It must be stated beforehand that before coming to Elbaf, Roa had already asked Morgans to gather information about this country. That's how he knew about Loki's past and Harald's deeds.
Among all the information about Loki, there was one thing that caught Roa's attention. Since Loki was a baby, his eyes had been covered with a cloth. The official explanation was that Loki had an eye disease and had to wear a blindfold. But Roa guessed there was more to it. Could a simple eye disease require a blindfold for more than sixty years? In the original story, when Luffy arrived at the Giant Kingdom, Loki's eyes were still covered with a cloth.
So Roa asked Morgans to investigate the matter more closely. The result he got was a rumor among the former palace guards. Loki's eyes were born with a curse, and his mother abandoned him because of it. But even so, his mother died not long after. Those frightened guards believed this was Loki's curse. To prevent the curse from spreading, the giants who knew about it covered his eyes.
This made sense to Roa. These eyes were the key to winning over Loki. And the eyes of Loki that appeared before Roa now were indeed unusual. His pupils were a strange white, like a Byakugan, and his irises were completely abnormal, like a snake's vertical pupils. They were quite ferocious and terrifying.
But to be honest, they were indeed quite handsome. Roa wasn't lying this time. Don't all chuunibyou kids want to be different? Could they be any more bizarre than a Sharingan?
"What did you say?"
It must be said that it was a fatal blow. As soon as Roa said those words, Loki's body trembled. His angry face instantly softened, replaced by a look of disbelief. This was the first time, the very first time someone had said such a thing after seeing his eyes! Of course, not many people had seen his eyes in the first place. Not even his father, Harald, had seen them. He also thought that Loki had an eye disease and had to cover his eyes.
"I said, why would you cover up such handsome eyes?" Roa said with a smile.
"..." Loki fell silent instantly. The look in his eyes became very complex. For the first time in his life, Loki felt a sense of approval. It wasn't for his strength or his lineage, but for the part of him that was most embarrassing and that he least wanted people to know about! Because of these eyes, he was abandoned by his mother. Because of these eyes, his childhood was filled with suffering. He had tried to die countless times but failed. The root of everything was these cursed eyes. But now, this man in front of him said that his eyes were handsome. Even though this man was Roa, the guy he had been hating for eight years and who had trampled on his father and the dignity of Elbaf today, Loki still felt very complicated.
"I don't need your praise!" After a long time, Loki finally managed to squeeze out these words. It seemed he really cared about his eyes; his emotions had instantly calmed down. Hehe, the strategy was a great success.
But of course, a single sentence wasn't enough to lure Loki over. However, Loki's attitude had softened, which meant they could talk. The Haki that had been released dissipated, and Loki regained his freedom. His first instinct was to reach out and grab the cloth. As he grabbed the cloth, he paused and looked up at Roa. The young man's voice was heavy. "Roa, what exactly do you want to do to this country?"
"What do I want to do?" Roa smiled. "I just want to get the power of the giant race. Even with coercion, I've offered an equal exchange. I'm willing to help your father communicate with other countries, and I'll pay a huge salary to hire the giant army."
"I was also hoping that you, as my companion, would become the king of the giants and lead this country to help me."
"I've been quite generous, haven't I? As a victor. In fact, I might be the person in the world who respects Elbaf the most."
Elbaf, like Fish-Man Island, was a country with high strategic value. It couldn't be simply lKinged as a black mist production site like other countries. After all, how many people did Elbaf have in total? Even if they were squeezed to the limit, how much black mist could they produce? Roa was hoping that Loki would join the Disaster Company, become the king of the giants, and lead the warriors of his entire country to fight for him.
"Don't be so arrogant! Of course, I'll become the king of Elbaf, but why should I help you?" Loki gritted his teeth. "And a victor? What kind of victor are you? You only won by coercion!"
"Victory is victory, and defeat is defeat. How can it be different just because of the method?" Roa said casually. "No wonder the captain kept rejecting you, Loki. You're so naive, it's actually cute."
"Is it so hard to admit that your father, whom you worship, bowed to me?"
"Shut up!" Loki immediately got angry. "Don't mention Rocks! And don't mention my father!"
Roa shrugged, the smile in his eyes growing wider. "You're really just a kid. A fact is something that won't change no matter how much you deny it."
"No matter how much you don't believe it, Harald compromised with me for the sake of this country. The captain died in God Valley eight years ago. They," Roa paused, his smile gentle, "are all losers."
"Stop it! Roa!" Loki was getting agitated and subconsciously tightened his grip on his club. "Shut up!"
