novelraw Chapter 415: Voices After the Trade
Chapter 415: Voices After the Trade
The New World’s overlord, Brook, faced off against Elbaf’s giant king, Harald. Both stood among the world’s elite, their presence alone commanding awe.
Their Conqueror’s Haki clashed in a fierce back-and-forth. Harald, a king for over a century, wielded a deep, unyielding aura honed by time. Brook, a transmigrator with sky-high ambitions, surged with aggressive, unstoppable momentum. Neither would yield, each striving to overpower the other’s will!
But the seas aren’t just about brawls and one-on-one duels!
You’re tough? You’re strong?
So what? One person’s strength means nothing without a crew to back it up!
Brook’s Conqueror’s Haki began to overwhelm Harald’s. Just as the giant king braced for a counterattack, four more bursts of Conqueror’s Haki erupted, crashing down with devastating force. In an instant, they crushed Harald’s Haki.
His eight-legged steed wailed and collapsed, frothing at the mouth, eyes rolling back, convulsing under the pressure!
Harald dismounted, planting his feet firmly on the ground, jaw clenched as he endured the onslaught of five Conqueror’s Haki auras. His face turned ashen.
His mind reeled, a magnitude-ten earthquake of shock. The Hell Pirates had five Conqueror’s Haki users, each with a strength far beyond some rookie supernova’s half-baked aura.
He’d heard rumors, but how could Brook’s subordinates—mere pirates under his command—wield such potent Haki?
It defied everything he knew about Conqueror’s Haki growth!
Harald couldn’t wrap his head around it. And he didn’t have time to try.
"Lucky bastard, Brook! How’d you snag so many heavy hitters?"
Harald withdrew his Haki, conceding the clash. Not only was Brook’s Haki stronger, but the Hell Pirates outmatched him in sheer numbers of awakened users. The comparison was stark—Harald was outclassed.
Picking a fight with the Hell Pirates would be a losing bet.
He quickly shelved any fleeting thoughts of teaming up with the Marines to take them down. Cooperation was the smarter play—nobody wins in a bloodbath!
"Harald, you’re no slouch yourself! If you ever hit the seas, you’d be ruling your own pirate empire, no question—maybe even rivaling the Ice Demon Pirates!"
Brook laughed heartily, his skeletal frame practically rattling with mirth. If Harald turned pirate, he’d build a crew as fearsome as any top-tier outfit.
But a king of the world’s strongest nation stooping to piracy? The very idea was absurd—pirates were the scum of the seas, despised by all!
"Enough flattery. Hand over Thalrik and my soldiers!"
Having decided against crossing the Hell Pirates, Harald focused on the deal. He needed to know if Brook had harmed his men—otherwise, this could still turn ugly.
"Thanks for the gift!"
Brook sidestepped talk of ransom or compensation, framing it as a gesture to save Elbaf’s pride. He’d already sent Golden Lion Shiki to collect the Treasure Tree Adam.
Brook personally escorted Thalrik to Harald. The giant was a shadow of himself, weakened from days without food. The other soldiers, though roughed up, were in better shape.
Whitebeard Newgate hefted Thalrik’s Kratos War Axe, reluctant to part with it but tossing it over as part of the trade.
"And thanks for the Gungnir Steel!"
Brook grinned, knowing he’d gotten the better end of the deal. He’d paid nothing for Thalrik’s capture—the fool had practically gift-wrapped himself. Without that, getting his hands on Gungnir Steel would’ve taken ages!
"Move your Hell Giant Fortress somewhere else!"
Harald pulled out a small pouch of Gungnir Steel powder. Mixed with other rare metals, it could forge weapons suited to Brook’s size—plenty of them.
"That’s it?"
Brook’s grin faded as he eyed the tiny pouch. It looked like Harald had handed him a piece of candy, not a legendary material.
"Gungnir Steel is tough as hell and weighs a ton. You think you can craft a pure Gungnir weapon with human tech? No chance! Mix it with other metals—that’s the way to go."
Harald snorted, explaining that even this small amount was painstakingly ground from Elbaf’s sacred spear over years.
"Harald, how about I help you research it? Maybe grind down that Elbaf Spear a bit more?"
Brook took the pouch, verifying its authenticity while practically salivating at the thought of more Gungnir Steel.
Harald tossed the Kratos War Axe back to Thalrik, who, along with two dozen soldiers, rejoined Elbaf’s ranks.
"Only someone with an awakened Burn-Burn Fruit or Magma-Magma Fruit might scratch the Elbaf Spear. Don’t get any bright ideas, you scheming skeleton!"
Harald shut down Brook’s sly proposal.
...
Shiki returned with a haul of Treasure Tree Adam to Golden Island, paying in gold and Belly. With that, the deal between the Hell Pirates and Elbaf was sealed.
Harald surveyed his weary soldiers and the gaunt Thalrik. Losing some Gungnir Steel stung, but the Treasure Tree Adam fetched a fair price. Still, he was irked. If not for the Hell Pirates’ five Conqueror’s Haki users, he might’ve challenged Brook to a fight.
"Rumor has it you’ve got a stash of giant-grade weapons. Sell me a batch!"
Harald figured the Belly from the Adam deal was useless to Elbaf’s giants unless spent. Brook’s weapons and armor seemed top-notch—perfect for procurement.
...
Behind him, Jaguar D. Saul bristled. Harald’s shift from aggression to haggling with pirates was unacceptable. As a Marine, Saul had to stop Elbaf from cozying up to the Hell Pirates!
He forgot one thing: Elbaf wasn’t part of the World Government. Their dealings with pirates were none of the Marines’ business.
"King Harald, you’ve got your hostages back. Now join us Marines and crush the Hell Pirates!"
Saul’s shout made Harald wince. He’d initially thought the Hell Pirates were on par with the Vesper Pirates, maybe weak enough to team up with the Marines against.
But Brook’s crew was a monster. Making enemies of them was pure folly.
Bringing Saul was starting to look like a colossal mistake—like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot!
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