One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 318 The Esther, the Ark of Salvation
"What is that?"

At this moment, Halding, who was falling downwards, stared blankly at the giant starship that was getting closer and clearer below.

Its size was enormous, even for giants—the dazzling starlight almost filled the entire 'underworld,' and nothing else could be seen within Haldin's field of vision.

And at this moment.
"Awoo!"

With a deep howl, a giant white wolf suddenly leaped high from the edge of the starship—of course, because the ship was so enormous, even this wolf, which was as large as a mountain on the sea, appeared extremely small in comparison.

Dorry and Brogy were almost stunned by what they saw.

Because they all recognized it—this giant wolf was none other than the 'North Wind Wolf' Sifulin, who had led them to the Jotun Mountains in the Underworld.

They had also noticed that during the battle between Wu Ma and Loki, the giant wolf must have fallen into the depths of the underworld.

Coupled with the subsequent disaster in Elbaf, they originally thought that the giant wolf should be dead without a doubt.

But now.
Accompanied by a wolf howl, the mountain lord giant wolf, whose size far exceeds that of a normal giant, easily caught the two people and the child in their arms.

Only then did Donley and Brogy notice that the giant wolf was radiating a starlight that was in line with the giant ship.

At this moment, drawn by the starlight, it was quickly pulled back onto the giant ship.

"."*2
Seeing this, Donald and Brogy looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

But at least they understood—it seemed they were safe.

only.
"Hey, Lord Westflin—and Regent Haldin and the children over there, and everyone in the mortal realm."

Soon, they all spoke up.

"Awoo."

The giant wolf howled.

"Speak human language, we don't understand."

Dorry and Brogy scratched their heads.

But it is precisely at this moment
"boom!"

Suddenly, they heard the sound of wings flapping coming from the giant ship below.

As a fierce wind swept through, a jet-black dragon suddenly rose from the starlight.

With a single swipe of its enormous dragon claw, it dragged Haldin and the children down.

"Haydin".

The deep voice carried a clear sense of intimacy and amusement.

"Brother Loki!?"

Hajrudin, of course, recognized Loki's abilities and exclaimed in surprise.

Although time and things were tight, Dorry and Brogy were unable to tell him all the details.

However, Haildin was aware of the general situation.

Therefore, he naturally understood that Loki's presence here at this moment, coupled with this giant starship, was enough to prove it.
"The twelve constellations won!?"

As Hajrudin asked his question, Loki's massive figure landed on the giant ship.

"Well, I'll tell you the details later—for now, let's rescue everyone in the mortal realm and everyone who escaped to the shores of the underworld."

"Otherwise, even if we successfully leave the vicinity of Elbaf, ordinary ships will be dragged into the deep sea along with the sinking of the World Tree."

Loki said in a low voice, "The same as always, Hajrudin. You keep order for me."

He looked at his brother.

".kindness."

Upon hearing this, Haildin nodded solemnly.

Without further ado, he leaped and landed directly on the deck below.

Dorry and Brogy, who were standing nearby, followed suit and led the children to jump off the giant wolf.

"Huh? What is this?"

But when they landed on the deck, their expressions changed slightly.

The children stopped panicking and crying, and opened their eyes wide to curiously touch the starlight-drenched floor beneath their feet.

By now, they had all discovered it.

The starlight beneath their feet was not the pure 'light' it appeared to be.

Quite the opposite.

"soil?"

Haildin frowned—the crown of wisdom atop his head continued to radiate light, allowing him to glimpse some of the truths about the deck of this giant ship.

The ship is made of starlight, yet it also possesses a tangible form.

Or to be more precise.

"It was originally a huge, earthen ship, and these starlight symbols represent some kind of transformation it is undergoing?"

The more Halding looked, the more astonished he became.

He had never heard of such a massive ship, even by the standards of giants.

"Good eye."

The next moment, he heard a slightly amused voice.

