One Piece: Rayquaza of the Beasts Pirates

After successfully taking on the mission of capturing Loki, Kane then brought up another purpose for coming to Elbaf.

"Since Elbaf has decided to open its doors and establish friendly relations with human nations, why not consider forming an alliance with the Beast Pirates?"

"Our sphere of influence covers a full quarter of the New World! By allying with us, Elbaf is essentially establishing friendly relations with dozens of human kingdoms at once!"

Kane spoke in a loud, enticing voice.

"An alliance?!"

Aruru frowned and slowly shook his head: "We, Elbaf, have resolved to abandon our past acts of violence. We will not assist the Beasts Pirates in any battles."

However, he didn't rule out the possibility entirely, adding, "Of course, if you can persuade other giants to help you voluntarily, I won't stop you as an elder."

The core meaning of these words is clear: the giant warriors' personal choices are their freedom, but the country of Elbaf will not formally form a military alliance with the pirate crew.

If Kane's goal, like that of the World Government and Charlotte Linlin, is simply to build a powerful army of giants, then with Aruru's promise, the goal has been essentially achieved.

But Kane's ambitions go far beyond that.

He wants to tie the entire Elbaf to his war chariot!

"The alliance I'm referring to is not a military alliance, but a deeper level of industrial cooperation."

Kane began to outline his plan: "As far as I know, Elbaf still relies on imports for almost all industrial products except for basic necessities. Moreover, due to the giants' unique size, you can hardly obtain any truly usable products from the outside world."

"Why not consider manufacturing it ourselves?"

To put it bluntly, Elbaf is still in a self-sufficient feudal era, and it's ten watts away from the First Industrial Revolution.

Aruru's eyes became focused: "Can you help us?"

“Of course,” Kane answered decisively. “Work with me, and I can lead you to a modern life.”

Immediately, he began to bake fragrant and large pancakes.

Stable and bright electric lights, tractors that greatly improve farming efficiency, refrigerators that can preserve food for a long time regardless of the season...

At this moment, both Boss Jia and Boss Lei were watching him!

Kane unleashed his full power, presenting a series of prosperous and beautiful blueprints that captivated the giants present, filling their eyes with longing for the future.

Even the composed Aruru almost couldn't resist the urge to agree on the spot.

But he managed to control his emotions and said in as calm a tone as possible, "This is a serious matter, and we need time to discuss it carefully."

"Go ahead," Kane said calmly, showing no sign of urgency.

After Yaru returned, a great scholar debated the scriptures for him.

He wasn't just taking Dorry and the others sightseeing in Wano Country; he wasn't just doing it out of boredom.

This discussion lasted all day.

As night fell, Kane and his group reunited at the tavern.

Robin enthusiastically shared her day's discoveries with her friends.

"The giants have preserved an ancient mural dating back to the Void Century, which depicts three progressive worlds. According to the giants' ancient legends, the first two worlds have been destroyed, and we are in the third world."

In an epic, chanting tone, she slowly recited the proverb from the mural: "The sun god dances and laughs, leading the world to its end..."

Kane listened quietly without interrupting.

In his view, the meaning of the third mural was not complicated; it simply depicted the sun god Nika leading various races to jointly fight against the "demon" Im.

"The Sun God? Isn't that Nika? He'll destroy the world?!"

Bonnie's little face was filled with fear, and she instinctively gripped her father's arm tightly: "Daddy, isn't Nika the liberator who brought freedom?"

Big Bear gently patted his daughter's head and said with a kind smile, "Don't worry, Bonnie. This is just a mural story. And even if the end of the world really comes, Daddy will definitely protect you."

Robin offered a different perspective: "Nika's story has been told all over the world, and his image has always been positive and optimistic. I speculate that the 'end' depicted in the mural does not refer to Nika's destruction of the world, but rather to his ending of the old ruling order..."

She paused, her expression turning unusually serious: "That is—the Celestial Dragons!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the tavern seemed to freeze.

The group of friends looked at each other, their expressions becoming extremely serious.

The Celestial Dragons have ruled the world for eight hundred years!

The murals, however, say that the so-called sun god will overthrow them.

Just then, Yamato suddenly said casually, "Isn't this exactly what we're doing right now?"

The tense atmosphere was suddenly broken. Everyone was stunned at first, but then they couldn't help but laugh and returned to their usual relaxed state.

Yes, aren't they doing what the so-called sun god is supposed to do?

Violet nudged Yamato with her elbow and joked, "Maybe the sun god is you, Yamato. You're always laughing so happily, you must be 'dancing and laughing'!"

"So I am Nika, the sun god!"

