Chapter 4 – The Towns
After venting his rage, Rocks fell into regret again. He gritted his teeth and cursed,
"Damn it! If I'd known better, I would've just eaten it myself!"
Charlotte Linlin shrugged at his outburst."Captain, you'd better calm down. If you keep this up, you'll knock out half our crew with your Haki before the battle even begins. We're going to need them tomorrow."
The others nodded in agreement. Rocks had just unleashed a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki, and its sheer pressure was enough to make even strong-willed men falter. Though the Rocks Pirates were filled with elite fighters, the weakest of their crew had already fainted from his overwhelming presence.
Rocks scoffed."Tch! Anyone who faints from just that is trash. They're not worth worrying about."
Linlin didn't bother arguing."True enough."
Shiki and the others remained silent. They all shared a similar belief: in this world, only the strong deserved to survive. The lives of the weak were meaningless.
One man, however, frowned. Newgate—the future Whitebeard—was different. He valued his comrades deeply, and their ruthlessness disgusted him. Each day he spent in this crew made him want to leave it even more.
Among them, Newgate was the most calm and level-headed. After a moment of thought, he spoke:
"Whoever leaked the news to us… the World Government must have caught wind of it too. By now, they'll have taken precautions. The Knights of God will be there for sure… and I'd bet Marines are involved too."
Though Rocks knew Newgate wanted to leave the crew, he respected his strength and valued his opinion. Power was everything, and Newgate had plenty of it.
Rocks drummed his fingers on the table, his anger cooling. A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.
"Good. It's about time we had a decisive battle with the World Government. After this fight… I'll be the one and only king of the world."
Valley of the Gods
At the center of the island stood a magnificent palace. Once, it had belonged to the ruling monarch of the Valley of the Gods, but now it had been seized by the Celestial Dragons.
As for the king himself? He was long dead, cut down by Saint Lando Garin, leader of the Knights of God.
Inside the palace, Garin sat quietly, carefully wiping blood from his sword. The blade had been stained with filth from today's hunt, and he cleaned it meticulously.
His brow furrowed slightly, as if weighed down by unspoken thoughts. Even as one of the Celestial Dragons—above all others—he felt a rare heaviness in his chest.
Tonight, he had broken the rules of the "game," using his privilege to interfere.
Garin stared blankly at the gleaming sword in his hands, whispering to himself:"I've cheated, in the end… but I needed a reason to accept you. The rest… I'll leave to fate."
The Next Morning
Ji Ge was the first to awaken. He sprang to his feet, shaking Ivan, Ginny, and Xiong awake."Get up. It's time to move. The hunt will start any minute. We need to hurry and find that Devil Fruit!"
Without waiting for a response, he dashed into the forest, the others scrambling to follow.
They hadn't dared to act under cover of darkness. The island was crawling with surveillance Transponder Snails. Few slaves even knew of the Devil Fruits, so most rested at night. Moving after dark would have drawn too much suspicion—why would exhausted fugitives sneak around instead of resting? If they caught the eyes of the overseers, it would be over.
Not long after they slipped away, gunshots rang out behind them. The cries of unlucky slaves, still asleep from exhaustion, echoed in the distance.
Ji Ge ignored the chaos, his mind focused solely on the hunt. He remembered that the Devil Fruit he sought had appeared in a location surrounded by buildings—in a town. Since the Valley of the Gods had once been a kingdom, he guessed their best chance lay there.
They ran for what felt like hours until sunlight broke through the trees, blinding them. Ji Ge's heart leapt. They had reached the forest's edge.
Beyond the treeline, a town sprawled before them. Ji Ge's pulse quickened—this was it. The prize was close."Let's go!" he urged, sprinting forward.
But they weren't alone. Other slaves, inspired by Ivan's rallying words the day before, had followed them through the forest.
The larger the group, the more dangerous it became. Ji Ge knew this. Yet, instead of shaking them off, he slowed down. As they approached the gates, he and his group slipped back into the crowd, allowing other slaves to take the lead.
Ivan noticed and frowned."Ji Ge-chan… why are we slowing down? Are you not feeling well again?"
Ji Ge nodded, his voice soft and apologetic."Yeah… I didn't think it would happen again at such a crucial time. Sorry for slowing you down."
Ivan grabbed his shoulder firmly."What are you saying?! We're friends! You're not slowing us down at all."
Xiong chimed in, his voice determined."Brother Ji Ge, you didn't abandon me yesterday. I know you were waiting for me. Let me carry you now. I'm strong enough. It won't hold us back!"
Ginny's voice trembled but carried conviction."Yes! We'll stay together no matter what. Even if it means dying, we'll die together!"
Ji Ge chuckled and waved them off."Don't talk like that. We're not dying here. We'll survive. Besides…"
Before he could finish, the sound of gunfire and clashing steel erupted from the town ahead, followed by bloodcurdling screams.
Ivan's eyes widened."No! It's an ambush!"
Ji Ge, however, remained calm. A faint smile tugged at his lips."Just as I thought."
He had suspected it all along. The Celestial Dragons weren't complete fools. They would have fortified the area around something as valuable as a Devil Fruit. Without precautions, some lucky soul could simply stumble upon it and claim it.
This chaos was confirmation: the Devil Fruit was here.
Ji Ge's plan had worked. By letting others rush in first, they'd sprung the trap, revealing the danger. Now, he only needed to slip in unnoticed with his small group.
Even though many slaves hesitated, fear freezing them in place, the sound of approaching Celestial Dragons behind forced them forward. Survival meant rushing the gates.
"Bear!" Ji Ge called sharply. "Keep your head down! You're too big a target!"
He remembered that in the original story, Xiong had safely obtained the Devil Fruit despite the chaos. Still, Ji Ge couldn't ignore the butterfly effect of his interference, so he gave what advice he could.
Xiong nodded firmly, hunching over as he blended into the stampede of slaves. Together, Ji Ge, Ivan, Ginny, and Xiong slipped into the crowd and poured through the gates, into the heart of danger.