In the waters surrounding God Valley, dozens of Navy warships formed what seemed like an impenetrable steel defense line.
Seagulls circled above the mast tops, the sea breeze was steady, and everything was shrouded in an unsettling calm.
"BOOM—!!!"
Without warning, a violent explosion came from the eastern waters.
An escort ship was torn in half amidst towering flames and helplessly sank into the deep sea.
"Enemy attack! It's an enemy attack! At the eastern defense line!" A Navy soldier on the lookout screamed hoarsely.
"How is this possible? Wasn't this classified intelligence!"
Before the fleet could react, countless black dots on the horizon rapidly grew larger.
There were innumerable pirate ships, each with a skull flag representing a legend of terror on the seas.
Leading the charge was a terrifying, massive ship like a moving island, its wild and unrestrained symbol making all Navy soldiers who saw it feel like they'd fallen into an ice cellar.
The Rocks Pirates!
"Report to headquarters! It's Rocks! The entire Rocks Pirates crew has appeared!" Panicked reports came through Den Den Mushis one after another. "Not just them! There's also Golden Lion! Charlotte Linlin! Edward Newgate! Almost every legendary pirate is here!"
On deck, Rocks D. Xebec made his world-conquering declaration: "Rocks Pirates, follow me!"
"GURARARARA..." Edward Newgate, wielding his naginata, let out a hearty laugh, then curled his lips. "Wait a minute, who's your subordinate? Fool!"
"Mamamama! Of course I'll be taking all the treasure!" Charlotte Linlin was licking her lips, her eyes full of greed.
Beside her, a young man carrying a spiked club with horns on his head – Kaido – snorted disdainfully: "You're not much use either, Linlin!"
"What did you say, brat?!"
"Jihahaha! Stop arguing, whoever gets the stuff wins!" Golden Lion Shiki floated in mid-air, laughing arrogantly.
In the crowd, two women with completely different temperaments were also at odds.
"Really, such crude men – can't you be a little more elegant?" Stussy touched her hair, her tone carrying lazy complaint.
"Shut up, little girl. Just don't wet yourself from fear later." Amazon Lily's empress, Gloriosa, shot back mercilessly.
Captain John, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe... names that could keep the World Government awake at night were all gathered here.
They were a collection of monsters bound together by desire and ambition, ready to turn on each other at any moment, yet now all pointing their fangs toward "God Valley."
On the island, the Celestial Dragons' carnival was interrupted by sudden cannon fire. They weren't panicked, just angry.
"What are the Marines doing! Why are there pirates getting through here!" Saint Torp furiously smashed his golden goblet. "Those useless fools! Our game has been disturbed!"
Other Celestial Dragons joined in the complaints, their words full of condemnation for the Marines and dissatisfaction at having their "divine authority" interrupted.
High on the cliff, Saint Saturn still sat unmoved, merely shifting his gaze from the "hunting ground" below to the distant sea, his eyes calm as ancient wells.
The captain of the Holy Knights, the man with the crescent-shaped hairstyle – Saint Figarland Garling – slowly stood up.
"Have the Navy change positions." His voice wasn't loud but carried undeniable authority.
Then he drew the sword at his waist, its blade reflecting cold light in the sunlight.
"Holy Knights, all units attack!"
Meanwhile, on God Valley's western coast:
"Let's go! Brothers!" Roger was the first to jump from the ship.
"Hehe, we can really raise hell today." Rayleigh followed, pushing up his glasses with an expectant smile.
"Roger, there's no captain's privilege for treasure this time!" Gaban shouldered his twin axes, joking with Roger.
The crew members landed one by one, all wearing excitement and confidence about the coming battle, with one exception.
Kyle stood at the back of the group. Under his black hair, those golden pupils held no excitement about the upcoming chaos, but rather a deep, almost tangible gloom.
This wasn't war, but a one-sided "game" that took pleasure in slaughter. Fleeing civilians, laughing gunshots, lives counted as war trophies... it all reminded him of the darkest, most vile chapters from his past life's history.
That arrogance of treating others' pain as entertainment, of trampling lives at will, that behavior of self-proclaimed "gods" naturally stripping away everything from "humans" – it precisely struck the chord Kyle despised most in his heart.
*Fuck you, Celestial Dragon pigs. I really want to kill someone right now...*
Kyle unconsciously tightened his grip on the black-gold naginata, his knuckles turning slightly white from the pressure.
A cold rage was silently igniting in his chest, hotter than any technique, more deadly than any wave.
Roger sensed something unusual in the atmosphere. He looked back at Kyle with a grin: "What's wrong, Kyle? Seasick?"
Kyle raised his head, the gloom on his face swept away, replaced by an equally brilliant smile – though that smile didn't reach his eyes.
"No, Roger." He lightly spun the naginata in his hands, his golden pupils gazing toward the island's depths.
"I just suddenly feel... It's a bit too noisy here."
...
The God Valley battlefield had become a meat grinder. The Navy's defense lines were as fragile as paper before these legendary monsters.
"Hold the line! Hold it!" A Navy captain screamed hoarsely, blood and sweat mixed on his face. "Our mission is to protect the Celestial Dragons! We absolutely cannot retreat!"
"Report to headquarters! Requesting support! The eastern defense line has collapsed! The Rocks Pirates have broken through!"
"Enemies have also appeared on the western coast! It's the Roger Pirates! They've broken through CP's blockade!"
"It's no good... There are too many enemies! We can barely hold on!"
The Den Den Mushis carried only desperate wails.
"Can't hold any more! Really can't hold anymore!" In the Navy's temporary command post, an officer desperately pounded the table. "Rocks, Roger, Golden Lion... all the world's monsters have come here! Our people are being slaughtered!"
"Hold on! Reinforcements are here!" Steel Bone Kong's equally anxious voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"Reinforcements?" The officer laughed bitterly. "Who could..."
BOOM—!!! A massive explosion interrupted his words.
On the distant horizon, a dog-headed warship broke through the pirate fleet's flank, ramming several pirate ships that couldn't dodge in time.
On deck, a burly man wearing a "Justice" cloak didn't even have the patience to wait for the ship to dock and leaped directly.
Garp's face was full of eager excitement as he roared in a deafening voice:
"Where's Roger?! Tell me where that bastard is?!"
Monkey D. Dragon, who had been dragged along by his father the entire way, looked at the hellish scene before him and his completely clueless father, and silently raised his hand to cover his face.