God Valley Plaza, the clamor and madness had already reached their peak.
After announcing several coveted Devil Fruits as prizes, the Celestial Dragon host excitedly pointed behind the high platform, where a spotlight suddenly hit a figure being escorted up.
"Next—after the rare Devil Fruits! Today's ultimate prize is—!" He deliberately elongated his tone, teasing the anticipation of all the Celestial Dragons.
"The former Empress of the Grand Line's 'Amazon Lily', hailed as the 'World's Number One Beauty'! Her name is—Shakky!! Whether you make her your noble wife or let her become a slave to please you, it is entirely at your discretion!!"
Under the spotlight, Shakky's hands were locked behind her back with special Sea Stone shackles, and she was escorted to the center of the stage by two CP0 members, one on each side.
She was wearing a Kuja Pirates cheongsam, and her breathtaking beauty made the Celestial Dragons below cheer loudly.
A gentle breeze blew, lifting Shakky's long hair. Her eyes looked forward calmly, completely ignoring the group of ugly "gods" below the stage.
"Waaaah! So beautiful! I must have her!!"
The host looked at Shakky, eyes full of hearts, and said while swaying, "This is a first-class treasure! Carefully preserved immediately after harvest, untouched!"
The Celestial Dragons below erupted in even more fanatical cheers, countless greedy gazes focused on her.
"Incredible, how beautiful she is, Samaz! You must present her to the'Shepard Family'!" a Celestial Dragon shouted to a young man wearing sunglasses next to him.
The young Celestial Dragon named Samaz adjusted his sunglasses, a determined curve hooking the corner of his mouth: "In your dreams! If I win, I'll make her my exclusive slave!"
Standing in front of him, Galin Saint spoke with a touch of cold indifference, as if victory were already in his grasp:
"Stop dreaming, Samaz. She is my wife."
He deliberately emphasized the word "wife," his gaze sweeping over Shakky with a chilling possessiveness.
"To 'acquire' her, I paid a great price."
The implication in his words was clear—Shakky's capture was his "masterpiece."
On the other side, within the Manmaya Clan, a Celestial Dragon who looked like a little girl but held an exquisite pistol was excitedly saying to a tall, silent figure behind her whose mouth was wrapped in bandages:
"Gunko! Now that we have you, we might be able to win the trophy in this 'Family War'!"
Inside an iron cage at the back of the plaza,
Teach's mother held the young Teach tightly in her arms, shielding him from the frenzied noise outside.
Feeling the child trembling in fear in her arms, she whispered softly:
"Come here, Teach... stay close to Mama... it's okay... remember, no matter what, you must survive... you must live on..."
The host, seemingly feeling the atmosphere wasn't heated enough, continued to announce in an inflammatory tone:
"Now... everyone, hold your breath! If you haven't heard of them, you're unworthy of being called World Nobles! Besides the brat from the Bacania Tribe, this competition has another batch of'super rare rabbits'! Finally!! Found again after 800 years—the 'davy clan'!!"
Another group of Slaves was roughly pushed onto the high platform.
They were of various sizes, some as tall as Small Giants, others no different from ordinary people, but without exception, their faces bore numbness and despair.
A curly-haired little boy cowered in terror behind his mother, trying to hide from those suffocating gazes.
"Davy! It's that cursed surname!"
"You are a hated clan!"
"You people have never been loved for generations!"
"You guys aren't also from the 'Bacania Tribe', are you? Die in loneliness and despair!"
"It's too dangerous to let these people live. If we can exterminate them all, today will be a 'Day of Celebration'!"
The crowd of Celestial Dragons erupted with even more malice than before; they weren't there for "hunting," but for "purification."
They grabbed whatever was at hand—not just knives and axes, but also wine glasses, decorations, and even stones picked up from the ground—and frantically hurled them at the davy clan on stage.
"Wait! You can't throw things yet." The host feigned a warning, a twisted smile on his face.
"Especially knives! If they die now, there will be a penalty, you know? Wahahahahaha!"
His "warning" was more like an encouragement.
The Slaves of the davy clan on stage had nowhere to hide and could only numbly endure the insults and blows.
Teach's mother shielded him tightly in her arms, taking most of the DMG with her own back. Shards cut her skin, and blood seeped out, but she didn't make a sound.
Little Teach peered out from his mother's arms, his pupils constricted in fear.
He saw those twisted, excited faces below, saw the demons shouting and gesturing wildly, dragging his clansmen, his home, and everything he knew into an endless hell.
Those words, like the most vicious curses, were deeply branded into his young soul.
"Die in lonely despair!"
Far off on the high platform, Satan Saint, one of the Gorosei leaning on a cane, watched this scene calmly and said to the nearby Galin Saint, "I'm impressed you could find them, Galin Saint."
Galin Saint bowed slightly, his tone still flat: "One could only call it... fate."
Meanwhile, at the God Valley coastline.
The Marines had retreated to their ships, conducting an operation called "Alert," which was actually making way for this "game."
A Marine Major impatiently counted the personnel: "Is everyone here?"
A squad leader, cold sweat on his forehead, saluted and replied: "Yes! Major! Of course everyone is here!"
However, his heart was screaming:
'That brat Dragon! Where the hell did he go?! Could it be... he defied orders and ran back to the island?!'
Somewhere in God Valley, among abandoned houses.
Dragon had indeed defied orders and sneaked back into God Valley.
His heart was full of painful struggle: 'To block the Celestial Dragons to save someone... all my squad members would be branded as criminals and beheaded... but...'
Just then, a patch of blood on the ground that hadn't yet dried caught his eye.
His heart tightened, and he immediately followed the trail of blood.
Finally, inside a house, he found a Red Hair woman with a fatal stab wound to her abdomen, her breath fading.
Seeing Dragon's figure, a final spark of light erupted in the woman's dim eyes. Using her last strength, she pleaded weakly but with deep regret:
"Please...!! Take my... children... away from this island... don't let 'him'... get... them..."
She gasped with difficulty, tears mixing with blood as they fell: "I won't make it... those children... I hope someone kind-hearted can raise them... please... you must not give them to that guy..."
Dragon watched this mother take her last breath before him, carrying the greatest despair, regret, and final hope of her life.
At that moment, the "Marine justice" he held dear in his heart let out a piercing wail.
He tightly gripped the gun in his hand and sneaked off in the direction the woman had pointed before she died.
Looking toward the center of the island where the noise and madness came from, an unprecedented determination Burning and condensed in his chest:
'I want to save those children of yours... otherwise, I have no right to stand here!'
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