"Oi Ginny-chan! Big Kuma Boy! There's hope! Look!"
"Someone really came to God Valley!!"
Ivankov, wearing nothing but a pair of triangle briefs and sporting a purple, explosive afro, spun around and shouted excitedly to Ginny and Kuma.
Ginny, who was wrapping Kuma's wounds, immediately lit up. Her watery eyes widened with surprise and joy.
"Iva, really?!"
Ivankov launched into it, animated and passionate, embellishing every detail as he spoke.
"Of course it's real! I saw a huge ship docking at the shore, and a bunch of scary-looking monsters charged out!"
"There was a super beautiful giant woman, and one guy whose hair looked like a lion's mane…"
Kuma, bigger than both of them, sat cross-legged on the ground. His body was covered in injuries, yet his young face still wore a pure, happy smile.
"Then… we have hope to leave this place."
"And it's all thanks to Ginny for getting the message out. That's why help came."
"All done."
Ginny finished tying the bandage into a neat bow and grinned.
"Kuma Kuma, when we get out of here… what are you going to do?"
"I… I'll go back to my hometown first…" Kuma scratched his head, only to have Ginny hop up and slap his hand away.
"Hey! Careful. I just treated the wound on your head!"
Ginny puffed out her cheeks, her cute face filled with righteous anger.
"Those people were way too brutal!"
"They… they just wanted to live. Don't blame them," Kuma said, kind to a fault, even defending them.
Ivankov urged, "Oi hurry and pack up! We need to find those people and make them take us out of here!"
"Where's the telescope… let me see." Ginny reached out, taking the spyglass Ivankov handed over.
Through the lens, Ginny saw the people Ivankov was talking about.
They were tearing through the island, destroying everything in their path.
Any slave who ran to them begging for help was cut down without mercy…
Ginny's face went deathly pale. Cold sweat poured down as her voice trembled.
"Iva… Iva, Kuma Kuma… those people… those people are terrifying!!"
"They're bad guys!"
"The slaves… the slaves who can't even fight back…"
"They're killing them!!"
Boom!
Ivankov's heart dropped like a thunderclap went off inside his skull. He snatched the telescope from Ginny and pressed it to his eye, staring wide-eyed.
When he saw the bloody, brutal scene, the color drained from his face.
It looked like a pack of bloodthirsty beasts ripping lambs apart.
More direct than the Celestial Dragons' "hunt," too.
Those pirates didn't toy with their prey like cats with mice.
They simply slaughtered.
"It's… it's pirates. They're pirates!" Ivankov gasped, his expression turning ugly, a hopeless edge creeping into his voice.
"They came for Devil Fruits. They…"
"They're not going to take us with them!"
Kuma got up and stepped closer, anxious.
"Then what do we do now?! Just keep hiding forever?!"
Ivankov clasped his hands behind his back, pacing in place, frantic as he forced himself to think.
As the Rocks Pirates invaded, Satan Saint, inside the royal palace of God Valley, turned pale.
He immediately sent an emergency call to the Marines for reinforcements.
At the same time, he used a Den Den Mushi to contact every Celestial Dragon participating in the "Hunting Festival."
"Listen "
"God Valley has been attacked by the Rocks Pirates!"
"You must find the Devil Fruits at once and eat them!"
"Do not let those fruits fall into the hands of the Rocks Pirates!!"
Satan Saint's order spread across the island through Den Den Mushi.
Of course…
it also reached the Roger Pirates.
Rayleigh held a Den Den Mushi that had originally belonged to a Celestial Dragon, looking stunned.
"I can't believe the Rocks Pirates chose to attack God Valley. They're insane."
"Devil Fruits?!" Roger's eyes immediately lit up. "Rayleigh, did you hear that? The World Government says there are Devil Fruits on the island. Let's go find them too!"
Rayleigh's mouth twitched.
Roger was the type who did whatever popped into his head.
