The enormous figure leapt high into the sky, the sharp sword in his hand slicing through the thick fog.
There was no Haki enveloping the blade, yet the sheer size of the weapon and the strength of the wielder still caused the sails below to flutter violently.
Across the entire sea, there was likely no ship capable of withstanding such a strike.
There was no need for the attack to even land on the ship—using the ship beneath one's feet as leverage alone could easily result in the ship's destruction and total loss of life.
Nereus was certain that Sebastian could not handle something like this with his strength.
From the moment the sword was swung, he had already identified the attacker - Harald.
The Giant King of Elbaf, one of the strongest beings of the current era.
What Nereus couldn't understand was why Harald wasn't in Elbaf, but instead appeared in the Florian Triangle of the Grand Line, and had launched an attack on his ship.
Boom!
Compared to the massive blade, Nereus's body seemed somewhat insignificant.
Yet, the power behind the punch Nereus threw was not insignificant in the slightest.
Conqueror's Haki coiled around his fist, the flowing Haki forming what was like an indestructible shield, blocking the gigantic sword cleaving down from above.
The explosive force not only stopped the blade's strike, it even knocked it aside outright.
Seeing that his attack was blocked, Harald, who was in the middle of swinging his sword, froze for a moment. The sudden immense force nearly knocked the weapon from his grip, as he hadn't been taking the fight seriously.
Harald indeed hadn't used any Haki, relying purely on the physical might of a giant to swing his sword.
In these waters, that level of attack was already more than enough.
Even without Haki augmenting his strength, there were very few people who could block his attack.
At the same time, Nereus's questioning voice reached Harald's ears.
"Nereus?!"
Nereus couldn't understand why Harald was here, and likewise, Harald couldn't understand why Nereus was here.
But Nereus didn't answer the question. After stopping Harald's attack on the ship, his figure had already appeared before Harald.
"Wait! This is a misunderstanding!"
"A misunderstanding? Then this… is also a misunderstanding!"
Harald hadn't carefully sensed the situation on the ship at first, attacking it directly as he would an ordinary pirate ship.
Now that he realized Nereus was aboard, he had already understood that something was wrong.
But Nereus had no intention of stopping; he kicked straight toward Harald's head.
"This was an accident! If I really wanted to attack you, how could I have used such a weak attack?!"
Nereus was incredibly fast. Harald didn't have time to withdraw his sword, so he simply concentrated his Haki on his forehead and rammed forward with his head.
Once he had confirmed his opponent's identity, Harald dared not be careless. Against someone like this, being overly complacent could spell disaster.
Perhaps feeling somewhat at fault, Harald mainly focused on defense while explaining what had just happened.
"Of course I know that, but getting slashed out of nowhere… is really irritating!"
Nereus wasn't a naturally aggressive person, but regardless of the reason, Harald had struck first. If Nereus didn't respond, it would be hard to justify.
Conqueror's Haki collided in midair, and the might produced by the intertwining of the two Haki tore apart the dense fog that had existed here for who knows how long, allowing sunlight to enter this sea for the first time in ages.
And just like that, their battle came to an abrupt halt. Harald sat back down on his own ship, while Nereus stood at the bow of the nearby ship, simply watching him.
"I… received orders from the World Government to eliminate pirates in this area. I mistook you for an ordinary pirate ship. That's all there is to it."
"What happened to your horns?"
"I broke them off myself. After hearing about Rocks's death… I went to Marineford. Giants have a thousand years of sins to atone for.
For Elbaf's future, for the children to be able to live happily, Giants need peace. For that, I'm willing to pay any price, even if it means losing everything."
The battle from just moments ago seemed as though it had never existed. Nereus merely listened to Harald explain his reasons. Now acting on behalf of the World Government to strike down pirates was Harald's way of proving himself.
"Harald, do you really think what you're doing will actually work?"
"Nereus, you should be able to understand my thinking. Don't you also want humans to truly understand Fish-Men and Mermaids, to put aside prejudice and live together in harmony?"
"Our races are different. In the long years of the past, Giants committed countless evils, while the Fish-Men and Merfolk were the victims.
But perhaps that has little to do with what we're discussing right now. Why do you think the World Government is worthy of trust? You should know very well that, in the eyes of the World Government, Giants are a perfect source of soldiers.
Do you really think the World Government would let soldiers delivered to their doorstep go, and allow you to live peacefully?
In the eyes of the current World Government, even humans are nothing more than expendable resources, let alone giants, a demi-human race?"
"No matter what, I have to do something. I am the king of the Giants; this is my responsibility. I can do anything, but my people cannot."
Every word Harald spoke revealed his desire to shoulder everything himself, and his attitude was extremely resolute.
In Harald's view, joining the World Government was the best way to integrate into the circle of other nations.
"Integration is important, yes—but integration alone isn't enough. This world needs a transformation.
If the current World Government doesn't change, the outcome will never change either.
Someone asked me to remind you of one thing: the rat king hiding in the gutter has long had their eyes on all of Elbaf. Right now, you may simply be one link in their trap."
Nereus's words made Harald frown. He knew Nereus harbored deep hostility toward the World Government, and hearing this now almost felt like deliberate provocation.
"Remind me?"
"Xebec's 'last words.' He came into contact with certain things of the World Government. That guy… even at death, he was worried about you.
That's all I have to say. Take care of yourself, Harald. The World Government… isn't as trustworthy as you think."
With those words, Nereus spread his wings and returned to his ship, continuing to move deeper into the fog.
The fog slowly closed in, and the hard-won sunlight dispersed with it. Harald, however, remained seated for a long time.
Even with one hand covering his face, tears kept sliding down his cheeks.
"Rocks… for Elbaf… for not disappointing the World Government… I stood by and watched you die. I abandoned my closest friend when he begged me for help… and yet you…"
Reputation is built gradually. Harald believed that Nereus would not use Rocks's name to spout such nonsense at a time like this.
But it also strengthened another resolve within Harald's mind…
[I have already betrayed my closest friend… Elbaf must peacefully integrate into the world's order. No one can stop this, and no one can…. use Elbaf for their own ends!]
TN: Hey guys, I will be releasing extra chapters for every 20 power stones. (5-7 chapters.)
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