When Loki led the Fish-men and the dwarves into the study, he found his father and Jarul, who had been drinking heartily just moments before, now both preoccupied with heavy thoughts.
"What's wrong with you two?"
"No, it's nothing."
Harald didn't elaborate. Instead, he lay down on the floor to greet Tom and the dwarves' representative, Gancho.
"I am Harald, King of the Giants. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Wow!"
Before Gancho could reply, Rampo and Bomba, following him, exclaimed and jumped onto Harald's shoulders.
"You're super huge, big guy! You're way, way bigger than Bazel!!"
"Rampo, Bomba, don't be rude!" Gancho scolded.
"It's fine, it's fine, hahaha~~"
Harald sat back up and extended a finger towards Rampo.
"Nice to meet you too."
"Me too! I'm Rampo, the vice-chief of the Tontatta Tribe!"
After hugging the finger many times his size, Rampo patted his companion's shoulder and introduced, "This is Bomba, a dwarf who really loves working out."
"Your muscles are fantastic."
Harald's single comment instantly made Bomba consider him a close friend.
"Yours too, super big guy! I've never seen muscles this impressive before!"
On the other side, Jarul, as the representative, exchanged introductions with the Fish-man Tom.
Once the self-introductions were over, representatives of the four races sat in four directions.
Loki sat behind Bazel, leaning against the wall and yawning.
He really didn't like this kind of atmosphere.
It made him drowsy, but he had to perk up and listen carefully.
"I never expected you to have already formed an alliance with the Dwarves and the Fish-men first."
After listening to Tom's account of the Beasts Pirates' actions on Fish-Man Island, Harald couldn't help but sigh.
"It seems you came prepared this time."
Bazel showed a confident smile, "We wouldn't have come rashly without preparation."
Tom chimed in from the side, "I also decided to join the Beasts Pirates after hearing Bazel's plan. On one hand, I want to personally participate in the construction of a great project."
"On the other hand, it's to find a future path for survival for Water 7."
"In the initial plan Bazel and I discussed, Wano Country will open up transportation routes by sea, air, and land."
"The capital is temporarily named Takamagahara, the core residence of the Beasts Pirates. Bazel plans to use Takamagahara as the central point and expand outwards to several islands."
"Besides cloud roads, what will connect them is your Giants' Rainbow Bridge."
"The seabed is our Fish-men's territory. According to the plan, we Fish-men are responsible for gathering all kinds of treasures from the underwater world. Then, through the craftsmen of Wano Country, they are processed into more exquisite jewelry and sold all over the world."
"Also, the undersea tunnel plan will commence once the Island Cloud technology matures. If your Giants can join in…"
"It will be a tremendous help to our project."
Tom took out a rough sketch and spoke eloquently.
Bazel moved closer to the sketch, signaling Harald and Jarul to lean in.
He pointed at the circle representing Wano Country and the red 'X' marking Elbaf, "According to my vision, all three routes can connect Wano Country and Elbaf."
"Your Giant Tribe has mist ships and the Rainbow Bridge, so you can take the fastest aerial route to Wano Country."
"Ordinary Giants can also travel to and from Wano Country by ship. As for the undersea tunnel, there's no need to discuss that now."
"There aren't many things to pay attention to in between. With your Giants' strength, ordinary pirates pose no threat."
"The only thing to consider now is how to evade the World Government's agents in the early stages."
"The alliance between the Beasts Pirates and the Giant Tribe is something they don't want to see. They will definitely try everything to sabotage our alliance."
Harald nodded, "You're right. The most important thing in the early stages of this plan is secrecy. Once discovered by the World Government's agents, you can forget about opening smoothly."
"The alliance between the Giant Tribe and the Beasts Pirates can only proceed in secret. Once the Sky Island and the trade system are initially established, it won't matter even if we're discovered."
After saying this, Harald suddenly looked at Jarul, "Jarul, what's your opinion?"
"...It's worth a try."
Jarul didn't easily believe Bazel and Tom's plan.
As the oldest Giant in the world, he had seen far too many things.
"The Giants as a whole should stay put. Once the situation in Wano Country stabilizes, we can send a team of clever Giants to test the waters."
