[send power stones please]
The sky was smothered in layers of thick cloud.
Even at high noon, the world beneath it looked dim and lifeless — drained of color.
Below lay an island encircled by sea on all sides.
Nearly ten thousand square kilometers in size.
Barren.
No forests. No greenery.
Just vast stretches of exposed land and fractured terrain.
It carried an inexplicable air of secrecy.
An island erased from maps.
A forbidden land said to guard secrets of the Celestial Dragons — inaccessible to anyone not of their blood.
This was God Valley.
Ordinarily deserted.
Today?
Not lively.
Not celebratory.
But suffocatingly fortified.
The entire island was packed with defenders.
The Outer Perimeter
Hundreds of towering warships formed an iron ring around the coastline.
From their armored hulls extended thick black cannons, angled outward like fangs.
Oppression radiated from steel and gunpowder.
Inland Defensive Lines
White coats. Dark blue trousers.
Marines.
Primarily from the G1, G2, G3, and G5 branches.
No fewer than thirty to forty thousand of them.
And that was only the branch forces.
Surrounding them were soldiers from allied kingdoms across the seas.
Different uniforms.
Different colors.
Some mounted on strange beasts—
Camels.
Giant rabbits over two meters tall.
Lizards.
Land-running ducks.
An entire menagerie of war.
Another forty to fifty thousand strong.
Yet despite the overwhelming numbers—
Every man stood tense.
Eyes sharp.
Hands gripping weapons.
No one relaxed.
Because they all knew who might come.
The overlord of the seas.
The Rocks Pirates.
The Inner Defense — Split Mountain
The deeper one moved inland, the stronger the stationed forces became.
At Split Mountain—
Marine Admirals.
CP0's strongest agents.
The head of the Vinsmoke family in combat armor.
The true pillars of global power.
On a raised platform nearly one hundred meters high—
Fleet Admiral Kong stood with arms folded, gazing toward the horizon.
He said nothing.
But his presence weighed heavily.
A Den Den Mushi crackled.
"All combat units are in position."
Sengoku's voice.
Kong replied, "Understood. I'll report to the Five Elders."
His tone was grave.
Sengoku answered firmly:
"We are the Marines. Today's sacrifice is for justice."
Young Sengoku believed absolutely in the World Government.
Doubt was betrayal.
Disobedience meant you were no Marine at all.
That was his creed.
The Five Elders' Directive
Kong stood before the Five Elders.
"All forces ready. The ceremony may begin."
"If there is the slightest disturbance," one in a black suit said coldly, "open fire immediately."
"Leave no one alive."
The kimono-clad Elder added:
"If the ceremony concludes smoothly, launch immediately toward Hachinosu and issue Buster Calls to all previously marked regions."
Kong's jaw tightened.
"Understood."
He left.
His broad back looked heavier than before.
The Ceremony Begins
The Five Elders used Moonwalk and descended into the heart of Split Mountain.
At the center stood a massive circular altar.
Over one hundred Celestial Dragons gathered around it.
The Five Elders spoke:
"Let it begin."
The Celestial Dragons bowed respectfully.
Then their expressions twisted into excitement.
"Bring the offerings."
Heavy chains clanked.
Thirteen figures were dragged forward.
They were not animals.
They were young human girls.
White garments.
Beautiful faces.
But empty eyes.
As if drugged.
They were bound to the altar, each fixed upon a carved pattern.
The engravings resembled the swirling markings of Devil Fruits.
One pattern per girl.
Thirteen in total.
Firewood surrounded them.
"Wake them," the kimono Elder ordered.
"Only conscious offerings please the Creator."
A black mist was released.
The girls' eyes focused.
Then terror flooded in.
Their screams echoed.
Marines nearby felt their stomachs twist.
Celestial Dragons?
They smiled.
Each Dragon extended a hand.
The Five Elders cut their palms.
Blood dripped into a single vessel.
The collected blood was poured into the altar's center—
Where a faint symbol lay hidden.
If examined carefully…
It resembled a tree.
"Begin the sacrifice!"
Torches were thrown.
Flames roared.
The girls screamed.
Celestial Dragons formed a ring around the altar.
Chanting in an ancient, incomprehensible tongue.
Marines clenched fists.
Zephyr's nails pierced his palms.
Garp's face darkened.
"Sengoku," Garp growled.
"We are Marines!"
Sengoku slammed him down, restraining him.
Flames climbed higher.
Some officers turned their heads away.
The chanting intensified—
Then—
A violent gust swept across the island.
The sky blackened completely.
"Enemy attack!"
"Searchlights!"
"Scan the skies!"
Beams pierced upward.
And there—
Suspended in the clouds—
Thousands of dark shapes floated.
Zephyr's eyes widened.
A flash of realization.
"Aerial assault!"
"The Float-Float Fruit!"
"It's Shiki!"
"It's the Rocks Pirates!!"
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