The massive fleet crushed thousands of waves and moved forward courageously.
But this unstoppable momentum no longer worked once they entered the Doldrums.
In an area without wind or current, the only way to move forward was by human power.
The pirates rowed hard with their long oars, slowly moving forward in this dead sea.
But there was no need to worry about Sea Kings. Almost all the monsters possessed Conqueror's Haki. What Sea King would dare to approach?
"Hey, can't you use your ability to create a strong wind to speed up the fleet?"
On the wide deck, the Golden Lion pointed his finger, and the two swords flying in the air suddenly accelerated, shooting toward Roya like two meteors.
"That's too much, Uncle Shiki!"
Roya spun around, and the two swords in his hands drew a moon-shaped arc, perfectly intercepting the flying blades. "One ship is fine, but how can more than 200 ships be possible? I'm only a seven-year-old child!"
"What a useless brat."
Shiki blew a smoke ring.
"Uncle Shiki, you're too harsh!"
Roya shot forward, and the two swords in his hands slashed at the Golden Lion mercilessly. "Lion's Might – Sealing Dust Slash!"
The flying sword traced a circular trajectory in the air and clashed with Shiki's sword with a clang, knocking Roya back.
"I've never heard of that move."
The Golden Lion looked unimpressed.
"Hahahaha! Doesn't it sound cool?"
Roya laughed. "I think I have a talent for naming!"
"It's just a kid's nonsense."
Golden Lion preferred strict discipline.
"Hmph, take that, Uncle Shiki!"
Roya pounced again.
The black energy only enhanced his basic attributes, but he still needed to train and develop his techniques on his own.
All the uncles and aunts loved him very much and were willing to spar with him whenever they had time.
Today was no exception. After Uncle Shiki, Aunt Linlin and Brother Kaido also sparred with Roya for a while.
By the time the fleet left the Doldrums and officially entered the West Blue, it was already evening, and Roya was half-starved from the intense training.
He couldn't help but shout at the top of his lungs, "Captain! I'm so hungry, can I eat something?!"
"Behave yourself, brat!"
What greeted him was the captain's cold voice. "Every pirate in the fleet has their role. If you want to hunt, wait until we reach the Valley of the Gods."
Roya sighed deeply.
How stingy, Captain.
Don't you know I'm growing and need nutrition?
Those small fry are useless anyway. Isn't it a good idea to recycle them?
But at this moment, the other monsters were also taking action.
—
Somewhere in the West Blue:
"Are they going to massacre an entire country's inhabitants, including a large number of slaves?!"
He hadn't grown a full mustache yet—only light stubble—and wore a straw hat. The most famous pirate in the New World besides Rocks, Gol D. Roger, laughed aloud. "Hey, hey, hey! The world has been in the hands of these lunatics for 800 years!"
A loud laugh came from behind. "Captain, are we going to be heroes this time?"
"Hero? Being a hero means sacrificing yourself. I'm not doing that!"
Roger laughed even louder. "That bastard Rocks will definitely show up! When he and the World Government start tearing each other apart, that'll be our chance! He's been hunting us for years—it's time for payback!"
"Don't take it lightly, Roger,"
Vice-Captain Silvers Rayleigh pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. Though a notorious pirate, he carried himself with a surprising elegance. "The Rocks Pirates alone are difficult enough to handle, and with the World Government involved, no one knows what will happen."
"It's useless to worry, Rayleigh!"
Wearing small sunglasses on his nose and his thick black hair tied in a fluffy ponytail, Scopper Gaban, the third-in-command, laughed. "Captain, you always care too much at times like this!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
Roger laughed even louder. "Now that we're here, it would be a shame not to make some noise! Guys, let's stir things up!"
"Yeah!!!"
The Roger Pirates, let loose!
—
In another sea not far away, a huge dog-headed warship was sailing against the wind and waves.
"Wahahahaha! Not only that guy Roger, but even the Rocks Pirates are making a move?"
The middle-aged man with short, stiff black hair that stood up like steel needles laughed heartily. "It's been years since we've seen a war of this scale!"
"Why don't we just use this opportunity to wipe out both groups?"
"Mr. Garp,"
Beside him, his adjutant—a swordsman wearing a gray top hat—gently reminded him, "If the Rocks Pirates really show up, we won't have enough firepower."
"It's too late to mobilize reinforcements,"
Said Vice Admiral Garp, known as the "Garp the Fist." He shook his head. "The Celestial Dragons have dispatched the God Knights. No one knows their power, but if the government's not panicking, we should be fine."
He grinned wider. "I'll just focus on Roger!"
The adjutant nodded slightly.
"But still,"
Garp rubbed his chin, puzzled. "What are the Celestial Dragons doing in such a remote place?"
—
A few days later, in the West Blue's Valley of the Gods.
This was an island with a unique landscape. In the center was a tall mountain with a jagged peak, split down the middle by a canyon so steep it looked like it had been cleaved by a god's sword.
That's how it got its name: Valley of the Gods.
At this moment, warships surrounded the island, and the sailors aboard them were on high alert, allowing no one and nothing unauthorized to enter or leave.
But the Navy didn't know what was on the island, nor what was happening.
They knew, and yet they didn't.
And on the island, the triennial Celestial Dragon Hunting Competition was about to begin.
"Wah!"
With a shriek, the King of God's Valley—clueless about what fate awaited the island—collapsed with blood spraying from his back.
"Hey! Garling! You sneaked off! The game hasn't even started!"
A Celestial Dragon wearing a bizarre mask and holding a spear spoke with frustration.
"I got impatient. Just deduct 10,000 points from me."
The man with golden hair swept upward like a crescent moon calmly flicked the blood from his blade. "I'll win anyway."
"You're too arrogant!"
Another Celestial Dragon shouted, "We of the Donquixote Family will never lose to you!"
"The winner will obviously be the Jaygarcia Family!"
Moon-haired Garling from the Figarland Family remained expressionless. "Let the rabbits run. If I get bored during the next three weeks, it'll be a crime."
"Wow! This bastard's arrogant!"
At that moment, melodic music played from loudspeakers across the island.
"Sorry for the wait! The triennial Hunting Competition is about to begin! As usual, over the next three weeks, please showcase your martial prowess to your heart's content—until all 100,000 'rabbits' on the island are eliminated!"
"The contestant with the highest final score will be the victor. According to tradition, the winner takes all. He will claim all prizes!"
"So, are you ready?"
…
"Are you ready?"
Elsewhere in the Valley of the Gods, a big-headed boy shouted, "This crappy game is about to begin—and so is our plan!"
"It's about time, big bro!"
A lively girl with short pink hair grinned widely.
Beside her, a tall, honest-looking boy with a flat top nodded stiffly. "Yeah!"
"Then, let's just wait for the chaos to begin!"
The moment the big-headed boy's voice fell…
The sound of the loudspeaker rang out across the island:
"The game begins!"
*Be sure to send powerstones and add this book to your Library.*