Giants' Palace — The Chamber of Recovery
The medical room of the Giants' Palace was heavy with the thick scent of herbs.
Loki slowly regained consciousness, a sharp pain stabbing through his chest. His blurry vision cleared, revealing the towering figure beside the bed — silent as a mountain, yet shadowed by worry.
"Father…" Loki's voice came out weak and trembling.
"You're awake, Loki."Harald's deep voice carried a weight of emotion barely held in check. "Tell me — who did this to you? Was it that man called Rocks?"His fists tightened, joints cracking audibly. One confirmation was all it would take for his rage to erupt.
Loki met his father's gaze — eyes filled with unhidden concern and fury — and felt an unexpected warmth rise within him.
He opened his mouth, instinctively ready to point to Rocks.
But the image of that overwhelming slash, the sky-splitting power, and that voice — proud, unyielding, commanding the world — flashed through his mind.
And in that instant, something inside him shifted.
"…No," he murmured. "It wasn't him. I was… hit by a charging ice mammoth while training."
Harald's brows furrowed deeply. His sharp eyes studied his son, piercing straight through the lie. The wound was far too clean — unmistakably a blade's work.
His jaw tightened, anger boiling beneath his calm. But looking at Loki's pale, shaken face, he finally exhaled a heavy sigh and rested a massive hand on his son's forehead.
"Rest. We'll talk later."He didn't expose the lie — but his distrust and hatred toward Rocks and his crew burned brighter than ever.
The Banquet Hall of Giants
Meanwhile, in the palace's vast main hall, Tanma and the others were experiencing a feast like no other.
The immense stone table stretched like a runway, piled high with roasted beasts of unknown species, bread the size of small boats, and jugs of ale that could drown a man.
Newgate laughed heartily, ripping an entire leg from a massive roast and devouring it without a care, grease running down his chin.Shiki grumbled over the giants' crude winemaking, swirling his drink in mock critique.Stussy, ever composed, sampled each dish with refined grace.Ochoku, Silver Axe, and Malone ate heartily, their table manners as fierce as their reputations.
Only Tanma, while quietly eating, kept his eyes scanning the hall — feeling the tension hidden beneath the laughter.
At the head of the table sat Rocks, lifting a giant wooden mug filled to the brim. Across from him sat Harald, who had just returned from the infirmary.
"Harald!" Rocks called, his voice booming. "Your strength is wasted rotting away in this frozen land! Join me! With your power and mine combined, the title of King of the World will be more than just a dream! We'll tear down this vile world and rebuild it from the ashes!"
Harald didn't respond. Instead, his eyes drifted toward Tanma, who sat quietly beside Rocks."Boy," Harald said sternly, "you don't seem like the others. If you follow this man… death will find you soon enough. He walks a path of destruction. Those who follow him will share his fate."
Tanma blinked, then chuckled — softly at first, then breaking into wild laughter that echoed through the great hall.
"Hahahahaha! Death? Killed?" He wiped a tear from his eye and smirked. "You think we're here because of loyalty? That we're friends?"
He leaned forward, voice dripping with amusement."I'll tell you the truth — even if Rocks drops dead tomorrow, no one here will care. Everyone has their own reasons: power, gold, fame, or just the thrill of chaos. Rocks just created the stage. The rest of us? We're just actors chasing what we want. His life or death doesn't matter."
His words silenced the hall.
Harald frowned deeply. Even Newgate paused mid-bite, and Shiki's cigar hung motionless between his fingers. But none of them refuted Tanma's claim.
Their silence spoke louder than words.
Harald looked around the table — at this strange crew bound not by trust, but by ambition. Their power was undeniable… but their unity was hollow.
"What a bizarre group," he muttered. "No bonds… only hunger."
Rocks snorted coldly, clearly unbothered by Tanma's blunt truth. It was as if he accepted — even welcomed — that kind of honesty. He fixed his piercing gaze back on Harald.
"Hmph. Ungrateful fool. You still haven't answered me. Why cling to those World Government dogs? You call that survival?"
Harald finally turned his eyes to Rocks, his expression filled with grim pity."Rocks… are you insane? This isn't submission. It's survival. Have you forgotten what happened to the Giant Pirates? Making enemies of the world will only bring ruin to Elbaf! We seek peace, stability—"
His words were suddenly cut short.
From behind a stone pillar, Loki listened in silence — his body hidden, but his heart pounding wildly.
He had heard his father's speeches on "peace" countless times before. The same cautious, suffocating words that had always made him feel trapped.
But Rocks' voice — that proud, fearless roar proclaiming his desire to overturn the entire world — struck him like lightning.
Overthrow the world? Rule it yourself?
What a magnificent dream.What freedom.What power.
Compared to his father's restraint, Rocks' sheer audacity burned like fire in Loki's chest.
Through the gap in the stone pillar, he watched the man who had once cut him down — a man now cloaked in charisma and impossible ambition.
And slowly, the resentment in his eyes faded — replaced by something else entirely.
Admiration.
This man was unlike any giant he had ever known.He wasn't bound by fear or order.He was the embodiment of defiance — the symbol of breaking every chain.