A Hero’s Return

We soon followed after the giant and entered the village.

The village was similar to villages made by those of Viking and Norse descent with the giants having culture similar to them as well.

Not long later we came upon a house that was surrounded in giants most of them kneeling in prayer to there gods, but standing in our way stood what appeared to be some royal guards and a giant wearing a crown with long flowing hair and cape.

"None shall pass! His highness Prince Loki is about to talk to the hero into convincing him to take his final journey out to sea." They say as they block us off while we can see Loki talking to a huge but very old looking man laying in his bed.

"Jarul, please reconsider, take your final journey instead as you are you can't even stand let alone fight." (Loki)

"I will die a warriors death! *cough cough* whether you like it or not you little brat!" (Jarul)

He then begins to keep hacking and coughing before it got worse a young woman came over to Jarul and gave him some medicine to calm down his illness.

"Thank you Gerd, Loki for the last time, unless I get the warriors death that my best friend never could get when he was alive I won't be able to meet him in the afterlife with my head held high…" he says before he pulls up his blanket and turns away from the Prince so he can rest.

"Stubborn old man! Even if you are a hero you should know when to give up the ghost and take your death in stride!" The prince then storms out of Jarul's home in stride with his guards following after him as they head towards the large castle in the distance.

"*Sigh* we'll come on in and see if you can help out the old man be granted his last wish…" he says as he leads us in.

As the giant walks in, "I thought I told you too- oh Hajrudin it's you, why did you come and why did you bring humans here?" Jarul says as he turns to see us with Hajrudin.

"These people are the Firebrand Pirates, one of the warlords of the sea's crews, the fiery haired one is the Warlord Firebrand Vargas, and he has a doctor in his crew here who's just as good as Doctor Hogback as Vargas can attest to." (Hajrudin)

"Hmmm… if he is as good as Hogback then maybe he can help me after all…. Though I don't know who would be my final opponent though….." (Jarul)

"Would I be worthy enough of an opponent to fight you, Old Hero of the Giants, Jarul?"

"Hmph…. Well out of all the options I have, you would have to do…"

"I do have connections with Blood Eagle if you want to fight someone that's considered an Emperor of the Sea."

"….. No even though that would be a worthy challenge, I want to fight a warrior not a murder that enjoys torturing his enemies, *cough* don't get me wrong I understand his ideals but he seems the type not to give me what I really want even if he is a challenge… I wouldn't be able to Rest In Peace if I died by his hands…"

I just keep smiling as I just clench my fist behind my back, "Then I'll be your opponent then, now if you'll let my doctor here work his magic." I say as I have both Theo and Florence approach.

But then Jarul notices someone he thought he wouldn't see again, "Olvia? Is that you?" Jarul says as he looks at Robin in surprise.

"No… I'm sorry I thought you were someone I met over 20 years ago… are you related to her?"

"Y-you knew my mother?" Robin said in shock and surprise that the old man met her mother.

"Ohh so your the daughter that your mother always talked about, even though she wasn't there for you as you grew up, one of the many things she regretted, but she was very proud about having a child she bragged about how adorable you were to me all the time as she studied the Polyglyph here in Elbaf, I guess eventually you would show up as well…. I'm just glad to live to see her daughter come to Elbaf before my passing."

Tears began to stream down Robins eyes as she just kept wiping them away trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Your here to find out the history of this world and the void century as well, we'll I'll tell you some things that I remember my grandfather telling me about him living through that era of the void century…" he says as he closes his eyes trying to remember the things his grandfather told him about the void century.

Robin then took out a notepad ready to take notes on anything that Jarul still remembers from what his grandfather told him.

"It's been over 350 years since I heard these stories from my grandfather, so my memory isn't that good…. The things I do remember is that the fallen kingdom was a friend of us giants and we helped them in, 'The War of…. Liberation?' I think that's what it was called but don't take my word for it and that… the 20 clans that the Celestial Dragons originate from aren't normal humans… there's something specifically different about them but I can't really remember, and that the weapons Pluton, Poseidon, Uranus were used by the Fallen Kingdom….. but they countered them with another ancient weapon they called…. Hades…. The rest is fuzzy and I can't remember anything else so that's as far as I know of the Void Century… I hope that helps as much as it can Robin…" he says as he massages his head.

"Now with all that thinking has made me tired now… I need to rest…" he says as he prepares to sleep again.

"Before you sleep drink this, it will keep you from dying anytime soon so that tomorrow we can give your body the energy it need so you can fight your final battle." Theo says as he hands a large cup that is just a really small cup, like the size of a Dixie cup to him, after he drinks it his face gains a bit more color before he smiles and goes to sleep.

"Thank you for helping him out." (Gerd)

"I'm a doctor it's the least I can do for someone who needs help." (Theo)

"Well will have to let him get his rest for now, hopefully what you say is true, come I'll make you little fellows some food, I may not be as good as the best chef of the giants, Panz Fry, but I can at least make a decent meal for your crew." (Gerd)

"Then will take you up on that offer."

She just smiled and went into the kitchen while we went into what could be best described as a long hall that would hold feasts for all of the giants, we had to leap up from the floor to reach the benches and then leap up again just to get to the table top, Kuda uses his chains to pull up the not so physically strong of us, Gem, Viola and Sugar needed help getting up.

"…. I've just realized how tiny us humans are compared to giants…." (Gem)

"Well at least the food will be huge that only 2 or 3 plates would be enough for all of us."