The moment he heard "Devil Fruits," he was already plotting them.
Rayleigh tried to pull him back. "Oi Roger, did you forget why we came here in the first place?!"
"We came for the history of the Void Century!"
"Now that the Rocks Pirates are attacking God Valley, this is our golden chance. The island's going to descend into chaos."
"And while everyone's distracted, we can slip into the palace treasury and other places."
They'd been to Ohara before, only to find that even Ohara's scholars didn't seem to fully understand the script on the Poneglyphs.
All they could do was leave them a copy to research.
Jabba, wearing sunglasses with an axe on his back, laughed.
"Captain, focus on getting the Void Century information first. Leave the Devil Fruit business to us!"
"If we can snatch them, we snatch them."
"If we can't…"
"Then it is what it is."
Rayleigh nodded. "That works. Too many people can't infiltrate the palace anyway. Just pick a few to pose as your guards."
While the Roger Pirates were planning
God's Knights member Garling Saint received the message too. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes as he murmured,
"Looks like I can't keep playing with these toys."
"I need to find those Devil Fruits, and fast."
But just as he was about to move, a savage presence, like wolves and tigers on the hunt, surged toward him.
Garling Saint's expression sank. He turned
and saw a figure cutting through the jungle.
Moving at terrifying speed, charging straight at him.
The figure leapt high, then slammed down so hard the ground shuddered.
A man appeared, gripping a naginata.
A crescent-shaped mustache.
A massive, rugged frame.
"Gurararara " Whitebeard grinned. "Didn't think I'd run into a decent opponent this fast!"
"Oi Celestial Dragon, do you know where the Devil Fruits on this island are?!"
Faced with Whitebeard's beastlike aura, and that unmistakable appearance…
Garling Saint had definitely seen him on wanted posters.
He just didn't expect to meet a Rocks Pirates officer this soon.
And it seemed Whitebeard came for him on purpose.
To force the Devil Fruit information out of his mouth.
Garling Saint wasn't wrong.
Whitebeard knew this man was strong, which meant his status among the Celestial Dragons wouldn't be low.
And men like that usually knew far more than the rest.
He likely knew where the Devil Fruits were hidden.
"Whitebeard Newgate." Garling Saint stared at him and extended an olive branch.
"If you want Devil Fruits, it's simple…"
"Leave the Rocks Pirates."
"Join the World Government."
"Gurararara "
Whitebeard sneered, contempt plain on his face.
"I have zero interest in joining the World Government."
"In fact…"
"The only reason I became a pirate… is because of the World Government."
His small hometown village couldn't afford the Heavenly Tribute, so it couldn't join the World Government.
No membership meant no protection.
And so pirates, criminals, and traffickers ran rampant, turning Whitebeard into an orphan.
Forcing him down the path of piracy.
After that
Whitebeard bent his knees and exploded forward like a rocket.
His arm muscles swelled as he swung his naginata, the blade whistling with power, cleaving toward Garling Saint.
Hiss!
The razor edge ripped through the air, flashing with a chilling light.
Clang!
Garling Saint drew in an instant.
So fast his draw couldn't even be seen.
Yet his blade was already there, blocking Murakumogiri.
Boom!
The ground beneath Garling Saint cracked and collapsed as he felt the monstrous strength riding on Whitebeard's weapon.
Like a flood and a beast in the same breath.
He couldn't help but marvel. "Incredible power."
"As expected of Whitebeard Newgate!"
At the same time…
battles erupted all across God Valley.
The scattered Rocks Pirates swept over the island like a tide, dragging the entire place into a storm of war.
As Rocks charged straight toward the palace
Linlin, her figure voluptuous and deadly, stopped and turned toward another direction.
With a massive blade over her shoulder, she muttered,
"There are six fruits on this island."
"Each one is priceless. Top-tier Devil Fruit abilities."
"No matter what…"
"I'm taking at least one or two for myself!!"
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