Elbaf
"Oh dear, how terrible!"
A boy over two meters tall stood atop a thick tree branch, gazing into the distance. As the sun set, smoke rose from a distant village of towering buildings, accompanied by relentless roars of anger.
"Even if I send everyone away beforehand, they'll still be afraid of her."
Muttering to himself, Oro toyed with a small lump of gold in his hand.
The highly malleable metal flowed like liquid, smoothly morphing into various shapes.
"Tesoro has yet to be born ... I need to start preparing too..."
"Since I've already eaten this thing, even if the heavens won't give me a 'system,' I should still go out and see the world."
"I'm sorry, Linlin. I couldn't stop you in advance. If you're determined to go to sea, it's necessary to eat one of these fruits first."
He looked up at the sky and silently calculated the time.
As night fell completely, the commotion in the distant village not only failed to subside but grew louder.
"Well, it's about time. Galz should have found that scumbag by now."
Oro leaped lightly from the branch. The gold in his hand suddenly stretched out, wrapping around a higher branch and swinging him forward at the last moment.
He landed easily, waved his hand to recall the gold and its scattered dust, and strode toward the village.
A wave of heat washed over them as flames spread.
In one corner of this village—larger than an ordinary human city—a section had been utterly transformed into an inferno.
The flames leisurely devoured houses larger than castles, the continuous sounds of collapse serving as their macabre accompaniment.
The giants, some ten or twenty meters tall, split into two groups. One struggled to create firebreaks by demolishing houses in the flames' path, while the other frantically hurled flammable materials away from the blaze.
Near the fire, sitting on the grass, was a figure in pink, larger than even the giant children her age.
The chubby girl, Charlotte Linlin, cried as she wolfed down food from a mountain of bread and desserts, occasionally whispering to the blond boy seated calmly beside her.
Sister Carmel and the giant girl, Gerd, rushed over and witnessed this scene.
"Eh!? Oro-nii has already calmed Linlin down?! That's great, Sister!"
Gerd spoke to Sister Carmel with delight, though her gaze remained fixed on the blond boy's back, stars practically twinkling in her eyes.
"Yes, that's great..."
Sister Carmel responded somewhat perfunctorily, her own gaze locked on the golden-haired figure, a dark glint in her eyes.
'Orokam Oro, son of a giant. Handsome features, precocious and deep-thinking even at his age...'
'...He's a monster too.'
'Even among my past "products," this one would be top-tier.'
'No, he could easily rank in the top three.'
'It's a pity that old bastard Tarrol found him first. If only we could have taken him and Linlin together...'
"Gerd. Gerd!"
"Oh! Sister Carmel? What's wrong?"
Sister Carmel's call snapped Gerd from her reverie, and she shyly fiddled with her pale blonde braids.
Sister Carmel ignored her charge's girlish thoughts and said softly, "Let's go over there. I'm worried someone might be hurt."
"Mhm! You're so kind, Sister!"
"Waaaah, Oro-nii, I really didn't mean to!"
"Alright,alright, stop crying. As long as no one is hurt, there's still a chance to make things right."
As Oro comforted the future Emperor—over three meters tall, incredibly strong, yet simple-minded—he noticed Sister Carmel and Gerd approaching.
"Linlin, don't cry. Look who's here. It's mother Carmel and Gerd"
"Hmm! Mother and Gerd? Waaah! Sister! Gerd! I messed up again! I'm so sorry... Waaah..."
Even while offering a sincere apology, Linlin never stopped devouring the bread and desserts.
"Linlin~ Can you tell me what happened?"
Mother Carmel asked with a gentle, smiling tone that held no trace of blame.
"Waaah, Mother~ I... I don't really know... I only remember being so hungry, and then when I came to my senses, Oro-nii was already kicking me in the face and yelling..."
"Hey, Mother! Oro-nii said that even though I caused all this, I didn't mean to. As long as I sincerely apologize and make amends, everyone can forgive Linlin, right?"
"Of course, Linlin. One must always admit their mistakes."
"If you've made a mistake and caused trouble, you should make amends. As long as Linlin is sincere, everyone will forgive her. I will also help Linlin apologize to everyone."
"Waaah~ Sister~ You're so kind~"
Gerd, listening nearby, sensed something amiss. Shouldn't Linlin be most grateful to Oro-nii for stopping her in time?
Oro stood aside, silently observing Carmel's every move, but his mind was elsewhere.
Thanks to his timely intervention, the giant village had not been engulfed in flames as it was in the original tale.
The fire was now under control, and that old women didn't seem to be making a move.
So... the Devil Fruit ability known as "Pandora" from the original story probably won't appear.
Very good.
When the enemy's numbers decrease while ours increase, when the enemy's advantage is in the open while ours is in the shadows, the scales of victory will mercilessly tip toward the side with more and heavier weights.
"Sister Carmel."
An aged voice, accompanied by heavy footsteps, sounded. Oro felt the earth tremble.
"Sirs."
"Elder Jarul ,Elder Jorul." x2
"Grandpa Jarul, Grandpa Jorul." x2
"Mountain Beard" Jarul and "Waterfall Beard" Jorul—the two oldest giants, elders of the tribe, and heroes of the Giant Warrior Pirates.
Their titles were quite literal: one had a beard as vast as a mountain, the other's flowed like a waterfall.
"Grandpa Jarul, Grandpa Jorul, is the fire under control? Was anyone hurt?"
Somewhat unexpectedly, it was Gerd, who had been quiet until now, who spoke first.
"What a kind child. Don't worry, Gerd, no one was hurt."
The fire still crackled behind them as Jorul, the elder, spoke with a grave tone.
No sooner had Jorul finished than Jarul added, "Sister Carmel, please come here. We need to discuss something with you."
He paused for a moment, and before Sister Carmel could respond, said, "Oro, you come too."
"Understood, Elder Jarul."
Oro answered calmly.
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