Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

Just as Shen Jue withdrew his aura and slowly approached with Hina and Shirahoshi, the giant island standing between heaven and earth finally revealed its full appearance to them.

Its full appearance is a hundred times more awe-inspiring than any nautical chart or legend.

Elbaf, the world's strongest nation.

It is not an island in the ordinary sense.

In the extremely treacherous waters of the latter half of the Grand Line, Elbaf's foundation is unfathomable, and no one knows exactly how far it extends beneath the surface.

The part above the sea is a super three-dimensional fortress made up of layers of World Trees, mountains, rock walls and ancient buildings.

Elbaf is located on the World Tree, and the three worlds on this island are the triple canopy of the giant tree.

The lowest level, called "the Underworld," is the place of exile for the exiled, the defeated, and the condemned.

Above that lies the middle layer of the Yang Realm, which is the core of Elbaf and the essence of the giant civilization.

There are numerous villages of giants in the Yang Realm.

At the center of the Yang Realm lies the giant capital city of Helga.

The highest level is the celestial realm.

A sword so enormous it could pierce through the three realms of Elbaf piqued Shen Jue's interest.

Shen Jue did not ride the giants' rainbow to the Yang Realm, nor did he follow any of Elbaf's rules.

He stood at the bow of the ship and gently raised his right hand upwards.

The entire warship, along with the seawater at its hull, was lifted off the surface by an invisible and precise force.

Bai Xing felt a slight tremor beneath his feet, and the sound of waves crashing against the ship's side suddenly disappeared, replaced by a strange feeling of floating.

Hina complained in a low voice: "Brother Shen Jue, this doesn't count as logging in, this is called intrusion."

"If too many of the giant warriors are injured by you, Brother Shen Jue, then..."

"The recruitment process will be complicated."

Shen Jue laughed and said, "None of that matters."

"It's rare to have recruited that blind swordsman, Issho, who ate the Gravity Fruit."

"I can also temporarily escape my busy official duties and come to Elbaf to recruit more combat forces."

After saying that, he gently hooked his finger.

The massive warship, like a leaf lifted by the wind, clung vertically to the steep cliffs of Elbaf, passed through a layer of hazy mist, and headed into the depths of the underworld.

The sky over the underworld is dark all year round, and it snows heavily.

Beneath the ship where Shen Jue was, the ground was covered with tangled tree roots and huge white bones half-buried in the soil.

Shirahoshi no longer dared to look, shrinking behind Hina and only daring to peek out through her fingers.

Suddenly, low, labored breathing sounds rose from the depths of the dense forest on both sides, carrying the scent of blood and hunger.

Countless eyes lit up.

Immediately afterwards, the owner of those eyes emerged from the shadows.

Those were some strangely shaped, giant, ferocious beasts.

These are the original ferocious beasts of the underworld, and at this moment, they are attracted by Shen Jue and the others, surrounding the floating warship from all directions.

But they did not launch an attack immediately.

These ferocious beasts growled restlessly, scratching the ground with their claws and lashing their tails at the tree trunks, but dared not approach any further.

"These guys are intimidated by Brother Shen Jue's aura," Hina observed for a moment and said in a low voice.

"They are afraid, but they also want to know what exactly broke in here," Shen Jue said.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the herd of beasts: "They really are just wild animals."

"In this situation, instead of running away, they approach us."

Shen Jue did not make a move. He let the warship continue forward, and the beast horde followed at a distance, like a living wall moving around the ship.

Soon after, the giant trees in front of them suddenly thinned out, and a huge open space appeared before them.

It was a deep, circular crater that had been smashed open, with the surrounding rocks cracked radially, as if something had burst out from the ground or been forcibly pressed into the earth's core.

In the very center of the pit, a colossal giant, bound tightly by dozens of enormous chains, sat with his head bowed.

His hair cascaded down like a black waterfall, obscuring most of his face.

The horn on his helmet was broken off, his fur shawl was tattered, and his exposed muscles were covered in scars.

The eyes on that face were covered by layers of cloth.

Unlike ordinary giants, this giant clearly has the bloodline of the ancient giants, and its height is more than twice that of an ordinary giant.

Aside from those who grow larger due to Devil Fruit powers, this person is arguably the tallest human on the sea.

Shen Jue naturally knew who the giant in front of him was.

That was Loki, the cursed prince of the giant race, the numerical monster of the One Piece world, the Trisolaran, and the owner of the suspected Zoan-type Mythical Beast Nidhogg.

He was even larger and more disheveled than the rumors Shen Jue had heard described.

The warship stopped about tens of meters from the edge of the pit and landed slowly, crushing a pile of bones on its hull.

The ferocious beasts around them stopped in their tracks and dared not advance any further.

They glanced fearfully at the deep pit, let out low, whimpering cries, and then retreated step by step into the dense forest.

It was as if the one sitting there was the true king of the underworld.

Hina and Shirahoshi both curiously examined the giant in front of them.

Shen Jue disembarked and landed on a giant rock at the edge of the deep pit.

He looked at the huge figure bound by chains in the pit and a smile appeared on his face.

Loki seemed to sense something and slowly raised his head.

His movements were extremely slow, and the sea stone chains made a series of heavy and ear-piercing clanging sounds with each movement.

Then, his gaze passed over the heavy snow and landed on Shen Jue.

Loki grinned and laughed.

"I can smell it." Loki's voice was deep and hoarse, carrying the awkwardness of not speaking for a long time and the madness suppressed for many years.

"The taste of the ocean, and..."

He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly beneath the cloth strip.

"The aura of a powerful being."

Shen Jue didn't reply, but just looked at him quietly.

Loki suddenly burst into laughter, his chest trembling, and the chains rattled like an angry dragon.

"Hahaha!"

"You don't look like a pirate at all!"

"On the contrary, they seem like the most stubborn and obstinate navy personnel!"

Loki's laughter created a shockwave that caused surrounding trees to fall and snow to fall heavily.

However, the shockwave dissipated instantly when it approached Shen Jue and the others.

"You're here to kill me?" Loki asked, his voice tinged with anticipation.

"If not, then you are a strong person."

"How about we make a deal?"

"Find the key and help me unlock these seastone chains, and I can help you destroy a pirate crew you absolutely hate."

Shen Jue nodded. He noticed the enormous weapon, the Squirrel Thunder, not far away that looked like a dead object but was actually secretly afraid.

"There's no need for that, Loki," Shen Jue said, uttering the name of the giant prince before him.

"I can free you, and I don't need you to help me destroy any pirate crew."

"You can do me a small favor," Shen Jue said, extending his thumb and forefinger, leaving a tiny gap between them.

"Just help me overthrow the World Government and kill the World King, Im."

"Huh?" Loki made a strange sound.