Then Halding turned his head and saw a figure slowly emerge from the swirling starlight.

The familiar horse-head mask naturally identifies him.

"Your Excellency Wu Ma, you have indeed won."

Haildin, however, was not surprised, but merely sighed.

"It was all thanks to the leader's help and a few lucky coincidences."

Wu Ma waved his hand, and the deep gaze behind the eye holes of his mask turned to the giant starship around him.

"The leader is currently overseeing the operation of the 'Ester' and has no time to meet with you, so I will take charge of entertaining you all."

As he spoke, Haildin also noticed that the 'Book of Stars' at Wu Ma's waist was emitting a faint glow.

"The Esther? The leader?"

With the blessing of the Crown of Wisdom, Haildin quickly understood the meaning of those words.

Ester – meaning 'cluster of stars'.

And the leader.
"The Star Lord is on this ship and oversees its operation."

Coupled with the ship's unique posture, that possibility was clearly presented to Halding.

"Is this ship the vehicle of the 'Twelve Constellations' and the 'Star Lord'?"

He took a deep breath and said in a low voice.

"Yes."

Wu Ma did not hesitate and quickly nodded: "This ship is the 'Starship' and the 'Salvation Ship' - only by boarding the Esther and using this 'Book of Stars' in my hand as the key can we reach our headquarters."

As he spoke, he waved the Book of Stars in his hand: "That's why I serve as the 'recorder' in the organization—I record everyone who comes and goes."

Upon hearing this, Halding, who already knew about Wu Ma's abilities from Dorry and Brogy, was also taken aback.

He felt that what he was hearing at that moment was undoubtedly one of the greatest secrets of the entire ocean.

The fact that the twelve constellations actually had their own ships and their own headquarters—Haydin was naturally aware of this, as it was an extremely important piece of news.

More importantly
"The Star Lord, is he here?"

He had naturally understood—the star lord of the twelve constellations was on this ship at that moment!
"."

Haildin took a deep breath, trying to suppress the turmoil surging in his heart.

He knew very well that the first thing he needed to ask was not about the twelve zodiac signs, but rather...
People of Elbaf!

"All the sons of the giants!"

Then, Halding roared, "Listen to Lord Wuma and my brother's orders—prepare to rescue them!" As soon as he finished speaking, the giant warriors responded in unison, and the giant ship Ester beneath their feet began to move.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Countless giant trees and boulders crashed down, but they could not harm the enormous ship in the slightest.

"Look!"

"What is that!?"

"It's a ship!?"

The giants who remained in safe places in the underworld or the mortal realm also quickly noticed the giant ship.

And at this moment.
"Roar!"

On the Esther, Loki, who had transformed into a black dragon, opened his mouth and let out a dragon roar.

Iron Thunder stirred up storms and lightning around him, tearing a path through the surroundings.

at the same time
"Awoo!"

"Roar!"

"Waaah!"

From beneath that deck, enormous beasts leaped out from the starlight.

Like the West Flint, they were all enormous in size and possessed a powerful aura; some were lions, tigers, leopards, bears, while others were snakes, rats, and eagles.

Clearly—without exception—they all came from the underworld, the 'mountain lords' that Loki had previously tamed.

At this moment, they used their animalistic agility to wander between the realms of the living and the underworld, carried by the starlight.

And so, one after another, the people of Elbaf were transported and guided onto the giant ships.

The giants quickly discovered something special.

That is, no matter how many people board this giant ship, the deck always seems to be able to accommodate them—they can even clearly see the edges of the ship's deck becoming blurred.

This posture makes it seem as if the ship's deck itself is of a size beyond comprehension, but exists in 'another space'.

That is…

Hajrudin gripped his giant axe tightly, directing the giant warriors to maintain order and care for the wounded while using his senses, enhanced by the Crown of Wisdom, to observe the situation.

Then he discovered even more unusual things.

