Chapter 19 – Discovery
"Don't thank me. Whether you live or die is up to you."
Dante Voss waved a hand and said nothing more. He strode toward the next estate.
Dorry nodded to the two women and followed.
Seeing that Dante Voss was fairly easy to talk to, Sharin and Mona relaxed and trailed after him.
As time passed, Dante Voss broke into more and more Celestial Dragon estates, and the number of Slaves at his side reached over twenty.
These Celestial Dragons had plenty of treasure; after so much plunder Dante Voss was already fairly wealthy.
[1.4 billion Berries]
[Jewelry Box ×3]
[Famous Sword ×1]
[Devil Fruit ×4]
This much money was enough for him to live in comfort for several lifetimes.
But Dante Voss's life was destined to be anything but peaceful; wealth was useless to him.
Besides, he had killed so many Celestial Dragons. If the World Government found out, they would chase him to the ends of the earth.
Yet his wish to find the rest of his village hadn't come true; apart from Dorry, he hadn't located anyone else.
That made him give up the search.
Mary Geoise was huge—who knew where they were.
Maybe they were already dead.
And if he kept looting, he could get more money, but the Slaves he'd rescued would be in grave danger.
He had the stone of translocation; the others did not.
By now the sky had turned pitch-black and it was very late.
All Mary Geoise had quieted; most lights in the Celestial Dragon mansions were out.
Every Slave stared at him, eyes blazing with fervor and worship.
Today Dante Voss had shown them that Celestial Dragons were not gods—they were flesh and blood, they could be hurt, they could die.
They had expected to die here, but Dante Voss gave them hope, gave them light.
Dante Voss looked at them, the corner of his mouth lifting as he said softly,
"Let's go—leave this place!"
The Slaves all nodded; they had longed to escape for ages.
The street was silent. Twenty Slaves followed Dante Voss stealthily, not daring to make a sound.
They were about to leave this hell; none wanted to die here because of a careless mistake.
As they advanced, Dante Voss sensed something. He raised a hand, halting the group.
The Slaves tensed; Dorry gripped the spear he'd taken from a guard.
Sharin squeezed younger sister Mona's hand; both palms were slick with nervous sweat.
Dante Voss signaled for silence, bloodthirsty sword in hand, and crept forward.
His perception told him a patrol was heading this way.
That was the benefit of strong Spirit—he could sense danger in advance.
As he closed in, the ten-man patrol spotted him.
But Dante Voss was already charging.
The guards stood ready, each gripping a spear—well-trained soldiers.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Crimson blade flashes lit the night; the unprepared guards dropped to the ground.
[Killed a guard: +10 slaughter points]
[Killed a guard: +10 slaughter points]
...Watching from afar, the Slaves ran over and quickly hid the bodies in the roadside grass.
Soon the path was clear again; Dante Voss led them onward.
Not long after, another patrol appeared ahead—same method: Dante Voss killed, Slaves hid the corpses.
They worked in perfect coordination.
After several repetitions they finally left the Land of the Gods, heading toward the towering Pangaea Castle.
Dante Voss had no allies here; to escape they needed a ship.
Only one place nearby had vessels.
Mary Geoise's sole official port—
Red Port!
Beyond the Land of the Gods there were no more patrols, and the Slaves breathed easier.
Watching the Land of the Gods recede, they were elated.
Only one step remained: reach the docks and sail away—then they would no longer be Slaves.
Their lives would no longer hang by a thread.
Dante Voss glanced toward Pangaea Castle with a hint of dread.
That was the true heart of the World Government.
The Gorosei were there, and Lord Imu was there.
If those people noticed them, everyone but Dante Voss would die.
So he gave the castle a wide berth, willing to take the longer route to avoid the risk.
"Woo—"
A shrill alarm suddenly rang through the Land of the Gods, jolting the entire area awake.
Mansions that had been asleep lit up one after another.
Beyond the Land of the Gods, lights came on as well.
The slumbering colossus had awakened.
"Not good!"
Dante Voss's eyes turned grave—he knew they'd been discovered.
"Move—fast!"
He barked, leading the Slaves in a dash toward the waterfront.
Stealth no longer mattered; if they hesitated, they'd never leave.
The Slaves knew the danger and ran with everything they had toward the shore...
Land of the Gods—now ablaze with light. Squads of guards combed every street and building.
Several white-suited, masked figures directed the troops, ordering them to find the killer.
A patrol had found the dead guards in the grass and reported it at once.
Dead guards in Mary Geoise was major news; the World Government dispatched CP0 to take charge.
"Report! Another squad of guards found dead!"
"Report! Everyone at the Divine Trial Ground has been killed!"
The masked CP0 leader frowned; this incident was no small matter.
It ranked as a grave event in all Mary Geoise.
"Report!"
Another guard rushed over, voice shaking, stumbling as if something catastrophic had happened.
The CP0 leader said calmly,
"Calm yourself—speak!"
"Sir!"
The guard steadied himself. "Several World Noble estates have been massacred—the Celestial Dragons inside are all dead."
"What?!"
The CP0 leader's eyes bulged, his body starting to tremble.
He knew the situation was catastrophic—an earth-shaking event.
Elsewhere,
the commotion outside awakened a Celestial Dragon. Furious, he roared at his servant,
"What's happening? Do they want to die, daring to wake a divine being like me?"
The servant quavered, "Master Saint Cole, the guards say a fiend broke in, killed many gods, and they're searching for the culprit."
"What?"
The Celestial Dragon shook his head, feeling dazed.
He asked again,
"Say that again."
The servant repeated the report.
"Impossible!"
Refusing to believe it, the Celestial Dragon shot the servant dead and strode outside to learn the truth.
In his mind, how could a commoner dare raise a hand against a god?
But inquiry confirmed it: someone had attacked the gods, and more than one Celestial Dragon had perished.
For the first time, real dread took hold of him.