At this very moment, despair and terror blanketed the entire island.
The civilians—who had no idea what crime they had committed—fell to their knees, wailing in grief. What had they done wrong? Why were they to be hunted like animals by the Celestial Dragons who stood above the world?
But tears and screams meant nothing now.
People burst from their homes and fled in every direction. Yet the island was only so large—where could they possibly hide?
Along the shoreline, iron cages were thrown open. Chains clattered as slaves of every shape and size scattered in panic. Forests, swamps, barren fields, open beaches—no terrain was spared. Some even buried themselves in sand, hoping the dirt would conceal them from the Celestial Dragons' eyes.
They all knew the odds of surviving this "celebration" were nearly nonexistent.
But that final shred of hope wrung out every last ounce of strength from their bodies.
And this—
This was exactly the scene the Celestial Dragons wanted.
They gathered together, laughing loudly as they mocked the scrambling "insects." What a marvelous game this was.
Time ticked by.
At the island's center, World Government personnel had erected a grand platform. Saint Jaygarcia Saturn presided over it. All the prizes were stacked high upon the stage, forming a dazzling golden mound.
At last—
A gunshot from a Celestial Dragon referee rang out.
The genocidal celebration had begun.
The Celestial Dragons surged forward with grotesque grins. Among the "prey" were rare specimens—exotic races, powerful individuals. Even if they failed to win the competition, capturing such trophies for personal ownership would be a prize in itself.
Gunfire echoed.
Soon, smoke began to rise above the forest canopy. Someone had set the woods ablaze. The flames spread rapidly, devouring the greenery.
Even from the Marine warships offshore, the soldiers could feel the heat.
It scorched not just their skin—
But their hearts.
Five hours passed.
Confusion and anguish hung heavy over the fleet. Sengoku and Garp wore expressions of pain, yet neither moved.
They had no choice.
And then—
The sky darkened.
A familiar, overwhelming presence entered the range of Sengoku and Garp's Observation Haki.
Both men looked up.
An island floated in the sky.
Judging by its size, it was nearly half as large as God Valley itself. Its shadow swallowed the heavens. And from above came a wild, unmistakable laugh.
"Jihahahaha! Looks like I've arrived at just the right time! What a pure scent of despair! Long time no see, Marines!"
A figure hovered high above—too distant to see clearly, no more than a speck in the sky. But that signature laughter, and the ability to float midair, made his identity undeniable.
"Shiki!!! You really dared to come?!"
Sengoku's voice trembled with shock and fury.
He had never expected the enemy to arrive so quickly.
And if the Golden Lion was here—
Then the Rocks Pirates were not far behind.
Shiki, invincible in aerial combat, always took the lead.
Whitebeard, unrivaled at sea, followed.
It was a familiar tactic of the Rocks Pirates.
Sengoku and Garp cast aside their coats and rolled up their sleeves, bracing for battle.
"Jihahahaha! How could the Rocks Pirates miss something like this? But I have to say—compared to us pirates, those so-called Celestial Dragons are the real monsters of this world!"
Shiki's voice dripped with mockery.
And the Marines could not refute him.
With keen eyesight, Shiki had already seen the "champions of justice" below—their expressions twisted as if they had swallowed poison.
His grin widened.
With a flick of his hand—
The massive island plummeted downward.
Its target—
God Valley.
If that attack landed intact, the Celestial Dragons would suffer catastrophic casualties.
"Don't get carried away!!!"
Sengoku roared.
In an instant, he transformed into his golden Buddha form. Radiant light burst from his towering frame, overwhelming in its majesty.
Using Geppo, he kicked off the air and shot skyward. Brilliant golden energy gathered in his palm.
"Buddha Shockwave!!!"
Garp followed close behind.
At a moment like this, he could not hold back. The future of the Marines was at stake.
"Fist of Love—Impact!!!"
A simple punch—
Yet the force it unleashed was no weaker than Sengoku's attack.
With their combined strength, shattering an island of that size would have been no issue.
But then—
They heard a voice they least wanted to hear.
"Moa Moa… Thirtyfold Meteor!"
In the instant the words fell—
The island expanded thirty times in size.
What had been half the size of God Valley now became fifteen times larger.
The sky vanished.
It was as if the heavens themselves were collapsing.
"Jihahahaha! Feel despair! And I have you Marines to thank for pushing this brat to my side! This is our blood-pumping combo attack!!!"
Shiki's laughter thundered.
The Moa Moa Fruit was the ultimate support ability for him. It multiplied the lethality of his aerial supremacy exponentially.
Down below, the Celestial Dragons froze in confusion as darkness swallowed the sky.
When they finally looked up—
Some wet themselves in terror.
"The sky… it's falling?!"
"What's happening?! Where are those useless Marines?! Protect me at once!"
"That voice… it's the Rocks Pirates! That monster is here!!!"
Rocks' reputation extended far beyond the common people.
Even the nobles of the World Government feared him deeply.
He was a man who truly dared to kill Celestial Dragons—
And took pleasure in it.
The island—now fifteen times its original size—rendered Sengoku and Garp's attacks nearly insignificant.
Together, they managed to destroy roughly two-thirds of it—
But "destroy" only meant reducing its mass by that amount. The remaining fragment was still larger than God Valley itself. Worse, the shattered pieces had become countless colossal boulders, plunging from a tremendous height with devastating force.
"Roldy !!!"
Through the falling debris, Sengoku caught sight of him—
Standing beside Shiki.
Roldy balanced atop a floating slab of rock, his gaze cold as he stared down at God Valley.
There was no hesitation in his eyes.
"I won't let you succeed! Buddha Shockwave Barrage!!!"
Sengoku swung his arms repeatedly, unleashing wave after wave of golden shockwaves to obliterate the falling fragments.
But alone—
It wasn't enough.
"Garp! Smash those rocks! Garp?! Garp!!!"
No response.
Sengoku shot a glance backward.
Garp stood frozen.
His face was blank.
His eyes were fixed on the figure in the sky.
He did not move.
Not even once.
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