The Mountain Lords were massive "giant beasts" that occupied the snowy mountains of Elbaf's underworld. Every one of them was a survivor of the brutal, hostile environment.

Klein could handle these beasts himself, but to ordinary giants, this place was a perilous land of death.

Otherwise...

The underworld would've long become a livable zone for the Giant Tribe, not a savage, sunless realm overrun by beasts and smothered in snow and ice.

Loki patted the giant wolf beneath him and pointed at Linlin.

"Head that way."

The giant wolf dashed off. Its white figure almost vanished into the frozen world.

As they approached Linlin, Loki shouted, "Hey, outsider! I'm Loki, Prince of the Giants!"

"Loki?" Linlin blinked, turning toward the boy on the wolf's back.

"Eh—he's the one Klein was looking for? He's just a kid... and looks blind too."

"...I'm not blind!" Loki snapped, expression frosty.

He leapt from the wolf's back, hoisting his spiked club over one shoulder and declared, "You're the strongest one, right? Fight me!"

"If I win, you'll be my crew. We'll set sail together!!"

"I swear I'll lead you to become the greatest pirate crew on the seas!"

Linlin knocked out the surrounding beasts with a few casual blows, then turned toward Klein and shouted,

"Klein, this little giant wants us to be his crew!"

Utter reversal!

Klein vanished from the couch, his figure blinking across the snow before appearing in front of Loki.

Staring up at the towering figure, he muttered,

"Whoa—you're tall—"

Loki was only four years old, which by human years was barely a year and a half, but his height already matched that of future adult Kaido or Big Mom.

"Hey, little giant. You want us to be your subordinates?" Klein smiled faintly.

Talk about clueless.

He could understand it, though. With travel difficult in this sea, Harald had used the Giant Tribe's shipbuilding technology to form alliances with many nations and had even shared the technology with them.

It made these waters far more vibrant than before.

"That's right," Loki looked down at the ant-sized Klein.

"I'll show you what a real giant is!"

"When I grow up..."

Loki paused. He wasn't sure what people outside valued, so he added,

"I'll be the Sun God!"

"Come on, who's fighting me!?"

His eyes landed on Linlin. To him, she looked like the strongest of this group.

"Hey, brat, you said if you win—what if you lose?" Klein interrupted.

By now, the others had finished off their respective beasts and gathered, eyeing this 'giant prince' with interest.

"Why's there a bandage over his eyes?" Os asked, puzzled.

Gloriosa added, "He's different from the other giants we met at the tavern. He's got horns on his head."

"Yeah, and look at that face—still a baby, really. But his body's already nearly the size of an adult giant," Shakky examined Loki, thinking:

So this is what Klein-sama came to Elbaf for... He's clearly distinct from the rest of the Giant Tribe.

And also...

Her gaze fell on the giant wolf Loki had been riding.

At such a young age, he's already tamed a beast like that... Must be incredibly talented.

Shakky knew that, despite being a Marine, Klein hadn't returned to the G-14 branch. He was searching for Newgate and Loki, driven by his own agenda.

"I can't lose." Loki raised his brow—though the bandage covered it—his youthful but fierce face filled with confidence.

"Hahaha—" Klein held his forehead, laughing.

In the pirate world, confidence seemed practically hardcoded into their bones.

"Hey, brat! The outside world isn't some child's game!!"

"If you lose—you will become my son!"

Eh——!?

Eh——!?

...

Os, Gloriosa, Shakky, and the others all dropped their jaws.

Newgate's face darkened. He looked up at the cloudy sky hidden behind island clouds and thought:

Here we go again. This scene... it's just like last time!

"You two are completely different sizes... How's this even supposed to work!?"

In a flash—

He remembered the exact moment Klein had asked him to be his son.

Honestly... he didn't even know what to say anymore. What kind of weird obsession was this!?

Back on his home island Sphinx, a lawless land, he'd seen all kinds of people. But he'd never seen anyone so obsessed with making others their kid.

Total weirdo!

"Then I get to be the mom?" Linlin suddenly beamed, giggling joyfully.

"Heehee, I was already thinking about having kids with Klein~"

"Let's have a ton of babies—like, a whole Marine squad!"

"....."

"....."

"....."

Everyone was silenced by Linlin's words. Suddenly, the whole world...

...felt a lot more chaotic.

Their heads itched like something was trying to grow inside.

Loki's face darkened, shadowed with gloom.

"I'm not being anyone's son!"

"I'll give you yummy food!" Klein still wore a smile.

"And I'll show you the true wonders of the sea."

"..."

Loki suddenly went quiet. A strange feeling welled up in his chest—something he had never experienced before.

"Shut up!" Loki slammed his spiked club into the ground.

BOOM——

Snow exploded outward in every direction.

"If I beat you, you all become my crew!"

He swung his massive club, and the wind and snow surged like a storm under its power.

"No need to rush." Klein suddenly zipped into the air with a whoosh.

His fingers curled into a dragon claw pose and caught Loki's club.

CLANG——

Klein's expression turned cold, eyes gleaming with domineering will.

"You've never seen the sea... You know nothing of its true scale—"

"Come with me, and you'll witness the real ocean!"

Dragon Claw Fist!

Loki's club froze mid-air. He stared in shock at the tiny figure in front of him.

He blocked it so easily!?

When he tried to pull it back, he realized—he couldn't move it.

He's so strong!

CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—

Klein gradually applied pressure. Cracks began to spider across the spot where his fingers touched.

Then suddenly, the entire spiked club shattered, exploding into a hail of icy shards that thundered into the snow below.

"Oi, brat. Strength alone isn't enough to become strong!"

SWISH—

Klein vanished again. Loki looked around, panicked.

"Where is he?! Humans are way too small!"

"Right here!"

Klein popped up in front of Loki's face, grinning at his shocked expression.

"Eat my fist!"

Fist of Love!

His fist instantly coated in Armament Haki, turning pitch black and gleaming. The air around it rippled as snow scattered away.

BOOM!

The punch struck Loki's head dead-on, toppling his massive body. His face slammed into the snowy ground with a crack, carving a massive pit that exposed the yellow dirt underneath.

"Brat, you've still got a lot to learn. If you want to learn—be my son, and I'll teach you!" Klein laughed heartily.

Suddenly—

A thunderous roar burst out like a god's fury:

"YOU DAMN MARINE! I AM LOKI'S FATHER!!"