Chapter 129

Elbaf, the royal palace.

Watching the guards accompany Barzab toward Thunder Castle, Harald waved them over and specifically instructed the guard commander.

"Follow Barzab. If he only targets Thunder Castle, leave him be—but if he tries to steal the national treasure, stop him immediately for a moment,

I'll arrive shortly after finishing my business."

Harald prepared to meticulously record and preserve the secret he had just learned, lest he accidentally forget key details later.

Recalling the rumors that Barzab kept his promises, Harald already believed eight out of ten—he still needed to verify the remaining two himself.

Meanwhile, at Elbaf's royal palace.

Whether due to psychological reasons or not, Saint Saint Saiwen had been hyper-vigilant when facing Harald, fearing Im might suddenly appear and say,

"Surprise? Or not?"

This constant state of alertness was something Saint Saint Saiwen had not felt for three years since activating his system.

Honestly, it felt like dancing on a blade's edge—adrenaline surging.

It further spurred him to grow stronger.

Saint Saint Saiwen couldn't imagine how intense it would be when he personally traveled to the holy land Mary Geoise—or even reached the Flower Chamber.

It would surely feel utterly exhilarating.

The shallow sea contract Harald signed cannot be broken if within Im's ability range.

Fortunately, it's only a shallow sea contract.

The distance between Elbaf and Mary Geoise far exceeds the range of a shallow sea contract.

As for paying someone to distract the World Government's attention, Saint Saint Saiwen planned to approach the Revolutionary Army—they were currently destitute and would surely not refuse a wealthy patron.

Where would the money come from? He could simply use the gold from Gold City to cover Elbaf's expenses first.

He'd ask Harald for repayment later.

One or two favors would be owed in return.

This way, he could invest in the Revolutionary Army's dream, accelerating their growth and drawing the World Government and Marines' attention.

At the same time, he'd buy Harald time, preventing the World Government from pressing him relentlessly.

Spending Elbaf's money to gain two favors—this was an absolute win.

Walking through the palace, the towering, mountain-like giant architecture and the giant guards defending the palace made Saint Saint Saiwen feel inferior for the first time due to his height.

Saint Saint Saiwen is eighteen years old and currently stands at 2.9 meters tall.

In the Pirate World, he'd normally be considered tall—but before these giants, averaging around twenty meters, he was undeniably a dwarf.

He wasn't even as tall as the lightning squirrel, Iron Thunder.

His obsession with convincing Iron Thunder stemmed from his next step in developing the Gura Gura no Mi: the Lei Shen form, forging a divine body from lightning.

A hundred-meter-tall Lei Shen form would be more than sufficient—Loki was only sixty-seven meters.

Then, Iron Thunder would come in handy.

With this powerful alliance, Saint Saint Saiwen would be both Lei Shen Barzab, wielding the sword Mengxiang Yixin, and Lei Shen, wielding the Thunder God's Hammer.

He could control lightning and possess the divine weapon Iron Thunder—how could he not be Lei Shen?

Iron Thunder himself was at least a Royal Vice-Class, and his soft, cuddly form made an incredibly comfortable pillow—far more prestigious than Luffy sleeping with Bepo.

Finally, guided by the palace guards,

Saint Saint Saiwen successfully opened the massive gate of the castle housing Iron Thunder, and inside he saw a colossal hammer, beside it a locked treasure chest.

Saint Saint Saiwen silently activated his Conqueror's Haki, ignited his left hand with Lunaia flame, and drew Mengxiang Yixin from his chest.

It was said that anyone attempting to approach the treasure chest would be met with a crushing blow from the lightning squirrel Iron Thunder.

Yet, nothing happened this time.

"Nani?!"

"Are you looking down on me?"

Or perhaps, the presence of Mengxiang Yixin made Iron Thunder unwilling to attack—was this a mutual respect between divine weapons?

"Hey, Lightning Squirrel."

"I'm your big brother, Lei Shen Barzab."

The giant hammer remained silent, motionless beside the chest, as if it were merely an inanimate weapon, incapable of transforming into a lightning squirrel.

