Shiryu: "..."
'Should've just killed them earlier...'
But he replied immediately: "Elbaf has an agreement with the World Government and the Marines."
"Agreement? What agreement?" Lancelot became even more confused, yet his curiosity was piqued.
Shiryu: "When Marines encounter giants, they must prioritize recruitment and cannot kill them outright. The condition is that once captured, giants must serve in the Marines for fifty years. Otherwise, how do you think the Giant Vice Admirals at Marine Headquarters came to be? They were all originally members of the Giant Warrior Pirate Crew. It's because of this agreement that they survived their battles and became Giant Vice Admirals at Marine Headquarters."
"Ah, this..." Lancelot was stunned.
He truly hadn't expected there to be such an arrangement.
But upon careful thought, it made sense.
Elbaf is recognized as the world's strongest nation. Naturally, the World Government would want to ally with such a powerful country.
At the very least, even if they couldn't form an alliance, they wouldn't want Elbaf standing against them.
Hence, this agreement was signed.
On one hand, Elbaf could protect its people.
On the other, the World Government and Marines wouldn't mind gaining a group of giant combatants.
It was a win-win situation—who would oppose it?
And how could he pass up these five giant fighters? If he could equip them with Devil Fruits, they would undoubtedly become astonishing combat power.
"Keh heh heh heh..." Lancelot let out a strange laugh, then stood up, unable to contain his eagerness.
"Take me to see them."
Shiryu nodded and led the way. He had anticipated this all along.
They soon arrived at the port, where many pirates were being held captive.
However, Hajrudin, Stansen, Road, Goldberg, and Gerd stood out the most.
Their massive bodies overshadowed everything else. The other pirates seemed minuscule in comparison.
"It's him!"
Lancelot and his group were also highly conspicuous.
After all, Lancelot was surrounded by Denjiro, Kikunojo, Ashura Doji, Kawamatsu, and Shiryu.
And these were the very people who had captured them.
Even a fool could understand the status of the person being escorted.
Among them, Hajrudin and Gerth immediately recognized Lancelot, having encountered him once before.
"Gulp..."
Hajrudin and Gerd swallowed hard, then exchanged glances.
They recalled the scene on that small island where they witnessed Lancelot battling Kaido.
It was truly apocalyptic!
If they hadn't fled, they would have surely died on that island.
Noticing Hajrudin and Gerd's unusual behavior, Stansen, Road, and Goldberg asked.
"Hajrudin, Gerd, what's wrong?"
Hajrudin and Gerd gestured toward Lancelot: "He... is that Marine who fought Kaido to a standstill."
"What?" Stansen, Road, and Goldberg exclaimed in shock.
As they spoke, Lancelot had already approached them.
Lancelot's gaze swept over each of the five giants, finally settling on Hajrudin and Gerd.
He chuckled lightly: "We meet again. This time... I assume you'll agree to join my ranks!"
After all, there is the agreement between Elbaf and the World Government and the Marines.
You have to abide by it, right?
Gerd, Stansen, Road, and Goldberg exchanged glances before speaking in unison.
"We can, but Hajrudin cannot. He is the prince of Elbaf..."
Upon hearing this, Lancelot waved his hand dismissively: "Rest assured, I know Hajrudin is the prince of Elbaf. So unless he agrees, I won't force him."
He then turned to Hajrudin: "Loki, prince of Elbaf. Known as the 'Cursed Prince' and 'Elbaf's Disgrace.' After killing his father to obtain the legendary Devil Fruit, he was imprisoned. Loki proclaims himself the Sun God. With a bounty of 2.6 billion berries, he is your half-brother, correct?"
At the mention of Loki, the expressions of Gerd, Stansen, Road, and Goldberg instantly changed.
Because Loki was a forbidden subject throughout Elbaf.
As for Hajrudin, his eyes turned bloodshot upon hearing Loki's name.
But Lancelot continued relentlessly: "According to my intelligence, although Loki never personally took action during his imprisonment, the traces on the royal battlefield indicate he defeated and killed numerous giant warriors with ancient giant bloodlines. Moreover, among your giant tribe, Loki has the reputation of being 'monstrously strong.' This shows how formidable his power is!"
"Most importantly, he has consumed a Devil Fruit. This Devil Fruit even enabled him to commit patricide, demonstrating its tremendous power. And you... if you want to avenge your father and defeat him face-to-face, unless you also obtain a powerful Devil Fruit, you'll never be able to defeat him in this lifetime."
"You..."
This was directly piercing Hajrudin's heart!
It enraged Hajrudin to the brink of losing control.
Though given his current strength and situation, he could only seethe in frustration.
At that moment, Lancelot presented a Devil Fruit before Hajrudin: "This is the Paramecia-type Barrier-Barrier Fruit. Its greatest strength lies in defense—it can easily block even Kaido's attacks. With this, when facing Loki, you can establish an invincible position."
"What?"
Hajrudin's expression rapidly shifted from furious rage to stunned disbelief.
His gaze fell upon the Devil Fruit in Lancelot's hand.
"The Paramecia Barrier-Barrier Fruit???"
Undeniably, Lancelot had perfectly manipulated Hajrudin.
In the original story, why did this guy go to Doflamingo's territory if not for that Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit?
And why did he seek that Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit if not to deal with Loki?
So, when confronted with the Paramecia Barrier-Barrier Fruit capable of blocking Kaido's attacks, how could he possibly resist its temptation?
"Gulp..."
Hajrudin unconsciously swallowed hard, then reached out and accepted the Devil Fruit.
Lancelot then distributed Devil Fruits to the other four:
Hajrudin: Paramecia Barrier-Barrier Fruit
Stansen: Paramecia Stone-Stone Fruit
Road: Paramecia Thorn-Thorn Fruit
Goldberg: Paramecia Tonnage-Tonnage Fruit
Gerd: Logia Waft-Waft Fruit
Tsk tsk!
Lancelot was already anticipating Kaido and Big Mom's arrival.
He looked forward to seeing what expressions they would make upon witnessing his lineup. It was bound to be quite spectacular!
However, variables always outpace plans.
At that moment, Lancelot's Observation Haki detected a presence above him.
Turning to look, he saw someone had opened a door in space—a man with a hairstyle resembling two bull horns, poking half his body out from the door and staring right at him.
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