West Sea, Valley of the Gods.
A large number of warships had already surrounded this place, and the flags of the World Government fluttered in the wind. The black and blue cross symbols gleamed sharply under the sunlight.
On the island, two towering mountains stood tall, their steep cliffs as sharp and imposing as if carved by axes.
The sky was overcast, with dark clouds gathering as if a torrential downpour could erupt at any moment. Amid this gloom, a sudden flash of light streaked across the sky.
The space itself seemed to warp, and a strange glow burst forth.
From within the glowing curtain, a massive ship slowly emerged. It was entirely constructed from black metal, its hull smooth as a mirror yet reflecting no light, exuding an air of mystery and solemnity.
Boom!
The glowing curtain in the sky abruptly vanished, and with the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground, the mysterious black ship ran aground in the valley.
Upon closer inspection, a gear-like emblem was etched into the ship's hull, indicating its origin.
"Cough, cough… This commotion was a bit much…"
Accompanied by a fit of coughing, a figure emerged from the ship's cabin. The surrounding dust could not obscure the pale blue eyes of the man.
His medium-short pink hair gave him a vibrant and distinctive look, and a pair of glasses added a scholarly air to his appearance.
"But this impact experiment can be considered a success. This level of impact no longer has any significant effect. Now it's time to test another aspect."
The corners of his mouth curved upward slightly, and he patted his chest with satisfaction. As a faint blue light shimmered, a set of exoskeletal armor-like equipment on his body seemed to switch into a new mode.
However, before he could proceed with the next round of experiments, he noticed something new. The environment here was completely different from the place where he had previously anchored his ship.
"Here we go again?"
This didn't seem to be his first time experiencing such an event. The man didn't appear overly flustered. He glanced at the dashboard on his wrist, which monitored his physical condition, confirming he wasn't dreaming, and then began inspecting the ship's equipment.
"The compass is damaged, the power system is partially damaged, the defense system is functioning normally, and no supplies are missing… Not bad, it's not as bad as I thought.
But where is this place? Bilgewater doesn't have anything like this… Ionia, perhaps?"
The man was puzzling over where he had been transported to and attempted to repair the damaged compass. At that moment, a shout came from the distance.
"Hey, kid, are you planning to sail out of here? Give it up, that's impossible. The Navy has already surrounded the Valley of the Gods. No ship can leave this place! Hee-haw!"
Though the cliff was steep, it had several natural rock platforms. On one of the lower platforms, a rather exaggeratedly large face appeared.
A man with a big face was lying at the edge of the cliff, waving toward him. Behind him, another person was holding onto him, preventing the big-faced man from falling off.
As the term "Valley of the Gods" entered his mind, the man sensed something amiss, such as the fact that the language spoken here wasn't the one he usually used.
Fortunately, he was proficient in multiple languages, so this wasn't an issue.
The man's name was Cidril Oran. As expected, he had no parents.
Having finally succeeded in his postgraduate studies, he encountered a "reset" event on the eve of his graduation.
His soul had arrived in the world of League of Legends—the continent of Valoran, specifically in Piltover, a city renowned for its commerce and advanced technology.
This time, Oran received the double "buff" of being an orphan.
On this magical continent, there were many mysteries. One night, Oran discovered his unique talent—dreams.
This was why he had first checked whether he was in a dreamworld.
Every night, he would inevitably dream. Unlike ordinary people, Oran's dreams seemed to connect to fantastical realms, some even transcending the limits of time and space.
Through countless nights, his knowledge grew rapidly, and he gradually rose to prominence in Piltover, becoming a rising star whose reputation rivaled that of Heimerdinger.
Heimerdinger held a significant academic standing in Piltover, all based on genuine talent and learning. This was the highest praise for a newcomer.
Previously, Oran had personally sailed to Bilgewater to acquire a batch of special materials and negotiate a new deal. Unexpectedly, after a casual experiment during his downtime, Oran seemed to have encountered another mysterious event.
Even his body had undergone some kind of transformation during the process, becoming much younger, reverting to the appearance of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old.
Thanks to his dream ability, Oran's memory was exceptionally sharp. Even after more than twenty years in Valoran, he could still recall some events from his previous life, including the term "Valley of the Gods."
However, his memories were limited to major events, such as the outcome of a certain war.
As for specific details, he couldn't remember them clearly.
There were two people addressing Oran. Besides the eccentric big-faced man with an afro, there was a little girl. Both looked dirty, and their clothes bore a target-like pattern.
"Don't just stand there, kid. My goal is to survive. You don't want to wait here to die, do you? If that's the case, I won't waste my time here, hee-haw!"
After confirming that Oran had noticed him, the big-faced man stood up and made a strange gesture, continuing to wait for Oran's response.
"Let's clarify one thing first. What are your names?"
"I'm Ginny, and this is my big brother, Ivankov. Is that really important? And shouldn't you tell us your name first, kid?
Or is your name just 'kid'?"
While asking, Ginny stuffed food into her mouth. The blackened food didn't look appetizing, but she ate it with relish.
"Just call me Oran. Let's talk more once you come down. Your goal is to survive, so you must have a plan, right?"
The somewhat familiar names, combined with the location of the Valley of the Gods, allowed Oran to deduce the time and specific event. He was now certain of where he had ended up.
Compared to the primal lands of Valoran he had initially suspected, this place was, frankly, a disaster.
Ivankov hadn't yet become the "Okama King," but his face was already striking enough. Based on Oran's memories, Ivankov definitely escaped successfully; otherwise, there wouldn't be an Okama King in the future.
However, Oran had no intention of simply following them. Relying on others was less dependable than relying on himself. His presence here was already a variable, and entrusting his future to someone else wasn't a wise choice.
