Garp had just thrown one punch.
In the next instant, he drove out a second, even more ferocious one.
That unstoppable fist carried terrifying power. Under that pressure, the air itself rippled in rings, as if it had been punched through and shattered.
"Fist of the Hero Meteor Impact!"
Garp didn't hold back. From the very first exchange, he came in with a move meant to crush.
This was a battlefield, not a spar.
Not a friendly match.
Here, it was kill or be killed.
Against an enemy, Garp fought with everything he had, not like when he "disciplined" his grandson Luffy with soft, performative punches.
Caught off guard, Golden Lion Shiki couldn't gather his strength in time.
He was blasted away by Garp's strike, skidding in utter disgrace, kicking up a rolling cloud of dust, until BOOM he slammed into the fortress wall and finally stopped.
Shiki was furious and shocked. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the rage boiling in his chest.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Razor-sharp blades tore the air apart. From within the dust, dazzling golden sword waves burst out one after another beautiful, but packed with lethal force.
The golden slashes screamed forward.
In a blink, they were already in front of Garp.
Garp swung both fists, smashing the sword waves apart one by one.
The shattered slashes turned into a rain of golden fragments, scattering across the battlefield like glittering dust.
Only then did Shiki shoot out of the smoke, eyes blazing as he stared at Garp.
But doubt churned beneath his anger.
Why was Garp stationed at Marine G-1?
Sengoku was already here.
So why was Garp here too?
His furious gaze carried a thread of suspicion. His peripheral vision swept the surroundings, taking everything in.
And his heart sank.
"I didn't notice earlier… but now that I'm looking there isn't a single ordinary Marine here!"
"They're all elites captain level and above!"
"The Navy was prepared…"
"Is this a trap?!"
Shiki's expression darkened. Everything was sliding in the worst possible direction, and the more he looked, the more it felt like he was walking deeper into fog.
And inside that fog
There was something terrifying.
He glared at Garp and barked, "Garp! It's just a Marine base why are two of the Navy's top monsters sitting here at the same time?!"
He needed that answer.
"Want to know?" Garp roared back. "Ask my fist first!"
Like a charging bull, he swung his fully-hardened Armament-coated fists and slammed toward Shiki again, forcing Shiki up into the air.
Shiki's twin swords spat out blazing, brilliant slashes.
"Wave Slash!"
Razor-sharp sword waves rained down from the sky. Garp's fists moved like a steel storm, airtight and relentless, his Armament Haki smashing every slash to pieces.
Shiki's doubts only grew. He refused to trade head-on.
The situation had already blown far past his expectations.
The more he thought, the more wrong it felt.
The Navy's top monsters didn't just gather for fun, dragging in huge numbers of elite troops.
No matter how he looked at it, something was off.
He just couldn't see through it yet.
From the highest point, Fleet Admiral Kong watched their battle, his heavy eyes narrowing with unease.
"Why hasn't Rocks's main force appeared yet…?"
"Where are they hiding?!"
"That Devil Fruit bait Rocks shouldn't be able to ignore it."
"Can he really stay this calm?"
…
At the same time…
West Blue, God Valley.
As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of people endless, stretching beyond sight.
This wasn't a concert.
Not a sports event.
It was a "Human Hunting" competition, held once every three years.
Nearly a hundred thousand human slaves stood in rags, faces pale with terror and panic.
They were slaves.
They knew exactly what was coming.
No one could be indifferent to death especially when it was their own life on the line.
The crowd's noise swelled and broke into frantic shouts.
"I don't want to die! I want to live! Let me out! I'll be a Celestial Dragon's mount!"
"We have to find somewhere hidden somewhere they won't see us. If they spot us…"
"The God's Knights are powerful Celestial Dragons. We have no chance of surviving against them!"
"Find a Devil Fruit! As long as I find one, I can live! Don't you dare steal it from me if you do, I'll kill you!"
…
In the crowd
"Big brother… what do we do? Can we survive?" a little girl asked.
She was adorable, with big watery eyes. Her expression was tense, and those fairytale-pure eyes bright as gemstones were full of worry.
A kind of innocence that made people want to protect her.
The person she was asking was a boy with a deep purple afro, dressed in loud, flashy clothes. He wore shorts, his legs bare.
It was a young Emporio Ivankov.
Ivankov raised his fist as if to show her his strength, though there wasn't much muscle on his arm at all.
He smiled, hopeful, and comforted her anyway.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you. If we can find a Devil Fruit and gain real power, we'll have a chance at freedom."
That optimism steadied Ginny's heart. A small light ignited inside her.
A light called
Freedom.
For a slave of the Celestial Dragons, it was the one thing they craved above all else.
More precious than anything.
A treasure many slaves chased their whole lives and still never touched.
Ivankov warned her, "Ginny, stay close to me. Don't get separated."
"Mm." Ginny nodded hard, her bright eyes shining with hope as she said with firm certainty, "I believe you'll find a Devil Fruit, big brother!"
"And we'll gain true freedom."
The word freedom carried a strange magic.
Ivankov grinned.
"For freedom we fight!"
…
Completely opposite the slaves' terror, fear, and despair were the Celestial Dragons and the members of the God's Knights.
They gathered inside a lavish palace. Tables were piled with exquisite delicacies and rare, expensive wine.
Every one of them looked excited, thrilled, eager to begin.
A Celestial Dragon explained the rules with a smile.
"Six chests are hidden across the island. Each one holds a powerful Devil Fruit. Whoever gets a Devil Fruit, keeps it."
"And besides that, every slave you kill earns you one point. As for what points are used for…"
He wore a teasing grin, thinking to himself
Those slaves were dreaming.
Did they really think they could get their hands on a chest's Devil Fruit?
Those Devil Fruits were prepared for the members of the God's Knights.
Not for filthy slaves to "waste."
Hearing parts of the rules, the God's Knights armored, caped, resplendent lit up like starving wolves.
As Celestial Dragons, they were fascinated by this "Human Hunting" competition.
This was their game.
And the prey…
Was the hundred thousand slaves on God Valley.
In this game, they could slaughter as they pleased, toy as they pleased, take life in any way they found entertaining.
To them, this "Human Hunting" competition was stress relief.
Entertainment.
"Enough rules. Start it already."
"I've been waiting for this three-year game."
The one who spoke was the supreme commander of the God's Knights
Saint Figarland Garling.
He had a distinctive crescent-shaped hairstyle. A gorgeous long sword hung at his waist, and his bearing was extraordinary.
"Then let it begin."
With that, the Human Hunting competition opened.
A hundred thousand slaves poured out like sheep released from a pen, surging forward in a stampede.
The ground shook as they ran. The scene was so vast it became almost surreal.
But in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons…
They were nothing more than walking points.
They didn't move immediately.
They waited until all hundred thousand slaves had fled the enclosure and scattered across the island.
Only then did the Celestial Dragons slowly rise to their feet.
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