Saint Figarland Garling scanned the Five Elders, his voice resonating with heavy authority.
"Lord Imu's safety is paramount. There can be no room for error. You five will remain at the Holy Land to protect Lord Imu. As for God Valley, I and the Navy will take full responsibility."
The Five Elders remained silent for a moment. The long-bearded Elder hesitated. "We certainly trust your strength, Garling. But with over 200 Celestial Dragons involved, the stakes are monumental. I still feel we should find a more foolproof solution."
"Unnecessary. This time, I am taking the entire God's Knights with me!" Garling declared. "They've been cooped up in the Holy Land for too long. It's high time they went out and breathed some fresh air."
"All of them?!"
The Five Elders' expressions shifted. Including Garling, the God's Knights consisted of nine members. While few in number, every single member possessed strength comparable to a Marine Admiral. As for their Supreme Commander, Garling, his power was truly unfathomable. They were the World Government's ultimate trump card, usually tasked with the sole duty of guarding Lord Imu and the Celestial Dragons within the Holy Land.
"If that is the case, so be it." The Elders nodded. If the entire God's Knights were deploying alongside the full force of the Navy, the safety of the Celestial Dragons would indeed be secured.
"The hunting event begins in a little over a month. Since you've decided, take the Celestial Dragons and depart now. We will hold the fort here and deal with Redfield and his lot!" the sword-wielding Elder added, a venomous glint of hatred flashing in his eyes.
Garling rose slowly and left the council chamber without a word.
Two weeks before the God Valley Hunting Games!
A few days prior, Ginny, Kuma, and their group had successfully stolen a batch of Transponder Snails. Using her eavesdropping skills, Ginny intercepted the entirety of the Navy and Celestial Dragons' operational plans. She also discovered that the Celestial Dragons had prepared six legendary Devil Fruits as prizes for the hunting competition!
The prizes included the Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit: Azure Dragon Model, the Paramecia Paw-Paw Fruit, and the Paramecia Horm-Horm Fruit...
After deliberating with Ivankov, Kuma, and the others, Ginny devised a plan for survival. Using the Transponder Snails, she leaked the coordinates of God Valley, the details of the six Devil Fruits, and the Celestial Dragons' entire plan to the world.
In just a few days, the news spread like wildfire, sending shockwaves across the globe!
The New World, Hachinosu!
Six years had passed since Rocks' defeat at the hands of Reyno. Since then, Rocks had scoured the seas for powerful Devil Fruits to bolster his own strength and that of his Division Commanders. Now, Rocks had successfully acquired a second Devil Fruit power. Among his five Division Commanders, everyone except Whitebeard was now a Devil Fruit user.
The crew's strength was at its absolute peak. Although Rocks had lost to Reyno years ago, very few people knew about it. Reyno had no interest in bragging, and the Rocks Pirates certainly weren't going to talk about their humiliation. With Reyno's sudden "retirement" and his crew members vanishing into the Four Seas, the Rocks Pirates had become the undisputed, looming shadow over the New World.
The captain, Rocks D. Xebec, was hailed as the Overlord of the Seas. His base, Hachinosu, had become a "holy land" for countless pirates who flocked there to join his banner. Rocks welcomed them all, expanding his influence until his crew numbered over 100,000—the undisputed Number One pirate crew in the world.
As night fell over Skull Plaza, 100,000 pirates gathered, a sea of people as far as the eye could see. They whispered among themselves, wondering why Rocks had summoned them at such an hour.
Suddenly, Rocks' massive figure emerged. He scanned the crowd and shouted:
"Listen up, boys! I just received word. The Celestial Dragons are about to hold a hunting event at God Valley in the West Blue! Over 200 Celestial Dragons will be there! Our chance has finally arrived!!"
"We're going to slaughter every last Celestial Dragon! We will overthrow their rule and take the world for ourselves!!"
"I am the true King of the World!!"
As Rocks finished, the pirates raised their weapons, their cheers shaking the heavens.