"Mmmm….. Giant roasted pork…." Visha said as drool was coming out her mouth.

*Smack* "Pull yourself together! Your making me look bad in front of the Captain!" (Tanya)

"Ah! Yes sir!" Visha says as she quickly wipes off her face.

I just laugh at there antics and the rest just join us.

"Lighten up lass! We're here to have a feast it's normal for someone to act like that in this situation!" Owen says as he pats Tanya's back before going off to stand by me.

Her eye begins to twitch at her being treated like a kid, but she soon gets over it, "I guess it's alright to relax like this some times…" she says with a slight smile on her lips, which to everyone who sees that is slightly stunned, even Visha.

"….. I didn't know that she could smile…. I always assumed she was devoid of those kind of emotions…" but as Gen says that he has a gun pointed at his head by Tanya but he was quick enough to have his revolver aimed at her chest.

"Oh so you want to test me, Dreadlocks?" She says with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.

Before it could get any further I release a bit of my conquers haki on them to cause them to lose there balance with Gem needing to grab his head.

"That's enough… if you want to fight do it back at base or at night where peoples houses won't be damaged got it?"

"Tch." "Yes Sir!" They say before they put there weapons away and turn away from each other.

*sigh great now I got to figure out ways that this rag tag group will get along with each other….*

But luckily before people started to get at each other's throats the food had arrived.

And the plates were massive in size that it was a huge feast for us all.

And so for the night we all ate our fill and afterward headed back to our ship while Theo and Florence helped Gerd look over Jarul.

…

..

.

The next morning.

We decided to go back and check up on Jarul but we were stopped again, this time by none other than Prince Loki.

"So to what do I owe the pleasure of two of the warlords of the sea coming to my lands?" (Loki)

"Oh we're just to see the sights, I've always been interested in Elbaf and the culture of the giants as well."

"But you also are willing to give Jarul a warriors death that he wants, and that you can bring him back to enough strength that he can fight like his old self?"

"If I'm just as good as that bastard Hogback is, that if I can't bring him back to his old self no one can." (Theo)

"And if he dies from your procedure? What price will you pay?"

"Then you can take my head in compensation." (Theo)

"Your head? No, no your head isn't worth the price."

"Then my head should be good enough, right Prince Loki?" I say as I take over for Theo.

"Hmph, you must have absolute faith in your doctor then Firebrand, very well, go on in and either bring an old hero a glorious end, or your head is the price." He says before he gets out of the way to allow us to enter Jarul's home.

But when we came in Jarul was looking worse than before, he looked like he was a step from deaths door, not wasting any time Theo and Florence both jump up onto his bed and start to check on his vitals, seeing that his organs are still functioning though obviously weakened from age, he seemed to be suffering from a cold and at his age that could be deadly so they went to curing his cold first by giving a special cocktail of medicine that doesn't take that long to have a fever break even for someone of Jaruls age and size.

A couple hours later he almost coughed up his lungs before he spat out a black substance from his mouth, after spitting it out he started to look much better.

"Good he coughed up all the sickness in him, I had all the germs and bacteria that were causing his illness gather in his lungs so he could cough them out of his system."

(A/N Just roll with it ok?)

And not long later he was able to sit up in his bed but he was still to weak to get up and walk around.

"Thank you young man, at least I won't die of a cold now…. But as I am I still cant walk…" (Jarul)

"Don't worry, we have made a special medicine so for the next 24 hours you'll be your old self again… well at least you around 100 years younger at least…" Theo said as he injected the large syringe that Florence carry's around, the reason it could make him feel 100 years younger was mainly the ingredients that promote longevity in a person and a few drops from the Chalice of Eternity mixed in also helps boost it to its full potential.

And not long after the injection he started to both look healthier and a bit younger, instead of a pure white color for his hair it changed to a steel like color and his eyes regained there vibrancy and slowly like an ancient golem standing for the first time in century's as his bones creaked from being used for the first time in years.

He then took a deep breath, grabbed the sword next to his bed and his horned helmet before he slowly walked outside dining his cloak as he walked out his front door.

And the people who were constantly saddened by the fact that there Last great hero of old was dying were shocked when they saw him come out looking much younger and with the strength to move.

He then lifted his blade and aimed it at a nearby pillar and then swung with such speed that for his age should be impossible now as he cut it cleanly in half.

"J-Jarul…. Your ok?" (Loki)

"BOJAJAJAJAJA! I'm better than ok! I'm me again! And now…. To ask you if you will let me hold your axe in the end my king…" he says before he kneels to Loki, for one to be granted access to the land of the gods they must die with axe in hand and when they die with the axe of there king it means that he and all of his fallen brothers who couldn't die a warriors death will be finally brought to the land of the gods along side him.

"…. Very well Jarul you deserve as much, when this is over I will send you on your final journey as well." (Loki)

"Thank you my king…. But I wish to leave my helmet and my sword behind with my brothers grave marking our existence on this world." Loki looked at him for a long time before ultimately nodding his head.

"Then… it's time… and I know the perfect spot." He then looks behind at us, "Try to keep up kids." He says as he begins to sprint away with a wide grin on his face as he felt young once again.

I just grin and use my flames to boost myself into the air to speed after the old fellow, Owen, Tanya and Visha using there abilities we're keeping up while the rest were booking it towards where we were flying off to in the distance…