Every four years, the member nations of the World Government convene for a summit known as the Reverie.
Out of approximately 170 nations, around 50 of them gather at the seat of the World Government—the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. For an entire week, they deliberate on a wide array of global issues. Because the kings and queens of each nation discuss matters directly, a single spark can lead to war. Even without that threat, the divide in wealth, education, religion, resources, and technology makes peaceful resolutions a rarity. Value systems differ wildly from one throne to the next.
Yet, they continue to meet because the gatherings are indispensable. Many issues, such as how to respond to the growing pirate threat, require a coordinated, global effort.
While the monarchs who gather here uphold the pretense that "all are equal," the fact that only a third of the member nations are actually present reveals the incompleteness of that equality. Consequently, every participant works beneath the surface, plotting to outmaneuver other nations to secure wealth and power.
"How tedious," a young woman sighed.
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl—the one Kanata called Diana—was currently engaged in negotiations outside the main halls where the Reverie was taking place. While the votes cast by the kings were vital, the lobbying conducted by the relatives and close aides who accompanied them was equally important for a nation's prosperity. Diana was deep in the throes of that work.
"Nord, who is next?"
"Your Highness, the next is the Kingdom of Prodence."
"Ah, the so-called 'Fighting King'..."
To Diana, a king who personally fought on the front lines seemed borderline insane. While she saw little value in treating such a nation with genuine friendliness, it was a major affair if a snub led to war. Such an incident would reflect poorly on her own reputation.
Of course, if war did break out, that would simply be the cue for the Twilight Pirates to step in.
(Lately, the volume of our trade has increased again, and the sums of money moving around Kanata have reached staggering heights. As long as I'm careful not to be outmaneuvered by my rivals, my victory is all but assured.)
Diana allowed a faint smile to touch her lips as she considered her lead over the other contenders. If things continued at this rate, her position as the consort to the next emperor would be unshakeable.
The imperial bloodline of Romniss was vast, and the empire had a culture of selecting the most capable relative as a spouse for the heir. Diana was among the younger candidates, and her political foundation had originally been weaker than her rivals. That was why she had taken a gamble on a dangerous "alliance with a pirate."
The results spoke for themselves. The wealth Diana had acquired was immense, allowing her to fund various political maneuvers. While the world called Kanata "The Witch," to Diana, she was an angel bringing a gospel of prosperity. This relationship was vital for both the empire and Kanata. As long as there was mutual profit, the bond would remain unbroken.
"Neither in military might nor in wealth do many nations now compare to our empire—or rather, our empire," Nord corrected himself. "We will be able to conduct negotiations from a position of greater strength than ever before."
"It is a point of great pride. Your future is secure, Princess."
The moment the Emperor permitted her to operate in Mary Geoise during the Reverie, the internal power struggle was essentially over. Her remaining task was the construction of external relationships. Nord, her knight, couldn't hide the joy in his voice, even if he kept his expression neutral.
Now, they simply had to avoid catching the eye of the Celestial Dragons. As long as her relationship with Kanata remained a state secret, they would be fine. Governments were built on information that could never be spoken aloud; it was simply the way of the world.
"Heh..."
The feeling of acquiring power was intoxicating. Diana gave a small laugh and began to scrutinize her notes for the next negotiation.
+++
On the island of Warland, every tree that grows and every creature that dwells is massive. This is to be expected, for this island is the Kingdom of Elbaf, the land of giants. It is home to the most famous warriors in the world: the Warriors of Elbaf.
Decades ago, following the advice of Mother Carmel, the giants shifted their national policy from pillaging to trade. However, because the island sits in the middle of incredibly dangerous waters, their commerce has remained modest. Feyyun, a core member of the Twilight Pirates, was born on this very island.
"Wow... it's been so long!"
"Everything is so damn big," Scotch remarked, looking around. "I guess this is what you expect from the land of giants."
"Even the creatures in these waters are enormous," Kanata noted. "From our perspective, we'll never run out of food."
It seemed little had changed since Feyyun had lived here. She led Kanata and the others from the port toward the village. Since the goal of this visit was primary negotiation, Kanata had only brought Scotch and Feyyun as her executives. Kuro had been extremely interested in the giants and had tried to stow away, but Kanata had caught him and forced him to stay behind.
"How many years has it been since you were last in the village, Feyyun?"
"Let's see... hmm, about twenty years?"
"I knew the scale of time for giants was different, but that's still hard to wrap my head around," Scotch said with a look of resigned acceptance.