"Long live the Boss!!" "Hahahaha! I've finally lived to see this day!!" "I knew following Captain Rocks would lead us to greatness!!" "I'm going to cut down those arrogant Celestial Dragons myself!!"
Rocks nodded, satisfied with the soaring morale. "Move out! Load the ammunition, the rifles, and the cannons! We set sail immediately!!"
Under his command, Hachinosu turned into a giant, frenzied machine. At the port, nearly a hundred massive pirate ships were docked. Pirates flooded the warehouses, hauling supplies onto the ships.
Inside the Skull Hall, Rocks' eyes burned with excitement as he looked at Golden Lion Shiki, Whitebeard, John, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, and Stussy.
"Hahahaha! The day is finally here. When we get there, give them no quarter. Whether it's Celestial Dragons or Marines—kill them all!"
Silver Axe slammed his axe against his shield. "Don't worry, Boss. Not a single Celestial Dragon will leave God Valley alive!" "I'm ready," Captain John added, taking a massive swig of rum. "Awaiting your orders!" Wang Zhi shouted at the top of his lungs. "I won't let you down," Stussy said, a faint air of danger radiating from her every movement.
"And you two?!" Rocks turned to Whitebeard and Shiki. They were the two he cared about most. Even with the others having Devil Fruits, they were on a completely different level of power.
"We follow your lead, Captain," Shiki and Whitebeard said in unison, their heads slightly bowed, though a subtle, unreadable glint flashed in their eyes.
"Good! With your full support, the world is ours!"
Captain John, finishing his wine, suddenly asked, "Boss, we're strong, but this is a move against the Celestial Dragons. Should we look for allies? Wherever they are, there are bound to be top-tier experts guarding them. Especially with 200 of them together."
Rocks' smile vanished instantly, replaced by a dark, displeased scowl. "Allies? Do you doubt my strength?!"
His physical prowess and Haki had reached a pinnacle few could match. Combined with his two Devil Fruits, he was confident he could even defeat Reyno in a rematch. John immediately fell silent, realizing that if he spoke another word, Rocks might actually execute him on the spot.
Seeing his men were ready, Rocks stood from his throne like a rising storm. "Everyone! Set sail for God Valley!"
"MOVE OUT!!!"
The fleet of a hundred massive ships left the port, surging toward the West Blue. High above, a dozen giant islands followed the fleet, floating through the clouds.
West Blue, an unnamed island.
The Roger Pirates, having just escaped Garp's pursuit, were resting.
"Hahahaha! Garp is getting stronger and stronger! He almost caught us this time!" Roger laughed, downing two large gulps of rum. Over the years, he and Garp had become "frenemies." Trading blows and playing cat-and-mouse had become a source of entertainment for him.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
ONEPIECE My Crewmates Are All God-Tier! (152 Chapters, Ongoing)
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"Captain, you and Garp really are two of a kind," Gaban joked, sharpening his twin axes. "I wonder who would win if you two actually fought to the finish."
Roger laughed and shook his head. "Hahaha... we're friends, why go for the kill?"
"Captain!"
Sunbell, the fishman crew member, ran over looking frantic.
"Hey, Sunbell, is Garp back already?" the others asked casually.
Sunbell didn't answer them. He went straight to Roger, his face grim.
"Captain, we just received word. Rocks and his entire crew have mobilized. They've left the New World and are heading straight for the West Blue!"
"His target is almost certainly God Valley!"
As Sunbell finished, the movement of Roger's hands came to an abrupt halt. A terrifying, peak-level aura suddenly erupted from his body.
"So, Rocks finally couldn't hold back anymore, huh?!"
In truth, being in the West Blue, they had known about the God Valley situation for a while. However, Roger hadn't intended to interfere initially. He had no interest in overthrowing the World Government's rule. But since Rocks had lost his patience, this was a golden opportunity. Now was perhaps the best chance to eliminate him once and for all.
"Captain, are we moving?!"
