The warship slowly docked at the port of God Valley.
Valthior followed Saint Saturn down the gangway, stepping onto the island itself.
Long before their arrival, the Marines had already made preparations. Every resident on the island had been subdued with tranquilizer rounds and transported to the central region, where a grand stage for the competition had already been set up.
At the same time, numerous warships had surrounded the island, sealing it off completely to prevent anyone from escaping.
Not far away, Saint Saturn was speaking with Admiral Kong, while Valthior didn't bother joining them. Instead, he casually injected a strand of frost into a nearby reef, forming an ice pillar—leaving behind a contingency, just in case it might come in handy.
"Valthior, it's been a while," came a voice.
Members of the Holy Knights had disembarked as well, and Figarland Garling greeted Valthior with a smile.
"Oh, Senior Garling, it has been quite some time," Valthior replied with a smile of his own.
"Quite enviable, really. I heard Lord Saturn granted you the power of a Mythical Zoan?" Garling said, feigning envy.
Valthior flattered him in return, "You're too modest, Senior. If nothing unexpected happens, once this competition ends, you'll be the one gaining the power of the Azure Dragon Fruit, won't you?"
"Hahaha, you've got a lot of confidence in me. Though, to be fair, I'm quite confident myself," Garling said, clearly pleased.
After a brief pause, his tone shifted slightly. "You're probably aware this competition might not go as planned…"
"Mm, I heard quite a few pirates are coming?" Valthior nodded.
"That's right. I've already received word—yesterday, the Giant King Harald was ordered to intercept the Rocks Pirates in the New World, but failed. And just before dawn, CP agents spotted the Rocks Pirates' ship in the waters of the West Blue…" Garling said, his expression turning slightly serious.
Then he patted Valthior on the shoulder. "If things descend into chaos later, stay close to me. I'll protect you."
Valthior thought the situation was somewhat absurd.
Their fleet had sailed from Mary Geoise all the way to the West Blue—it took nearly a week to reach God Valley.
Yet the information had only leaked a couple of days ago. According to Marine Headquarters, the Roger Pirates were already in the West Blue, so their arrival was understandable—but the Rocks Pirates had made it all the way from Hachinosu in the New World to the West Blue in just a day?
And they even fought Harald along the way?
Was that even reasonable?
What kind of ship were they sailing? A nuclear-powered wooden three-masted vessel or something?
Then again… Shiki was on that ship, and he was also one of Shakky's admirers.
With the Float-Float Fruit… well, it was still absurd, but at least somewhat believable.
"Understood. Then I'll have to thank you in advance, Senior," Valthior said with apparent sincerity.
Stick with you? Not happening.
You can act like a top-tier powerhouse in front of me all you want—I won't call you out. But once those monsters show up, you'll turn into nothing more than a speed bump at God Valley. You might have immortality and not care about getting chopped up like fodder, but I haven't signed any ridiculous contract like that.
And I don't plan to, either.
According to the original course of events, if he followed Garling's group, Valthior would probably die a miserable death.
"Alright, I won't keep you any longer. I've got some personal matters to attend to," Garling said with a smile before quickly leaving.
Valthior watched his departing figure in silence.
But his gaze darkened slightly.
Because he could more or less guess what Garling was going to do…
Kill the red-haired woman who had borne him twin sons.
"Let's go, Valthior," Somaz walked over, casually beckoning. "What a hassle—I still need to check whether the competition prizes have been properly arranged…"
"You're not participating?" Valthior asked as they walked toward the island's interior.
"Before the pirates show up, I can play around a bit. But once they arrive, I'm responsible for guarding the prizes," Somaz replied casually. It wasn't a secret anyway.
That reminded Valthior—yes, that was exactly how it went.
Once the pirates arrived, Somaz immediately rushed back and even tried to execute Shakky.
But Rayleigh arrived just in time, sending him "to the underworld" with a single slash, cutting him down and rendering him temporarily unable to fight, rescuing Shakky in the process.
It was precisely because of Rayleigh's interference that chaos broke out in the prize storage area, allowing Bartholomew Kuma and Ivankov to seize two Devil Fruits amid the confusion—while Charlotte Linlin snatched the Azure Dragon Fruit from Ivankov.
Soon, Valthior and the others arrived at the central stage.
A large number of Celestial Dragons were already there, practically rubbing their hands together, eager to begin the slaughter.
Then came the host's introduction of the competition rules, along with mention of the Davy Clan on the island.
In the original story, Kuma—being a member of the Buccaneer race—was also on the hunting list. But now that Bartholomew Kuma was standing behind Valthior, that obviously wasn't the case.
Meanwhile, back in Mary Geoise, the God's Domain had activated live broadcast Den Den Mushi, transmitting the competition in real time. Numerous Celestial Dragons who hadn't come in person were placing extravagant bets on the outcome.
"You don't seem very interested?" Saint Saturn suddenly asked, glancing at Valthior beside him.
Valthior nodded. "Senior Garling told me earlier that the Rocks Pirates have already reached the West Blue. At their speed, they'll probably arrive soon. The people below aren't aware of this and are acting without restraint… but I can't help feeling a bit uneasy."
If no pirates were coming, Saturn had originally planned for Valthior to perform well in this competition and bring him honor.
But now, everything was different.
Valthior wasn't one of those fools Saturn considered disposable Celestial Dragons—whose deaths wouldn't matter, and who didn't even need to know pirates were coming.
Nor was he like the Holy Knights, who possessed immortality and didn't need to worry even if they lacked strength.
Under these circumstances, letting Valthior roam freely was extremely dangerous.
Setting aside their years of association—even just considering that Saturn had recently invested a Mythical Zoan power into him—he couldn't simply watch him walk into danger.
After thinking it over, Saturn said, "Focus on preserving yourself. This situation is different. Stay here with me and don't wander off."
That was exactly what Valthior wanted.
"Understood, Grandfather," he replied immediately.
At that moment, the host finished the introduction.
Garling, meanwhile, casually killed the king of God Valley—starting the competition at negative ten thousand points, yet somehow taking an early "lead."
Then, the hunt began.
Like beasts unleashed, the Celestial Dragons surged forward in a frenzy, cheering wildly as they descended into slaughter. The members of the Holy Knights followed suit, charging into the chaos without hesitation.
Before long, the once-crowded central stage fell eerily empty.
Valthior cast a brief glance at Saturn, who seemed to have closed his eyes in quiet repose, then shifted his gaze toward the nearby warehouse where the prizes were stored. His thoughts moved quickly, calculating.
Now isn't the time.
Even if Saturn had lost interest in the competition, he was still standing right here. To act under his watchful presence would be reckless.
No—he would have to wait until the chaos deepened.
With that in mind, Valthior had a chair brought over and settled into it, closing his eyes as if resting. Yet beneath that stillness, he extended his Observation Haki outward, sensing everything within its reach—watching, measuring, refining. Even this was a form of training.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Then suddenly—
Intense explosions erupted along the island's coastline!
Both Valthior and Saint Saturn opened their eyes at the same time.
"They're here!" Saturn's gaze darkened.
The Rocks Pirates had broken through the Marine blockade first—
and arrived at God Valley!
...
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