"I'll take you into Hueco Mundo first," Beltz said. "There are monsters there, but with your strength, as long as you aren't careless, nothing in Hueco Mundo should be able to threaten you."
Hueco Mundo? Harald had no idea what kind of place that was, but since Beltz said so, he had no reason to refuse. He would simply follow.
As a Quincy, Beltz couldn't use Garganta. Generally, to enter or leave a world, one had to use the Gate of the Sun. However, he had his own methods: he simply found a random Hollow, mind-controlled it, and forced it to open a Garganta leading to Hueco Mundo.
Before long, he had brought Harald into the world of Hueco Mundo, a land covered in endless white sand.
"Don't wander too far; just stay active around this area. Wait for me for a while, and I will bring a Shinigami to transform you into a Plus." After instructing Harald, Beltz prepared to head back to Aurust Castle. But before leaving, he remembered something and added, "By the way, if you see a man with glasses in Hueco Mundo, absolutely do not try to get physical with him."
"Man with glasses?" Harald didn't know why Beltz said that, but he committed it to memory.
"See you in a while." Bidding farewell to Harald, Beltz returned to Elbaf. There was no helping it; the One Piece world had too many things to settle. He had to finish up here before bringing Rukia to find Harald.
The first thing he did upon returning to Warland was to destroy the Abyss that Harald had created earlier. This Abyss magic circle allowed those with the mark to pass through, effectively serving as a point for instantaneous movement. If he didn't clear it, the World Government could return to Elbaf at any time.
The teleportation circles for the other four Elders had already been cleared by Joy Boy's Haki, but the one Harald initially carved remained. To prevent Imu from popping in whenever they pleased, Beltz had to clean it up immediately. Given Imu's level of fear toward Joy Boy, they likely wouldn't return in the short term, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Upon seeing Beltz return, Loki rushed up: "Where is my father?!"
"Don't worry, he was taken to a safe place," Beltz said. "But there are more important things to do right now. Shiki, let's team up and see if we can destroy this magic circle."
Shiki was curious about where Beltz had gone, but he didn't ask. Hearing Beltz, he grunted: "Does this thing really require both of us?"
He swung his twin blades, and the massive magic circle carved into the ground was struck by a powerful force!
Rumble!
Debris was sent flying by the violent power, yet the magic circle remained etched in the same spot. Even though the ground was destroyed, the circle itself was unaffected.
"Simple violence won't work; you have to use Conqueror's Haki."
Without Conqueror's Haki, one truly couldn't get a ticket to the final battle; Haki was simply too vital in this world. Just as it was a requirement for dealing with the Knights of God' immortality, the Abyss—which shared the same origin—likely required Conqueror's Infusion to be broken.
"Hmm?" Shiki frowned at the black pentagram. "I'm starting to wonder exactly what kind of people we're facing. Is this even a Devil Fruit ability anymore?"
Immortality, mind control, Abyssal Pentagrams... what kind of Devil Fruit could possibly have all these abilities?
"They are the masters of the World Government, having ruled for eight hundred years. How could they not have trump cards?" Beltz shrugged and said to Shiki, "You were fighting just now, but you must have felt that powerful Haki. That thing isn't something we can deal with right now."
Shiki was annoyed but didn't argue. When Imu possessed Saint Saturn, the Haki radiated was enough to make even Shiki feel a chill.
"Speaking of Haki..." Shiki looked at Beltz. "What was with that Haki you unleashed at the end?"
"That? That was Haki left behind by someone from eight hundred years ago. I could only use it once," Beltz shook his head, sounding a bit regretful. "I wish I could have used it a few more times."
"Ji-ha-ha-ha! Don't be too greedy, kid. If you could use Haki of that level infinitely, you'd be the King of the World!"
"Yeah, it would be nice to have Haki of that level," Beltz said softly as he began to condense his own Haki.
Shiki followed suit, coating his twin blades in Haki. The two took their stances, black lightning crackling and trailing from their blades. This was their first time truly coordinating, but because they had sparred many times, their movements were perfectly synchronized.
BOOM!
They swung simultaneously!
Black lightning hissed as the strike slammed into the spot Shiki had first attacked. The massive pentagram, which seemed fused to the floor, was finally blown apart by the overwhelming Haki! Previously, only the floor had moved; now, the Pentagram Array itself was scattered. The entire castle was pierced through by the force of the blow.
"That settles that," Beltz sighed in relief. Now, if the World Government wanted to attack Elbaf, they would have to come by ship. This would allow Beltz and the others in Wano to respond quickly and help. Having made a promise to Harald, he wouldn't just abandon Elbaf.
"What do we do now?" Shiki asked.
