Villages, training grounds, libraries.
Everything that once belonged to Elbaf had vanished without a trace.
Gurgle!
Gurgle!
Replaced only by a massive vortex devouring everything.
That was the only reverberation left in the world by this legendary country of warriors on the sea.
Inside the Aster, the Giants silently watched the massive vortex that appeared where their homeland had once stood, and the last massive piece of tree trunk that had already disappeared into it.
Even though Loki tried his best to alleviate the Giants' sorrow, their emotions were clearly still difficult to calm.
Or rather, it wasn't just them.
"..."
Loki, who had reverted to human form, stood beside Uma, those profound snake pupils similarly staring at that gradually receding massive vortex.
Lightning floated quietly beside him, the fluffy tail extending from the hammer's handle also seeming sorrowful.
"...As I said."
After a long silence, Loki finally spoke. "We want to join you — in the grand war of the future, the Giant race will be your most outstanding warriors."
Although this had already been stated in the declaration to the Giants earlier, Loki's words to Uma now were undoubtedly the formal request.
Yes.
After witnessing the abilities possessed by Uma and Star Lord with his own eyes, and even being saved by them himself, Loki had given up his original intention to weigh The Zodiac. He was determined to view them as the future of the Giant race, just as Rocks had said in the past.
"..."
Hearing Loki's words, Uma was momentarily speechless.
If it were before, he would definitely have properly explained the so-called grand war.
But now, even he couldn't deny it.
The relationship between him and Imu was truly fighting to the bitter end.
In other words — the war between the two was destined and inevitable.
Therefore—
"The Giant race can reside on the Aster for now — there is enough area here for your activities."
"After subsequently obtaining the leader's permission, I can guide everyone to our Zodiac's headquarters, the Starry Garden Starosia."
Facing Loki's words, he responded like this.
"Headquarters? Starry Garden?"
Light flickered in Loki's snake eyes.
Clearly, he was extremely curious about the so-called Zodiac headquarters.
However, Uma's words reminded him of something.
"Speaking of which — Rocks asked me to pass a message to Star Lord back then... he probably doesn't have time now, so how about I tell you first, and you relay it to him later?"
Loki said this.
Yes — he originally bore the instructions left by Rocks to inform The Zodiac.
It's just that he was anxious to save the citizens of Elbaf earlier, so he didn't tell him right away.
Now, seeing that Elbaf had completely sunk and the survivors had all been rescued, he naturally remembered.
"You can."
Uma had no objections.
In fact, beneath the mask, Roy's expression even showed a bit of curiosity.
To be honest, he was also very curious about what message Rocks had asked Loki to pass on.
Loki was clearly a straightforward character. Without any hesitation, he directly began to recount the story from that year.
Thirty years ago, Elbaf.
"Going to your death? Hey, hey — stop joking, Rocks."
Loki looked at the man before him. Even though his eyes were hidden beneath bandages, the curvature of their widening could faintly be seen.
"I wouldn't joke about this kind of thing!"
In front of him, Rocks was laughing heartily.
"I'll have another drink with Newgate and the others, and then I'll go back to Mary Geoise — I'll leave it to you to tell your old man the truth. I don't want to see him."
When he said this, he gulped down the fine wine in front of him.
"I will tell him the situation... but I still don't understand. You clearly survived — why do you still have to..."
Loki frowned tightly, clearly unable to understand Rocks' choice.
"With your ability, you can completely perform 'surgery' on yourself, right?"
As an admirer of Rocks, and the son of Harald, Loki clearly understood Rocks' ability extremely well.
He knew Rocks was the user of the Op-Op Fruit, and had developed the ability of this fruit to the extreme.
He could even perform extremely difficult surgeries on himself — with such an ability, no matter what injuries he suffered, he should be able to recover.
"Surgery?"
Rocks put down his wine glass and grinned. "Mm... speaking of which, I indeed could do that."
"However — I have things I must do."
He spread his hands, grinning.
"Loki, I've told you before."
"If a man is destined to die, he must definitely choose a way to die worthy of him."
As he spoke, he looked at his sword placed on the table.
"The Abyss — that guy's Black Transmutation Control has eroded my soul. Even with Star Lord's power, facing Him directly again, I have no possibility of winning anymore."
"Even if I healed my body through surgery, that power cannot be eliminated."
Speaking of this, he sneered.
What that meant, Loki clearly knew very well.
Rocks could heal his body, but that mark on his soul from being subjected to Black Transmutation Control could not be eliminated.
He would never have the possibility of facing the Abyss directly again — only able to spend his life hiding.
Of course, he might have a happy family. He could go to the Lulusia Kingdom, take his wife and children, and spend a happy rest of his life.
There was still time until the promised era — he could completely ignore the future of this world.
But that kind of death was undoubtedly unworthy of Rocks D. Xebec.
"I am not a tame person. I've been this way since birth."
Rocks said this while wiping his sword.
"I belong to the sea, and I will change this world."
That was the ambition he had possessed ever since he learned what the world was.
He would mold this world into the shape he desired.
If he couldn't do it, then he would rather die.
"My wife, my Alice, also loves this me — if I choose to retreat, then Rocks is already dead."
Rocks looked at Loki. "So I must go to Mary Geoise — I have one last thing I must do."
"Do you understand, brat?"
Loki remained silent.
Yes.
If Rocks chose to drag out an ignoble existence, then he would no longer be himself.
In the end — not only Rocks' wife Alice, but even Loki himself was the same.
Wasn't it exactly because of this man's spirit to overturn the world no matter what that he admired him so much?
"Brat, your captain is giving you an order."
When Rocks looked at Loki again, his words were incredibly solemn. "How should you answer?"
"...Yes, Captain!"
Loki gritted his teeth, his eyes already brimming with tears.
