Charlotte Linlin rolled across the ground twice, scrambling to her feet only to see Kaido chewing on the Devil Fruit with that infuriating smirk of his.
"You son of a bitch, Kaido!!!" Linlin shrieked in rage.
"Thanks a lot, Linlin!" Kaido laughed arrogantly.
At the same time, Valthior shouted, "Kuma! Do you remember what I told you? Go—do what you want to do!"
"Master!" Bartholomew Kuma's eyes filled with tears. "But you—"
"Idiot! Didn't you just tell me you wanted me to stop this stupid and absurd slaughter? I already told you—I can't stop it. But now, this chaos won't end anytime soon. You can hear the cries across the island, can't you? Your heart's in pain, isn't it? So go! Don't worry about me. As agreed, when I need you, I'll call for you!" Valthior shouted.
At that moment, Rayleigh emerged from the smoke, carrying Shakky in his arms. Seeing the chaotic scene, he couldn't help but tease, "Your Rocks Pirates really are a loving bunch, huh? Linlin, Kaido…"
At the same time, he was a bit surprised.
That unknown guy—he should be a Celestial Dragon, right? And yet he was saying things like that to his own slave? Even telling the slave to go save the island's civilians?
But Rayleigh had already rescued Shakky, and there was no time to linger. After mocking Kaido and Linlin, he turned and ran.
Perhaps because Rayleigh had just been there, or because Kaido's sneak attack had infuriated her, Linlin ignored Valthior entirely. She got up and immediately started fighting Kaido.
Valthior, meanwhile, had no interest in dealing with those two lunatics. After giving Kuma one last look, he stuffed a letter into the hands of Somaz—who was now reduced to only his upper half—and said:
"Help me deliver this to my old man."
Then he turned and chased after Rayleigh.
"Hey! Rayleigh, wait for me!" Valthior shouted as he ran.
Rayleigh, carrying Shakky, was completely baffled when he heard the voice behind him.
Do I even know you? And you're telling me to wait?
"You're a Celestial Dragon—why are you chasing me?" Rayleigh said without turning his head.
"Precisely because I'm a Celestial Dragon, I can help you escape this island! You're carrying that woman—it won't be easy for you to get out. But if you put your blade to my neck, no one will dare stop you!" Valthior shouted.
"Huh?" Rayleigh was stunned. What kind of move was that?
But thinking about it…
The guy had a point.
Between his confidence in his own strength and the strange Celestial Dragon's earlier words to his slave, Rayleigh actually hesitated for a moment.
"Take him with us, Rayleigh," Shakky suddenly said. "You can tell—he wants to escape this damned mire too…"
After a brief silence, Rayleigh stopped.
As Valthior caught up, Rayleigh held Shakky with one arm and drew his blade with the other, placing it against Valthior's neck.
"No tricks. Run with me!"
"Hahaha! No problem," Valthior laughed.
And just like that, Valthior ran alongside Rayleigh—looking every bit like a kidnapped hostage.
Along the way, many people saw what was happening.
Numerous Marines panicked and shouted, "This is bad! Saint Valthior has been kidnapped by pirates!"
But at this moment, anyone capable of rescuing him had their attention elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Roger Pirates provided cover for Rayleigh's retreat.
Soon enough, with almost no resistance, Valthior, Rayleigh, and Shakky reached the shore and boarded the Roger Pirates' ship.
"Roger! Rayleigh's back on board!" Scopper Gaban shouted, dual axes in hand as he cut down some nameless pirate.
Roger and Whitebeard had already ended their inexplicable clash. But now, Roger's gaze was fixed on a valley in the distance.
From there—
an extraordinary, spine-chilling aura was rapidly spreading.
"What is that?" Roger said, eyes filled with shock.
In the darkness of the world, Imu had now descended upon God Valley—possessing the body of Saint Saturn.
The moment he arrived, Imu unleashed indiscriminate attacks, striking pirates and Marines alike.
Members of the Roger Pirates were injured, and Roger's expression darkened with anger.
"That bastard… he dares hurt my crew? Gaban, take the treasure and go—I'll deal with that monster myself!"
Gaban, already used to Roger's antics, hoisted his axes and said, "You're going to charge in again? That thing doesn't look easy to deal with—don't get yourself killed…"
...
Elsewhere, Imu—inhabiting Saturn's body—blocked Rocks' path.
Looking down at him from above, he spoke softly after a moment: "So… you are Davy Jones…"
After a brief exchange, the two immediately began to clash.
Not far away, the Marines were at a loss. "What do we do? That guy is actually attacking Saint Saturn…"
"Should we go help?"
Before they could decide, Garp strode over with bold steps, a fearless grin on his face.
"What kind of question is that? Of course we help him. Now move aside…"
As he spoke, powerful Haki was already surging from his fists.
The Marines were stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped aside—
only to realize, in the next instant, that Garp had locked onto the monstrous figure that Saturn had become.
"Wait—who exactly are you planning to help?!"
"Obviously I'm taking out that pest first!!!" Garp declared without hesitation.
The Marines panicked and tried to stop him.
"You can't, Vice Admiral Garp! That's one of the Five Elders—the highest authority of the World Government!"
But clearly, nothing could stop Garp.
At the same time—
Kaido, already transformed into a dragon, and Whitebeard both joined Rocks in attacking Imu.
From another direction, Roger arrived and jumped into the fray as well.
Charlotte Linlin, who had been chasing Kaido, barged straight into the battlefield, roaring:
"Kaido, you bastard—die!!!"
Whether by coincidence or unspoken understanding among top-tier monsters—
at that very moment—
"Galaxy Impact!"
"Divine Departure!"
"Curse of the Abyss!"
"Shattering Void!"
"Dragon Breath!"
"Ikoku Sovereignty!"
They unleashed their ultimate attacks simultaneously—
all of them converging upon Imu at the center.
The sheer force of this terrifying onslaught triggered Imu's power. In response, every top fighter present released overwhelming Haki.
For a moment—
the violent clash of Haki tore the very sky of God Valley apart, spreading across the entire island.
Countless pirates and Marines collapsed unconscious, unable to withstand the pressure.
...
On the western coast, massive waves rocked the Roger Pirates' ship violently.
The surrounding Marine warships refrained from attacking, as reports had confirmed that Saint Jaygarcia Valthior had been kidnapped by the Roger Pirates.
Freed from having to deal with enemy ships, Rayleigh and the others who had remained aboard focused entirely on the battle tearing God Valley apart.
"That's quite the grand spectacle..." Rayleigh muttered.
Spencer, the Roger Pirates' intelligence officer, chewed on a cigarette and rubbed his chin. "Indeed… I almost thought the Battle of Armageddon had begun…"
"Armageddon? What does that mean?" Shakky asked, curious.
Before Spencer could answer, Valthior—who was also watching the battle—spoke up:
"It's a mythical end-of-the-world war. According to legend, the world will eventually be destroyed in a great war, and at that moment, a savior will descend—ending the conflict and creating an unprecedented era of peace."
"Oh? You're quite knowledgeable," Spencer said, surprised.
Valthior smiled, not bothering to be modest. "Well, I may be young, but I'm something of a scholar."
"Hahaha! A Celestial Dragon scholar? Now that's something I've never seen," Rayleigh laughed.
...
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