'Invitation?'
'What invitation?'
The members of the New Giant Warrior Pirates were bewildered, looking at each other and then focusing on their captain.
Feeling the combined stares of his comrades and Naruto, Hajrudin felt immense pressure, frantically racking his brain.
'An invitation...'
'Had Ya-san given us something like that?'
Of course, Hajrudin wasn't the only one under pressure. The other crew members, having just witnessed Naruto casually swat away a group of demon giants like flies, were also wide-eyed.
Sweat dripped from each of their heads.
'Captain!'
'Hurry up and produce it!'
'Otherwise, this terrifying guy might just send us flying too!'
The tense atmosphere among the crew caused the giant children to fall silent, even forgetting their tears.
Hajrudin, bearing the weight of so many hopeful gazes, grew paler and paler. Finally, under his comrades' despairing stares, he gave an awkward but polite smile.
"Well... Ya-san didn't seem to give me one."
'Don't lose your mind at a time like this!!'
If Naruto weren't watching, these crew members would have definitely attacked Hajrudin.
"Is that so? Then..."
Under the increasingly terrified gazes of the giants on the ship, Naruto raised his hand towards them too.
This gesture was all too familiar.
Naruto had just used it to obliterate their enemies. Was it their turn now?
Resist?
How could they resist?
They didn't even understand what Naruto had done. What could they possibly use to fight back?
Naruto didn't give them a few more seconds to explain. His palm opened wide.
The next moment, light gathered.
"W-Wait! We are—"
Hajrudin's words were cut off. A blinding green light almost instantly engulfed the giants' entire field of vision.
However, the anticipated pain never came. Instead, a warm sensation spread throughout their bodies.
Wounds stopped bleeding, minds grew clearer, even shattered bones rapidly healed amidst a grating, creaking sound.
But the accompanying ache from the healing was truly torturous. Hajrudin's face turned red and his neck swelled as he barely managed to suppress any sound.
The treatment lasted about thirty seconds before Naruto dispersed the life force.
Having obtained Isshiki's memories, his understanding of energy conversion and application had become much more seamless.
"Phew... Even for me, treating this many giants at once is still a bit taxing."
It couldn't be helped. Giants possessed such abundant life energy that the deficits they needed to replenish after injury were proportionally larger.
If any other Ninja from the Ninja World were to use a healing technique, even if they drained themselves dry, they couldn't hope to heal a single giant.
Based on Naruto's estimation, these beings were the embodiment of this planet's life energy essence.
To put it another way, giants should be considered this planet's 'favorites'.
Withdrawing his hand, Naruto showed a genuine, kind smile to the New Giant Warrior Pirates' members, who were patting themselves down in bewilderment.
"Sorry, just joking. You must be from Elbaf, right."
"From the look of you... tsk, things there are just as Uncle Rayleigh predicted."
…
Under Naruto's 'levitation', the 'small boat', which was merely a lifeboat for giants, descended smoothly onto the sea surface.
Fortunately, the hull was undamaged, so the boat could at least stay afloat.
Otherwise, Naruto would have had to haul it ashore for repairs.
Since most of the wedding guests were renowned powerhouses, Naruto's actions in the sky were witnessed by almost all of them.
Kaido, having been humbled before, had the most subdued reaction.
The old man drank his sake with a look of disdain, casting mocking glances at the others, especially the wide-mouthed Big Mom.
'Ha! A bunch of easily startled fools.'
'See that? I was just fighting a monster like that.'
It could be said that the stronger Naruto appeared now, the happier Kaido became.
At least it proved he wasn't weak.
Equally happy was his 'good son'.
"So strong! Did you see that? See that? Naruto-sama's attack just now!"
Yamato's eyes sparkled with stars. Her admiration for Naruto was pure and simple, with no romantic feelings involved.
—Or rather, this person who presented as male had no romantic interest in anyone.
Sasuke, being shaken like a punching bag, closed his eyes in resignation.
Of course he saw it.
With his Sharingan, he saw it more clearly than anyone else.
Oh, except for that guy.
Thinking this, Sasuke opened his eyes and glanced at Toneri, who was also calmly looking away.
Toneri genuinely didn't care.
This was nothing.
He had witnessed techniques that split the moon and molded planets. This repulsive force blast was relatively trivial.
The anchor dropped. The New Giant Warrior Pirates, along with the rescued children, disembarked on Amazon Lily. Unfortunately, the venue had only been designed for guests of Big Mom and Kaido's size, so the ceiling was only twenty meters high. If Hajrudin and the others entered, their heads would hit the ceiling.
So Naruto simply waved his hand, dismantled the original venue, and switched to an open-air format.
With gravity and repulsion to assist, there was no need to worry about dust.
Most of the guests weren't overly surprised by the sudden arrival of giants. After all, they were veteran pirates who had sailed for years and had encountered giants before.
If anything, only the 'rookies' of the Straw Hat Pirates had stars in their eyes.
Although they had befriended the giant captains, Dorry and Brogy on Little Garden, giants were still rare at sea, especially so many at once.
"Wow! Luffy, look over there. Those kids are so tall!"
Usopp pulled Luffy and Chopper, whispering while pointing at the giant children.
Besides them, only one other person present had a very complex expression.
That was Big Mom.
She looked at the members of the New Giant Warrior Pirates, especially Hajrudin and Gerd. Memories from over sixty years ago rapidly resurfaced.
"Hajrudin... Gerd-chan..."
Perospero, hearing the slight tremble in his mother's voice, showed an expression of utter disbelief.
The two giants called by Big Mom also showed complex expressions.
"Linlin."
"Charlotte Linlin..."
Hajrudin's tone was brief and cold, while Gerd used her full name, deliberately showing distance.
The reason was simple.
In their childhood, Big Mom had lived with Hajrudin and Gerd for a while. But later, when Big Mom went berserk, injuring the giant hero, Jorul, their former companions were frightened and chose to distance themselves.
Hearing Gerd address her like that, Big Mom's face showed rare guilt and sorrow. But she didn't lose control. Instead, she forced a smile and asked Hajrudin and the others.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it? How is Elbaf?"
It was well known that although Big Mom wasn't a giant, she regarded Elbaf as her spiritual homeland and had repeatedly sought to form an alliance through marriage.
This wasn't just about coveting the giants' strength… it also contained the purest, most heartfelt longing within her.
Upon hearing Big Mom mention Elbaf, Gerd's expression, which had been awkward and hesitant, immediately darkened. Hajrudin slowly began recounting the devastating attack Elbaf had suffered some time ago.