Sengoku stood in the royal palace, looking at the smiling, skeletal nobles.
He knew the cure.
Haki could dispel effects cast on oneself, but to save others from a Devil Fruit ability, the standard weakness applied: Seawater or Seastone. A simple bucket of salt water would break York's curse.
But Sengoku didn't give the order.
It wasn't that he forgot. It was that he chose not to.
On one hand, he had seen the hell outside the palace walls. He had seen the serfs exchanging children for food. Although he was a loyal soldier of the World Government, a trace of conscience still flickered within him. These nobles... perhaps they deserved to feel hunger.
On the other hand, there was ambition.
Sengoku was not Garp. He didn't refuse promotions. He wanted to be an Admiral. He wanted to be Fleet Admiral. To change the world, he needed power.
If he saved these nobles now, would they be grateful? Or would they resent him for seeing them in such a pathetic state? Or worse, would they demand he execute the starving peasants who had "offended" them?
It was cleaner to let nature take its course.
So, under Sengoku's calculated indifference, the King and his court reached their physiological limit.
The "Joy of Satiety" finally dissipated as their bodies began to shut down.
The blissful smiles vanished. The beautiful lie broke. The true, agonizing sensation of starvation hit them all at once like a sledgehammer.
"Hungry... so hungry..."
"Food... give me... food..."
The King tried to crawl to the table, but his muscles had atrophied. The nobles wailed, their voices raspy and weak.
In the end, surrounded by a feast they couldn't reach, they died. They died experiencing the same slow, agonizing hunger they had inflicted on their people.
News spread fast.
The Saxon Kingdom collapsed. The new King was dead, the nobles were dead, and the army was decimated.
The World Government couldn't hide the brutality of the Rocks Pirates.
Atlas D. York's bounty soared again.
770,000,000 Berries.
Two Years Later.
Sea Calendar 1480. (40 Years before Luffy sets sail).
The New World was shaken by a scandal.
Harald, the King of Elbaf and leader of the Giant Race, had long been petitioning to join the World Government. He was seen as a moderate, a bridge between humans and giants.
But suddenly, news broke that King Harald had attacked and sunk a Marine warship.
The World Economic News painted him as a traitor, claiming his alliance was a sham all along.
On the Rocks flagship, Rocks D. Xebec read the paper and grinned.
"He finally snapped."
He crumpled the newspaper.
"Lads! Set a course! To Elbaf!!"
Elbaf. The Warland.
The ship docked at the base of the colossal Treasure Tree Adam.
It wasn't the main harbor, but a secluded cove near the "Underworld"—a lawless zone beneath the roots.
King Harald was waiting.
He was a titan, standing at least 40 meters tall. He wore a vest of shimmering fish-scale armor and a black cape. Two massive, curved black horns protruded from his forehead.
York recognized him from the papers, but there was a change. Harald, once known for his thick, wild mane of black hair, was now completely bald. His head shone in the sun.
Rocks wasn't surprised. He jumped onto the dock, spreading his arms.
"Long time no see, Harald! Let's go! Let's drink!"
Harald scowled, crossing his massive arms.
"Don't get comfortable, Xebec. I will never let a man as unprincipled as you enter the main city."
"Wahahaha! Cold as always!"
Despite the hostility, Harald led them into a tavern nestled in the giant roots. It was run by his concubine, Ida—a Giant woman with a kind face but sharp eyes.
She knew Rocks well. "Try not to break anything this time, Xebec," she sighed, bringing out barrels of ale and platters of roasted sea kings.
York, Whitebeard, and the others took a table, enjoying the feast.
Rocks sat at the bar with Harald. The conversation immediately turned to the incident.
"So," Rocks took a swig of ale. "Why did you sink the ship?"
Harald sighed, his voice rumbling like thunder.
"It was a misunderstanding... mostly. The World Government attacked a non-affiliated nation. That nation had aided Elbaf in the past during a famine. I went to mediate."
"And?"
"The Marine Captain... he threatened me. He said if I didn't back down, Elbaf's application to the World Government would be denied. He called the people of that nation 'insects'."
Harald clenched his fist, cracking the bar counter.
"I lost my temper."
"Wahahaha! I knew it! The Government is rotten to the core!" Rocks laughed, slamming his mug down. "Forget them, Harald! Join us! Let's burn it all down!"
"No."
Harald rejected him instantly.
"I will make Elbaf join the World Government. I will change them from the inside."
He pointed to his bald head.
"This! This is my penance! This is the sincerity I show to the World Government!"
"Shaving your head?" Rocks raised an eyebrow. "What kind of culture is that? Wahahaha! Does being bald make you a better diplomat?"
Harald looked dejected. "Garp laughed at me too..."
The rest of the Rocks Pirates burst into laughter.
"Gyahahaha! The Bald Giant King!"
"Maybe if I shave my head, they'll make me a Celestial Dragon!"
Only York didn't laugh.
He sat quietly, sipping his wine.
In his previous life, there was a saying: "Body, hair, and skin are gifts from your parents; dare not damage them."
In a warrior culture like Elbaf, hair was pride. It was status. For a King to shave his head... it was an act of supreme humility. It was a desperate plea for acceptance.
Rocks stopped laughing. He saw the resolve in Harald's eyes.
"Why are you so obsessed with them?" Rocks asked, his voice low. "Why not just be a pirate? We are free."
"Pirates are chaotic," Harald argued. "Yes, the Government has scoundrels. But the Marines protect people. Elbaf has already sent warriors like John Giant to the Marines. If we join, we can save more lives."
"Noble idiot," Rocks muttered.
He turned to the barmaid. "Ida, talk some sense into him. The World Government will never accept giants as equals."
Ida wiped a glass, giving Rocks a mischievous smile.
"Indeed~ If Harald were my child, I would tell him: Be careful who you befriend. But he is a King. He must choose his own path."
"Hey!! Stop speaking in riddles!!"
Rocks slammed his glass down again. He looked around the room, desperate for an ally in the debate.
His eyes locked onto York.
"Hey! York!"
"You're smart! You're different from these muscle-brains!"
"You tell him! Help me persuade Harald!"
....
.....
.....
Support my patreon
patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter