...
The moment that Marine appeared, all the Marines present—as well as Garp and the other three—were stunned…
The newcomer was none other than Marine Admiral Steel Bone Kong!
"Mr. Kong!?"
Tsuru was the first to recognize him, surprise on her face: "Why are you here?"
Sengoku, Zephyr, and Garp were still somewhat dazed at seeing him.
Steel Bone Kong walked closer, first nodding to Tsuru and the others, then sweeping his gaze over the embracing Harald family.
Finally, his eyes settled on the four—Garp and company—his voice low and serious: "All four of you came running to God Valley and caused such a huge commotion. How could I not come check on the situation?"
He paused, glancing at Ida and the others: "As for them… I ran into them on the way here.
Their ship encountered some minor trouble near God Valley's waters—probably unfamiliar with the routes or the weather—so I helped out along the way.
"I heard they were also coming to God Valley to find someone, so I just brought them along. I saw that light curtain footage too…"
Steel Bone Kong spoke concisely, but the information he revealed made everything click for everyone.
Steel Bone Kong had come to investigate the anomaly in God Valley and "happened to encounter" Ida and the others en route.
Only now did Harald slightly calm from the overwhelming joy. He released his family but still held Ida's hand tightly, as if afraid she might vanish again.
He looked at Ida, eyes full of lingering fear and questions: "You… how did you come here? It's too dangerous!
"There are…"
Harald trailed off, momentarily unsure how to describe the chaotic situation in God Valley.
Ida smiled gently, raising her hand to softly wipe the tear tracks from the corner of Harald's eye, the gesture natural and intimate: "Don't worry, we're fine…"
"It's Elbaf… that same huge light curtain appeared there too."
She pointed toward the sky. Although the light curtain above God Valley had already dimmed, everyone understood what she meant.
"We saw everything the light curtain showed in Elbaf… saw… a lot of terrifying things."
Ida's voice lowered, worry flashing in her eyes: "When I learned you had come to God Valley, I couldn't rest easy, so I wanted to come see you.
"Hajrudin and Loki-kun heard about it and insisted on coming along to protect me no matter what."
As she spoke, Ida turned back to look at her two sons, her eyes full of relief.
So that was it!
Elbaf had also been covered by the light curtain phenomenon!
That explained why Ida and the others had learned Harald was in God Valley and rushed over despite the danger.
The coverage range of the light curtain was clearly far broader than anyone had imagined.
Harald felt both moved and terrified upon hearing this. He hurriedly examined his wife and children closely: "You didn't run into any danger on the way, right? No injuries?"
Seeing her husband so nervously fussy, Ida couldn't help but laugh: "Relax, Harald.
"Have you forgotten? We sailed the seas together before—we're not that fragile. And besides…"
Ida patted the shoulders of the two sons beside her. Though Loki still felt a bit awkward, he didn't say anything: "Hajrudin and Loki-kun protected me perfectly the whole way!"
"I wasn't protecting you—I was hungry, and that thing didn't know its place!"
Hearing Ida's words, Loki instinctively retorted, then immediately puffed out his chest.
A proud, somewhat childish smug expression appeared on his face as he pointed to the warhammer on his shoulder: "Dad, let me tell you—on the way here we ran into a dumb Sea King that tried to attack our ship!"
"But I smashed it flat with just a few hammer blows! Pretty awesome, right?!"
Hajrudin stood to the side watching his "little brother" show off, a helpless dark line appearing on his face.
He had contributed too, but compared to Loki—who had greater size, strength, and a wilder fighting style—his achievements were less "flashy."
Still, the fact that they had stood side by side to protect Ida and arrive safely was more important than anything.
After excitedly bragging, Loki immediately spotted Rocks standing not far away.
Like a little fanboy seeing his idol, he ran over with his hammer: "Waaah! Rocks! We meet again!"
Rocks looked at this energetic little giant full of admiration for him and smiled.
He reached out and gave Loki's thigh a firm pat, his tone teasing: "Stinky brat, you've really grown in height and strength! Actually took down a Sea King—not bad!"
Loki grimaced from the "hit" but kept grinning: "Hehe! But I still wanna join your crew! Take me adventuring with you!"
Rocks withdrew his hand, crossed his arms, and deliberately put on a stern face: "No way, no way—I've told you how many times? No brats on my ship!
"Wait until you can actually beat me first!"
Though it was a refusal, the happiness in his tone and the faint, hard-to-detect indulgence were obvious.
On the other side, Hajrudin also spotted familiar faces. His gaze swept the crowd and landed on Charlotte Linlin, as well as Dorry and Brogy standing nearby like twin iron towers.
"Lin… Lin?!"
Hajrudin was somewhat surprised—after all, they hadn't met in many years…
"And Brogy, Leader Dorry! You're here too!"
Charlotte Linlin's mood at that moment was somewhat subtle and complicated.
Seeing her "giant friend" from childhood in Elbaf—Hajrudin—she actually felt a rare trace of awkwardness and… guilt.
After all, she was no longer the little girl who had been "visiting" in Elbaf. She had been out in the world for decades now, and was even the mother of several children…
"L… Long time no see, you little rascal…"
Big Mom's voice unusually lacked its usual domineering tone, sounding a bit dry.
Time had left different marks on the two. Even though Big Mom was huge, she was still human, while Hajrudin was a giant with a much longer lifespan…
Hajrudin looked at Linlin, opened his mouth as if to ask something, but before the words came out, his father Harald stopped him with a glance.
Harald gave a slight shake of his head, signaling that now was not the time to delve into those complicated past matters.
Hajrudin understood his father's meaning and temporarily set aside his questions, simply nodding to Linlin in greeting.
Dorry and Brogy, however, clearly admired Hajrudin and began chatting with him—they were his idols too!
After greeting Rocks, Ida returned to Harald's side.
She held her husband's hand, the worry on her face not yet fully gone, and quietly recounted what they had seen on the journey: "Harald… what exactly is this thing?!
"When we saw it in Elbaf, we were all terrified… Rocks-kun… getting killed, and that black monster, and everything that happened… it was too horrible."
She spoke with lingering fear and full of confusion.
Harald gripped her hand tightly, momentarily unsure how to explain this supernatural phenomenon, and could only say gravely: "I don't know either… but it seems to be showing some kind of 'possible future.'"
"But don't be afraid—right now, we're all perfectly fine."
At the mention of "future," Loki's expression turned angry again. He shouted toward Harald: "But those people deserve to die!"
Loki was clearly referring to the brewing village giants who poisoned Ida in the light curtain.
"After I saw that part in Elbaf, I was so furious I took my 'animal friends' and turned the brewing village upside down…"
Loki finished with a huff, turning his face away, but the slight upward curve of his mouth showed he was quite satisfied with his "feat."
...