The next morning after successfully injecting the experimental Eitr serum, Thor gathered with his brothers Loki and Hajrudin, along with Kizaru.
Xebec sat comfortably by the side of King Harald. This marked the final day before Thor would finally leave the Country of Elbaph for a long time to begin his grand adventures on the high seas.
The lively group had been drinking and celebrating inside the warm tavern owned by Ida. While the young Loki was strictly not permitted to consume alcohol, he was cleverly given a rich berry juice that closely resembled wine, so he could feel included in the toasts.
Thor, on the other hand, had been freely able to drink strong ale due to his magically matured physical appearance, and Hajrudin had already been granted official permission to drink by King Harald himself.
"Vohahahaha, give them hell for me, Thor! Those arrogant rats living high above the Red Line would never dare to come down once you started killing them. You really should join him, Harald.
If you eat that legendary Devil Fruit we talked about, you two could easily take on the entire world," Xebec said casually.
He spoke confidently, acting as if he had not recently suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the World Government.
It was a battle where he, along with the other strongest men of their generation, had witnessed firsthand just how crazy and terrifying the abilities of the monsters they had faced truly were.
"You know I will not do that, Xebec. But even if I actually wanted to, there is an ancient guardian that would absolutely not allow me to claim that fruit.
There is a very good reason why, out of all the kings that Elbaph has experienced throughout history, there is no one who has been able to claim it.
I originally thought Thor would be the chosen one to do it, but alas, he went ahead and ate a different Devil Fruit himself," Harald reasoned to Xebec.
Despite being a king who is mostly optimistic about maintaining peace, Harald had seen exactly what kind of absolute cruelty the elites of the World Government would inflict upon the innocent.
This grim realization made Harald want to prepare his kingdom for an inevitable upcoming war.
Despite the progressive changes to their culture where they are no longer viewed as mindless savages, Thor had specifically instructed Harald not to toss away the fierce warrior pride of the Giants.
Instead, they needed to use that pride to build an even stronger and perfectly united army.
"Well, you still have Loki and Hajrudin as options. This big little fella here is growing up quite strongly, and his training is definitely starting to show its fruits," Xebec then commented.
The former pirate captain had taken over the rigorous training of the recruits in the military barracks.
He could see that the royal blood of Harald flowed incredibly strongly within his sons.
Both Loki and Hajrudin possessed an innate physical strength that could easily make them a terrifying force to be reckoned with out on the sea. Loki, however, is on an entirely different spectrum of potential.
Perhaps he is not quite to the absurd level of raw strength that Thor had once shown at his age, but Loki is consistently proving that the blood of the Ancient Giants flows strongly and purely through his veins.
"Yeah, why not let Loki see if he could claim Ragnir? You know perfectly well how much wild animals have always adored Loki.
Perhaps that old guardian squirrel would actually allow Loki to eat the fruit," Thor then commented casually.
He was talking like he was much older and wiser than Loki, but in truth, hewasy the same age as his twin brother and had simply matured early due to his unique powers.
"I do not want to eat a Devil Fruit at all. I will not be able to swim if that happens, and I do not want to weaken myself if I truly want to travel the vast sea like you, Thor.
Maybe Hajrudin should eat it instead," Loki then commented with a stubborn pout. He flatly refused to add such a fatal weakness to his own body.
He saw how Thor, who used to be incredibly fond of swimming and diving in the deep waters, had to permanently sacrifice this joy for eating a Devil Fruit.
Perhaps the fruit gave him immense supernatural strength, but Loki firmly did not believe that such power was worth the debilitating weakness of the sea.
"Torararara, that is the mythical fruit of the God of War, Loki. Do not be so incredibly quick to dismiss its value.
Even if you do not want to eat the fruit right now, you must remember the legends.
The God of War is the very entity who fought fiercely against the Sun God Nika in the ancient past. Do you not want to possess the power to beat the Sun God Nika?
Plus, I already have another specific fruit in mind that I am thinking would perfectly fit for Hajrudin," Thor then said as he laughed heartily.
Meanwhile, Kizaru looked at Thor with a lazy and slightly exasperated expression.
The light man already knew exactly what Thor was planning. Thor wanted to give Hajrudin the specific Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit that the pirate Kaido had eaten back in the God Valley.
'I really do not want to fight against that absolute beast again, that is going to be such a massive drag,' Kizaru thought to himself with an internal sigh.
He logically knew that for Hajrudin to eat that specific Devil Fruit, they would literally have to track down and kill Kaido.
Furthermore, Kizaru knew through his intelligence networks that Kaido is currently amassing his own dangerous pirate crew in the New World.
"What exact fruit is that, Thor?" Hajrudin then asked, leaning forward. He was incredibly curious to know what kind of power his older brother would eventually give him.
"It is the Azure Dragon, the current Devil Fruit possessed by Kaido," Thor said plainly, making Xebec grin broadly and laugh maniacally at the table.
The former captain fully knew the violent implications of this bold announcement.
Thor was just openly declaring to the room that he would personally hunt down and kill Kaido just to steal his fruit.
"Good, good, kill that wretched traitor! I would much rather do it myself, but you know I am currently hiding from the World Government right now to protect my family," Xebec said as he then grinned fiercely.
He was also remembering his lovely wife Eris and his young son Teach resting safely in their new home.
