Chapter Eleven: Puppet Battle Tactics! Harald (Please Keep Reading!)

"Hmm?"

Loki paused, instinctively swinging the iron rod in his hand, shattering the incoming brilliant blade light with a single strike.

"Wait! What do you mean by this, kid?"

He looked at Luya, who was shielded by five figures, and spoke with great annoyance. "Wasn't this supposed to be a one-on-one? What's the meaning of calling out so many people?"

"They are a part of my ability," Luya said with a chuckle. "If you want to fight me, you'll have to get past them first."

Loki should have felt fortunate that Luya had not brought all the "Changgui" (servant spirits) kept on Beehive Island. Otherwise, he would have learned what it meant to fight an entire legion—each member of which had a bounty of at least fifty to sixty million before being turned into a Changgui.

"Whatever!"

Loki gave an excited grin. "I'm going to smash you flat anyway!"

The ten-meter-tall young giant charged forward on his own two legs, raising his massive spiked club for a brutal strike.

The giant guards leading the way looked on coldly. They didn't particularly like Loki, but they disliked the Rocks pirates even more. Let Loki teach this kid a lesson.

Facing the incoming Loki, one of the five figures blocking Luya—the former Marine Vice Admiral, Johnson—sprang up. His blade was suddenly coated in pitch-black Haki as he met the attack with a fierce slash.

*Clang!*

A turbulent shockwave spread out, and Johnson was sent flying backward.

"That's truly exaggerated!" Luya couldn't help but click his tongue.

Such freakish strength!

Although Johnson had completely succumbed to becoming a Changgui and lost his sanity, relying entirely on instinct for his techniques, his strength had not diminished much compared to his prime. Yet, in a direct clash, Loki had swatted him away with a single blow.

However, Loki was, after all, still just a child. His power was far from invincible, and he stumbled backward as well.

"This guy!"

Loki realized Johnson was extraordinary. None of the beasts in the Underworld could rival this guy! Could the others be like this too?

As he thought this, the other four rushed toward him like zombies. Their movements were uncoordinated, leaving everything to instinct. Among them, the former Commodore's body began to change. He transformed into a lynx—the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Lynx!

*Whoosh!*

The speeding lynx figure instantly became a blur.

"What?" Loki was startled.

The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his right leg.

It was *Soru*! The lynx had grazed his ankle, leaving behind deep wounds.

"Not bad, not bad." Luya nodded in satisfaction.

The raw combat power was strong, but the giant race's common weakness—a lack of agility—existed in Loki as well. That made it easy to win.

"Damn thing!"

Loki raised his iron rod and swung it toward the lynx behind him. But at the same time, the three Colonels leaped up, each swinging their weapons at Loki's back.

Loki was forced to turn around and sweep his club horizontally. "Don't get in my way!"

*Clang!*

The iron rod collided with a black blade again! Johnson had stepped on the air to return. He was sent flying once more, but Loki also stumbled back again.

Simultaneously, the three Colonels used Loki's iron rod as a stepping stone to leap toward his face. Loki instinctively raised his hands to grab them, but a sharp pain suddenly struck his shoulder.

The lynx had jumped onto his shoulder, ferociously biting his neck.

"Waaah!"

Loki let out a cry of pain. As his hands trembled, the three Colonels reached his face, their three blades stabbing into his cheeks without hesitation.

"Grahhh!"

The cry of pain grew more intense.

Luya clicked his tongue. "That looks painful!"

"What?" The giant guards were shocked. A few unknown fellows had wounded Loki to this extent? Should one say that even as brats, they were still brats of the Rocks Pirates?

"Go to hell!"

It had to be said that the giant race was indeed thick-skinned, not to mention someone like Loki, who possessed the gifted bloodline of the Ancient Giants. Enduring the pain, he slapped his own face.

A nauseating sound of bone cracking echoed as the three Marine Colonels, unable to dodge in time, had their bodies twisted and deformed.

"These were Marine Changgui that took so much effort to collect." Luya sounded a bit regretful. "But forget it, they bought enough time. It's over."

"Grahhh-aaaah!!"