Oran recalled some details about the Valley of the Gods. Whether it was pirates like Rocks or Roger, or the Navy's Garp, or even one of the Five Elders, Saint Saturn, almost every notable figure could be seen here.
Yet they all shared one thing in common: none of them cared about the ordinary people on the island. To avoid being erased by the World Government, one had to rely on oneself.
Oran needed Ivankov and Ginny to provide specific information about the island so he could devise his own strategy. With enough time, the equipment on his ship could handle the situation.
Ivankov's reason for approaching Oran was simple. He knew that he and Ginny alone didn't have the ability to escape, so they needed allies to form an escape team.
Whether slaves or original residents of the Valley of the Gods, they were all prey to the Celestial Dragons, giving them a natural common ground.
Drawn by the noise, Ivankov and Ginny arrived and saw the black ship that had already completed its crossing.
Using trees and vines, Ivankov and Ginny slid down from a gentler slope, arriving below Oran's ship.
The pitch-black hull was unlike the mainstream ships on the high seas, and its metallic sheen was a rare sight.
Before they could think too much, Oran tossed down a rope ladder. After exchanging a glance, the two climbed onto the ship's deck, one after the other.
However, the formal meeting wasn't exactly friendly. As soon as their feet touched the deck, the seemingly seamless deck flipped open, and two dark gun barrels extended, aiming at them.
"Don't be nervous. It's just the ship's automatic defense system. Come up. As long as you don't make any aggressive moves, they won't attack."
Seeing the bewildered Ivankov and Ginny, Oran gestured for them to relax.
The seas of Valoran were far from peaceful, so Oran's ship was naturally equipped with heavy firepower. This was also why he dared to let strangers board his ship. In a way, it was a warning to outsiders not to act recklessly.
The panic in Ivankov's eyes vanished quickly, replaced by a hint of excitement. Encountering someone with a stockpile of weapons in this situation wasn't a bad thing.
"Stop staring. If needed, I'll naturally put them to good use. Now, how about sharing the information you have?"
Oran could tell what Ivankov was thinking. A few weapons didn't matter to him; as long as they served a purpose, it was enough.
In this situation, sharing some resources for the ultimate goal wasn't an issue.
"Let me explain. You probably don't know about this, but in short, the Celestial Dragons organize an event like this every so often.
Disobedient slaves, criminals, or the original inhabitants of the chosen location all become their prey.
Three weeks of hunting time, and everyone on the island will be slaughtered. The island itself will become new territory for the World Government."
Ginny shared her information. The Celestial Dragons needed time to select a location and prepare the event, and the journey to the destination also took time. This window gave Ginny and Ivankov a glimmer of opportunity.
"The Celestial Dragons offer prizes to the winners of the event, and those prizes are our key to escape."
"Prizes?"
While listening to Ginny's plan, Oran rechecked the ship's equipment. In this situation, he needed to confirm what resources were available to avoid any surprises.
"That's right. I'm an expert in theft and eavesdropping. Two of the prizes are the most powerful grade of Devil Fruits: one that lets you transform into a mythical Azure Dragon, and another, the Paw-Paw Fruit, which can send yourself or others flying to distant islands. If we can steal these two fruits, we can escape using their powers. With some luck, we might even get dozens of people out."
As she spoke, Ginny waved her hand toward the sky as if to boost her confidence.
"Hee-bro, kid, that's our plan. Can the cannons on your ship be dismantled? The prizes are in the center of the island. Without proper preparation, it won't work.
We need more people…"
Ivankov scanned Oran's ship. Everything here was novel to him, from the unique materials to the ship's equipment—things he had never seen before.
Ginny's movements were less obvious, but her eyes betrayed an irrepressible curiosity.
"Those weapons aren't suitable for mobile use. Follow me. I do have some things we can use, and I'll share my ideas with you.
A heads-up, though: don't touch anything carelessly. It'd be a shame if you got hurt."
Oran led the two toward the ship's cabin. As he had warned, Ivankov and Ginny followed cautiously behind him.
The earlier automatic defense cannons had made an impression. Despite their curiosity about the ship, they refrained from touching anything, keeping their questions to themselves for now.
Due to the partial damage to the power system, the cabin was dimly lit, making Ginny a bit nervous. Still, she continued:
"I've already spread the word, hoping the prizes will attract others. For now, that's the plan. Anything you'd like to add?"
Ginny and Ivankov's plan lacked details since the two of them alone couldn't pull it off. They had only created a rough framework.
"First, let's confirm: ordinary ships can't leave this place, right?"
"Yeah, the warships have surrounded the area. I don't know how strong those guys are, but even flying out might be tough…
Your ship looks impressive, but it probably can't withstand that kind of firepower."
Ivankov's expression was grim. Their plan only offered a sliver of hope in a desperate situation and didn't fundamentally change the odds.
"What do you think of this, then?"
After passing through a corridor, Oran returned to his workshop. From a box on the desk, he took out a pair of spherical objects and secured them to the table.
The spheres weren't a uniform metallic color but were adorned with intricate golden patterns, their complex mechanical textures seeming to tell an unknown story.
As Oran pressed a switch, cracks appeared on the spheres' surfaces, revealing a faint blue glow emanating from their centers.
Under Ivankov and Ginny's puzzled gazes, Oran casually picked up a screwdriver from the desk and placed it at one end of one of the spheres.
The next moment, accompanied by the sound of rotating gears, a brilliant blue light gathered like ripples. The screwdriver was gradually assimilated by the light. The gears on the other sphere began to turn, and its port lit up.
As specks of blue light coalesced, the screwdriver reappeared intact on the opposite side of the other sphere.