On the coast of Elbaf, giant longboats, a hallmark of Elbaf, lay at anchor. Giants with large swords or battle axes strapped to their backs were carrying boxes of supplies onto the boats. They were about to set sail for a long voyage, so preparations had to be made.
Also on the coast, on the back of a massive snail, Loki was looking around in wonder, touching everything he saw. He even stomped his foot from time to time. "A snail fleet, how interesting!"
"So, are we going to travel on the backs of these snails?" Loki turned to Roa behind him and asked. Roa stood behind him, watching the boy with great interest. It was clear that Loki was very happy. He probably wanted to go to sea for a long time. So, only the decision-making process was difficult. After that, there was only happiness and excitement, with no resistance to leaving Elbaf.
"Are you ready, Loki?" Roa asked with great interest. "What's coming is an adventure you've never seen before."
"...Adventure?" A look of longing appeared on the young Giant's face. "Then, Roa, you better not disappoint me!"
"Call me Boss!" Roa chuckled.
"Boss?" Loki blinked his big eyes. "Not Captain?"
"I told you, I'm no longer a pirate," Roa said. "We're a company."
"Company?" Loki tilted his head, looking a little naive. "Whatever. Boss? It doesn't matter."
"When do we set sail?" He was truly impatient.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye to Harald?" Roa gestured to the side.
On the coast, Harald stood silently, his eyes filled with a complex emotion as he looked at the giant snail fleet. "Loki..." He looked at his good son, who had turned to face him, and his expression grew even more complicated. He wasn't just a failed king, he was a failed father. He had been blackmailed by Roa on a national level, forced to betray his own people. On a family level, his son was being abducted by Roa, his enemy, to become a pirate.
Loki's expression became a little flat as he looked back at his father. After a few seconds, Loki suddenly clenched his large fists and declared seriously, "Father! I'm going to seek my freedom! I will come back! One day, I'll come back and prove that you were wrong and I was right!"
"..." Harald did not answer. He just stood in silence. After a long moment, he finally sighed. Children have to leave their parents eventually. What reason was there to stop a man from sailing out to sea? Whether he strayed or stayed on the right path, since this was Loki's own decision, he would let him face his own future.
"Loki, take care of yourself," the great king of Elbaf said. It was a simple sentence, but it contained a deep paternal love that even moved Roa.
But...
"You don't need to lecture me!" Loki answered curtly.
Tsk, the rebellious phase. He'd better not wait until he wants to show his filial piety but his parent is gone. Speaking of which, how did Harald die in the original story? The public story was that Loki killed his father, but from what Roa knew of Loki, this kid, despite his tough talk, still respected Harald in his heart. He would never commit patricide. There had to be a reason.
Sigh, he had transmigrated too early. There were still many mysteries about Elbaf. For example, what was the legendary Devil Fruit that Loki ate that was preserved by Elbaf? What was on the third layer of the Celestial Sphere? In order not to push Elbaf too far, Roa had not tried to find out about these things.
He would take it slow. In any case, Loki would definitely inherit the position of King of Elbaf, and if Elbaf was his, it would be the same as being his. That was what Roa thought.
Loki's rebellion also made Harald sigh.
"Leave it to us," said a Dorry and Brogy, carrying their luggage as they walked over. They comforted him, "We'll keep an eye on the boy."
"I'll leave him in your hands," Harald said sincerely. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "But you must also be careful. That boy has perfectly inherited the bloodline of the ancient Giants. His potential is in no way inferior to mine!"
"Gabbabababa! He's just a kid after all!"
"Jeejeejeejeej! Just leave it to us!"
And so, the large fleet, now with dozens of giant longboats added to it, prepared to set sail.
"Roa, remember your promise!" Harald shouted to the slowly moving snail fleet from the port.
"Of course, who doesn't know that I, Roa, am the most trustworthy?" Roa responded with a laugh. "Then, Kana!"
And so, they set sail again.
