Returning to the Holy Land, Ross brought back a much larger roster than last time.
Riding in the slave-pulled palanquin, Ross and his men slowly made their way from the port toward the city.
The group was stopped as soon as they entered the city.
"Saint Ross, it's been a long time!"
The one who stopped Ross was a red-haired boy in a magnificent military uniform.
Ross slightly raised his eyes, glanced at the newcomer, and immediately lost interest.
"Saint Shamrock, I have no interest in talking to you."
Figarland Shamrock, son of Garling, the Supreme Commander of the Knights of God, and also the twin brother of Shanks.
In Ross's memory, this person was the same age as him, and because they were both descendants of elite Celestial Dragons, they were inevitably compared.
Before this year, Shamrock was always the "perfect child" in everyone's eyes, and was considered an elite who would follow in his father's footsteps.
In comparison, Ross was previously a good-for-nothing who just loafed around and waited to die.
But this year, the situation reversed, Ross suddenly turned things around, and Shamrock was somewhat unaccustomed to it.
"You've been making quite a splash in the lower realm lately, even more impressive than me, a newcomer to the Knights of God."
Shamrock stared intently at Ross, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
What Ross had done meant nothing to him.
What's so special about making a name for yourself in the lower realms? Which Celestial Dragon can't do that?
Because of this, his respected father actually praised Ross in front of him, which he could not tolerate.
"So what?"
Ross looked at him with amusement; it was obvious he was a spoiled brat.
If anyone comes looking for trouble, he will definitely meet them with an iron fist.
But if someone wants to be a generous spender, he will certainly welcome them with the utmost enthusiasm.
"The year-end Celestial Hunt will be held on Tigrana Island in the North Sea. Let's see who kills the most," Shamrock decisively put forward his idea.
"What about the stakes?"
Ross raised his head slightly, showing a hint of interest.
Every three years, the Celestial Dragons conduct a Celestial Hunt, which involves selecting an island and hunting its native inhabitants. If there aren't enough natives, they release more slaves to entertain them.
Every Celestial Dragon can participate, but usually only the stronger ones are enthusiastic about participating every time.
After clearing all living creatures from the island, the World Government will launch a devastating attack, ultimately erasing the island completely.
In the 18th year of the Celestial Hunt, they happened to run into the Rocks Pirates, who had been plotting for a long time.
Garp rose to fame and earned the title of Marine Hero by teaming up with Roger to kill Rocks in that battle.
In addition, Shamrock's father, Garling, also became famous in that battle and has now become the commander of the Knights of God.
"The Figarland family's three-year Heavenly Tribute." Shamrock raised his head proudly.
The annual quota of Heavenly Tribute for each family is related to the number and status of the elite Celestial Dragons in each family.
The Figarland family has made considerable progress in recent years and is now considered one of the most powerful families after the Five Elders.
"You can make that decision?" Ross raised an eyebrow.
The Figarland family's annual celestial wealth is at least 300 billion Berries, roughly equivalent to the tax revenue of a third-tier city in Ross's previous life.
It's not a lot, but it's definitely not good either.
After all, the productivity of the two worlds is different. The total population of this world is more than twice that of the entire country in the previous world, but the average productivity is less than one-tenth.
"Of course I can make the decision. It's just a mere 1 trillion Berries. I'm afraid you can't come up with that."
Shamrock almost burst out laughing.
His father, Garling, is the patriarch of the Figarland family. He has shown outstanding performance since childhood and has been groomed as the future patriarch. Now, he has lived up to expectations and entered the Knights of God. He can still make decisions about this small amount of money.
"You already said it's just a mere one trillion Berries, so let's add another condition: a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit," Ross said casually.
"You want to gamble on that fruit in Jaygarcia's treasure vault?" Shamrock asked, intrigued.
"What, your family treasury doesn't have any treasures of the same level?" Ross retorted.
"Of course there is. How about the Cerberus Fruit? It's no worse than your Golden Crow Fruit," Shamrock said with burning eyes.
The Cerberus Fruit, also known as the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Cerberus, is a very good fruit, but Shamrock has no intention of consuming it himself.
In comparison, he preferred the Golden Crow Fruit in the Jaygarcia family's treasury.
"Make a deal!"
Ross raised an eyebrow, not expecting Shamrock to offer such a good item.
Since the other party gave it so sincerely, he naturally accepted it with a smile.
[Figarland Shamrock]
[Overall Rating: A+]
Shamrock's A+ rating is likely genuine, but that's about it.
After consuming the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Watatsumi, his ability to clear the field was no longer on the same level as Shamrock's.
Give him a little time to prepare, and he can easily destroy an island.
"Then it's settled!"
Seeing that Ross had agreed, Shamrock left with a satisfied expression.
"Let's go too."
Ross continued walking forward.
"My lord, what is the Celestial Hunt?"
Rouge stood to the side and listened to their conversation, feeling somewhat curious about the Celestial Hunt.
That's 1 trillion Berries and 1 Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit!
She didn't quite understand the value of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits, but both Ross and Gion's fruits were Mythical Zoan, and Ross even said he would get Ace a Mythical Zoan in the future, so she memorized the name.
No matter how you look at it, this level of fruit should be the best Devil Fruit.
Not to mention, there's another 1 trillion.
She had never imagined having so much money in her life; she couldn't even count how many zeros were after the 1, yet the two of them used it as a bet.
This made her even more curious about the Celestial Hunt.
Not only her, but Stella and Gion were also very curious about this. Although they were closer to Ross and had heard a lot of secret information, they did not know anything about the Celestial Hunt yet.
"Celestial Hunt, Zephyr should know him, right?"
Ross smiled and looked at Zephyr, signaling for him to explain.
"Celestial Hunt..."
Zephyr's expression hardened slightly, and he sighed, saying:
"Since the establishment of the World Government, the Celestial Dragons have held a grand event every three years, randomly selecting an island from a non-affiliated country and massacring its native inhabitants. If there aren't enough natives, they will release some slaves onto the island for the Celestial Dragons to enjoy."
Hsss...
Just hearing the description made the other women gasp.
They had only heard of the Celestial Dragons' brutality before. Stella had witnessed it a few times in the Holy Land, but she didn't think it was any different from the nobles of other kingdoms.
Now, the Celestial Dragons' brutality was finally manifesting itself.
The massacre that wiped out the entire island was carried out every three years; they simply couldn't believe it.
...
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