story.
"The Left Hand of the Pirate King," Jin said with a smile. "Still as impressive as ever. I just wonder... who's stronger, you or Rayleigh?"
"That would be me, of course," Gaban said without a moment's hesitation. "I'm the vice-captain. Rayleigh? He's a lightweight."
"Oh?" Jin said. "That's what Rayleigh said, too. I don't know who to believe."
Shanks muttered, "You're a master at stirring the pot."
"Hey! Of course you believe me!" Gaban said, annoyed. "Rayleigh! You've seen him? That old gambler! Is he doing alright?"
"He's fine," Jin said. "He's with Shakky."
Gaban just chuckled.
"The food is here!"
Matto and the other giantesses brought out massive platters of food.
"Let the feast begin!"
Brook was an even bigger hit with the giants than Uta. He played, and the giants danced, their movements powerful and vigorous.
Everyone ate, drank, and was merry.
After a while, a giant stood up and looked at Jin. "I hear the little king defeated Dorry and Brogy."
"Road! Don't cause trouble!" Jarul chided.
But the giant, Road, just stared at Jin, a defiant look in his eyes, the pride of the world's strongest warrior burning within him.
Jin just smiled. Dorry and Brogy had a lot of fans in Elbaf. It was only natural that some of them would be a little put out to hear of their defeat.
"Are you challenging me?" Jin asked.
"I am!" Road declared.
"As you wish," Jin replied.
He knew that in a nation of warriors like Elbaf, the only way to earn respect was to show his strength. He stood up and walked out into the open. "How do you want to do this?"
All eyes were on them.
Road was tall and slender, with long black hair and a scarf covering his mouth. "Whatever," he said arrogantly. "You're the guest. You decide."
Jarul leaned down and whispered to Shanks, "Is this alright?"
"It's fine," Shanks replied. "That guy is a monster, on the same level as Kaido or Big Mom."
Gaban was surprised. "For you to say that... does that mean the things in the newspapers are true?"
He knew how newspapers worked. They either exaggerated or left out key details. You could only trust about a third of what you read. He had been skeptical of Jin's exploits.
But Shanks's words were a different matter.
"Basically, yes," Shanks said, his expression serious.
Ripley and Colon were also stunned. They knew how strong Shanks was. And this man was his equal?
"The King of the Winter Blossom Kingdom... incredible," Saul murmured. He had been ordering newspapers from the outside world and had read about him, but he'd never imagined that Robin would be working for him.
Robin just smiled. "Yes. He is an incredible man."
"There's a lot of admiration in your eyes, Robin," Saul teased. "You like him, don't you?"
Robin's cheeks flushed, but she didn't deny it.
Jin looked at Road. "A real fight would inevitably lead to injuries. Let's just arm-wrestle. A simple test of strength."
Arm-wrestle? A test of strength? A human wanted to arm-wrestle a giant warrior?
The giants all erupted in a chorus of disbelief.
"Hey, hey! That's a little arrogant, isn't it?"
Road's face darkened. "Are you looking down on me?"
"No," Jin said calmly. "Quite the opposite. It's because I respect you that I want to compete in strength. Because, to be honest, besides your strength, you're pretty much useless in every other department. Or... are you scared?"
Useless in every other department??
The words stung.
"Fine!" Road roared, his face turning red with anger. "We'll arm-wrestle! Just don't let me break that little arm of yours!"
Hearing what was happening, giants from all over the West Village came running to watch.
A massive stone pedestal was brought out.
Road placed his arm on it. His arm alone was taller than Jin.
There was no way he could lose.
To make it fair, a steel plate was placed between their hands.
"It's not the size that matters," Jin said calmly.
At the sound of a whistle, Road put all his strength into it, trying to slam Jin's hand down. The steel plate bent, but Jin didn't move an inch.
Then, it was Jin's turn. Road's expression changed. A massive, overwhelming force, like a tidal wave, crashed against him.
His hand was slammed down onto the stone pedestal, cracking it.
The crowd gasped.
"He won!"
"He's so strong!"
The giants were, for the most part, a simple people. They respected a strong warrior, even an enemy.
Road's face was beet red, but he accepted his defeat.
"There are many in Elbaf who are stronger than me," he grumbled, trying to save face.
I may have lost, but Elbaf has not.
He slunk away.
Jin just smiled and looked at the crowd of giants. "Who else wants a try?"
"Me! Me..."
Another giant stepped forward.
And another giant was defeated.
"Amazing!" Colon's eyes were shining.
The giants, with their brute strength alone, were renowned as the strongest race in the world. And yet, this human had just defeated ten of them in a row in a contest of pure strength.
By the time the tenth giant was defeated, the crowd was cheering for Jin.
Strength earns respect.
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In the dark, gloomy Underworld, Loki, bound in Seastone chains, sensed something. He looked up.
"A powerful presence... Who is it?"
After Jin had defeated the tenth giant, Jarul, saying it was getting late, quickly put a stop to the competition.
Did the giants have no pride?
Jin, too, knew when to stop.
He and Jarul discussed the matter of trade. Jarul was very interested in purchasing food and other supplies.
After the feast, Jin, Robin, Brook, and Carina went with Saul to the Owl Library.
They had heard that it housed the books Saul had brought back from Ohara, covering a wide range of subjects, from history to medicine to music.
As they entered, a giant owl hooted, startling them.
"Haha! Don't worry," Saul said with a laugh. "That's Biblo, the librarian. He's been alive for centuries."
Biblo, wearing a pair of glasses, turned his head and looked them over.
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