To the Giant Race that had gone hungry for twelve days, today's food tasted exceptionally delicious; the Giants wolfed it down with gusto.
On this important Winter Festival and Gourmet Festival, everyone was happily feasting, leaving behind all grievances and worries.
Harald set aside his prejudice for the moment and refused none of the cups offered by Rocks and Newgate's group, drinking with hearty abandon.
Even the high elders of Sake Village, who had always targeted Ida and her son Hajrudin, accepted the toast offered by Ida and Hajrudin.
On this day there was no hatred, no prejudice—only a peaceful moment of enjoying good food.
Fang Huo soaked in the harmonious atmosphere; perhaps this was the kind of grand banquet Straw Hat Luffy wanted, where everyone could eat their fill.
Charlotte Linlin seemed to turn into a ravenous beast, cramming caramel puffs into her mouth with both hands, her face wearing a look of entranced contentment.
It had been more than ten years since she last tasted Elbaf's caramel puffs.
Now she could finally gorge herself.
That gave her an exceptional sense of satisfaction and happiness.
"So good~"
Tears sparkled in Charlotte Linlin's eyes; she thanked Fang Huo—he had allowed her to become a guest of the Giant Race once again.
"Indeed, not bad."
Stussy and Shimotsuki Furiko were sharing a caramel puff as tall as they were, sampling it with elegant grace.
"This is a moment worth recording."
Furiko briskly produced her voyage log to note it down, and even took out the transponder snail camera Fang Huo had given her to upgrade her recording method.
"Have a drink?"
Fang Huo raised his cup toward the out-of-place Redfield in invitation.
Redfield lifted his cup and gave a nod; he was actually enjoying this moment.
The straightforward, candid Giant Race let him feel the simple musical atmosphere of the Rumbar Pirates.
If his revenge succeeded, perhaps settling down in Elbaf wouldn't be bad.
He no longer wished to live among scheming humans.
"Do you like this atmosphere?"
"Burp~"
"If you like it, find yourself a simple Giantess for a wife."
"Humans and Giants have no reproductive barrier; you can marry and have kids."
After a big swig of Elbaf's fine wine, Fang Huo looked at Redfield's cold face and got interested, starting to tease him.
"You know, among the Roger Pirates there's a guy who'll stay in Elbaf, marry a Giantess, and father a son."
"You wouldn't believe how many men admire that guy's strength, Redfield!"
"In the eyes of men, his fame probably surpasses even the Pirate King."
The more Fang Huo spoke, the more carried away he became, making Stussy and Furiko roll their eyes.
Charlotte Linlin pricked up her ears, and joy leapt in her heart—could it be that Fang Huo likes Giantesses? Her little Giantess self wasn't bad either.
A normal Giantess is about fifteen to eighteen meters tall; males are eighteen to twenty-two.
Royal bloodlines with Ancient Giant heritage can reach fifty or sixty meters.
Ida, the mixed-blood dwarf Giantess from the outside seas, is ten meters.
She, Charlotte Linlin, is over eight meters; if Fang Huo likes that, she'd gladly bear his children.
Redfield's face stiffened at Fang Huo's suggestion.
Marry a Giantess?
He liked simple people without complicated thoughts, but not rough, simple Giantesses.
He was, after all, an elegant noble; he wasn't used to the Giants' coarse lifestyle.
"I'm not interested in that kind of fame."
Redfield spoke coolly; he realized that Fang Huo, once he'd had a few drinks, seemed like a different person.
He hardly fit the image of a sage.
He had considered Gu Yue Fang Huo his only kindred spirit.
Yet now Fang Huo seemed no different from those with vulgar tastes.
"Red, life is inherently a meaningless process: we're born, we die, the world forgets us, and in the end nothing remains."
"Survival and reproduction are instincts written into our genes."
"Within our limited lives we can still make our stories splendid."
"Don't drown yourself solely in revenge."
"Our time is short; if you don't want to be forgotten so quickly, having offspring lets your bloodline and name live longer."
Fang Huo spouted his nonsense with a straight face; he simply wanted to change Redfield and Newgate's reluctance to find women.
Letting such mighty kings' bloodlines die out really was a waste.
"Gehahaha, what kind of crap theory is that? As long as I'm having fun, that's enough for me!"
"If I'm enjoying myself, my life has meaning!"
Golden Lion Shiki jumped out at once to refute Fang Huo's fallacy.
"Then tell me, doesn't it feel great to lie drunk in a beauty's lap?"
Fang Huo pulled Stussy and Furiko close and kissed them, then looked provocatively at Shiki's envious Executives.
Men of the Rocks Pirates—say they don't crave beauty? Impossible.
In the end they'd all fall at the feet of the Supreme Great Succubus Shakky.
Even Newgate, who claimed he didn't need a woman, had once been stirred by Shakky.
As for the other Rocks Executives and those Roger Pirates, they were even more wildly infatuated with her.
Right now that Supreme Great Succubus Shakky was only twelve or thirteen and probably hadn't even set sail.
He wondered if Gulley Rosa had already become empress of Amazon Lily and Captain of the Kuja Pirates.
That woman was about the same age as Stussy—around twenty-four now.
"So marrying a Giantess can earn a man fame no less than the Pirate King's..."
Redfield and Newgate paid Fang Huo's words no heed, but Kiel Bastard the four-armed gunner was intrigued.
It was as if he saw a clear path before him.
He really began sizing up attractive Giantesses among the Giants, preparing for a vigorous cross-race romance.
Yet with his stature and fame, finding a Giantess might be difficult.
For the moment a certain Giantess was interested in the powerful little Giant Whitebeard Newgate.
When Rocks heard Fang Huo's wild theory, a thoughtful look crossed his face.
The bloodline of their Davy Clan had to be passed on.
He would definitely find a wife in the future to continue his line.
And that wife must be of the D Clan to keep the bloodline pure and the offspring strong.
For some reason, Rocks thought again of that D Clan girl in Shadow Port, Rulusia Kingdom.
Why did Alice keep appearing in his mind?
Rocks quickly shook his head and went back to drinking with Harald.
For now he'd better plan how to drag Harald along to raid the Celestial Dragons' Native Purge Competition.
Now that they knew where the Celestial Dragons were holding the contest, they had to make trouble.
If the time wasn't certain, they'd stake it out for a year or however long it took!
In short, this time they had to find every way to get back at those Celestial Dragons!