The night wind swept across the grey-blue rocks of Elbaf, carrying the unique vastness of the distant sea.
"Alright then." Giants were not fond of beating around the bush. Before they had taken more than a few steps away from the village, Jarul, who resembled a moving hill, spoke in a voice like muffled thunder. His enormous, bell-like eyes swept over Oro and Carmel without preamble.
"Charlotte Linlin is dangerous. If Oro had not stopped her in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable." His voice was grave, his brows furrowed. The terrifying power that had radiated from the child was truly chilling.
As Jarul finished, Jorul, walking beside him, smoothly continued. His voice was slightly clearer but still carried the deep resonance of a giant elder. "As one of the elders, protecting our people and maintaining order in our territory is our inescapable responsibility."
"Elbaf is a village of warriors. We do not fear challenges, but we cannot tolerate an uncontrollable force of destruction within our borders. Oro, Sister Carmel, do you understand?"
His gaze shifted between Oro and Carmel, carrying both inquiry and finality.
Oro raised his head. In the distance, firelight still flickered. He squinted slightly, looking at the two elders' legendary beards, one like a mountain and the other like a waterfall.
"Of course I understand."
His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly to the giants and the nun. "I was the one who brought Linlin back from the shore, so I share responsibility. Therefore, I have a suggestion."
Oro paused briefly, observing the reactions of the two giants first.
Jarul nodded slightly. Jorul crossed his massive arms, both gestures telling him to continue.
"Old Tarrol has a stone house in the underground caverns. Linlin and I could live there permanently. That way, if anything unexpected happens again, we could—"
"Absolutely not!"
Sister Carmel cut him off, her voice sharp with what seemed like genuine alarm. The ever-present kind smile on her aged face was replaced by stark concern.
"Oh, Oro!" she exclaimed, her tone swelling with maternal worry. "Those caverns have no sunlight, no blessing from the Sun God! That place is nothing but cold, damp darkness, teeming with giant beasts! How could two children go to such a place?"
"Waterfall Beard" Jorul nodded in full agreement, his long beard swaying. "She is right, Oro. The underground is a place of exile and execution for criminals. You are Tarrol's adopted son, a member of the giant race recognized by the Sun God and your people. We cannot send you there."
Even "Mountain Beard" Jarul rumbled his agreement. "A warrior does not stand by while a child is abandoned, just as Tarrol did not when he found you. You may see this as your burden, Oro, but it is no crime! Exiling the innocent is not a just decree." He then turned his gaze to Carmel. " Carmel, do you have a suggestion?"
The nun's face softened back into its gentle mask. She patted Oro's shoulder. "Thank you for your trust, Elder Jarul. In fact, I do have an idea. There is a very habitable island in the waters near Elbaf that I discovered some time ago."
"It is not far, the climate is pleasant, and the land is fruitful. I plan to move there with Linlin. This way, she can grow up in a safe environment, and we will no longer be a burden to Elbaf."
"I see," said Oro, raising an eyebrow. "What of the other children at Lamb House?"
Carmel's loving smile did not waver. "Children have the right to choose their own paths. Whether they come to the new home or remain in Elbaf will be their decision."
Jarul and Jorul exchanged a glance, a silent communication passing between them. Instead of choosing to keep this "Saint" who had once "saved" several giants from the Marines, it was Jorul who spoke.
"I know that island. It is a good place." He paused, then a hearty, straightforward smile broke across his face. "Carmel, the giants will never forget our friendship. As a token of gratitude to Lamb House for sheltering the children all these years, we will provide an escort and build you a strong, spacious home on your new island. This is Elbaf's gift to a friend. Please accept it."
After Jorul finished speaking with a smile, Jarul beside him smiled too. Carmel smiled and accepted. Even Oro couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh.
Several days later, a massive wooden longship cut through the azure sea, leaving the coastline of Elbaf behind.
Oro stood at the ship's railing, leaning against the cold, rough-hewn wood, watching the warrior's island gradually shrink and blur into the horizon.
The sea breeze ruffled his short golden hair, carrying the scent of distant, unknown waters.
Under the pretext of helping to craft interior decorations that the giants' large hands fumbled with, Oro had boarded the ship bound for the new home of "Lamb House," along with more than a dozen giants.
The giants, their bodies ten or twenty meters tall, moved across the deck, making the ship—a behemoth by human standards—feel somewhat crowded. Their boisterous laughter and the clink of drinking horns filled the air.
Oro understood what the two elders had been thinking that night. They were eager to use this opportunity to "see off" Carmel, a potential source of trouble, and Charlotte Linlin, an unstable danger, all while maintaining a veneer of harmonious "friendship."
He also knew that Carmel's smile at that moment had been genuine—the smug satisfaction of an operative preparing to extract after a mission accomplished.
Three parties, each with their own secret agendas, had reached a strange and fragile consensus.
In this world, for anyone with a shred of talent or a secret, childhood was fleeting. They were forced to say goodbye to innocence far too early. The ever-grinning idiots were the exception, not the rule.
Just like Oro, who had begun planning for the future as soon as he was three years old and could walk on his own. A young child's strength was limited, but it was not nothing.
After a long period of careful suggestion and guidance from Oro, the giants had also begun to sense something amiss with this so-called "saintess who saved giants." These two eldest giants were straightforward, but they were not fools.
Yet, it had to be admitted that Carmel, that old trafficker, was formidable. Her operational preparations, escape routes, and counter-surveillance awareness were top-notch. The giants had yet to find direct evidence of her child trafficking. The children she had taken from Elbaf had all been "luckily" "placed" in "better homes" before vanishing without a trace, the trail of clues dishearteningly clean.
"Fortunately, it's almost over," Oro recited silently to himself, his gaze fixed on the white spray breaking against the ship's hull.
While Oro did not possess perfect recall, and the details of the anime and manga from his past life had grown hazy over the years, he remembered the major plot points involving figures like the Emperors. The original story's pacing had been slow, with little substance in many episodes.
He vaguely recalled that the transaction after leaving Elbaf—the sale of Charlotte Linlin—was to be Carmel's final deal. Furthermore, the day before that transaction was Linlin's birthday, the day she would devour a feast and come to possess the Soul-Soul Fruit.
Perhaps what she would inherit was not just the fruit alone.
Today was December 28th. The twelve-day Winter Solstice fast, which had triggered Linlin's hunger and her "eating frenzy," was not yet over. There was still more than a month until Charlotte Linlin's birthday on February 15th.
There was ample time.
Oro looked up. On the rising horizon, the outline of the island that was to be his new home was now faintly visible.
His eyes sharpened. His primary goal upon arrival was not a direct confrontation with Carmel; that would be too reckless.
His first priority was to deal with Streusen—the user of the Cook-Cook Fruit, the future right-hand man and co-founder of the Big Mom Pirates.