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After achieving his goal, Alex responded to the enthusiastic feast of the giants and began to enjoy the delicious food and wine unique to the land of giants.
Unlike Alex who was enjoying himself, Loki's mood had shifted due to the alliance between the Sky Kingdom and Elbaf. Facing the World Government as an opponent made his thoughts on their advance and retreat more determined.
Suddenly, as if recalling something, Loki looked at Alex and said, "Since we are already allies, there is a place I would like to show you."
Hearing Loki's words, Alex turned his head, remembered the report from his shadow guard, and smiled. "Of course, no problem."
With Loki leading, the two left the center of the banquet early and walked toward the Giant Castle.
After passing through the innermost grand hall and walking down a wide corridor, they arrived at a quaint gate.
Seeing this place with his own eyes, combined with what he heard from Loki, Alex confirmed this was where Elbaf once kept its secrets hidden.
This place left Alex speechless. Like Alabasta and Wano, the secrets of the past were buried underground. Did these people share some strange hobby?
"It's in here," Loki said.
Loki looked at the heavy door before him, then exerted force with both hands and pushed it open with a resounding slam.
As the door opened, the space inside was dimly lit. However, the movement seemed to trigger some mechanism, and a few flames appeared in the darkness. The fire spread rapidly, quickly dispelling the shadows.
Only then did Alex clearly see what was inside the cave.
Although it was underground like the secret chambers of Alabasta and Wano, this place was different. Unlike the vast environments where those countries' secrets were buried, this was merely a cave large enough to accommodate two giants, despite being located in the Giant Kingdom.
What attracted Alex's attention most, however, was the mechanical figure in the middle of the cave with a long spear stuck in its breastplate.
Although Alex knew many plot points well, this unknown event that had not yet appeared in the original story changed his mood.
Seeing Alex staring at the mechanical giant, Loki explained, "This is where the secret of Elbaf lies buried, and it's also the source of our unique martial art..."
"The Spear of Elbaf," Alex said knowingly.
It was indeed a famous martial art of the giants, though its uniqueness was questionable when looking at Charlotte Linlin alone.
Of course, compared to the simplicity of Elbaf's Spear, Alex believed Charlotte Linlin's mastery was due to her extraordinary talent. After all, he himself had mastered the martial art of Elbaf's Spear because of his own "extraordinary talent."
Not knowing what Alex was thinking, Loki nodded, turned to look at the huge robot in the center and said, "According to the records I inherited from my father, the spear stuck in that monster belonged to our ancestor, the 'God of War' Giant King."
"It is said this mechanical monster suddenly descended upon Elbaf and wreaked havoc. In the end, our ancestor pierced it with a long spear, earning the reputation of Elbaf's Spear."
"But there are secrets far beyond these buried here. It's said to be a huge secret that can rival or even surpass the reputation of Elbaf's Spear. That's why this place is passed down only to the successor kings."
After explaining the general history, Loki continued with a slightly sad expression, "But to unlock the real mystery, one must strike this monster with the powerful Elbaf's Spear technique. Only those who pass this test will learn the great secret. It's said that for hundreds of years, no giant king has been able to pass this test."
Looking at Loki, Alex nodded but did not respond directly.
The situation was complicated. Perhaps the selection of previous giant kings was based on strength competitions, meaning those who sat on the throne were definitely not weak and might have been able to unlock this secret mechanism.
But people's selfishness and greed could not be controlled, and it was possible the method of selecting kings had shifted from strength-based to the current bloodline-based approach.
A king like Loki, who was definitely not considered among the strongest in Elbaf, would, by his own admission, be unable to pass the test.
Stepping forward, Alex examined the mechanical giant before him.
Both its appearance and the traces of moss on its armor resembled the giant that had appeared on Punk Hazard Island in the original storyline.
Could this be a product of the ancient times?
Alex recalled Vegapunk's words: "Have you ever thought that what we call future technology might actually be the history left by the past?"
Alex, who originally had little interest in ancient history, couldn't help but feel curious.
Whether it was the missing fourth Road Poneglyph or Vegapunk's research on Punk Hazard Island, right now this robot held Alex's full attention.
The Spear of Elbaf.
Alex held Akizakura in his left hand and Ame no Habakiri in his right. In the cave where the air was thin, a sudden wind movement accompanied his swords.
As his concentration reached its peak, Alex stared directly at the mechanical giant.
A terrifying aura emerged from the dual blades, and the surrounding air seemed to be completely pulled toward them, converging on the double swords.
Then, with sudden force, Alex unleashed his attack. The blades of Akizakura and Ame no Habakiri transformed into a terrifying giant sword wave with an extremely wide range and incredible speed. With suffocating momentum, the attack rushed toward the face of the ancient mechanical giant.
"THIS... THIS!! Hakoku ?!!" Loki shouted in shock.