A while later, many giant snails came together to form a huge floating island on the sea. On the massive platform that was usually used for the executives to train, a banquet was now being held.
"In short, let's raise a glass to our new comrades," Roa said, raising his cup for the first time in a while. "Welcome, Loki, Dorry, and Brogy!"
The Giants participating in the banquet, besides Loki, who was a genuine executive of the Calamity Company, were Dorry and Brogy, who were in command of the Giant mercenaries.
"We never joined your company, Roa!" Dorry's tone was not at all polite as he gulped down his drink. Brogy also drank heavily. "It's just a mercenary relationship! We are not your subordinates!" Although they couldn't resist Roa's coercion and were forced to work for him, that didn't mean Roa was their boss! Giants would never be slaves! Not even for free food and lodging!
Roa didn't mind their attitude. No matter how much they talked, they would still have to work for him obediently. Instead, he was a little interested in their current behavior. The two of them were only drinking heavily and rarely eating. They probably wanted to lose some weight after realizing they had gotten a little chubby.
Unlike the two Giants, Loki was very supportive. He held a large cup specially made for him by Doflamingo and downed the alcohol in one gulp. "Wow!" The Giant boy wiped his mouth, a little excited. "Is this what life is like for a man of the sea?"
"You just had a cup of booze. What are you talking about, 'man of the sea'?" Roa couldn't help but laugh. "You're far from it."
"So, Roa, what are we doing next?" Loki was even more excited than Roa had anticipated. "Robbery? Slaughter? Or attacking a country and plundering all its treasure?" He was just like a kid on his first trip, full of expectations for everything.
Roa's smile deepened. How cute.
Wow, this guy is a bad seed too. Buggy thought to himself as he ate silently. Could a person who was a pirate for only one day really say something like that? He didn't see people as people at all. What's more, they weren't even pirates! No wonder the boss managed to recruit him with just a few words; they were two peas in a pod!
"Call me Boss," Roa corrected him. "And robbery? Slaughter? Aren't you being a little small-minded, Loki? I'm a little disappointed in your ambition."
"Oh!!" Loki's fierce eyes lit up. "Is there something even more interesting? Roa, no, Boss, tell me now!!"
"Of the things you mentioned, only attacking a country is a little interesting," Roa said leisurely. "But one country is too small. This sea area now belongs to me, so the next thing we're going to do is make all the countries and regions in this sea area submit to me."
The Giant army was now in his hands, so it was time to officially begin the expansion. The others in the alliance had already started their operations early, and he couldn't fall too far behind.
"Oh!!" Loki was so excited his voice cracked. "That sounds so interesting! Does that mean we're going to attack a whole bunch of countries at once? This is the voyage and freedom I was looking forward to!"
Dorry and Brogy, who were drinking, also paused. Although they had already heard from Harald that Roa and his comrades had divided the entire New World and that other pirates were now plundering territories all over the New World, they were still shocked when they heard Roa say that they were going to conquer all the countries in this sea area.
Could pirates really reach this level? Roa and his comrades were going to build one super pirate empire after another in the New World, something unprecedented in history! Compared to them, the Giant-Warrior Pirates, who dominated the world seventy years ago, were far inferior.
"Which country should we start with?" Loki asked. "Hehe, how about we just destroy a few countries first to set an example?"
"Oh! That's a very constructive suggestion!" Roa's eyes lit up. "Letting all the countries know the consequences of resistance will greatly reduce casualties later. Loki, you're so gentle!"
"Hahahaha! I think so too!" Loki laughed oddly.
The young Loki, who always seemed a little bitter in front of Harald, had almost instantly become a cheerful and sunny boy just like Roa after coming here. Or rather, was this his true nature?
"So, when do we start? Where do we start?" Loki's mouth was almost touching his ears. He was so excited and full of anticipation that he couldn't wait to swing his club and smash someone's head.
"Since you're so interested, it's fine for you to have a little fun first," Roa said, turning to Dylan. "Dylan, which is the nearest country?"
