A few days before the Golden Dragon returned to Hive Island, Ian received a message from Tesoro.
He said the Giant Warrior Pirates had arrived and requested to land on Hive Island.
Ian hadn't expected this, but of course, he didn't refuse. After all, good friends wouldn't come just to cause trouble.
So, the Giant Warrior Pirates settled on Hive Island, staying there until Ian's return today.
Dorry and Brogy were already waiting at the harbor for Ian's arrival.
"Heh heh heh heh! Someone asked us for a favor, so we had no choice but to come," Dorry said with a grin.
"So, we might trouble you a bit, Ian. We need to borrow Hive Island for a while," Brogy said with a smile.
"We thought it over and couldn't find a better place than yours," he added.
"Of course, no problem," Ian replied with a smile. "So, what's this all about?"
"Clack clack clack! Don't rush, Ian," Brogy teased, "We'll introduce you to someone soon, then you'll understand!"
Ian raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Then I look forward to it."
After catching up,
"Hee hee hee hee! Big Brother Dorry! Big Brother Brogy! Long time no see!"
Solem came down from the deck with a group of giants behind him.
"Solem! How have you been lately?"
As they greeted Solem, the two giant captains looked curiously at the giants behind him.
"This is the Beast Titan they mentioned in the newspapers?"
Dorry was quite curious. "Did all of them eat Devil Fruits?"
"It's artificial Devil Fruits provided by Boss Ian," Solem explained, "The downside is once you eat it, you can only keep this form. But the upside is the strength is no different from regular Zoan-type Devil Fruits."
Ian nodded lightly, "That's right. The giants scattered on other islands are gradually eating artificial Devil Fruits too."
A new batch of artificial Devil Fruits had matured, and Kaido had already delivered them to Ian.
Half of them were given to the giants, and the other half to the pirates under his command.
Although the giant corps were much stronger than ordinary pirates, that didn't mean they shouldn't be rewarded.
"Oh! Sounds pretty good."
Brogy didn't see anything wrong with it.
For giants, strength was everything.
Strength was beauty!
As long as they could get stronger, what did artificial Devil Fruits matter?
"Big brothers, I'm a Devil Fruit user now too!"
Solem proudly puffed out his chest.
Only then did Dorry and Brogy take a closer look at the shining golden things on him.
"Why are you carrying so much gold?"
Brogy glanced awkwardly at Ian.
"Ian, is this guy just too greedy?"
Solem was basically a walking gold mountain now.
Ian just chuckled softly, "Don't mind it. The gold is for Solem's ability."
Solem said proudly, "That's right, big brothers. I am now a user of the Gold Gold Fruit! You're no match for me anymore!"
Dorry and Brogy exchanged a glance, then burst out laughing together.
Brogy, still laughing, rubbed his fists eagerly. "Looks like you're getting a bit full of yourself, huh?"
"Want to test it out, big brothers? See what I'm capable of now?"
Solem was definitely feeling confident.
"Gaba gaba gaba! I hear words that can't be refused!"
Brogy laughed heartily, "But before that," he looked down at Ian, "Ian, come with me. I'll take you to meet him."
"Alright."
Ian nodded happily, curious about the person the two giants were so seriously eager for him to meet.
They couldn't possibly be bringing Harald over, right?
So, Ian let the others roam freely, asking Law to take Uta and meet the other kids.
Then, Ian and Dorry headed toward the place on the island where Solem and the other giants usually lived—a row of tall, newly built houses on the edge of the island.
"Since Mr. Dorry and the others arrived so suddenly," Tesoro, who was accompanying them, explained, "they could only be temporarily arranged to stay here."
Ian nodded gently.
There was no way to place them anywhere else.
The island simply had no other place suitable for giants of their size.
"Hehe, don't blame him, Ian!"
Dorry laughed heartily as he praised Tesoro, "He's been taking good care of us these days, with plenty of fine wine!"
Is having plenty of fine wine really considered good care?
Ian couldn't help but smile, "As long as you're satisfied."
Tesoro sighed silently in his heart.
Ian-sama really has a great relationship with the giants.
Not only does he command hundreds of giant mercenaries, but he is also close friends with the two captains of the once world-renowned Giant Pirate Crew.
This means the power of the giant tribe is also at his disposal.
Truly worthy of Ian-sama!
Dorry and Brogy led Ian to the front of a certain house.
Is this the place?
Ian raised an eyebrow.
He scanned the surroundings with his Observation Haki.
His expression began to change oddly.
"Don't be scared, Ian!"
Dorry chuckled and pushed open the door.
Inside was, of course, another giant, sitting cross-legged on a carpet, happily eating roasted meat with one hand and holding a barrel of wine with the other.
But this giant was different—on his round head sat a crown. It wasn't very luxurious but carried a rough, heavy presence.
"Your Highness the Prince?"
The moment Solem and Himir, who had come along to catch up with Dorry and Brogy, saw the giant, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Why are you here?!"
Prince?
Tesoro, who had followed, blinked in confusion.
Prince of — where exactly?
Ian felt a headache coming on. "Prince Loki? Why are you here?"
Ian recognized this giant.
He had met him before in the royal castle of Elbaf, during a feast hosted by the Giant King.
He was the Giant King's son, the heir to Elbaf, Prince Loki.
"Is he really the prince of Elbaf?"
Tesoro's mouth opened slightly.
Lord Ian is even friends with a guy like this?
"Oh! Ian! You're back!"
Loki liked Ian a lot too.
In fact, it was rare to find a giant who didn't like Ian.
During his travels around Elbaf, Ian had beaten every famous giant warrior in the Giant Kingdom, and all the giants praised his strength.
Strength alone was enough for Ian to wreak havoc across Elbaf.
Not to mention, he had also helped the two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates and was quite generous.
"That's nothing," Ian said, genuinely curious, "But why are you here, Prince Loki?"
That explained a lot.
Why Dorry and Brogy were willing to escort him—it made sense, after all, he was a giant prince.
But something still didn't feel right.
If the giant prince was traveling, wouldn't his escorts come from the Giant Warrior Pirates?
The Giant Kingdom had its own fleet.
More importantly, Loki was the heir to Elbaf. He had no reason to be wandering around.
"Exactly! Your Highness, the prince!"
Solem and Himir also looked a bit panicked, "If something happened to you, it would be a disaster!"
"Well…"
Prince Loki suddenly looked a bit shy, his round face turning slightly red.
Dorry laughed heartily, "He's here for a matchmaking meeting."
"A matchmaking meeting?"
Ian raised an eyebrow.
It all made sense now.
He asked, "Let me guess, could it be Aunt Linlin's daughter?"
Brogy laughed heartily, "No wonder it's Ian — you guessed it right immediately!"
"Aunt Linlin?"
Himir's expression darkened slightly. "Charlotte Linlin? That woman hasn't given up yet?"
Prince Loki cleared his throat twice and obediently sat cross-legged on the ground, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile.
"She sent many photos to the palace. Among them, I saw a picture of a very cute girl."
"That's exactly it, hehehe!"
Dorry laughed loudly, "Love is like a storm — it comes quietly but rages fiercely. Prince Loki has fallen in love!"
"She's really adorable, Ian!"
Loki looked serious as he told Ian, "That girl is a hundred times cuter than Yamato and Hancock combined!"
Ian tugged at the corner of his mouth. "There shouldn't be such a person in this world."
Doesn't he understand the true value of Hancock, the most beautiful woman in the world?
And Yamato is not only beautiful but also the strongest fighter — the strongest among the beautiful!
"No way!"
Prince Loki declared loudly, "Lola is the cutest girl in the world!"
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