Rocks looked arrogant and confident, his mouth splitting into a grin.
"Hehehehe…"
"The Yami Yami no Mi is the natural bane of all Devil Fruit users. Be buried in darkness!"
"Overthrow the World Government…"
"I'll build a free world where the sea truly belongs to pirates!!!"
The grotesque black dragon let out a spine-chilling roar. From its smoke-wreathed maw erupted something no one could resist.
Gravity.
"Damn it!!!"
"Not this force again, the kind that makes you lose control of your own body!!"
Saint Saturn's expression changed sharply. This dark gravity that specifically targeted Devil Fruit users was shameless to the extreme.
His body was dragged toward the black dragon against his will, like a lamb being thrown into a tiger's jaws.
If he got swallowed…
Even Saturn couldn't predict what would happen next.
Red light flared in his eyes again.
Invisible power smashed into the black dragon, blowing its head apart.
But in the blink of an eye, rolling black smoke gathered and the dragon reformed as if nothing had happened.
Saturn's heart jolted.
"Damn… This is awakened power from the Yami Yami no Mi!"
Still, the instant he shattered the dragon's head, he regained control of his body.
Several spider legs bent slightly.
Whoosh!
Saturn used Soru, vanishing from where he stood and yanking open the distance between himself and Rocks in one burst.
He stared at the king of the sea with deep wariness.
The other side hadn't even gone all out, and he was already being suppressed.
Terrifying.
On the battlefield, the Rocks Pirates were locked in a brutal melee with the God's Knights and the Celestial Dragon guards.
Yet amid the chaos, a peculiar duo looked almost leisurely.
[caption] Kurozumi Semimaru [/caption]
The biwa priest, Kurozumi Semimaru, crossed his middle and index fingers into a crossed-fingers gesture.
Before him, a pale green, translucent barrier not only blocked incoming attacks, it rebounded through sheer reactive force, sending enemy after enemy flying back.
Semimaru spoke calmly.
"My Barrier Technique has invincible defense."
"On this sea, no one can break it."
Even that monster Tengetsu Ares could come, and he still wouldn't be able to crack Semimaru's barrier.
[caption] Kurozumi Higurashi [/caption]
Beside Semimaru, Kurozumi Higurashi, dressed like a witch and a ritual shaman, cackled.
"Semimaru, that's right!"
"Let's bulldoze straight through. We'll be the first to break into the God Valley palace and see what treasures the Celestial Dragons have hidden inside!"
The Celestial Dragons held the most "special" privileges in the world. They called themselves gods, hoarded the greatest resources and wealth, and burned money like it was dirt.
Their palace had to be full of priceless things.
If they could grab it…
They'd be rich.
Faced with Semimaru's "invincible turtle shell," enemies all around could do nothing.
The harder they struck, the stronger the backlash. Many weapons snapped on impact.
No one had any answer for him.
In the end, they could only give up on this bizarre pair and throw themselves into other fronts.
That let the Kurozumi duo stroll through the enemy lines with ease.
They dashed toward the palace in a blur.
Higurashi, wearing an oni mask with two burning candles tied on top, grew even more excited.
"I heard the Celestial Dragons even make slaves eat Devil Fruits just for entertainment."
"There might be Devil Fruits in the palace too!"
Semimaru chuckled.
"That little girl on the Den Den Mushi said it already. The Celestial Dragons prepared six top-tier Devil Fruits as rewards for this hunt…"
"If we can get those Devil Fruits…"
"Hand them to Captain Rocks, then go back to Wano…"
"The Kurozumi clan will rise again!!!"
Along the way, they faced almost no resistance.
Most of the defenders had been pulled away to stop the Rocks Pirates.
The remaining scattered guards weren't remotely a match for them.
They moved as if the road had been cleared for them.
Only the palace itself was enormous.
It still took time for them to reach the inner grounds.
Inside the palace, lavish and brilliant beyond words, Higurashi used her Mane Mane no Mi ability to extract plenty of information from the guards.
Including the exact location of the treasury.
In front of the treasury, the doors were locked tight.
Just as Semimaru and Higurashi were wondering how to force it open
Creak.
The door suddenly opened from the inside.
Both of them instantly turned pale.
Higurashi even let out a sharp scream.
"The Roger Pirates?!"
Semimaru's heart jumped into his throat, terror flashing in his face.
"Y-You… why are you here?!"
"Damn Rocks Pirates?!" Roger froze for a beat, a box in his arms.
Behind him, the Roger Pirates, each carrying a box, all went stiff.
There was simply too much inside the treasury.
No time to count it, no time to sort it. They had to move the loot out as fast as possible.
And now…
They'd run straight into Rocks Pirates members.
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed. He let out a slow breath.
"Roger, it's only these two. Rocks and the rest should be held outside by the World Government."
"Let's deal with them first."
Before the words even finished, he drew his saber in a flash.
A cold gleam cut through the air.
Clang!
No clean split happened.
Instead, sparks erupted violently.
A barrier had appeared in front of them.
"Whew…" Semimaru was drenched in sweat. "Good thing I reacted fast. I was this close to getting cut in half by Dark King Rayleigh."
He barked at Higurashi, who was still shaken.
"Higurashi, notify Captain Rocks. Tell him the Roger Pirates are here!"
"O-Okay!" Snapping out of it, Higurashi immediately pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
Rayleigh's expression turned slightly strange.
"A Devil Fruit user… and this barrier's defense is ridiculous."
"Even I can't cut it."
As a master swordsman, he could slice steel like paper.
Even a mountain could be cleaved down in an instant.
But the barrier's reflective sheen showed not the slightest scratch, not even a hairline mark.
Behind Rayleigh, the other Roger Pirates were stunned.
Even Rayleigh…
couldn't break it?!
Rayleigh refused to believe it. His gaze sharpened, and an extremely dangerous aura rolled off him.
Hiss!
Sword intent screamed, like a sky-splitting azure arc.
A crescent-shaped blue slash crashed into the barrier and exploded in dazzling light.
But the barrier
didn't move an inch.
When the blue light faded, the surface was still smooth as a mirror.
It reflected a bright shimmer.
Not a single bit of damage.
The barrier blocked Rayleigh's flying slash again.
Instead, the ferocious cutting force whipped up a violent gale that swept outward, knocking Roger's crew off balance.
Many boxes fell from their arms.
Treasure spilled across the floor in a blinding cascade of gold.
Rayleigh stared, deeply shocked.
"This fruit's defensive power… it reminds me of that bastard Tengetsu Ares' physique…"
"And…"
"It's even harder than Ares' body."
That lit a spark in Roger's eyes. Excitement surged through him as he shouted, brimming with interest
"Let me try!"
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