God Valley Incident
"Huh? What's that? The Roger Pirates are heading to God Valley too?"
Garp, who had been enjoying his vacation, stood up abruptly. His relaxed expression vanished, replaced by a stern resolve as he threw on his Marine coat. He turned to his adjutant and barked an order, "Change of plans! Depart immediately! This time, I'm finally going to take down that bastard Roger!"
Meanwhile, in a hidden corner of the island...
"What are you doing?"
"Tsk, do you even have to ask? I'm manipulating the information flow, of course!"
Thirteen-year-old Ginny grinned triumphantly. As she spoke, Bartholomew Kuma noticed she was missing a tooth, but her energy was infectious.
Ginny explained with a confident smile, "Two weeks ago, I leaked the news about the six Devil Fruits hidden here on God Valley. Pirates driven by greed won't just sit around. Once the pirates and Marines flood this island, the chaos will give us our chance to escape!"
The shackled slaves stared at Ginny, completely stunned. From the moment they were dragged to this island, they had been nothing more than targets in the World Nobles' sick hunting game. To hear someone talk about escaping this hell felt impossible, almost absurd. Years of hopeless slavery had drained their will to survive.
"The prizes for this game are our tickets out of here," Ginny said, her eyes sparkling with intensity. "One of them is a legendary Devil Fruit that lets you transform into a Mythical Beast, the Azure Dragon. The other is the Paw-Paw Fruit, which can send people flying to distant islands. They're both right here!"
Ivankov clapped his hands together excitedly. "If one of us eats that fruit, we can send dozens of people past the Marine blockade and straight to freedom!"
"But our plan won't work on its own," Ginny's tone turned serious as she looked at the group. "Someone has to act as bait to keep the World Nobles distracted."
The slaves went quiet, many averting their eyes and looking at the ground.
"I'll do it."
Kuma raised his hand. His round face and clear eyes made him look incredibly innocent. "I'm big, so I'll grab their attention easily. I'm also pretty tough, so I should be able to last longer than most. Besides... I don't want to see anyone else die."
Ginny was speechless for a moment. She hadn't expected such a gentle boy to have a heart more stable and mature than the adults in the room.
"Well said, Kuma! I won't let you die," Ivankov promised, clenching his fist. "Let's all leave this island together!"
Near the coast of God Valley, a massive fleet of Marine warships stood guard to ensure the World Nobles could play their game undisturbed.
Bang!
A cannonball slammed into the water, sending a massive spray into the air and rocking a nearby ship.
"What's going on?! Since when do these pirates work together? They're all here!"
Several Marine Vice Admirals watched in horror as dozens of massive pirate ships emerged from the fog like a black tide. Cold sweat poured down their faces. "How did this information leak?!"
The Rocks Pirates were there—the undisputed overlords of the sea.
"There's no time to worry about leaks! Counterattack! We can't let them set foot on God Valley!"
The Marines scrambled to return fire. The air was filled with the deafening roar of cannons and the screams of battle. Pirates and Marines traded shots until the sea turned red with blood and the sky glowed with the fire of sinking ships.
Rocks stood at the prow of his ship, his hair whipping wildly in the wind.
"It's useless, Marines!"
He sneered and swung his blade. A terrifying wave of Haki-infused energy tore through the air, splitting the very ocean in two. The massive chasm swallowed several warships instantly. His dark ship sailed forward through the opening before the water could even crash back together.
"Rocks Pirates, follow me!"
Rocks leaped from his ship and landed firmly on the beach. Kaido, Whitebeard, and the others were right behind him.
Whitebeard let out a cold huff. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Rocks. Who said I was your subordinate, you idiot?"
"You made it too, Newgate!" Stussy chirped. She hopped onto Whitebeard's shoulder, leaning on her hand with an affectionate smile.
Shiki the Golden Lion drew his twin swords, his eyes burning with ambition. "The one who grabs the prize wins it all! I'll kill anyone who gets in my way."
"The island is already a mess," Kaido grunted, ignoring their posturing. He gripped his spiked club and headed straight for the interior. "I'm going to rely on my own strength."
"Wait for me, Kaido!" Big Mom called out. She waved her hand, and Zeus grew large enough for her to jump on. She flew after him immediately.
"You think a head start will help you?" Silver Axe laughed, looking toward Rocks. "I heard Roger is here. He probably still has a grudge over his last loss to you."
"I told that man he should have joined me!" Rocks laughed heartily. "If I beat him once, I'll beat him again. On this island, it's every man for himself—whether it's treasure or Devil Fruits!"
Shiki sneered, "Hmph, you should've said that sooner! I'm not holding back!"
The legendary crew split up, each heading deeper into the chaos of God Valley.
Kaido sprinted through the ruins. Everywhere he looked, houses were burning and the streets were littered with bodies. He ran into several groups of Marines and even some World Nobles watching the "game," but he didn't stop to talk. He swung his club, using Thunder Bagua to blast through anyone in his path.
Big Mom caught up to him on Zeus, hovering just above the ground. "Kaido, you're moving too fast! If you get pinned down by the Marines on the island, you'll lose your chance to grab the fruits in all this chaos!"
"I know what I'm doing!" Kaido looked up at Zeus. "God Valley is a hunting ground. The prizes are in the center of the island. Linlin, give me a lift!"
From the air, they'd have a perfect view of the battlefield. Maybe they could still beat the slaves to the warehouse.
In the distance, behind the mountains, the sky was turning a violent crimson-black. Massive bolts of Haki lightning struck the peaks, shattering stone and causing avalanches. Kaido knew Rocks had already run into the God's Knights.
Big Mom narrowed her eyes at him. "How do you know exactly where the fruits are?"
"No time to explain! Just go!"
"Oh? You've got a lot of nerve yelling at me!" Big Mom snapped, but she let him hop onto the cloud anyway. "You better have a good explanation for this later, or I'm not done with you!"
She yanked on Zeus, who let out a little yelp, and they soared toward the center of the island.
Below them, they saw a massive crowd of shackled slaves scattering in every direction while pirates and Marines clashed around them. Kaido spotted two figures—Ivankov and Kuma—slipping away from the crowd and heading toward a mountain warehouse.
Kaido's eyes lit up with predatory hunger. "Found you!!"
He leaped from the cloud, falling toward the target like a meteor.