"It's the Pride Kingdom, Boss," Dylan answered almost instinctively without much thought. "That country is even a member of the World Government."
"Oh?" Roa smirked. "What a coincidence."
"So," Loki's young, round face was full of cruel laughter, "we can go on a rampage, right?"
Dorry and Brogy couldn't help but look at each other and sigh. They weren't good people, but they weren't so cruel as to find joy in destruction.
Harald, this son of yours is a real problem.
Pride Kingdom.
This World Government member country had been in a state of panic recently. Originally, relying on the protection of the nearby G-15 Marine Base, this country had thrived even though it was deep in the New World. But the change happened so suddenly. The monsters led by Roa destroyed all the Marine bases in the New World and declared that this sea area belonged to them. The moment this news spread, the entire Pride Kingdom fell into despair. Their country was too deep in the New World, and even if Marine reinforcements were to come, they wouldn't arrive anytime soon.
Of course, it didn't take long for the country to realize that the Marines would not be coming to their aid. Although the newspapers kept reporting that the Marines were winning and the government kept telling them to stay calm and wait for rescue, the monsters in other areas of the New World had already started their rampant expansion. The real situation was self-evident. The World Government had abandoned this sea area and all the member countries here. Although no monsters had moved into this country's sea area yet, it was only a matter of time. And the only monster that hadn't started its operation was Roa! The monster among monsters, the leader of it all!
The chaos started at this time. Many people, believing that their country had reached its end, broke down and began to vent their dissatisfaction and despair in a frenzy. The Royalty had no choice but to send troops to suppress the riots. Thus, before the enemy had even arrived, the country was already in a state of civil war.
It was at this time that a few large snails rapidly approached the island. They charged onto the coast almost recklessly. The island was not large, similar to Dressrosa, with a city and a surrounding plain. Their brazen landing naturally attracted the attention of the people on the island.
And so...
"Snails! It's the Calamity Company's snails!"
"They're here! Calamity Roa is finally here!"
"Run! The monsters have landed!"
"Quick! Go notify His Majesty the King!"
The people near the coast immediately fled in a frenzy. Seeing these snails terrified them more than seeing demons. The massive monster leaped off the snail's back.
"Are you ready for a rampage, Loki?" Roa said leisurely, standing on Loki's head and looking toward the city.
"Hehe! I won't hold back!" Loki carried his giant club, his crimson tongue licking his lips. With his inherently fierce eyes, he looked like a god of evil descending on the world.
"Do as you please," Roa shrugged.
"Hahahaha!" Loki laughed loudly and jumped up without hesitation. His strength was ridiculously strong. He stomped the ground, causing it to crack, and his huge body leaped over two hundred meters into the air. The moment he landed, the ground trembled, breaking apart and sending dust flying everywhere.
The people who were running and looking back in panic witnessed this scene.
"A-A Giant!!"
Screams rose and fell.
And then...
"Hahaha! Let's have a race!" Loki laughed and ran forward. Although he was still a child, he had inherited the bloodline of the ancient Giants, and his size was already bigger than that of a grown Giant. When he ran, his speed was as fast as thunder. He ran right through the fleeing crowd. Blood splattered on the ground, and screams were endless. But Loki didn't stop. His speed was still increasing, and his eyes were full of excitement.
Until he kicked a house on the edge of the city. The sturdy stone building was instantly kicked to pieces like building blocks. The fragments shot forward like shrapnel, immediately shattering the buildings in front of them. The worst were the people inside who hadn't even realized what was happening. They were either turned into a bloody mess or scattered with the rubble.
"Hahaha!" Loki laughed loudly as he rushed into the city.
This is exhilarating!
Behind him, Dorry and Brogy, who were watching, looked at each other and saw the shock and helplessness in each other's eyes. Harald really hadn't lied. This boy's strength was not much inferior to theirs! Even for an ancient Giant, reaching this level at his age was extremely rare!
And this level of brutality could no longer be described as mere mischievousness!
Harald, how on earth did you raise this child? He's even more difficult than you were when you were young!