For example, as the number of giants boarding the ship increased, he could even vaguely see three enormous objects in the distance on the deck that resembled both mountains and masts.

In addition, the space in the center of the hull on the deck is filled with vortexes of starlight—they are like 'gates' on the deck.

Some of the giant children who had climbed onto the deck tried to get inside, but they were never able to.

But one can vaguely see some outlines within those doors.

That wasn't in Elbaf's style, but rather a unique sight resembling a 'heavenly palace' or a 'pyramid'.

"This is what Brogy and Dorry said about Wu Ma's ability."

Hajrudin, of course, immediately realized this—he had already learned about Wu Ma's approximate abilities and the existence of the 'Imaginary World' from Dorry and Brogy.

He had also heard that one could vaguely see the phantoms of special scenes within the world of imagination.

And now it seems
"As the manager of the headquarters and the recorder of the comings and goings of the twelve constellations, the posture shown by Wu Ma's 'fantasy world' is likely to be real, not just a fantasy."

"Could what he summoned be a projection of the 'headquarters' he mentioned? Or could he even use his abilities to directly enter the 'headquarters' of the twelve constellations from this ship?"

"This Esther is indeed more than just a ship; it's a mobile portal. How could such a thing happen? Is it the power of the Star Lord?"

Hailding subconsciously looked at Wu Ma again.

But at this moment, this member of the Zodiac seemed calm and focused, with only the glow of the Book of Stars illuminating his mysterious mask.

However, at this moment, he seemed to notice Haildin's complicated gaze. He turned his head slightly, his eyes behind the mask seeming to understand, but he did not say anything. He simply nodded slightly, indicating that he should continue to focus on the rescue at hand.

"."

Haildin remained silent for a moment.

As a user of the Crown of Wisdom, he was always curious about it.

However, it is clear that as a competent leader, he had no intention of exploring the secrets of the twelve zodiac signs at this time.

Moreover, he also knew that if it concerned the twelve zodiac signs, then this was not an area where he should get involved.

Because his elder brother had already told him that the matter concerning the twelve constellations was something he needed to handle personally.

And it was at this very moment
"Boom!"

While the Esther was rescuing the survivors of Elbaf in both the mortal and underworld realms.

All the giants could hear the enormous roar coming from above.

That seemed to be Adam the Tree's final lament.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

With that tremendous roar, the magnificent trunk of the Adam Tree finally snapped completely at that moment.

"laugh!"

Golden sap flowed from the broken wound.

The colossal tree that had existed here since the birth of countless giants began to collapse completely at the highest point in everyone's field of vision!
World Tree

"Adam the Treasure Tree."

And without a doubt.

Even the giant warriors present had already anticipated this scene.

But when they saw it with their own eyes, without exception, they all gritted their teeth.

The veins on Dorry and Brogy's arms, gripping their weapons, bulged, and Saul's eyes were uncontrollably filled with tears.

"."

Even Haildin fell silent for a moment.

They all know.

Today, they are about to lose their homeland forever.

The giants will once again become homeless people on this sea, just as they did in the distant past.

But
There is no need for sadness or fear!

From the sky.

Surrounded by the calamity, the soaring black dragon let out a roar like thunder.

"This disaster is indeed a disaster."

Loki looked down at the giants below, and also at the giant ship below.

In his mind, he recalled those people from the past.

Harald, Lox, Teach, and the Star Lord he had just seen with his own eyes.

That was enough to solidify his resolve.

“I have made a pact with the master of the stars—he will find a new home for the giants.”

He spread his wings.

Just as Harald said before he left—as his most outstanding offspring, as the consumer of the Nidhogg Fruit, and as the prince of the giants, he is qualified to steer the future course of the giants.

And he has made his choice.

"We will leave our homeland, and Elbaf will become a thing of the past."

"But we are not homeless wanderers, but warriors stepping onto the battlefield, about to usher in a new era!"

(End of this chapter)