War god festival!

Two days after arriving in Elbaf, Nicholas had yet to meet the Giant King.

However, this wasn't due to negligence by Dorry and Brogy. According to them, during the sacred War God Festival, the Giant King isolates himself in the War God Temple. He only appears at the beginning of the festival to fight the winner of the giant battles.

Naturally, Nicholas had no objections to this.

In these two days, he witnessed the bravery and ferocity of the giant warriors.

The battles between giants were anything but gentle. These towering beings, all over twenty meters tall, fought without holding back. In just two days, Nicholas saw many giants severely injured. Yet, after simple bandaging, they still supported themselves to watch their comrades fight. Some, with less severe injuries, even rejoined the battles.

Unless the victory was overwhelming, both the winner and loser would end up covered in wounds. The surrounding giants seemed used to this, cheering for both victors and defeated alike. As long as one fought to the death, losing was still considered an honor.

This atmosphere meant Nicholas never saw a giant concede defeat in two days. They fought relentlessly, ignoring fatigue and pain, until one side fell. This brutal combat method forged the giants' tenacious fighting spirit.

Even Nicholas had to admit the giants' desire for victory was terrifying. No wonder the World Government once collaborated with the Mountain Witch to stage a scheme to gain the Elbaf giant warriors. While Elbaf giants might lack top-tier strength, their presence on the battlefield could devastate enemy morale.

Time flew, and two days passed quickly. Nicholas and his companions followed Brogy and Dorry to the Giant King's capital.

As the strongest in their village, Brogy and Dorry passed the selection without any obstacles. The capital of the giants refreshed Nicholas's understanding of the Giant Tribe. The walls were made of massive stones, and the primitive, wild castles made one feel as if they had entered a human city, albeit on a colossal scale.

Representatives from giant villages all over Elbaf arrived in the capital. These towering figures radiated powerful auras. In the massive open-air arena, giants from various villages gathered, wrestling, trading their hunted game, catching up with old friends, or singing and dancing loudly. Naturally, such festivities wouldn't be complete without alcohol.

To Nicholas's surprise, much of this alcohol wasn't produced by the giants but delivered by ships sent by the World Government.

As the former captains who led the Giant Pirates, Dorry and Brogy received a warm welcome. Nicholas and his companions also attracted much attention. Among giants over twenty or thirty meters tall, a few small humans naturally stood out.

This attention peaked when Vista easily defeated a thirty-meter-tall giant. Many giants were eager to challenge him, but the results were clear. Although Vista was much shorter, his strength was on a different level. By the end of the day, no giant could withstand more than ten moves from Vista.

"Warrior, let us drink together!"

A giant raised a wine cup the size of a water tank and invited Vista to drink.

"Warrior, good wine deserves roasted meat! How can there be wine without meat!"

This time, a roast the size of a room was thrown directly in front of Vista.

Clearly, Vista's strength had earned their respect.

Vista did not hesitate, lifting the wine bowl in front of him, which was the size of a bathtub. He began to eat and drink heartily, alternating between bites of roast meat and swigs of wine.

"Ahahaha! What a hearty guest!"

Seeing Vista's straightforward manner, the giants cheered loudly.

As for Nicholas, he quietly observed the surrounding giants. Though he had mastered Life Return, he wasn't foolish enough to compete with the giants in drinking. One cup of their wine could easily serve as a bath for him. Competing in drinking was not a wise choice.

As the sun set and the moon rose, the bonfires were lit, bringing the atmosphere to its peak. A giant over thirty meters tall, with strange paint on his face, entered the center surrounded by giants in uniform armor and weapons. Beside him was an equally tall female giant.

"Warriors of the Giant Tribe, let us thank the War God Elbaf for his blessings!"

Many giants in the crowd stood up with their wine cups as the giant arrived.

The giant in the center took a wine cup the size of a water tank and raised it high, shouting in a thunderous voice, "Great children of the War God, use your most fierce and passionate battles to gain the protection of the God of Elbaf! Strength and glory, blood and thunder!"

"Strength and glory!"

"Blood and thunder!"

The giants raised their wine cups and roared loudly.

"Let us bathe in the glory of the War God!"

With the central giant's roar, all the giants present drained their cups in one go.

"I, Giant King Yorm, declare that the most sacred War God Festival of Elbaf begins now!"

As his voice fell, all the giants moved aside to clear the central area.

Then, from among the surrounding giants, individuals stepped forward and began to duel in pairs.

Giant King Yorm didn't mention any rules against mid-fight withdrawals or continuous challenges. The War God Festival did not forbid giving up, but cowards who did so would be despised even by their families.

They would also respect their opponents as much as possible; no one would challenge a strong giant right after he had exhausted himself in battle. Taking advantage of others' weakness was seen as cowardly and deceitful.

For these giants, being labeled as such was a fate worse than death.

Nicholas watched the scene with great interest, and soon he noticed a familiar face.

"Roger, how do you find the bravery of our Giant Tribe's warriors?"

Giant King Yorm asked proudly, addressing Roger, who was sitting cross-legged at a table in front of him.

"The bravery of the Giant Tribe is known across the seas. Come, let's drink!"

Roger lifted his wine bowl and began to drink heartily.

Not far from him were the other members of the Roger Pirates.