Golden Buddha Sengoku didn't know he had already been marked by the Celestial Dragons. At this moment, his only thought was to strike down the monstrous cadres of the Rocks Pirates.
Wherever they went, the Rocks Pirates left only ruin. Entire populations were crushed beneath their cruelty. Sengoku despised them most of all—brutes without principle or restraint. Compared to Rocks' blood-soaked banner, Brook's Hell Pirates almost seemed restrained. They killed Celestial Dragons, yes, but they did not indulge in senseless massacres of the weak.
And though Sengoku would never admit it aloud, even he saw the difference in Brook's path. Developing territories, building economies, fostering technology—that was not something he could ever call "justice," but it wasn't mere barbarism either.
But Rocks… Rocks was unforgivable.
The Monkey King Wizz roared, his fury erupting the moment he saw his longtime partner, the little monkey on his shoulder, beaten into pulp by Sengoku's golden fists. His vision went scarlet. Without hesitation, he pulled out a forbidden pill of ES, smuggled from Doragonzo Island under Hell Pirate control, and swallowed it whole.
His body convulsed. The whites of his eyes turned blood-red, his muscles bulging grotesquely. His already titanic arms doubled in size, and his fangs lengthened into monstrous spears of bone.
"Wizz, no—!" The warrior monk Scorpion Dragon shouted, but the Titan Ape no longer heard.
Maddened beyond reason, Wizz lunged straight at Sengoku, jaws wide. His fangs, wrapped in Armament Haki, sank into the golden flesh of the Buddha's arm, tearing deep. Blood sprayed.
"Buddha Shockwave!!!"
Sengoku did not falter. With his free hand, he drove a shockwave directly into Wizz skull. The Titan's head snapped back, blood gushing from nose and mouth. His bite loosened, and Sengoku followed with a crushing elbow strike, sending the great ape crashing through the palace wall of God Valley in an avalanche of dust and stone.
Scorpion Dragon grimaced. His own arm hung useless from an earlier clash with a Divine Knight. If he had been whole, he and Wizz could have overwhelmed Sengoku. Now, his comrade's frenzy had squandered their advantage.
Still, Sengoku bled. Four gaping bite wounds marred the Buddha's arm, crimson streaking down golden flesh. Perhaps Wizz had even reached the bone.
Both were wounded—Scorpion Dragon missing an arm, Sengoku's power weakened. Yet Scorpion Dragon gritted his teeth. He would not retreat. Even like this, he could delay Sengoku for hours if necessary.
The two clashed again, justice and brutality locked in an unending struggle.
Elsewhere, the battlefield seethed. Wang Zhi crossed blades with the admiral candidate Youge, his Supreme Sword, the Code of the Emperor, flashing like a storm. Though Youge speed pushed him back, the indestructible blade kept Wang Zhi standing.
Captain John toyed with a headquarters vice admiral, his movements lazy, his grin sharp. He hadn't yet revealed his true fangs.
Silver Axe roared like a beast, his long axe cleaving the air with terrifying weight. His opponent stumbled back, bloodied and desperate to avoid being split in two.
But all eyes, even among the pirates, drifted back to one man.
Rocks D. Xebec.
The outcome of this war would hinge upon him. If Rocks felled both Coss Davo and the Divine Knight, the Valley of the Gods would fall within the day.
Behind the city, a quieter drama unfolded. Several elder Celestial Dragons had already chosen flight. Unlike the younger nobles who raged and clung to dignity, these veterans knew when pride meant death. Between gold and survival, they chose life.
Under CP escort, they boarded their glittering lion-prowed warships, treasures piled high.
"Let them stay if they're too proud," one elder muttered. "The young will learn what we already know—those who ignore the old suffer the consequences."
But before their ships could leave the harbor, a sound drifted across the air.
A song. Melodious, haunting. Enchanting.
The CP agents stiffened. They resisted with gritted teeth, holding up the fainting nobles. But the Celestial Dragons themselves slumped like children lulled to sleep, jeweled masks slipping as they collapsed into their guards' arms.
"Bang. Bang. Bang."
The agents had no time to react before tiny figures blurred between their legs. Their stomachs crumpled under brutal impacts, eyes bulging as they toppled one by one.
"Mission accomplished!"
A chorus of squeaky voices rang out. Dozens of dwarf warriors, barely twenty centimeters tall, swarmed the docks. Each one moved with speed and strength far beyond ordinary men—proof of Brook's harsh training.
"Hahahaha ~… well done."
A figure descended gracefully, short golden hair gleaming. A siren smiled behind her hands, her mythical fruit's song still echoing. CP agents that hadn't already fallen now dropped like stones, helpless before her voice.
A parrot swooped down, soldiers spilling from its back. They stormed the warships, hauling away chest after chest of Celestial Dragon treasure.
"Is this what Brother Brook meant by blocking the back door?"
A girl with three eyes landed softly, a massive scroll strapped to her back. As her feet touched the ground, she shifted back to full size.
"Yes, Tianmulan! Quick, use your scrolls to take everything!"
Stussy's eyes burned as she pointed at the glittering warships.
"I understand, Sister Stussy!"
Tianmulan raised her scrolls, their seals glowing. One unfurled into a massive curtain of light, sweeping over an entire Celestial Dragon battleship. The warship shuddered, then vanished into the scroll, shrinking into a strip of paper that landed back in her hand.
"This ability is incredible! So much better than Uju's Fortress Fruit or Bra Cara's Pocket Fruit," Stussy said with a sly smile.
Uju and Bra Cara, standing nearby, groaned in unison, rolling their eyes.
