Chapter 72: Give Me a Quick End

Giant Kingdom, Elbaf.

Elbaf is one of the homelands of the Giant Clan; the entire nation is built around the World Tree Adam, structured in three layers from top to bottom: the Heaven Realm, the Sun Realm, and the Underworld.

Jia Ba, a former member of the Luo Jie Pirates known as the Left Arm of the Pirate King, currently lives in seclusion in the Sun Realm and has found a Giant wife in Elbaf.

Outside the treehouse where Jia Ba lives in seclusion, Lei Li puts down the newspaper, his tone full of sighs.

"Shi Ji... was captured alive by Saint Saint Saiwen."

To this, Jia Ba was long accustomed.

Since Saint Saint Saiwen set sail again this year, almost every so often, news about Little Saint Saint Saiwen appears in the newspaper.

Either his bounty has risen, or he has pulled off some earth-shattering event; to use the words Little Saint Saint Saiwen once used to describe Luo Jie, this is called—

Top Pirate.

"Little Saint Saint Saiwen was inconspicuous before; we've only been apart for three years, and he has suddenly left Shanks and Buggy behind."

"Yes."

Two images of the two little ones fighting flashed before Lei Li's eyes: "They would also be happy for Saint Saint Saiwen."

"I almost forgot the main matter; last time on Sabaody Archipelago, Saint Saint Saiwen said Luo Jie had a son, whom he gave to Garp according to Luo Jie's request... to be his grandson."

"Pfft~" Jia Ba spat out a mouthful of old wine.

"Nani?!"

"Luo Jie has a son?"

"Why give him to Garp to be his grandson?"

"This..." Jia Ba complained, utterly speechless: "Compared to Garp like this, it makes us seem a generation lower."

Lei Li explained with a smile.

"In Little Saint Saint Saiwen's words, none of us are suitable; Luo Jie entrusted Garp because he trusted Garp's character."

Jia Ba did not dwell on this topic.

Taking advantage of Xia Qi and Jia Ba's wife Lipri being away, Lei Li gestured with exaggerated hand movements.

"Brother, how exactly did you do it?"

When they first arrived in Elbaf and saw Jia Ba's wife Lipri with her big belly, both Lei Li and Xia Qi were stunned—

The height was completely disproportionate; Jia Ba could even swim inside her.

Jia Ba proudly pouted his lips.

"What's the big deal?"

"Let me tell you... Aba Aba..."

Lei Li nodded in sudden realization, his expression becoming extremely vivid. "I'll tell Saint Saint Saiwen about this later; that kid has money now."

"Hehe." Jia Ba nodded.

The two resumed their exchange, rich in expressions and a shared male hobby, until Lipri and Xia Qi returned, at which point Jia Ba quickly changed the subject.

"Hey, Giant King Harald, these years you've done a lot of dirty work for the World Government."

Lei Li had already switched back to a serious demeanor.

"These are internal matters of Elbaf; we shouldn't interfere. The person Luo Jie is waiting for... I'm not sure if it's Saint Saint Saiwen."

Jia Ba poured Lei Li a drink.

"I remember on the ship, Saint Saint Saiwen said he wanted to be King of the World; the joke back then might actually come true now."

At that time, everyone, including Jia Ba, thought it was just three brats bragging.

Buggy even said he wanted to be the Pirate King.

Who would have thought that the little rascals of back then are now steadily marching toward the throne of the King of the World.

Sometimes Jia Ba even wonders if he is too old to keep up with the times; Little Saint Saint Saiwen is only seventeen this year, yet his achievements are enough to rival us fifty-something old timers.

"Come, come, drink."

The first half of the Grand Line, Paradise.

Donghai Dihuang ship cabin.

Saint Saint Saiwen held a food box, persuading the pirate crew's trophy, the Golden Lion, to eat.

"Don't worry, Senior Shi Ji; we specifically used lighting when taking the photo, so no one can see your bare butt. Could the legendary Great Pirate Golden Lion actually be someone who can't take losing?"

The Golden Lion raised his head.

"Where is my sword?"

Saint Saint Saiwen smiled slightly: "Correction: including the two famous swords Sakura Ten and Withered Wood, and you yourself, are now my trophies."

