One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 299 Answer Me, Teach
The Well of the Underworld, 'Hivegelma'.

Like the Warrior's Fountain, this ancient spring, which has existed since the birth of Elbaf, has crystallized everything around it over the long years, turning it into a snow-white beach.

But the difference between it and Warrior's Fountain is...

Near this beach, you can see countless stones scattered around, radiating a sun-like glow.

Those are all 'sunstones'.

Beside the Spring of the Underworld stands an ancient castle that resembles Auersto Castle.

Its name is 'Udaburg', and like Auersto Castle, it is an ancient structure built by the royal family of Elbaf, symbolizing the status of the 'King of the Underworld'.

And at this moment, in front of the gate of Udaburg.

"Rest well here."

Seeing that the giant wolf, Sifulin, had collapsed due to exhaustion and weakness, Wu Ma casually remarked, and then leaped off the giant wolf.

He looked at the castle with its gates open before him, exchanged a glance with the three solemn-looking giants beside him, and asked, "Gentlemen, do we still need to respect tradition now?"

"."*3
The three giants remained silent.

They didn't know why Jabba was fighting Loki, nor what the outcome of the battle would be, but the battle itself was enough to show that something huge had happened in Udaburg.

So at that moment, they silently walked into Udaburg.

The roads inside Udaburg are not complicated, with only one main road. The other roads and rooms have clearly been uninhabited for at least a hundred years, and are covered in dust.

Along the way, Wu Ma and the three giants did not encounter any interception.

Soon, they had arrived at the deepest part of Udaburg.

In the distance, one can see what lies deep within Udaburg—a massive 'well' nestled beneath the enormous trunk of the World Tree.

Given the location of this castle, the destination of this deep well is self-evident—the 'Spring of the Underworld', Hevigelmar.

However, what exists inside that deep well is not spring water.

On the contrary, the deep well seems to separate the waters of Hevigelma below, revealing what lies at the very bottom of the Hevigelma spring.

They were things that resembled giant mountain ranges or giant snakes.

Those are 'tree roots'.

Yes.

This skylight within Udaburg is clearly something guarded by the successive kings of the underworld in Elbaf.

It leads to the base of Hevigelma and connects to the roots of the World Tree that extend into Hevigelma!
Of course, at this moment, the deep well is not even the most eye-catching place.

What's truly surprising is the small house located next to the deep well.

It is clearly not part of the original Udaburg, but a new building that was recently renovated there—the whole building looks quite new.

Without needing to say more, Wu Ma understood. The person living in that building must be 'Idate'.

The Queen Mother of Elbaf, who was poisoned twenty years ago, has been in a coma in that small house ever since.

And it was at this very moment
"Thump!" "Thump!"

Heavy, massive footsteps echoed.

"Dongli, Brogy, and oh, what rare guests."

With that hoarse, low voice, everyone saw a figure emerge from the small house.

That was a giant.

He had a massive size far exceeding that of ordinary giants, and the round helmet he wore extended into two horns—a feature unique to the ancient giants who had reverted to their ancestral form.

His eyes were bandaged, and he was carrying a huge hammer.

Even without ever making a move, everyone who saw him could sense his incredibly powerful aura—even the enormous hammer in his hand radiated a terrifying sense of danger.

However, at this moment, traces of a recent battle could be seen on the giant's body.

He had obvious slash wounds on his body, and his clothes were also torn in many places.

"Prince Loki!" *3
At this moment, the three giants' subconscious address, tinged with slight admiration, was enough to reveal the other party's identity.

Yes—the other party is Harald's eldest son, who is also the 'strongest person' recognized in all of Elbaf.

Loki, the cursed prince.

"Cough cough, I didn't expect you to come here. And who is this gentleman?"

Loki chuckled softly, looking at Wu Ma with some surprise.

"This is Lord Wu Ma of the 'Twelve Constellations'—he has been authorized by Regent Halding to come to the Underworld."

Sauro quickly explained, "We absolutely did not intend to trespass into the forbidden area, it was just that Siflin..."

He recounted the events that had just unfolded, with the giant wolf leading them into the Jotun Mountains.

“I see.” Loki casually put down the iron mine in his hand, grinned, and said, “You don’t need to apologize for that—I won’t blame you.”

"Besides, I've been looking forward to this meeting for a long time."

The three giants were not particularly surprised by these words.

Although they did not know the truth about King Harald's disappearance, they had heard some things when they received Aruru's order to bring Wu Ma to the underworld—it seemed that Regent Halding and Prince Loki had been waiting for the twelve constellations for quite some time.

"."

Wu Ma glanced at Loki but didn't say anything.

But at that moment, the three giants seemed to recall what had just happened and hurriedly asked, "By the way, Prince Loki—we saw traces on the snow mountain, Mr. Mountain, what about him?"

As they asked questions, they also glanced at the wounds on Loki's body.

Like the marks on the snow-capped mountains, those were also 'axe marks'.

They all knew very well how terrifying Loki's power was.

The only person capable of inflicting such injuries on Loki, and wielding an axe, could only be Jabba the Hulk.

But upon hearing this, Loki murmured softly.

"Ah, you mean Mr. Shan—"

His words seemed to contain respect, yet also a certain arrogance and self-satisfaction.

"He attempted to attack me, the King of the Underworld of Elbaf—though he is not a giant, as one of the citizens of the land of giants, this is an act of treason."

"So, to ensure Hevigelma's safety, I defeated him and temporarily imprisoned him."

As he spoke, his bandaged eyes looked at the four of them.

"Of course, you all know about the recent situation in Elbaf. So I will wait until the 'earthquake' problem is resolved and the invaders are captured before I go to the mortal realm to find Halding and discuss the follow-up treatment of Mr. Shan."

He grinned.

Upon hearing this, the three giants were all taken aback.

"Mr. Shan attacked you?"

Then they exclaimed in surprise, and quickly said, "This is impossible, Prince Loki!"

“Mr. Shan is not that kind of person. He is Ripley’s husband and was sent to the underworld by Regent Haldin to find the source of the earthquake.”

“There must be some misunderstanding here—where is Mr. Shan? Prince, please release him, and I will ask him.”

Just as mentioned before.

Jabba had lived in Elbaf for decades, and the giants naturally trusted him implicitly.

Therefore, they naturally did not believe that Jabba would do such a thing.

What they found even more incredible was that Loki had defeated Jabba in such a short time and even imprisoned him.
"Of course, no problem!"

Upon hearing this, Loki grinned and said, "Come here, all of you. I'll have Ironhide take you to where he's being held."

But it is precisely at this moment
"and many more."

Wu Ma spoke up, calling out to the three giants.

Amidst the puzzled expressions of the three giants, Wu Ma's gaze, hidden beneath his mask, turned to Loki.

"I do have a question I'd like to ask you."

His words were calm, yet he seemed to have seen through some truths.

"Of course, you may ask me anything—my precious guest."

Loki said with a smile.

"I don't understand, aren't you even slightly moved by your father's ambition?"

He asked this question calmly.

"As far as I know, he is undoubtedly a hero of the sea—he takes what he wants, that's his style."

"As far as I know, you should also know about the events that happened in his life."

"But as his son, as the inheritor of that bloodline, why are you so despicable?"

He looked at 'Loki' in front of him.

"You have already taken over the body of the strongest person in this country, you have already obtained the power that this country has protected for generations, and you have personally caused the earthquake."

"Why pretend you don't know? Why hide in the shadows and tell such a despicable lie?"

At this point in his speech, his words were clearly extremely sharp.

“Answer me, Teach.”

(End of this chapter)