"Lightning Squirrel, are you hungry?"

Saint Saint Saiwen laid out various braised delicacies and fine wines beside the treasure chest, attempting to win over the lightning squirrel's stomach with food and drink.

Iron Thunder remained utterly unmoved.

"Lightning Squirrel, you can generate lightning, but I not only generate lightning—I can wield fire too. Come with me—I'll find you dozens of female squirrels."

"If you prefer male squirrels… that's fine too."

Seduction didn't work? Saint Saint Saiwen raised an eyebrow and instantly devised another plan.

"Lightning Squirrel, let me tell you the story of Lei Shen and his meow-meow hammer."

"Long, long ago, there was a Lei Shen, two-point-nine meters tall, with snow-white hair and a majestic appearance. Most precious of all, he possessed a weapon of the highest familial bond: the Thunder God's Hammer."

"The two brothers sailed on a dragon-headed red-sailed ship, dominating an entire Age of Sail."

"But during the battle against the ultimate Dafan Sect, Im, Lei Shen Barzab perished and was reborn, while the Thunder God's Hammer fell to Elbaf."

After rambling for a long while, Saint Saint Saiwen changed tone.

"Don't doubt it, Iron Thunder—I am your former big brother, Barzab."

"Come with me now."

The giant guard assigned to guide Saint Saint Saiwen stood frozen, eyes downcast, heart still, thinking the story this white-haired one told… was strangely fascinating.

Could Iron Thunder truly be the Thunder God's Hammer?

Later, when we get back, I'll definitely tell the guys the legend of Lei Shen and the Thunder Hammer.

No matter how much Saint Saint Saiwen talked until his mouth was dry and his tongue parched, the Great Hammer Iron Thunder remained unmoved, so Saint Saint Saiwen had to take a couple of swigs of dandelion wine to moisten his throat.

He simply gave no chance for communication.

Damn electric rat, truly detestable!

Saint Saint Saiwen just sat beside the Great Hammer, pondering how to make Iron Thunder voluntarily turn into a lightning squirrel; otherwise, how could he activate the Great Deception Art?

When Harald arrived at Iron Thunder Castle and saw Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen sitting motionless near Iron Thunder, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

What on earth is going on?

Why didn't Iron Thunder attack Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen?

Something's wrong, very wrong.

After ordering the guards to withdraw, Harald stood at the castle gate, his gaze flickering, unsure of what he was thinking.

The first half of the Grand Line, Paradise.

Buggy's pirate ship, the deck.

Two red noses affectionately slung their arms around each other, laughing heartily while dancing a cheerful jig beneath their feet.

"Binks' Sake~"

"Delivered to your side~ Ah~"

"Like the sea breeze at will, riding the wind and breaking the waves~"

"Yo-ho-ho-ho~ Yo-ho-ho-ho~"

After the high song, Foxy embraced Buggy's shoulder, tears in his eyes; after spending these days together, his emotions had run deep and he couldn't help himself.

"Brother Buggy!"

"Brother Foxy!"

After pouring out their hearts to each other, Foxy finally couldn't hold back and offered a reminder.

"Brother Buggy, the New World is full of great pirates, like the Emperors of the Sea Whitebeard, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen, the Great Pirate Kaido, Big Mom..."

"We'd better not go there."

Buggy grinned even wider: "Don't be afraid, Brother Foxy."

"Saint Saint Saiwen is my brother."

Foxy and the pirate crew lackeys froze for a few seconds, then suddenly realized: Who is Saint Saint Saiwen?

"Nani?!"

"Captain Buggy, the Emperor of the Sea Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen is your brother?!"

Buggy quickly covered his mouth, muttering "Oh no" while his forehead was already covered in cold sweat.

【Oh no, I accidentally let it slip】

"Ahahaha~ You heard wrong. My brother Saint Saint Saiwen happens to be on Honeysuckle Island too, but he's not that Emperor of the Sea Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen."

"Eh!" Foxy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since Brother Buggy has someone in the New World, then let's go check out Honeysuckle Island."