Before the training ship's anchor could drop, still a hundred meters from Elbaf's shore, Luffy could no longer contain himself.
"Elbaf! I'm coming!"
With a loud shout, completely ignoring the angry shouts from Ace, Zoro and Sanji behind him, he stretched out his arms and swiftly grabbed Usopp and Chopper beside him.
"Luffy! What are you doing...?"
"Yameteeeee!"
Before Chopper could react and Usopp could finish his sentence, a powerful elastic force erupted from beneath their feet.
The next second.
"Waaaahhh..."
"Help me—"
Amid two piercing screams that tore through the sky, Usopp and Chopper were clamped under Luffy's arms like cannonballs, shooting straight toward the opposite shore.
The gale-force wind rushed into his mouth, stretching Usopp's tears and snot into two white streaks.
He felt his heart was about to leap out of his throat, while Chopper was so terrified that his hooves flailed wildly in the air.
"BOOM!"
The three of them crashed heavily onto the shore, kicking up a cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, Luffy, his hair a tangled mess, scrambled excitedly out of the crater and raised his arms high.
"I'm gonna be the King of Adventurers!"
Beneath him, Usopp and Chopper were already foaming at the mouth and seeing stars.
On the deck, everyone watched the scene, their lips twitching in unison.
Orion merely glanced at them but didn't intervene.
Seeing this, the other trainees couldn't wait to show off their skills and began landing on the island one after another.
When their feet truly stepped onto this land, everyone finally understood the true meaning of "gigantic."
Every blade of grass beneath their feet stood taller than a person, feeling soft and spongy when stepped on.
The trees in the distance resembled mountain ranges, piercing straight into the clouds.
The air carried an ancient and vast atmosphere, as if every breath was a conversation with history.
"Is this the legendary Elbaf?" Nico Robin adjusted her sunglasses, her eyes gleaming with the unique light of a scholar.
"It's truly enormous!"
Nami, Koala, Nojiko, and Perona instinctively gathered closer to Robin. In this vast land, Robin's composure gave them a great sense of security.
"Robin, we're sticking with you!" Nami suggested.
"Of course, it would be my honor," Robin smiled, but then her tone suddenly shifted, carrying a hint of eeriness.
"But everyone must be careful not to wander off. If you get lost, you might fall into the Underworld."
"The Underworld?!" Nami's eyes widened in fear. "What Underworld? Robin, don't scare me!"
Robin explained with a serious expression: "Elbaf is located atop a giant tree called the 'Adam Treasure Tree.' The top of the treasure tree is the Celestial Realm, the area where the people of the Giant Kingdom live is called The Sunny World—the middle section of the treasure tree—while the roots of the tree are referred to as the Underworld. It's said that if anyone accidentally falls into the Underworld, they'll be dragged in by the demons inside and become their food."
After saying this, she revealed a meaningful smile.
Nami instantly broke out in goosebumps, hugging her arms and stepping back repeatedly.
"Stop it, stop talking about it!"
Just then, an unwelcome voice interrupted.
"What are you all standing around for? Everyone, follow me!"
"As long as you follow me, you don't need to worry about getting lost, let alone falling into some Underworld."
Zoro had somehow walked over, his hand resting on his sword hilt, looking completely confident.
The moment he finished speaking, three angry shouts erupted simultaneously from different directions.
"Enough already, you moss-headed idiot!" Sanji nearly spat out his cigarette.
"Haven't you caused us enough trouble? Now you want to endanger Nami and the others too?" Sabo's face darkened.
"Shut up, you directionally-challenged fool!" Ace was even more direct.
A vein bulged at Zoro's temple as he instantly flushed with anger, turning to roar at the three.
"Idiots! When have I ever caused you trouble? Back on Sabaody Archipelago, wasn't I the one who led you out of that forest?"
At these words, the looks Ace, Sabo, and Sanji gave him were as if they were looking at a hopeless fool.
Ace couldn't be bothered to argue with him anymore and directly turned to Nami and the others, spreading his hands.
"Would you rather believe he's not directionally-challenged, or believe that I'm the Fleet Admiral of the Marines?"
The girls shook their heads in unison without hesitation, then like startled fawns, they scurried behind Orion and said in one voice.
"We only believe in Fleet Admiral!"
Orion paid no attention to the noisy apprentices.
After surveying the surroundings, he slowly closed his eyes.
Immediately, invisible Observation Haki spread out like a tidal wave, instantly covering the entirety of Elbaf.
The bustling villages of The Sunny World, the ethereal mists of the Celestial Realm, and beneath the roots of the treasure tree—that dark, deathly silent Underworld
Soon, Observation Haki penetrated through the layers of massive tree roots, precisely locking onto a colossal figure bound by Seastone Handcuffs, leg irons, and numerous chains.
...
Meanwhile, in the Underworld.
It was dark and damp here, with only faint light filtering through the gaps between the tree roots.
A majestic figure over sixty meters tall sat amidst ruins, bound by countless chains thicker than ship anchors.
Wearing a wide-brimmed helmet with his eyes wrapped in thick bandages, he exuded an evil aura that made the surrounding air seem to recoil from him, creating an unnerving silence in the space.
The one imprisoned here by massive chains, with Seastone Handcuffs on both wrists and ankles, was none other than Loki, the Prince of the Giant Kingdom.
Imprisoned at the roots of the Adam Treasure Tree for patricide to steal a Devil Fruit, he called himself the "Sun God," possessed the ancient giant physique from atavism, and was known as the "Cursed Prince" and "Elbaf's Disgrace."
"Clang—"
Loki suddenly raised his head, the enormous chains wrapped around him emitting a harsh metallic clatter.
He "looked" toward the direction of The Sunny World, his lips twisting into a ferocious grin as a massive tongue lolled from his mouth, drool silently dripping to the ground.
"Hehe... It seems an extraordinary figure has arrived in Elbaf."
After a brief pause, Loki's expression suddenly shifted as if conversing with an unseen presence, his bloodthirsty grin widening.
"Pom Pom Gong, Elbaf needs me. You alone cannot stop this person!"
The air fell silent for a moment.
Then, an aged voice echoed in his ear.
"As you said, indeed an extraordinary figure has come... The Fleet Admiral of the Marines! He led a Training Ship to destroy Hachinosu Island and has now landed in Elbaf."
"The Fleet Admiral?" A sharp glint flashed in Loki's eyes. "Is it that fellow Sengoku?"
"No." Pom Pom Gong's voice came again. "The current Fleet Admiral is named Orion. Half a year after your confinement in the Underworld, then-Vice Admiral Orion suddenly staged a coup, not only successfully ascending to the position of Fleet Admiral but also signing the Mary Geoise Treaty with the Holy Land. He is now the most powerful person in the world."
Hearing this, Loki let his massive tongue hang freely as he sneered, "So, has he come to extend an olive branch to me too?"
"A Fleet Admiral who rose through coup?"
"I look forward to meeting him! Hehahaha~"