Just a moment ago, they had felt a surge of killing intent from Roger unlike anything they had felt before. Knowing their captain's character, they knew he was going after Rocks!
"Rayleigh, find a way to contact Steel Bone Kong. Tell him that this time, I'm willing to team up with the Navy to take down Rocks!"
"Understood!" Rayleigh didn't waste a single word. He pulled out a Transponder Snail, and his massive network of connections began to move at high speed.
"Rocks, if you want to be the King of the World, you'd better wait for your next life," Roger muttered coldly, his eyes narrowing.
God Valley, Marine Temporary Base.
The Marine high command, led by Sengoku, and the God's Knights, led by Saint Garling, were gathered.
"Steel Bone Kong, is this the extent of the Navy's competence?" Garling's face was as cold as frost, his displeasure evident. "Is this the 'guarantee' you gave us?!"
Learning that the news had leaked infuriated him. Fortunately, he had brought every member of the God's Knights with him; otherwise, things might have spiraled out of control.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Kong didn't argue. To be honest, he had checked the perimeter countless times to ensure there were no leaks. He had no idea how the message had gotten out or through what channel.
"Ahem... I don't think now is the time to dwell on that," Sengoku stepped in to play peacemaker. "Admiral Kong, didn't Roger contact you just now? What did he want?"
"Roger?! Why did he contact you?" Garling asked, frowning in confusion. It was a joke to him—since when did pirates dare to initiate contact with the Navy?
Seeing Sengoku save the situation, Kong gave him a grateful look and quickly shifted the topic. "We've received intelligence that the Rocks Pirates have mobilized their entire force. They'll be at God Valley soon. Roger contacted me for one reason: he wants to join forces with us to take down Rocks. And I've already agreed!"
"Oh?!" Now it was Garling's turn to be surprised. He wasn't shocked that Rocks was making a move, but Roger's proactive offer to team up was unexpected.
"Hehehe... Perhaps Roger feels that it's better for us Celestial Dragons to remain in power than a madman like Rocks," one of the God's Knights sneered.
"True. Who knows what kind of insanity Rocks would unleash if he won?" Garling laughed dismissively. "It's the perfect chance to kill Rocks. But besides those two, there is someone else we must be wary of."
"You mean Reyno?!" Kong said, hitting the nail on the head.
"Correct. The Five Elders sent word that only four members of the Reyno Pirates have been spotted in the New World. Eight others, including Reyno, Lingling, Flame Flower, Kaido, Streusen, Roger, Rupert, and Brook, are missing. The latter four aren't much of a threat, but the first four could be trouble. We must be prepared for a sneak attack from Reyno!"
"Don't worry, I'll make the arrangements!" Kong promised.
As the meeting ended and the God's Knights departed, Kong thought for a moment before dialing a number.
Purupurupuru...
The Transponder Snail took on Garp's features. "What do you want?" Garp's disgruntled voice rang out. The God Valley news was already buzzing, and he had obviously heard the rumors. Garp had realized he was the only one in the entire Navy hierarchy kept in the dark about this operation. Who wouldn't be angry?
"Ahem... Garp, put that aside for now. Something big is about to happen at God Valley. I'm sending you the coordinates. Get here as fast as you can," Kong said, getting straight to the point.
"I'm not coming!!" Garp refused flatly. "Admiral Kong, even if I can't stop the Celestial Dragons, I won't stand there and watch them hunt 100,000 people. If I'm actually there and I see that, I can't guarantee I won't do something impulsive!"
If those 100,000 were pirates, it would be one thing. But the vast majority were innocent civilians. This crossed Garp's line.
"Garp, you have to be here! Rocks is coming with 100,000 men. Roger wants to team up to take him out. You know how terrifying Rocks is. Only you and Roger working together can finish him! Even if you hate the Celestial Dragons' ways, if Rocks wins, what he does will be just as bad—if not more insane! This is our best chance, Garp. Don't let it slip away!"