"Whether I shut up or not, a fact is a fact." Roa jumped down from the treetop and said leisurely, "Instead of denying the past that has already happened, why don't you create a new future?"
Loki was stunned by his words.
What should I do? He just stared at Roa blankly, his eyes full of confusion.
"Remember what I said just now? My friend," Roa leaped up and landed on Loki's shoulder just like he did eight years ago. "Power is the reason for a king!"
"If you have enough power, you can kill me and take the title of Rocks' successor, even though I've always thought that title was worthless."
"If you have enough power, you can replace your failed father and become the king of Elbaf, bearing the glory of Elbaf and fighting me to the end, instead of enduring this humiliation."
"Power?" Loki murmured. "That's right! Power is the most important thing! I need to get stronger!"
That's why he didn't care about those weaklings banding together. What if Hajrudin had many friends? A weakling was still a weakling. Everyone still believed he was his father's successor because he had power! Roa acted recklessly because he had immense power! His father endured this humiliation because he wasn't strong enough! He didn't have the power to both protect his country and fight Roa!
"Power is freedom, my friend," Roa laughed. "The former captain was free, but not free enough!"
"He wasn't strong enough! His power wasn't great enough!"
"What I want is a truly free world! A world where the strong have everything and can do whatever they want! They can have true freedom!"
"In that world, you can show everyone your handsome eyes, and everyone can only praise them with a smile!"
"You can do whatever you want! No one can stop you! The King of Elbaf? Is that enough?! How about making the whole world tremble for you!"
A truly free world? Loki was still a child at heart. In other words, he was easily influenced. For instance, at this moment, the look in his eyes as he looked at Roa was becoming more and more passionate.
So, Roa extended his hand to Loki. "I want to surpass the captain, and for that, I need more and greater power! Loki, I think very highly of you. Do you want to surpass your father? If so, then join me! You can't do anything alone, but with me, we can turn this world upside down!"
Loki's eyes trembled. This bastard said he wouldn't be the second Rocks. But now, he could clearly see Rocks' shadow in him! The same arrogance as Rocks, the same recklessness as Rocks! No, Roa was even crazier than Rocks! At least Rocks wouldn't coerce his father! In fact, this guy was so shameless that after doing something like this, he was still trying to win him over! He didn't even know what to think. Did he think he had no temper?
Loki thought he really hated Roa. He had trampled on the dignity of Elbaf and forced his father to bow down. But at this moment, he also felt that Roa was truly like Rocks, making him unable to help but feel a surge of excitement!
A truly free world?
The strong have true freedom. In that world, I'll be able to have everything I want, right?
Rocks was dead, but here was a guy who said he was going to surpass him!
"Roa, I really hate you!"
"It doesn't matter, as long as we have the same goal."
"I'm called the Cursed Child, and everyone who gets close to me will have a bad end!"
"A curse? If a mere curse can defeat a calamity like me, then let it come!"
Elbaf, Yggdrasil.
"That's the situation." The Giant King Harald's voice was heavy. "I have reached a cooperation agreement with the Disaster Company. They will help us establish contact with other countries, and in exchange, Roa needs three hundred giant warriors."
The giant warriors who had been summoned by the king looked at each other. After a long time, someone finally spoke tentatively, "So, King Harald, has our Elbaf surrendered to the Disaster Company, to Roa?"
This question made Harald's already dim eyes even more dejected.
"Of course not!" A giant elder standing behind Harald quickly interjected. "It's a cooperation! King Harald has reached a cooperation agreement with the Disaster Company for the development of this country!"
"Do you remember the food shortage crisis in Elbaf back then? It was a human country that King Harald had befriended that sent us food to relieve the crisis!"
"This shows that humans are not completely useless. Establishing contact with the human world is not a bad thing! And Roa has promised to act as a go-between, allowing Elbaf to establish contact with many human countries!"
"Furthermore, the warriors going to the Disaster Company will be hired! Roa has promised to pay a huge salary!"
The elders' words made the giant warriors a little confused. Weren't the elders always the most stubborn and dismissive of humans?
One could only say that in order to protect the dignity of the Royal family, the giant elders were doing their best. Even though they hated Roa, they could only try to salvage the situation.
"Alright," Harald said at this point. "Those who are willing to be hired by Roa, step forward."
The crowd was silent. No matter how righteous the reason, working for a guy as infamous as Roa was something the giants were a little reluctant to do.
But thankfully, at this moment...
"We'll go!" Two voices, almost in unison, rang out.