"If it's feasible, then we increase our manpower investment."
"This way, on one hand, we can conceal our alliance and cooperation with the Beasts Pirates. On the other hand, it's also being responsible to our Giants."
Harald stroked his beard, lost in thought.
"Chief Gancho…"
Suddenly, Harald looked towards the Dwarves, who had been rather quiet.
"I'd like to ask about the work and thoughts of your Tontatta Tribe."
"Us?"
Gancho cleared his throat lightly, "We are only responsible for the security of Takamagahara. The Tontatta Tribe's hearts are too pure, so we are not suited for large-scale contact with humans."
"Being able to live under the sunlight and occasionally play in the human world is enough for us."
"King Harald, you don't need to use our Tontatta Tribe for comparison."
"We will always live within Takamagahara. Bazel has entrusted the security of that most important place, as well as its landscaping, to us."
'The Dwarves are responsible for security?!'
'Is this some kind of joke?'
Facing Harald's doubt and confusion, Bazel took a sip of wine.
"Don't suspect those you employ, don't employ those you suspect. My loved ones will also live in Takamagahara in the future."
"Since I've chosen to trust Gancho and the others, I won't dwell on whether they might harm my family or crew."
"Because they are also my friends."
As he spoke, Bazel extended his fist and bumped it lightly with Bomba's.
"That's right, we are friends with Bazel!"
"So, Harald, if you Giants are willing to join, it's best to do so with sincerity."
Bazel tapped heavily on the part of the sketch representing Takamagahara.
"Takamagahara is the absolute secret of my Beasts Pirates. Besides the Tontatta Tribe serving as guards, the All-Stars and the Tobiroppo will also be stationed there."
"Our family and crewmates, who are very important to us, will also live there."
"It can be said that as long as Takamagahara stands firm, the core of the Beasts Pirates will always exist."
"Of course, if you are willing to come, I can decide to allocate an area within Takamagahara for your Giants to live in, but you'll have to build the houses yourselves."
"We humans can't build places fit for giants to live. This is my sincerity."
Harald narrowed his eyes, making it impossible to see what he was thinking.
"Bazel, I have a request."
"The Giants can form an alliance with the Beasts Pirates, but I hope to obtain a position within the residential area of Takamagahara."
'A position in Takamagahara?'
Bazel nodded curiously, "Go on."
"Gatekeeper."
The corners of Harald's mouth turned up slightly.
"You just said you need the help of the Rainbow Bridge, right? I can personally provide you with some Sunstones used to inscribe the Rainbow Bridge."
"But I want trusted giants to be stationed in Takamagahara, to become its Gatekeepers... and the diplomats of Takamagahara."
'Isn't that just a security guard?'
Bazel didn't agree immediately. Instead, he frowned slightly, pondering Harald's intention behind this.
As for the so-called diplomat, Bazel didn't overthink it.
'Surveillance?'
'Assimilation?'
'Or…'
"No problem."
After thinking for a long time without a conclusion, Bazel decided to agree for now and think more deeply about it later.
A mere gatekeeper couldn't have much impact on the overall situation.
"Then let's toast in advance to our pleasant cooperation."
Shaking the large hand Harald extended, Bazel smiled:
"Pleasant cooperation."
With the alliance initially established, Bazel also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
The first step is always the hardest.
As long as the Giant King was willing to relent, the next task was simply to sort out the complications of Wano Country.
"We can also provide the technology for mist ships."
Suddenly, Jarul spoke up with a smile, "This special type of ship relies on the buoyancy of Island Clouds to sail. It's a very unique vessel."
"You've been to Sky Island, right?"
Bazel nodded in agreement, wondering why Jarul suddenly brought up Sky Island.
"This place…"
Jarul pointed at the ground beneath them, "This is what people call the 'Top of the West Sky,' also known as the 'Top of the High Waist."
"The second layer of the World Tree, the Sun World, connects to many Sky Islands on the sea."
"Whether it's the Sky Islands in Paradise or the Baloon Terminal in the New World, they can all be quickly reached via the cloud paths connected by the Rainbow Bridge."