Xebec is currently teaching little Teach the same way he is teaching Loki, meticulously preparing the boy to be physically and mentally strong enough to take whatever he wanted from the world in the future.
"Torararara, how come Kaido is a traitor in your eyes? You are a pirate by nature. You and I both know that the Rocks Pirates were essentially just a chaotic band of criminals working together temporarily for one singular goal.
You knew this inevitable betrayal would happen sooner or later. You cannot honestly get mad for something you know damn well is partially your own fault.
Do you remember when you ruthlessly put your heavy boots right on Kaido's head to assert dominance?" Thor then said.
He reminded Xebec of his own harsh leadership methods.
As Xebec reminisced about the tense moments they shared commanding the Rocks Pirates, Xebec silently knew that Thor's words held absolute truth.
But as a true pirate at heart, he simply does not care about logic or fairness. He takes what he wants, whenever he wants it, and holds grudges fiercely.
The group simply continued their lively conversations into the late hours of the night, happily sharing grand stories and making ambitious plans.
Because when tomorrow arrives, Thor and Kizaru will officially set sail from the docks and start the fearsome Aesir Pirates.
Thor had already decided on the naming convention for his crew structure. His loyal pirate crew members would be officially called the Einherjar, which was a legendary title that he had kept in his mind and decided upon a very long time ago.
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The very next morning, countless giants gathered together on the sandy shores of Elbaph. They all came to say their heartfelt goodbyes to Thor.
The grand announcement made by King Harald, stating that Thor was finally going to start his own pirate journey and bring back the former glory of Elbaph, had resonated deeply throughout the entire giant realm.
The citizens passionately wished their beloved crown prince good luck on his voyage.
Meanwhile, Xebec and his entire family were intentionally nowhere to be seen in the massive crowd.
Thor had already said his private goodbyes to the former pirate captain the night prior, and he would not be stupid enough to publicly associate with him now.
He knew that showing such sentiments openly could possibly endanger the hidden family and bring the wrath of the World Government upon Elbaph.
"When you get older and stronger, come find me out there in the sea, alright? I want to see you finally claiming Ragnir and the power of the guarded Devil Fruit," Thor then said towards Loki.
Loki was still stubbornly adamant on not eating any Devil Fruit because of the sea curse, but he just grinned widely at his brother's challenge.
"Just you wait, I will grow strong enough to kick your ass," Loki then said towards Thor, as the two brothers shared a tight, brotherly hug for one last time before the departure.
Thor then shifted his massive gaze. "Hajrudin, protect Queen Ida while I am gone, alright? Loki is just shy and stubborn, but he truly sees Ida as his real mother deep down. Do not let his tough exterior fool you for a second. You must always take care of your younger brother," Thor then said.
This teasing comment made Loki snort loudly and make an inaudible grumbling sound on the side. Meanwhile, King Harald, who was holding Ida gently by his side, laughed heartily at the dynamic between his sons.
"You are my younger brother too, you know," Hajrudin just commented with a warm smile. He knew that there was no real meaning to the age difference anymore, given Thor's rapid physical maturity.
The only thing that truly matters to them is that they are bonded brothers, and it does not matter which one was born first or looks older.
Finally, Thor looked down at Harald with a serious expression.
"Father, the continued prosperity of Elbaph is something that solely rests in your capable hands now. If you ever need my help with anything, do not hesitate to call me. I left my direct Den Den Mushi number with you, right?" Thor then asked Harald.
Harald did not reply with words immediately, but instead reached out to hug his incredibly tall son.
Thor was currently more than thrice the size of Harald, and Thor was crouching down so much just so that he could properly talk and embrace his family on their level.
Kizaru was already waiting patiently on the deck of their new boat. He was lazily commanding the elite giants that had been carefully selected to join their pirate crew.
All of them were proud members of the royal guards of Harald who actively wanted to experience the sights of the outside world instead of just standing guard in the castle for the rest of their lives.
"May the Sun God Nika become your guiding light through the darkest storms, and may the God of War bless you with unwavering strength.
I am so incredibly proud of what you have accomplished here, and what you will surely accomplish out there in the sea.
Do not ever forget that this island is always your true home, and you can come back here whenever you want," Harald then said with thick emotion, as he finally let go of Thor.
Thor then walked steadily towards his colossal ship.
As the crew started its advanced machinery, the entire ship created loud, rumbling mechanical sounds that almost drowned out the roaring cheers of the giant citizens.
But despite the overwhelming noise, there was one specific thing that Thor heard perfectly clearly in his heart.
It was the unified sound of his people, looking forward to hearing his legendary name spread across the sea, and Thor absolutely did not want to disappoint their grand expectations.
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A/N: HELLO, SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, I PICKED A WRONG DAY TO COME BACK, AS AFTER I POSTED THE CHAPTER FOR MY FRIEREN FIC, I WAS BOMBARDED WITH TASKS IN OUR OFFICE THAT I DID NOT HAVE ANY ENERGY TO SPARE, EVEN YESTERDAY, SATURDAY, WHERE I'M PLANNING TO CREATE CHAPTER, WAS JUST SPENT RESTING AND TAKING BACK MY ENERGY, ANYWAY, HERE'S THE CHAPTER FOR THIS SINCE I HAVE BEEN GLAZING LOKI SINCE THE FORM OF NIDHOGG HAD COME OUT.