Giants operated on a vastly different temporal scale. While Feyyun had adjusted her habits somewhat after spending time with Kanata, many of the other giants in the crew still struggled to be punctual. It was a biological difference as much as a cultural one, and Kanata didn't see much point in complaining as long as they performed their duties.
As they spoke, they reached the village.
"This is my birthplace. How nostalgic..."
As Feyyun looked around, a giantess emerged from the center of the village.
"Is that you, Feyyun? It's been ages! Have you been well?"
"Gerth!"
It was a giantess. She was apparently Feyyun's childhood friend, and the two began exchanging excited greetings.
"You left on a trade voyage with your parents all those years ago. Have you finally come home?"
"My father and mother..."
Feyyun's voice trailed off. During that voyage, they had clashed with the Big Mom Pirates, and her parents had been killed by Linlin when she lost her senses during a hunger pang. It wasn't a memory Feyyun enjoyed revisiting, but she briefly explained the circumstances and mentioned that she was now under Kanata's care.
"So, Linlin did that..."
Linlin had once lived in the House of the Lamb, an orphanage for children with nowhere else to go that was adjacent to this village. Gerth had played with her when they were young, but after a certain incident, people had become hesitant to even speak Linlin's name. No matter the reason, the giants could never forgive Linlin for tainting the pride of a warrior.
After the somber update, Feyyun quickly shifted back to the purpose of their visit.
"I'm here today because Kanata wants to establish trade with the village."
"Trade? Then you'll need to see the King?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll guide you there. I have so much I want to talk to Feyyun about anyway."
Feyyun likely remembered the way, but after twenty years, there was an endless amount of catching up to do. Kanata didn't mind letting them talk while they walked. Gerth spoke of other childhood friends—how Hajrudinhad grown strong and was catching impressive prey, and how the food made by Goldberg was delicious. Feyyun listened happily as they led the way.
"What does Elbaf typically export?" Kanata asked.
"I don't know the exact details, but we export a lot of timber," Gerth replied, pointing to the gargantuan trees surrounding them. "We cut down these trees—which are huge even to us—and ship them out. But the volume isn't very high."
Very few ships were large enough to carry timber of that scale, and the number of humans who could successfully navigate to Elbaf was even smaller. Without significant strength, sailors usually lost their lives at sea before ever reaching the island.
Since exports were low, imports were naturally scarce as well. For giants, whose needs for food and clothing were exponentially greater than those of humans, resource shortages were an ever-present reality. It made sense why the Giant Warrior Pirates had historically resorted to pillaging.
"I see..."
Kanata realized there was a massive opportunity here. If existing trade was minimal, there was plenty of room for her to move in. It looked like her workload was about to increase again.
+++
The meeting with the King of Elbaf regarding trade and labor concluded successfully.
Kanata sought high-quality timber and the labor of giant warriors; in exchange, she offered to import various supplies and provide significant monetary compensation. The proposal was accepted with enthusiasm.
The giants were eager to honor Mother Carmel's wish for trade over plunder. Furthermore, they were more than happy to align themselves with Kanata, who was in total opposition to Charlotte Linlin, the woman who had brought shame to their culture. While there were several giant Marines like John Giant, Elbaf was not a member of the World Government. They were free to ally with pirates if they chose.
"That went smoother than I thought," Scotch noted. "I expected it to take more time."
"Our rivalry with Linlin worked in our favor," Kanata said. "I heard about the friction from Feyyun, but I didn't realize the sentiment was this strong."
Linlin was a constant thorn in Kanata's side, but for once, the Big Mom Pirates' existence had provided a benefit. Befriending the giants—who were said to possess the world's strongest army—was an invaluable asset. Kanata had been momentarily taken aback when the King eagerly asked, "When do we start the war with Linlin?"
She had managed to secure a grace period, explaining that war couldn't be declared overnight. Fortunately, the giants' sense of time was lax; the King told her he could wait ten or twenty years if necessary, giving her plenty of time to prepare.
"Things are going to get busy. Expanding our client base is good, but the volume required for a kingdom of giants is staggering."
From the giants' perspective, the amount of trade was about to skyrocket. However, Kanata intended to start slowly and monitor the situation. The number of giants leaving to work as laborers would be small at first; it was best to build this partnership step-by-step.
With that in mind, they returned to the village to recruit the first wave of laborers. Since Feyyun knew many of the villagers, the recruitment process went quickly.
