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Facing the gazes of all the giants, Alex raised his glass and smiled. "I am honored to be friends with the world-renowned Kingdom of Warriors."
As Alex finished speaking, the giants raised their wine glasses and roared excitedly.
"This is a day worth celebrating to the God of War!" one shouted.
"Thanks for everything!" cheered another.
Observing the scene of celebration, Loki felt satisfied. Everything he had done and his performance could help him and Elbaf forge stronger ties with Alex and the Sky Kingdom.
Addressing Alex, who sat cross-legged on the dining table before him, Loki smiled. "Well, Alex? Do you consider our warriors brave?"
"Who doesn't know about the bravery of the giants?" Alex replied. "It's just unfortunate that Elbaf's reputation in the New World is fading day by day."
The giants, who had been proud of Alex's earlier praise, exchanged confused glances, caught off guard by this sudden change in tone.
"After all, Elbaf has been isolated for a long time..." Alex turned to look at Loki and continued. "I don't deny the power of the giants, but without a stage to display their bravery, who can truly know the real strength of Elbaf? The group of Giant Vice Admirals or Giant Pirates who ventured out didn't perform as expected."
Loki frowned upon hearing this and remained silent.
The giants below began talking among themselves. Although they belonged to the closed country, Lola's arrival meant Elbaf had not been completely disconnected from the outside world. They knew the situation Alex described was true, even if they didn't want to admit it.
As descendants of the Warrior bloodline born in Elbaf, especially those within the Kingdom, the giants had extremely high confidence in their heritage. If anyone else had spoken such words, they might have been trampled into flesh by this group of angry giants. But Alex was their recognized friend and the strongest king who had proven his strength. When he spoke, the kingdom's giants had no objections.
"So what should we do?" asked one giant, thinking not being their strong point.
The rest of the giants quickly joined in.
"Yes, do you have any solution?"
"I said earlier that letting those guys go out is a disgrace to us, Elbaf, and an insult to the name of our Kingdom of Warriors."
"Isn't this very simple?" Alex smiled at their excited inquiries. "It's just a matter of letting Elbaf's army revive its reputation throughout the world."
The giants sitting around fell silent, looking at Loki one after another.
A large number of Warrior troops were prohibited from leaving the kingdom, an order issued by successive kings. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many Warriors who went to sea without permission and became pirates.
"This is a prohibition established by our ancestors," Loki explained, although he didn't know why the ancestors would leave such a restriction. In his opinion, if not for this rule, the country's vast Warrior troops would have long ago overwhelmed the world, capturing territories beyond their island.
They were Elbaf, once the world's number one power.
"Although it is a ban, as the king, you have the ability to lift it, don't you?" Alex asked meaningfully.
Loki didn't know how to answer. The initial discussion was only meant to help Alex gain a higher reputation in Elbaf. The current direction was unexpected.
Having used his observation Haki to assess all the giants present, including Loki, and feeling confident in his understanding of the situation, Alex spoke directly. "As a friend, I don't intend to hide anything from you. In fact, I'm planning to start a huge war soon, and I want Elbaf to be an ally of the Sky Kingdom."
"This... is it?!" Loki wasn't stupid. He realized that if the Sky Kingdom alone needed Elbaf as an allied force against a huge power, there was only one possible target: the World Government.
"That's right, my goal is the World Government," Alex confirmed.
After Alex finished speaking, Loki sucked in a sharp breath.
"That's a monstrous force that has stood for eight hundred years..."
Loki spoke with surprise, different from his unthinking subjects. After all, he carried the responsibilities of a king.
"So don't you think that overthrowing this behemoth will elevate Elbaf's reputation to unprecedented heights?" Alex smiled. "Besides, the Sky Kingdom will lead the attack. If you're uncertain, do you think I would have spent decades planning this?"
Loki didn't answer immediately, but all the emotions visible on his face had already told Alex his answer. Not to mention the surrounding giants, who all showed desire that could be perceived even without Observation Haki.
Finally, after several rounds of drinks calmly consumed by Alex, Loki gritted his teeth and said, "I will remove the ban in a few days. Elbaf will be a loyal ally of the Sky Kingdom."
His decision wasn't just born from the emotions of his people, but from his understanding of the Sky Kingdom's powerful network of information and resources in recent years, and the undeniable fact that they had the world's number one powerhouse, Alex, in charge.
Through Lola, Loki had received news that both frightened and reassured him.
This was truly the experience of starting from nothing and reaching the top of the world!
Wisdom and strength made Alex one of the top kings in the world!
Since someone like Alex had been secretly planning for several years, the chance of success was definitely significant.
Loki didn't want to miss this opportunity that might become reality. As the king of the Giants, his desire to ally with the Sky Kingdom overwhelmed any unwarranted fear of the World Government.