But he still forced himself to hold on and respond.
"Very good."
Rocks finally showed a satisfied smile.
"Then — I need you to help me tell Star Lord a few things."
"First, I have collected some materials necessary for him to complete his great undertaking."
"Of course, because the Abyss has a connection with some of those things, I had to put them all in a corner no one can discover."
"To retrieve those things requires keys."
He looked at Loki and spoke deeply.
"The keys have two parts. I have already given one part to Star Lord. The other part... I need you to do something for me after that 'national treasure' in Elbaf is consumed."
"That person might be Nika, or might be someone else, but I need you to have him help me make something."
As Loki recounted the story to this point, his own expression was complex.
Yes.
At that time, even Rocks hadn't expected — the person who ultimately consumed Elbaf's national treasure would be Loki himself.
Therefore—
"The thing Rocks asked me to make, I completed long ago."
While speaking, he slowly raised his hand.
Lightning beside him abruptly changed, turning into the appearance of a squirrel in just an instant.
The squirrel rummaged in its fluffy fur, and ultimately pulled out a... compass.
It was a bizarre compass. While Source Energy of Lineage Factor swirled on it, an object was also stuck into the top of the compass.
That was a... Vivre Card.
[Discovered Lineage Factor Creation 'Vivre Compass']
[This creation's needle will point in the direction of a certain individual]
"..."
After hearing the prompt from the Fruit Encyclopedia by his ear, Uma's expression became slightly solemn.
He had more or less sorted out Loki's meaning.
Before that banquet where Rocks went to his death, he indeed had met him and entrusted some matters to him.
This included the things he had collected — based on what Roy currently knew, it at least included the wealth of Skypiea, that seed on the Abyss, and perhaps other things.
It's just that because some of those things had a connection with the Abyss, he chose to store the treasure he collected in a certain location — this sentence should refer to that seed.
This thing had been stored on the Abyss and within the thick fog of the Florian Triangle since eight hundred years ago. The Davy clan clearly had some way to sever its connection with Imu.
Of course, none of this was crucial.
What was crucial was that, in order to ensure the safety of that location, Rocks clearly made preparations.
He prepared two keys. One of them Roy still didn't know what it was, and the second was this compass before him.
It was a Lineage Factor creation, so it had to be created by the user of the Nidhogg Fruit kept in Elbaf — Rocks back then clearly didn't know Loki would consume that fruit in the future, but he just happened to find him for help.
In a sense, this might also be considered a kind of fate.
"This Vivre Card..."
Uma looked at Loki and asked softly.
"Is Rocks' Vivre Card."
Loki's expression remained unchanged. "I know you must be very puzzled — why his Vivre Card still exists, but I can only tell you... I don't know either."
"He only gave this Vivre Card to me back then, and after he went to Mary Geoise, the condition of this Vivre Card became somewhat strange."
While Loki spoke, Uma naturally noticed it as well.
Although the Vivre Card stuck on that compass was very intact, its overall color looked very strange — it didn't show a white color similar to ordinary paper like a normal Vivre Card, but carried a faint grayish-black hue.
And one must know, a Vivre Card represents its owner's current life status — if the owner is weak, then the Vivre Card will gradually burn.
Only when its owner dies will the Vivre Card completely turn to ash.
But the current condition of Rocks' Vivre Card undoubtedly indicated...
"His life status is very special?"
Uma frowned — he originally thought Rocks should have completely died.
Looking at it now, the situation seemed much more complex than he expected.
But the crux didn't lie in this, but in this compass itself.
Loki reached out and handed the compass over.
After Uma took the compass, he noticed the compass's needle — it was moving slightly, pointing in a certain direction.
In other words—
"It is pointing to where Rocks is — no, it could also be where his corpse is, but in short, that guy indeed still has some 'legacy' left in this world."
Roy calculated secretly.
"The two keys Rocks left behind — one of them is related to his own ultimate fate?"
This was a matter laid bare.
At the same time, Roy also understood why Loki would so decisively choose to join his side.
The Zodiac had saved his mother and himself earlier, and saved Elbaf — this was indeed an important reason.
But at the same time, Loki was probably also anticipating — anticipating being able to see Rocks again.
"It's a wonder you actually managed to hold back for so many years and didn't rely on the compass to search for his whereabouts."
Uma looked at Loki and sighed.
"I had considered it — but as a crew member, one cannot disobey the captain's orders."
Hearing this, Loki instantly realized his thoughts had been seen through.
He didn't deny it. "Moreover, I—"
However, just as he was about to continue speaking—
Buru buru!
Buru buru!
The sound of a Transponder Snail suddenly rang out.
"!!!"
Loki subconsciously turned his head and looked at Lightning — and right now, that giant squirrel pulled out a Transponder Snail from its fluffy tail.
"Hello!?"
Loki spoke in a low voice, his voice actually uncharacteristically gentle.
"Hello... Lord Loki?"
From the other end of the Transponder Snail, a voice trying hard to be lowered — somewhat timid and cowering — came through.
Mm... it's just that because the Giant race Transponder Snail Loki used was inherently incredibly massive in size, this lowered voice still appeared very loud.
At least Uma could hear clearly — that voice was distinctly a female voice.
"Regarding that prophecy I mentioned to you before... mm... recently, Shyarly... cough cough, that Madam Prophet had a new prophecy, making my royal father... cough cough, I mean, making my family very uneasy, so I wanted to..."
She muttered like this, sounding very weak.
But right now, through the content of this conversation, Roy had almost locked onto the other party's identity.
In the next moment, Loki's answer indeed verified his guess.
"I told you before, right — Duke Ponpon?"
"For things like prophecies, you only need to believe the part you are willing to believe!"
(End of Chapter)
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