"Oh, it's Hajrudin!"
"Feyyun?! You're back!"
A male giant, considerably taller than Feyyun, approached. Though young, he had clearly been trained by the village's veteran warriors. He carried various weapons on his back and was returning from a hunt, dragging a massive wild boar. He planned to butcher it to feed the village.
"Scotch, bring out the liquor from our ship and share it with them," Kanata ordered.
It was a celebration for Feyyun's homecoming and the new alliance between the giants and the Twilight Pirates. While the amount might be small for giants, the village had its own stores of alcohol to supplement.
...Additionally, Kanata hoped that introducing them to foreign spirits would increase the demand for future trade.
Regardless of the motive, the festivities began in the afternoon and continued long after the sun went down.
"Feyyun, I heard the news! You've got a bounty of over a hundred million now!!"
"Gerth told us! You actually met Captain Dorry and Captain Brogy?!"
"Did you really go to Fish-Man Island? Is it really a mystical city at the bottom of the sea?"
In the middle of the boisterous feast, Feyyun—the guest of honor—was bombarded with questions, her eyes wide as she tried to answer them all. Kanata and Scotch sat at a separate table, enjoying the banquet while discussing their future moves.
"With this trade expansion, we won't have the bandwidth for much else for a while. Once we get more giant crew members, things might ease up, but for now..."
"If we can find any former members of the Giant Warrior Pirates, I'd love to hire them," Scotch added. "The Romniss Empire is also pestering us to increase trade."
"That's a priority, but we're short on personnel. We shouldn't move too flashy right now; Big News Morgans is always lurking around looking for a scoop. I've told them to wait if they don't want to mess things up."
Morgans of the World Economic Times was a constant headache for Kanata. While staying on his good side allowed for some information control, the man was constantly trying to invite Kanata to dinner. Moreover, he frequented Linlin's tea parties, making a deep, exclusive connection impossible. Kanata struggled with this type of underworld maneuvering.
"As for the Giant Warrior Pirates, let them do as they please. We don't need them as subordinates; an alliance is enough."
"A giant army is a powerful enough force on its own... How do we plan to fight the Big Mom Pirates?" Scotch asked.
"It depends on how quickly we can build a relationship of trust with the giants. It will likely take two or three years to get everything ready."
The Big Mom Pirates were an obstacle Kanata desperately wanted to remove, much like the Golden Lion Pirates. However, if they were easy to take down, the Navy would have done it long ago. Given the ever-growing strength of Linlin's crew, her personal power, and her mastery of information, preparation was everything. Kanata also noted that spies had been on the rise lately; another "cleanup" would be necessary soon.
"It's almost time to settle things with Linlin. Shiki comes after that."
"Shiki seems obsessed with Roger lately. He might not even turn his gaze our way," Scotch suggested.
"The man is ill. It would be difficult for him to fight at full strength."
One reason Kanata had prioritized Linlin was to strike while Shiki was distracted by Roger. Taking on both simultaneously was impossible; even with the Twilight Pirates' massive growth, a head-on clash with either would require their full military strength. If they didn't leave themselves any breathing room, they would be torn apart by those waiting to scavenge on their remains.
Beyond the Navy, there were countless pirates hungrily eyeing Kanata's head.
"I need to make sure the Devil Fruits we recently acquired are consumed soon."
"We really did get a massive haul... I'm impressed we found that many."
"The black market in the North Blue was more fruitful than I expected."
Establishing contacts in various places had made it possible to source Devil Fruits reliably. Even so, acquiring over a dozen at once had been an unexpected windfall.
Kanata used a knife to cut a piece of giant meat into a manageable size and took a bite. The giants kept livestock that were gargantuan by human standards, but when roasted whole, the flavor was excellent.
War required food. Between the development of uninhabited islands and her new production plants, her food supply was reaching a state of overproduction. The preparations were moving steadily.
"Once our relationship with the giants is a little more solidified... we take down Linlin."
It would be a massive war. There was a chance Kanata herself wouldn't come out of it unscathed. Amidst the laughter and the roar of the bonfire, Kanata and Scotch were the only ones whose expressions remained grim.
***
The year turned.
While the Twilight Pirates were busy expanding their military might, increasing food production, and growing their trade with the giants, a massive shift occurred.
Behind the scenes of the Battle of Edd War between the Roger Pirates and the Golden Lion Pirates, a full-scale collision between the Big Mom Pirates and the Twilight Pirates was about to begin.
***
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