"Now that we've obtaihe Mini Mini Fruit, which seems tailored fiants..." Gerd pyed with the Paramecia-type Mini Mini Fruit in her hand, squinting with a smile. She suggested to El, "How about we head to Elbaf after this and recruit a powerful giant to join us?"

  "That’s a good idea, but aside from the Giant Warrior Pirates, I don’t think there are many suitable didates in the vilge," El shrugged.

  To be ho, within the Giant Warrior Pirates, only the long-absent captains, Blue Ogre and Red Ogre, ied him. The other members didn’t catch his eye. Of course, iure, ohe Fallen Angel Pirates grew in size and strength—perhaps eveablishing their own pirate nation—recruiting giants would be useful. But for now, El had no iion of using the Mini Mini Fruit’s powers on any of the ordinary, unremarkable members of the Giant Warrior Pirates.

  "Haha, that’s true. If there’s no one suitable in the vilge, we always sear the giant towns!" Hajrudin ughed, baring his teeth.

  "If we're talking about giants..." Streusen raised his hand and addressed El. "I have a suggestion, El-sama!"

  "You’ve met the A Giants?" El’s gaze sharpened, instantly dising Streusen’s thoughts. He was surprised to realize that Streusen had entered the rare A Giants during his adventures.

  "You guessed that?" Streusen’s eyes widened in disbelief. After a brief pause, he eagerly nodded. "A few years ago, I came across two giant humanoid creatures on an isnd in the New World—much rger than ordinary giants and with horns on their heads. At the time, I was so scared my legs almost gave out. It was only ter that I learhey were A Giants!"

  "What?"

  "A Giants?" Gerd and Hajrudin excimed in shock. As giants themselves, they had heard of the A Giants, a race much rger than miants. However, it was also said that A Giants were not very intelligent and were extremely violent.

  "Huh? A Giants?" Linlin tilted her head in fusion. "Aren’t Gerd and Hajrudin giants?"

  "A Giants are a special race whose bodies are far rger than the giants we typically see—several times bigger, in fact," El expined, patting Linlin’s head with a smile.

  Streusen, unaware that El wasn’t guessing but rather reading his thoughts, remained oblivious. El’s enhanced Observation Haki was one of his secret trump cards. It not only allowed him to foresee his enemies’ moves but also dis the loyalty and iions of those around him, preventing disloyal individuals from infiltrating his crew. Of course, he wasn’t about to advertise this ability, nor would he firm it even if others figured it out.

  "They’re even bigger than the giants?" Linlin asked, wide-eyed in astonishment.

  "Although the A Giants are powerful, I believe with your strength, El-sama, you should have no trouble subduing them!" Streusen said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I even have a Vivre Card for that isnd. Shall we go and try?"

  "Of course," El readily agreed. This was an ued surprise. If he could recruit an A Giant, his grand ambition of creating a try that included all races would be oep closer to reality.

  Furthermore, the Mini Mini Fruit’s powers were unique. Even though it shrunk the user's body, it didn’t affect their strength, appetite, or bat ability. Theoretically, the skin, muscles, and ans of an A Giant would press to areme degree. If such a massive creature were reduced to the size of a normal human or even smaller, and mastered the Six Powers and Haki, their bat power would be extraordinary.

  If this pn succeeded, El would likely gai another unstoppable, immensely powerful monster in his ranks.

  Without dey, El enrged Zeus the Thundercloud and loaded the treasure aboard. The group quickly departed from Barbarick Isnd, setting sail once again on the *Lucifer*, heading toward the isnd where Streusen had entered the A Giants.

  ...

  Tassed swiftly.

  El's bounty remained unged. The hat Steelbone Kong’s fleet, uhe and of the G-11 branch, had suffered heavy losses in an attack by the Fallen Angel El had not spread.

  "Whoosh..."

  In an unknowhe *Lucifer* sailed forward, carried by the massive waves created by the Sea Homie.

  "Streusen, are you sure this is the pce?" Hajrudin shouted, surveying the endless sea and the occasional giant Sea Kings that surfaced. "There are quite a few Sea Kings around here—we must be close to the Calm Belt’s edge, right?"

  "There’s no doubt about it, my lords!" Streusen shouted back, looking at the yellowed, weathered Vivre Card in his hand. "We should be very close now!"

  "El-sama, we’ve arrived..." Streusen’s sharp eyes suddenly caught sight of a distant, faintly visible isnd. He pointed ahead and called out.

  "We’ve arrived?"

  Linlin, Gerd, and Hajrudin's eyes lit up with anticipation. None of them had ever seen a real A Giant before.

  "Footprints... And they're huge..."

  Before long, with the Umibōzu pushing the *Lucifer* forward, they reached the shoreline, where they immediately spotted several enormous footprints in the sand.

  "Roar..."

  At that moment, a massive Sea King suddenly emerged from the water. Its vicious, gaping maw full of sharp teeth luoward them.

  "Hmm?"

  Standing at the bow, ready to disembark, El’s eyes narrowed.

  "g!!"

  In a fsh of cold light, his sword was drawn from his waist and sshed through the air.

  "Ssh—" The atmosphere seemed to tear apart as a massive, pale blue energy wave shot through the air, instantly slig through the several-hundred-meter-long Sea King’s head, decapitating it in a fsh.

  "Whoosh..."

  The giant, monstrous head tumbled down, and its massive body crashed into the sea, sending waves and blood surging across the surface, quickly staining the o red.

  "Wow! That was amazing..." Linlin’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

  "El, you’ve bee even more powerful..." Gerd and Hajrudin, filled with awe, added, "You casually unleash a flying ssh now!"

  "Such terrifying talent..."

  Streusen looked at the t figure of El, wings spread and fmes bzing behind his head. He was uen years old, yet already an intimidating presence. With heartfelt admiration, Streusen remarked, "El-sama, I believe you will soon bee the world’s greatest swordsman!"

  "Alright, enough with the fttery... I’m still far from being the true world's greatest swordsman," El ughed.

  He was self-aware. For now, his strength came rgely from his raw power—he could be sidered a capable swordsman, but far from a true swordmaster. He was still a long way off from being the world’s greatest, and he k.