"The matter has concluded." Beltz walked toward Loki.
Loki seemed to be in a daze; too much had happened in too short a time for him to process. In terms of the Giant Race, he was still just a child.
Beltz said, "When the people of Elbaf arrive, push all the blame onto me."
"?" Loki looked at Beltz with confusion, even with the cloth over his eyes. "What did you say?"
"You don't want Harald's life's work to go up in flames, do you? Even though the World Government never intended to truly accept you, Elbaf has changed over the years. People don't fear you as they used to. If the Giants find out Harald was tricked, they will surely seek revenge, and everything he did will be for nothing."
Beltz sighed. "You saw the battle just now. Until you grow up, Elbaf seeking a fight with the World Government is a suicide mission. Harald wouldn't want that. So, put all the sin on me. Say I destroyed the alliance and murdered their beloved King. Harald did nothing wrong; he remains a wise ruler. I am the one at fault."
"Hey, kid..." Shiki interrupted. "Are you trying to hog all the credit for yourself?"
"What kind of 'credit' is this?" Black lines appeared on Beltz's forehead. "I'm clearly taking the fall. How on earth did you see this as stealing credit?"
"I don't care! You can't be the only one acting cool!" Shiki was genuinely jealous. Beltz's recent stunts had pushed his bounty higher than his captain's! Beltz was currently the only pirate in the world with a bounty exceeding 5 billion, and now he wanted to add another "buff" to his reputation? Shiki's pride couldn't take it.
"What kind of joke is this!" Loki shouted angrily. "Why do you get to decide the fate of Elbaf!"
"Did you forget what Harald said?" Beltz shrugged. "Your father entrusted you to me. I'm your guardian now."
"I don't trust anyone!" Loki shouted. "I will eat the legendary Devil Fruit, become the King of Elbaf, and destroy the World Government! I don't need you!"
"Kids are so willful," Beltz smiled. "We're doing this for Harald's reputation."
"This brat has always been like this," Shiki said. "He was the same when Rocks first arrived." Shiki had known Loki since the beginning; Loki had taken a beating from Rocks and, instead of hating him, ended up idolizing him. Shiki's blades crackled with Haki, intending to teach Loki a lesson like Rocks once had.
But Beltz placed a hand on Shiki's blade, suppressing the Haki. "Forget it. He's not wrong—this is Elbaf's own business. If the son wants his father's reputation ruined, we have no reason to stop him. Let's go."
"Stop giving me orders!" Shiki grumbled, but he lowered his blades and lit a cigar.
Loki spoke up: "It's a disgrace for the King of Elbaf to be killed by a human! I will say I killed my father!"
"Then you should know that if you do that, the hopes Harald had for you will never be realized," Beltz said calmly, hands in his pockets. "Elbaf won't accept a king who is a kinslayer and a regicide. Even if you want to eat that Devil Fruit later, no one will agree to it."
"That's why I'll become strong! Stronger than anyone!" Loki declared. Though he had a poor relationship with his mother's side of the family, he deeply respected Harald. He blamed Harald for not helping Rocks, but he still loved his father and possessed Giant pride. He wouldn't let Harald's name be dragged through the mud, but he couldn't accept telling the world that their greatest King was killed by a human. Where would Elbaf's pride go?
"This brat knows nothing," Shiki tsked. "Even in Elbaf, they should know who Beltz is. This guy... is no ordinary person."
Loki frowned, confused; he really didn't know Beltz. His understanding of the outside world was limited to Rocks' affairs.
"Talking is meaningless. In short... the world knowing Harald was killed by me won't shame Elbaf." Beltz turned to Shiki. "No need to say more. Whatever Elbaf chooses is fine. Let's head back."
He offered to take the blame for Harald's death—well, it wasn't exactly a "false" blame since he did kill him—but his goal was for Elbaf to stay united and strong. If Loki took the blame, he'd be ostracized like in the original story. If the World Government took it, Harald's work was for nothing. Beltz, the great pirate, was the perfect scapegoat.
But if they didn't appreciate the gesture, it didn't matter. Loki was a great asset, but now that he had Harald's soul, Beltz wasn't as desperate for him.
The matter of Elbaf concluded. He still had to keep an eye on the World Government; if they didn't react immediately, he would return to Bleach world for a while. He had been on his tracking mission for the Wandenreich for years; it was time to give the Wandenreich and Seireitei some new leads.
Before, he was alone, but now with Kong and Harald, his forces were much stronger. Especially since Vegapunk's research was nearly complete! His two clones would be finished in six months at most.
Unfortunately, he still had no leads on the Dark Dark Fruit or the Op Op Fruit...