Sea Circle Calendar, June 1489.
The New World — Waters of Elbaf.
Far beyond the horizon, a colossal tree towered alone above the sea, so enormous that it seemed capable of piercing the heavens themselves.
The Oro Jackson was steadily sailing toward it.
There, upon that unimaginable giant tree, stood the legendary kingdom of giants—Elbaf.
Roger stood on the deck with his hands resting against the railing, gazing quietly at the distant giant tree as emotion flickered through his eyes.
"The Treasure Tree Adam…" he murmured softly. "Our ship was built from wood that came from there."
The closer they sailed, the more overwhelming the scale of the tree became.
From the structure of its trunk and branches, it was clearly divided into three massive layers.
The lowest layer, closest to the sea itself, possessed an incredibly bizarre climate. Endless ice spread across the ocean, freezing the surrounding waters solid and transforming the area into something resembling a frozen hell.
As the Oro Jackson drew nearer, waves of biting cold gradually enveloped the ship.
Standing at the bow, Rayleigh watched the sea ahead slowly freeze over while shattered chunks of drifting ice repeatedly collided against the hull. He couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
"So Elbaf's environment is really this harsh? Just like the rumors say… No wonder it's known as the land of warriors."
The moment those words left his mouth, Gaban immediately objected.
Among everyone aboard the ship, Valthior was undoubtedly the most educated, while Spencer was the unrivaled master of intelligence and information. Both knew quite a lot about Elbaf.
But if anyone on the ship could truly be called "familiar" with Elbaf, it was absolutely Gaban—the ultimate man among men.
Even though he had never actually been there before, he knew the place so thoroughly that one would think it was his homeland.
"That's completely wrong!" Gaban declared at once. "People across the seas all think Elbaf is some frozen wasteland because almost nobody knows the correct way to enter it. Most pirates and adventurers who arrive here just blindly crash straight into the icy region below—which, in giant culture, is called the 'Underworld.' Because of that, everyone ends up misunderstanding Elbaf completely!"
Unlike Wano Country, Elbaf had never been isolationist.
In fact, during Harald's reign, the kingdom had become highly welcoming toward outsiders. Whether they were pirates, diplomats, merchants, or wandering adventurers, as long as they didn't arrive with hostile intentions, Elbaf generally welcomed them openly.
The problem was that very few people actually knew how to properly ascend the Treasure Tree Adam.
As a result, most visitors only ended up wandering through the Underworld below. After fumbling around the frozen wasteland for a while and failing to find a way upward, they would eventually leave and spread exaggerated rumors about Elbaf being an unbearably harsh, frozen land.
"The Underworld?" Rayleigh, the man nicknamed "Dark King" (Meiou/Underworld King), was clearly interested. He asked, "What's the deal with that?"
At that moment, Gaban practically transformed into an ambassador of giant culture. Wearing an expression full of pride, he began enthusiastically explaining everything he knew.
"In giant mythology, Elbaf is divided into three realms. The Underworld is the frozen land of exile. According to legend, giants who commit unforgivable crimes are banished there and left to fend for themselves. That frozen region we're seeing right now—that's the Underworld. It's also the lowest layer of Elbaf."
After pausing briefly, he continued,
"But the thing most people don't realize is that giants don't actually live there. Ordinary giants mainly inhabit the 'Sun World,' which is located on the second layer of the Treasure Tree Adam. Their villages, towns, fortresses, and warrior settlements are all built there."
He then raised a finger dramatically toward the uppermost reaches of the colossal tree.
"As for the third layer—the highest realm—that's what giant culture calls the 'Heaven World.' Even a great scholar of giant culture like me doesn't know much about it. Maybe it's some sacred place used to worship their gods or perform rituals. Apparently even ordinary giants rarely go there."
"As expected of you, 'Missionary of Love," Valthior teased from the side.
Honestly speaking, Gaban's understanding of Elbaf was even more detailed than his own.
Roger rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So how exactly are we supposed to reach the real Elbaf? Do we enter the Underworld first and climb up the tree trunk from there? Why does it feel like every place we visit lately requires mountain-climbing?"
By this point, Gaban had already strode over to the helm. A wide grin spread across his face as excitement lit up his eyes.
"Well, there is going to be some climbing involved," he admitted. "But we're not scaling the trunk."