The giants subconsciously turned their heads and saw two guys, as round as balls, walking over with a few humans. Dorry and Brogy had returned with the executives of the Disaster Company who had gone to visit Elbaf.
"You, you guys!!" There were many old members of the Giant Warrior Pirates in the crowd. They looked at Dorry and Brogy, their voices trembling. "Brother Dorry and Brother Brogy! You're back!"
"Is it Dorry and Brogy? Is it really them?"
"It's them! Did they return safely? They've just gotten a lot fatter!"
"Brother Dorry! Brother Brogy! Who won the duel in the end?"
"You two said you're going to be hired by Roa? What about the Giant Warrior Pirates?"
The giants had different reactions, but overall, they were very excited. The two captains who had commanded the Giant Warrior Pirates and roamed the seas seventy years ago had a very high reputation in this country.
"We were pirates for treasure, and being hired by Roa also gives us a salary!" Dorry said with a hearty laugh. "What's the difference!"
"And, gahahahahaha, isn't it a great thing to promote the development of Elbaf!" Brogy also laughed in agreement.
Behind them, Doflamingo pursed his lips. What a clumsy excuse. Can they at least sweat a little less when they lie?
But... he didn't understand the giant race at all.
"Hahahaha! Since our two leaders said so, count me in!"
"Me too! Hahaha! I can finally roam the seas with our two leaders again!"
"Me, me, me! Hahahaha! The Giant Warrior Pirates have been revived!"
Even though a few giants were still a little suspicious, most of the giant warriors were very enthusiastic.
"Zehahaha! Now this is getting interesting!" Blackbeard laughed. After getting this giant army, who in the New World could stop the Boss?
It won't be long now. Once the Boss gets a little stronger, the war to conquer the entire New World will begin!
Harald finally breathed a sigh of relief. No wonder that bastard Roa specifically asked for Dorry and Brogy to work for him. Had he planned all this out?
In that case, it should be fine...
"Oh! Has everyone been gathered? It seems we've returned just in time." Roa's voice rang out.
We? Harald instinctively turned his head and his pupils shrank. He saw Roa returning on Loki's shoulders.
"Loki?"
And... Loki wasn't wearing a blindfold?
"Father!" Loki looked up, revealing his ferocious eyes. He said, "I'm going to set sail with Roa!"
What's going on? Harald was shocked.
Loki's eyes!
They weren't covered, so he could see them clearly! But why? Wasn't it said that Loki had an eye disease? Why did he look like this? No, what was more important now was...
"Roa, what did you do to Loki!!" A violent aura erupted from Harald. As a king, he had to protect his people, but as a father, he also had to protect his child.
"This is my own decision!" Loki said loudly. "I already missed Rocks, so I don't want to miss Roa!"
"Wow, worthy of the Boss," Bege said softly. "How long has it been?" He was just hating the Boss a little while ago.
"The thing that Rocks couldn't do, the Boss did." Dylan's lips curled up. Rocks couldn't win over Harald, but the Boss successfully recruited Loki!
"Wait! Prince Loki! What are you doing?" The elders panicked. "You are the heir to this country. How can you leave this country?"
They couldn't possibly let that dirty half-blood inherit the throne, could they?
"Of course this country is mine!" Loki said without hesitation. "When I return! This country will be mine! But before that, I'm going to set sail!" He looked at Harald. "Father, just like you did back then!"
Just wait, Father! I'll have more power than you and prove that I was right! Power is the reason for a king!
The elders were speechless. Harald had even inherited the throne back then and still roamed the seas for several years.
"I won't stop you from going to sea, but Loki," Harald's forehead was sweating, "don't go with Roa—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, watch your words, Harald," Roa said with interest. "The other giant warriors can be hired by me, but your son can't come to my side? Is my place some kind of tiger's den?"
Isn't it a tiger's den? Harald cursed in his heart. But he immediately understood what Roa meant. He turned and looked at the warriors. Sure enough, the warriors were already looking at him with a strange expression.
This is bad. What should I do to stop Loki?
Roa, you bastard, what did you say to Loki!
"Harald, let us take Loki too." Dorry took a deep breath, realizing Harald's embarrassment, and said in a low voice.
"That's right, we'll take good care of him," Brogy also said.
Harald pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "Then I can only entrust him to you." Loki's decision could not be changed, and he couldn't directly stop Loki from leaving with Roa, since another three hundred giants were also leaving. He couldn't play favorites. So, this was the only way.
Roa! Harald looked at Roa, the king known for his benevolence now looking as if he wanted to devour someone.
You scum!!
Roa, however, was grinning.
What a huge harvest!
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