I'm A Plunderer In The World Of One Piece.

Chapter 656 - 656: 656: The Fall of Elbaf’s Spirit

"It's terrifying! This is truly terrifying!"The children of the Giant Race sat frozen on the ground, their faces pale and their bodies trembling as they stared at the battlefield in utter horror.

"W...where did these monsters come from? Why are they attacking Elbaf?!"

The once-majestic Treasure Tree Adam had been scorched black by the rampaging creatures, its towering trunk now engulfed in flames, reduced to a burning husk.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!!!"

"Roar, woo, woo!"

Gigantic monsters filled the sky like a living storm. Their bodies were covered in iron-like scales, their claws razor sharp, and from their jaws poured streams of black fire.

"Hiss, hiss…"

Enormous serpent-like beasts coiled tightly around the burning tree, launching silent and deadly attacks on the giants below.

"The Giant Race will never be slaves!"

A giant warrior named Reading roared, swinging his longsword with tremendous force, cutting down four lion-like beasts that surrounded him.

"Haa… haa…"

But the moment he paused to breathe, two massive serpents struck from behind, wrapping around his neck. He struggled fiercely, but within moments, his movements slowed, then stopped completely.

…

"Alas…"

High above the battlefield, a man sat upon a cold, black throne suspended in mid-air.

His body appeared like flowing ink, dark and viscous, radiating an oppressive aura that felt both suffocating and unnatural.

"Is this the Giant Race, said to be the strongest warriors in the world?"

His pitch-black eyes scanned the battlefield indifferently.

Below him, the giants continued their desperate resistance. Not far away lay two massive corpses, their heads severed cleanly.

Dorry and Brogy, the captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, stared lifelessly into the sky.

The man frowned slightly.

"Disappointing… defeated so easily."

With a casual wave of his hand, he issued a cold command,

"Go. Erase the Giant Race from history."

"Woo ah! Woo ah…"

Behind him, the black substance surged and twisted, forming new monstrous creatures that roared as they charged toward the remaining warriors.

"Don't give up! The God of Elbaf is watching us!"

A giant named Hajrudin roared, smashing a monster apart with a single punch. He turned to rally his people, but in the next instant, a massive dragon-like beast lunged from behind.

Its jaws clamped down on his head.

With a brutal twist, its saw-like teeth tore it clean off.

…

Thump!

His headless body collapsed heavily onto the ground.

Blood sprayed violently from his neck, soaking the earth as the metallic scent filled the air.

"No… no!!!"

The children screamed, tears streaming down their faces as they watched the monsters devour the bodies of their fallen elders like demons from ancient legends.

"We can't stay like this! We have to fight! We have the blood of warriors too!"

A half-giant child named Koron raised his small sword, shouting with all his strength, trying to ignite courage in the others.

"No! We can't fight!"

The other children recoiled in fear, their voices shaking.

"Even Elder Dorry, Elder Brogy, and Uncle Hajrudin were defeated! What can we do? Koron, run! Hurry!"

One after another, the children turned and fled in panic.

"Don't run! You can't outrun them!"

Koron reached out, but it was useless.

"Woo ah…"

"Ooh ah…"

The fleeing children caught the attention of the monsters. Abandoning their feast, the creatures roared and gave chase.

Soon, most of the children had scattered, drawing many of the monsters away.

"They're chasing Lisa and the others!"

A small group remained behind, hiding behind a tree, clutching their weapons as they trembled.

"What… what do we do now? The adults are gone… is there any hope left?"

Their eyes turned toward Koron.

"There is!"

Koron clenched his teeth and pointed toward the sky.

"Did you see it? Those monsters are being controlled by that man up there!"

He glared at the dark figure seated like a king above them, his voice firm despite his fear.

"If we kill him, the monsters will disappear! Let's take him down!"

"But… how do we even reach him?"

The children stared helplessly at the distant figure.

Koron had already made up his mind.

He rushed to a burning tree nearby, securing a vine swing tightly.

Climbing onto it, he shouted,

"Push me! Hard! I'll go up there and kill him!"

"Koron… can you really do it?"

"Stop hesitating! Just do it!"

"We're coming!"

The children gritted their teeth and ran behind him, pulling the swing back with all their strength.

"Damn you, evil god!"

Koron gripped the vines tightly, a short blade clenched between his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury as he locked onto the man in the sky.

"The warriors of Elbaf never surrender! We fight to the end!"

With a final push, the children released the swing.

"I'm going!!!"

Koron soared into the air.

At the peak of his arc, he let go, kicking off the swing and launching himself forward. Grabbing the blade with both hands, he swung it down with everything he had.

"Die!!!"

…

The dark man slowly lifted his head, glancing at the approaching child.

A faint smile curved his lips.

"Not bad."

In the next instant, Koron's vision spun.

His body felt weightless.

Then, suddenly, he found himself resting in the man's palm.

"I…"

Koron blinked in confusion.

In front of him, a headless body stood mid-air, blood spraying from its neck.

It took him a moment to understand.

"That's… me?"

Before he could process it further, the man casually tossed his head aside.

It fell to the scorched ground with a dull thud.

Koron was dead.

His head rolled twice before coming to a stop, his lifeless eyes staring at the remaining children, slowly fading.

…

Meanwhile, in the real world, within Elbaf's western village.

Dozens of giants lay unconscious on the ground.

"Huh? Wasn't I just killed by a monster…?"

One by one, they woke up, confusion filling their faces.

"Alas…"

Dorry, Brogy, and the others looked up at the projected scene in the sky, their expressions heavy.

"What we feared has come to pass."

The two captains exchanged a glance, both seeing the same disappointment in each other's eyes.

"The warrior spirit of the Giant Race… is fading."

Dorry let out a long sigh before turning toward Shirogai, who sat nearby with a calm, almost amused expression.

"Too much peace has weakened the next generation. These children have never faced true war. They have no understanding of battle, no belief in it."

His voice carried both regret and bitterness.

"They've become nothing more than oversized children… completely unprepared for the reality of war."