Tianmulan blushed, clutching the scrolls at her waist. "Brother Brook taught me well… his ideas are always so wild."
With each sweep, another warship vanished into the enchanted scrolls. By the time they were done, the once-proud Celestial Dragon fleet existed only as paper charms dangling from Tianmulan's belt.
The back door of God Valley had been sealed.
-----------
Tianmulan's Scroll Fruit could not seal living beings, so the elderly Celestial Dragons and CP agents were instead dragged into Uju's castle and imprisoned one by one. Their treasures, however, were fair game. Stussy directed the haul into a secure chamber within the fortress.
"Next, we continue the operation," Stussy ordered, her eyes glinting. "Captain Brook is keeping Rocks and the Navy locked on the frontlines. From here on out, it all depends on us."
The dwarves, Tianmulan, and their soldiers obeyed, vanishing back into the castle's small doors. From the chest of Uju, the green parrot, another portal opened, spilling them out into the very heart of the Valley of the Gods.
They stared down upon a sea of golden rooftops and jeweled towers. The nineteen Celestial Dragon families had raised entire palaces here, each more decadent than the last. Every adult noble had their own palace of leisure, gilded in ornaments stolen from across the world.
Stussy licked her lips, barely containing her hunger. "If Rocks and the Navy weren't all gathered here, I'd have Shiki lift this entire island and take it back to the skies."
The finance minister of the Hell Pirates, who had grown accustomed to mountains of gold, still found herself trembling at the sight of such excess.
"Who can endure this pain," she groaned, "seeing treasure right in front of you and not being able to take it away!"
Tianmulan tugged at her sleeve. "Sister Stussy, big brother Brook order was clear. The Devil Fruits come first. We can't lose the grand prize chasing scraps."
"I know!" Stussy pouted. "But if I can't haul these palaces home, my heart will break in two."
The green parrot swooped low over the core palace. At its signal, the dwarves leapt from the chest door, scattering into squads. Known as the "invisible fairies" of Dressrosa, dwarves were masters of stealth and thievery. With Brook's training, they had become something more—a living tide of expert infiltrators.
One by one, they slipped into Celestial Dragon palaces, searching for Devil Fruits hidden in vaults and trophy rooms.
At the same time, Roger's ship had already turned away from a naval blockade and, guided by his instinct, was heading toward this very port. Fate was weaving its threads tighter.
On the battlefield, Rocks burned brighter than ever. To end the struggle swiftly, he once more tapped into the forbidden arts of the D clan, igniting his very life force to unleash an overwhelming surge of power. His dark aura shredded the battlefield, driving both the drugged Divine Knight and Coss Davo into bloody retreat.
"Zehahaha! No one can stop me!!"
His black hair writhed like living flame, twisted with shadows, his eyes burning crimson. He looked less a man and more a demon born of hatred. Even Coss Davo's goat-horned demon form paled before him.
In the face of certain death, Coss Davo made a brutal choice. He slackened his attacks, shoving his comrade, the Divine Knight, into Rocks' path. The Gibek Blade carved straight through the knight's chest, and at that very moment Davo lunged low, ramming his Haki-wrapped fist into Rocks' gut.
Blood sprayed from Rocks' lips. He staggered, eyes wide with disbelief. Sacrificing a comrade to land a mortal blow—was this truly the Navy?
But as Rocks cast aside the knight's corpse, he sneered. He still stood, and his enemies did not.
Coss Davo retreated to the skies, wings of demonic energy spread wide. He would not chase the advantage. Instead, he would circle, waiting for Rocks' secret technique to burn itself out. He had gambled a knight's life for a chance to endure. Whether it was profit or folly, only time would tell.
"I underestimated you, Coss Davo!" Rocks snarled, wiping the blood from his chin. He had slain two Divine Knights in a single day, but at a steep cost. His body trembled, his lifespan burned away. If the Valley of the Gods did not repay him in full, he would have lost everything.
And then—he saw it.
The flying fleet on the horizon.
Brook.
Rocks' vision went red. That damned bastard had arrived just as the hardest work was done, ready to pluck the ripe fruit of victory.
"Damn you, Brook! Always the vulture circling overhead!"
He wanted to roar. He wanted to tear him apart. He had bled and raged, and now the spoils were slipping into Brook's waiting hands.
"Guys! Forget the navy—rush in and take everything!!" Rocks bellowed.
Across the lines, Coss Davo shouted his own command. "All marines! Hold them back with everything you have! Justice will not fall today!"
He had seen it too: Brook's fleet was not ally, but rival. If Rocks and Brook clashed, perhaps the Navy could seize time. Perhaps Fleet Admiral Kukulkan's reinforcements could still arrive.
Steel clashed and blood spilled anew. Davo threw himself again and again into Rocks' path, trading life for minutes. For now, Brook looked more like an ally than an enemy.
Inside the Valley, panic reigned. Word had spread that yet another Knight of God had fallen, and that the Hell Pirates were closing fast. Celestial Dragons who once sneered at the world now trampled each other in a scramble to pack their vaults and flee.
For the dwarves, it was opportunity incarnate.
Hiding within the nobles' chambers—rooms forbidden to CP agents—they watched as vault doors swung wide and treasures were hastily gathered. Smiling with sharp little teeth, they slipped inside. One by one, Celestial Dragons fainted under enchanted songs or quick blades, their Devil Fruits snatched away by nimble hands.
Stussy's daggers silenced the CP escorts who lingered. Tianmulan unrolled scrolls, sealing away treasures too vast to carry.
The strongest of CP0 had already gone to the frontlines against Rocks. That left the backdoor wide open.
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