Then he grabbed the wheel dramatically and shouted:
"Because we're about to board the Rainbow Bridge! So brace yourselves, everyone—our fantastical journey is about to begin!"
As he spoke, a powerful sea breeze suddenly surged forward, swelling the sails to their limit. The Oro Jackson abruptly accelerated, cutting through the waves like an arrow released from its bow.
Under the crew's mixture of anticipation and nervous excitement, Gaban skillfully steered the legendary pirate ship—crafted from the wood of the Treasure Tree Adam itself—straight toward the rainbow ahead.
Then, without hesitation, the ship plunged directly into it.
The rainbow, which should have been nothing more than an untouchable illusion of light, suddenly solidified before their eyes. In an instant, a magnificent bridge of shimmering colors formed, stretching all the way toward Elbaf's Sun World high above.
And just like that, the Oro Jackson began gliding smoothly upward along the spectrum itself.
"Whoa… now this is a sight!" Roger exclaimed as he leaned over the railing to look below the ship.
Only then did everyone realize the rainbow wasn't merely reflected light.
It was a flowing current of brilliantly colored seawater soaring into the sky.
Even Valthior clicked his tongue in amazement as he watched the surreal phenomenon unfold.
"The New World really never runs out of new ways to surprise me…"
Meanwhile, Rayleigh had already dragged Bullet, Shanks, Buggy, and the others toward the cabin while pulling out various strange outfits from storage.
"Hey! Since we're riding the sea current now, lower the sails and hide the ship's identifying features as much as possible!" he shouted. "And you brats, stop gawking around and come change clothes already. Once we get up there, don't expose our identities!"
Because of what had happened at Whole Cake Island—where they had effectively become enemies of Harald, the Giant King—the Roger Pirates had no idea what kind of reception awaited them in Elbaf.
And judging by Harald's immense prestige among the giants, it definitely wasn't likely to be a friendly one.
So long before arriving, the crew had already unanimously agreed on a plan: disguise themselves, conceal their identities, and quietly search for the Road Poneglyph while avoiding unnecessary conflict with the strongest nation in the world.
After all, while the average strength of giant warriors might not mean much to true top-tier monsters, the problem was their sheer numbers.
Not to mention that everyone knew Elbaf possessed genuine monsters among its ranks as well.
Aside from Harald, there was also Elder Jarul—the man currently known as the "Oldest Warrior in the World." Nearly three hundred years ago, he had once been hailed as "the strongest man on the seas."
That alone proved he had once stood at least on the same level as Whitebeard.
Sure, he was old now—but who could say whether Elbaf didn't still have other terrifying warriors comparable to him in his prime?
If things spiraled out of control, not only would they fail to locate the Poneglyph peacefully, they might even attract Harald himself.
For all they knew, he could already be back in Elbaf.
In short, keeping a low profile was their top priority.
Before long, the entire Roger Pirates crew had completed their disguises.
Shanks had even taken paint and dyed Roger's thick mustache completely white.
Roger flicked his mustache thoughtfully and muttered,
"People aren't gonna mistake me for Whitebeard now, are they?"
Standing nearby in a full Elbaf-style warrior outfit complete with a horned helmet, Rayleigh chuckled.
"Relax. They'll just think you're a terrible imitation of him."
Valthior himself wore a brown-and-black warrior outfit paired with a horned helm. Combined with the chain axe hanging from his waist and his naturally heroic appearance, he honestly looked remarkably convincing.
If not for his normal human proportions, he could practically pass as a local.
Then there was Gaban.
This man had clearly spent years fantasizing about dressing like a giant warrior. Clad in thick furs and carrying twin axes over his shoulders, he stood proudly at the center of the deck with excitement written all over his face.
"Well?!" he demanded eagerly. "Don't I look exactly like a true giant warrior?"
"You look too accurate," Valthior replied dryly. "You basically recreated your dream outfit one-to-one, didn't you?"
"Hahahahaha! Hopefully this trip lets me meet the wife destiny has prepared for me!" Gaban declared loudly, completely unconcerned with anyone else's reactions.
Looking at him, Valthior couldn't help thinking that if Gaban really did get married in Elbaf someday, he'd probably wear this exact same outfit on his wedding night too.
What a bizarre sense of taste.
...
Read Advanced Chapters on : www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin
~ Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]