Loki's screams became even more intense. Even with their bones shattered, the three Colonels still pushed their blades forward, extending the wounds further. At the same time, the lynx jumped onto Loki's right hand and bit down hard on his wrist. Amidst the screaming, Loki dropped his spiked club.

Then.

*Whoosh!*

A black shadow shot toward Loki's chest. The pitch-black blade instantly pierced through it.

"Grahhh!"

The giant prince stumbled back in agony and collapsed onto the ground.

"Stop!"

No matter how much they disliked Loki, the giant guards could no longer sit by and watch. They rushed forward to intervene. They couldn't let Prince Loki be killed, could they?

However, they looked with terror at the calm-faced Luya. Was this human child an even more terrifying monster than Loki?

"Come back." Luya commanded.

Johnson pulled his blade out and sprang back, landing in front of Luya again. The large cat jumped to his side the next moment. Meanwhile, blood began to gush from Loki's chest.

"Doctor! Go find a doctor!" The guards scrambled to stop Loki's bleeding.

"Is this enough, Captain?" Luya asked, taking a deep breath while absorbing the faint black mist rising from Loki. "It wouldn't be good to kill people while visiting as a guest, right?"

It should have been very painful, right? Why did the black mist from this guy taste so faint?

Rocks asked with some surprise, "Aren't your puppets devoid of reason? Can they coordinate like this?"

He could clearly see that even the strongest puppet could not suppress Loki in a head-on fight. While winning through agility wouldn't be too hard, it shouldn't have been this easy.

"Usually, it wouldn't work," Luya said with a grin. "But I'm here, aren't I? Of course, I can control my Changgui."

Rocks nodded in understanding. Whitebeard let out another cold snort. So, this brat had manipulated those three Marines to throw their lives away just to land a decisive strike.

"Let's go, then. Let's go see Harald."

Rocks didn't even glance at Loki as he walked toward the castle. Luya and Whitebeard followed.

"Wait! What is your name!"

The roar of the defeated dog came from behind. Luya didn't look back; he simply waved his hand to let his two Changgui return to the ship to stand by.

It wasn't until he reached the gates of the castle that Luya realized its true scale. The gate alone was over a hundred meters high, and the entire castle was likely over a thousand meters tall.

Walking through the gate and along the incredibly wide stone path, they soon arrived at a hall that would be called a plaza by ordinary people.

"Sorry, Rocks. My son has caused you trouble."

The massive figure sitting on the throne spoke slowly. He was monstrously large! Luya could only look up at him. He had a bald head, a stern face, and looked a bit like Kratos. Like Loki, he had two horns on his head, signifying his Ancient Giant bloodline, making his height likely exceed sixty meters. His black beard was similar to Whitebeard's, a crescent shape, though he also had a thick beard on his chin.

This was the King of Elbaf, the anomaly among the war-crazed giants who advocated for foreign trade: Harald.

"To avoid useless chatter later," Rocks said, glancing back slightly, "Luya, show him your ability."

Luya understood instantly. First force, then diplomacy.

Black fur grew from his skin, and a pair of black wings spread from his back. In the blink of an eye, Luya had transformed into an upright tiger.

"Then, please witness!"

*Whoosh!*

Without any warning, the curtains acting as decorations in the hall, the wooden furniture, and everything flammable instantly burst into flames.

"This is..." Harald was stunned.

"How long do you think," Rocks said, rubbing Luya's furry head, "it would take this kid to set all of Elbaf on fire?"

"Rocks!" Harald's pupils shrank, and he became furious. "Are you threatening me?"

The treasure tree Adam, which bore Elbaf, was too large and too old; many parts were already rotten and dead, making it highly susceptible to fire. Once a fire started, it could easily grow out of control if not handled carefully, and the only solution would be to prune the affected branches. That was why Rocks said Luya's ability could shine in the Giant Kingdom.

"I am merely warning you," Rocks said coldly. "Only on this basis can we have a proper conversation!"

"You bastard!" The giant king's forehead was already breaking out in cold sweat. "What exactly do you want to talk about?"

Without hearing the specifics of their conversation, Luya and Uncle Whitebeard were sent out by Rocks.

*Hah~*

Luya yawned. A bit boring. Since that was the case, he might as well go see the murals. Since he was already here, he might as well take a look at the historical sites.