One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 294 You bastard, live on with guilt!
Halding certainly wouldn't forget.

Thirty-one years ago, on a certain day, upon hearing that his father had returned to Elbaf, he went to visit him at Olsto Castle.

But as soon as he arrived at Auersto Castle, he found that all the guards inside had been dismissed.

At the same time, he heard his father's roar.

"No way, Loki, you must have been tricked!"

"Not only did they conceal the fact that the man wasn't dead, but they also allowed him into the country. What kind of quagmire will this plunge the nation into?"

In Haldane's memory, Harald was always a gentle father.

He was gentle and loving towards both his 'second son' who had the blood of foreign giants and his elder brother who was born with terrifying eyes and was known as the 'cursed prince'.

But now, he heard his father's rare, angry, and even panicked roar.

What was in that roar?

Relief? Sadness? Disbelief? Despair?
Hailding was uncertain—it was such a complex emotion.

But it followed closely behind.
“If I don’t let Rocks into the country, if I don’t hear the ‘truth’ he’s talking about, this country is truly doomed—Father!”

He heard another voice.

It was a hoarse voice, coming from his brother.

"Stop lying to yourself, Father!"

The elder brother, who was not exactly close to Harald but not entirely unfamiliar with him, seemed to be displaying the same seriousness as Harald at this moment.

“You’ve seen Lockes’ letter. You know his character—that man won’t lie to you, even if you’ve severed ties with him.”

"This is his last 'advice' to you, his old friend: the contract on your arm is a conspiracy that will drag Elbaf into the 'abyss'."

"The so-called Wheel of the World is nothing more than the abyss's wrist above the sea."

"He has gone to his death, but he hopes you can use this opportunity to escape the clutches of the abyss. You are still in shallow waters, there is still a chance to be saved!"

Loki's words at this point seemed to carry a hint of sadness and anger.

"No, I can't believe it!"

But Harald still seemed unable to believe it: "To gamble everything on a 'person' who might never reappear, that kind of thing... that bastard Rocks."

He said through gritted teeth, “If I order that to be done, Elbaf’s chance of becoming a ‘member state’ will be completely gone—the world will see us as an enemy, and Elbaf will never be accepted by anyone again.”

"Then let me do it!"

Then, Hajrudin heard Loki's roar.

"I believe Rocks—he has accepted me as a member of the Rocks Pirates, and this is my captain's final 'captain's order'!"

This was the first time Hajrudin had heard Loki speak to his father like that.

"I'll kill the people from the World Government—the Admirals, the Kings of the member states, whoever they may be. I'll sever that country's so-called connection with the world, and I'll create that disaster. Anyway, I'm very good at this!"

"When the time comes, you can use my life to quell the people's anger!"

He said that.

At this moment, Haldin also understood the magnitude of the conversation between his father and brother.

He knew that Elbaf had recently begun to interact with the 'World' thanks to Harald's efforts—orders and diplomatic processes from many of the World's member states were already underway, and many giants had joined the navy. The entire country was clearly about to integrate into the 'Wheel of the World'.

But now, Loki seems to think Harald has been deceived and is planning to sever this newly formed 'connection' himself.

As for Loki's words, Hajrudin could naturally understand them.

He knew that his elder brother had been burdened with a 'curse' from the moment he was born.

It is said that he caused the death of his biological mother shortly after his birth, and at the same time, the entire Elbaf suffered from rare abnormal weather such as 'fires', 'snowstorms', and 'cold waves', which is why he was called the 'Cursed Prince'.

He possesses the same 'ancient giant bloodline' as Harald, and even has abnormally strong strength and vitality among the ancient giants.

He crawled out of the underworld with his bare hands shortly after birth.

In his youth, he subdued the most ferocious beasts in the underworld, known as the 'Mountain Lords,' and allowed them to attack villages.

He was once hated and feared by the entire Elbaf because of this.

As he himself said, he was a man skilled at bringing 'disaster'.

But
"Shut up!"

At that moment, Haildin heard Harald roar.