"You are an old veteran of the pirate world; you wouldn't not know such basic common sense, would you?"

On this sea where the strong devour the weak, the defeated become the victor's trophies and are disposed of at the victor's whim.

With that, Saint Saint Saiwen passed the food from the box one by one through the feeding window.

The Golden Lion seemed convinced; ignoring the Sea Prism Stone handcuffs on his wrists, he grabbed the seafood fried rice and stuffed it into his mouth, then grabbed the wine bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls.

"No wonder Luo Jie invited you on board back then; he was a man who knew how to enjoy life."

Saint Saint Saiwen sat on the ground: "As a chef, to receive your approval is my honor."

Regardless of what titles the outside world bestows upon Saint Saint Saiwen, whether Great Pirate, Emperor of the Sea, or King of the Next Era, at his core, Saint Saint Saiwen is still a chef.

A chef who does not waste food and can cook food into deliciousness.

"Do you have cigars?" The Golden Lion's craving for tobacco struck.

Saint Saint Saiwen, as if by magic, casually took out a box of cigars and handed it over, then ignited a flame at his fingertip.

Seeing this, the Golden Lion froze for a few seconds.

"Hehehehehe~"

"So that's it, so that's it!"

Gold Lion believed he had finally discovered the true reason why Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen had made such rapid strides in power within just a few years.

White hair, flames—weren't these the very marks of the legendary race, the Lunaria?

There could be no other explanation.

"Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen, where are your wings? Did the World Government cut them off? Hmm?"

"Hehehehe~"

Saint Saint Saiwen silently unfurled the flaming wings behind him.

"No surprise—you're a legendary pirate, a senior of the pirate world. You figured it out."

The sight of the flaming wings made Gold Lion understand: Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen dared expose his identity so openly because he had no intention of letting him live.

As for being subdued by him?

Across the entire sea, who didn't know that Gold Lion had never bowed to anyone in his life—how could he submit to a pirate youngster?

"It's nothing. The World Government issued a bounty on the Lunaria years ago; most veteran pirates know about it."

"Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen, give me a quick death."

Saint Saint Saiwen waved his hand, dispersing the smoke around him.

"You're in a hurry again."

"A legend like you—don't you wish to return home? Must you die and be buried in a foreign land?"

To prevent Gold Lion from committing suicide, Seven had gone to great lengths: he'd shackled him with Seastone manacles and removed every sharp object from the cell.

He simply couldn't yet obtain the Paramecia fruit with 100% certainty.

This was a top-tier Paramecia fruit, equally strategic in value.

The Paramecia fruit's core ability was to nullify gravity: it allowed the user to fly, and by touch, to make inanimate objects float.

Gold Lion had once used its power to suspend dozens of islands at ten thousand meters above sea level, and could manipulate floating objects to launch massive aerial assaults.

Its mobility and strategic value were unmatched.

If he could obtain the Paramecia fruit, whether selling it on the trading platform or using it within his crew, the boost for Saint Saint Saiwen would be immense.

Would six ten-thousand points be too much to ask?

"Home?" Gold Lion snorted.

"My home was destroyed long ago. But you, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen—if I escape, I will wipe out the entire East Blue."

In Gold Lion's life, men from the East Blue seemed his destined rivals. Luo Jie was fine—he was a man Gold Lion respected.

That damn Kuma came from the East Blue, and so does this white-haired brat, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen.

Men from the East Blue—so annoying.

"Then good luck!"

Saint Saint Saiwen spoke one last line, then turned and left. His priority now was to find a way to obtain the Paramecia fruit as soon as possible, before anything went wrong.

As for whether this might expose him—Saint Saint Saiwen could recover the Devil Fruit only after he had first recovered it; that problem came later.

Back on deck, Saint Saint Saiwen gazed at the turbulent sea. Compared to the calm waters of the Four Seas, the weather of the Grand Line was truly horrific.

By the helm, Xiong Sang was steering.

"Captain, we don't have a compass for Little Garden. We can only rely on luck."

Saint Saint Saiwen smiled. "Xiong Sang, let me take the helm."

"I've always had good luck."