Yamato crossed one arm over his chest and rested his chin on the other, and actually began to think seriously.

"Hey, don't take it seriously."

Everyone unanimously complained.

Upon hearing this, Enel arrogantly raised his head and said disdainfully, "Since the mural does not depict my image, this prophecy must be false and not worth believing!"

Kane glanced at him; the guy was as confident as ever.

However, it's not entirely true that the mural has nothing to do with Enel; the figures of the Moon People are also depicted on it.

Sanji noticed a blind spot: "Wait, if that mural really is a prophecy... then doesn't that mean that it won't be Brother Kane who overthrows the Celestial Dragons in the future?"

Kane chuckled and patted him on the shoulder: "What's wrong, disappointed?"

Sanji nodded subconsciously at first, then quickly shook his head, his tone firm: "No! The person who painted that mural definitely wouldn't have made a prophecy. The one who will overthrow the Celestial Dragons in the future is definitely Brother Kane!"

You're quite confident, kid.

Kane chuckled. He looked around at his companions, whose expressions varied but whose eyes shone with unconditional trust and support, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

"So-called prophecies are nothing but excuses used by cowards to escape reality! I only believe that human will can overcome fate!"

He burst into hearty laughter, his laughter filled with undeniable charisma.

"That's right!!!"

"Only Kane, you are the king of the world!"

The crowd was filled with excitement and echoed in unison.

Forget all prophecies, forget all who the destined savior is, even if there's an abyss ahead, they will follow in Kane's footsteps and bravely overcome it with laughter!

Even Enel, who was most opposed to Kane, scoffed, "Until I defeat you, I will obey your orders."

"It's very lively."

Yaru's loud voice came through.

Behind him were Donald and Brogy.

Because of his enormous size, Aruru could only talk to Kane from outside the tavern.

“Kane, Dorry and the others have already told me about what they saw and heard in Wano Country.”

Aruru spoke solemnly, "I agree in principle to establish friendly relations with the Beasts Pirates, but..."

This "but" made everyone's hearts jump.

He paused, then continued, "Because there is no king, many giant villages scattered throughout the land do not actually obey my commands completely."

As Kane said before, Elbaf is still in a loose feudal era.

The Treasure Tree Adam is dotted with villages of giants of all sizes. They are nominally under the king's jurisdiction, but due to the giants' violent nature, rebellion is commonplace whenever the king's policies do not meet their expectations.

When Harald decided to make Elbaf abandon violence and stop raiding, he faced fierce opposition and even armed rebellion from many villages.

It was only thanks to Harald's formidable strength that the rebellion was forcibly suppressed.

Now, Kane faces the same dilemma.

Not all giants yearn for so-called "modernization" and "change".

For many traditional giant warriors, true glory lay in raiding and plundering to demonstrate their might, rather than farming at home or working in a factory.

"Simple, let's have a fight."

Amidst the shocked gazes of Aruru and the others, Kane smiled calmly: "Elbaf is, after all, a former nation of warriors. What form of communication could be more convincing than fists and battles?"

"This……"

Yaru's brows furrowed deeply, his deeply lined face filled with hesitation.

Having lived through Harald's era, he was somewhat unwilling to rely solely on violence to solve problems.

Instead, Dongli's eyes lit up, and he loudly suggested, "Elder Yaru, isn't there an ancient trial in Elbaf that has been passed down for a long time? I think it fits the current situation perfectly."

"You mean... the King of Glory Arena?"

From the depths of his dusty memories, Yaru unearthed this ancient word, imbued with an aura of iron and blood.

"King's Arena? What's that?" Yamato's curiosity was immediately piqued.

"Crackling sound... Should I start that?!"

Brogy became excited upon hearing this and explained in a gruff voice, "That's an ancient trial that has been passed down in Elbaf for countless years!"

"Whenever the throne is vacant and a new king is needed to lead Elbaf forward, and the giants are arguing about it, this trial will be initiated!"

"The rules are simple. The king's candidate must accept the challenges of all the giant warriors on the sacred arena and fight to the very end, remaining standing! The time limit is seven days and seven nights. Therefore, it is also known as the 'Seven-Day Trial'!"

"However, this trial only exists in legends and has never been truly activated in hundreds of years."

It should be understood that even for warriors with the blood of the ancient giants, it would be no easy feat to withstand a relentless attack from all the giants without falling.

Kane was taken aback upon hearing this.

This is like a perfect pillow for someone who's sleepy!

Does Elbaf really have such a convenient tradition?

"only……"

Brogy paused, his gaze falling on Kane, his tone hesitant: "Even in legends, there has never been a precedent of humans participating in the challenge."