He seemed angrier than ever before.

"Loki, how many times do I have to tell you—you are not a monster, the 'power' you possess that can shake the world is your talent!"

“I have already atoned for the sins you committed in the past—you are now simply my son, the prince of Elbaf, a ‘treasure’ bestowed upon me by this world!”

"If you dare utter another word about using your life to quell the people's anger, I will never forgive you!"

He uttered those words.

The castle was quiet.

then
"Hmm?" *2
"Halding, come in."

The father and son, caught in the midst of their argument, seemed to have also detected Hajrudin's presence thanks to their powerful Observation Haki. "..."

So, slightly nervous, Halding stepped into the castle hall.

He saw his father and brother, as well as the letter his father had handed him.

“You are also a prince of Elbaf—so take a look too.”

Harald said this.

So Halding read the letter as instructed, even though it was very small for the giants.

He saw the bold and unrestrained handwriting on the letter.

Hey, you big, stupid idiot!

[Let me make this clear first, I haven't forgiven you—I won't consider you a friend for trying to kill me for the sake of the World Government.]

I'm telling you all this simply because Loki is a decent kid. I've already accepted him as the last member of the Rocks Pirates.

[It's really funny, isn't it? I barely survived God Valley, and then I heard you were completely fooled by the government.]

[You've only signed a 'shallow water contract' so far, right?]

While you can still turn back, I'll tell you the truth about the world, and by the way, introduce you to an extraordinary guy called 'Star Lord,' who is my chosen 'partner.'

Let us await his return; that will be the time for you, 'Elbaf,' to rejoin the world and change it.

If you are willing to believe me, then consume the 'national treasure' in the hands of your giants—its power is enough to erase the 'Shallow Sea Pact' from your body and preserve Elbaf until the 'Star Lord' returns to this sea.

You'd better live with that guilt.

The letter was very concise, so much so that it made one wonder if it was written while drunk.

But at the same time, in the contents of the letter, Hajrudin saw the truth of the world, which was unbelievable even to the giants.

The 'god' behind the World Government, the massive war that took place during the Void Century, even the origin of the Treasure Tree Adam, and his ultimate choice to die.

"Father, Your Majesty, this..."

At the time, it was only natural for Haildin to doubt the authenticity of what was written there.

But then he saw Harald and Loki's expressions.

Haldin also saw his father staring at the strange mark on his arm with a complicated expression.

Then Halding realized that what was written there was very likely true.

"Father, you..."

But Halding didn't have time to finish speaking.

Harald spoke first.

"Listen."

The mighty giant king looked at his two sons and said this.

"Loki, go and eat that 'national treasure' in the treasury."

"Hayldin, you and your brother will govern and protect this country well."

“I will have Elder Yaru come over in a moment and tell him about it—if you encounter any problems that you cannot solve, you can consult him.”

He explained it this way.

"Wait, wait—what do you mean by this!?"

Before Halding could react, Loki had already stood up.

Those eyes, which had been hidden by bandages since childhood, now seemed to be staring intently at Harald.

"You idiot old man, didn't you hear me? Rocks clearly said he wanted you."

He didn't finish his sentence.

because
"Zi!"

An intense aura of Conqueror's Haki descended upon the hall at this moment.

Its overwhelming and terrifying aura, which was virtually unmatched across the entire ocean, left Loki and Hajrudin speechless.

"I said it, so listen!"

The giant king touched the wound on his forehead.

That was after the God Valley incident, after he heard that Rocks had died in God Valley, when he went to Mary Geoise and broke it off with his own hands—those two horns, which symbolized the ancient giants, were both his farewell to the past and his old friends, and his determination to have Elbaf join the 'Wheel of the World'.

But what made Harald want to laugh was...
He knew Loki was right.

Even if we have severed ties and gone our separate ways.

But he remained clear-headed, and he still trusted them completely.

“I know—Rocks, that bastard. He wouldn’t lie to me!”

Harald clenched his fist.

(End of this chapter)