"You're just Celestial Dragons—flesh and blood like us. No superpowers, but with a little help, we can do what we did today. The question is: do you have the courage to act and face the consequences?"
The gravity field's effects intensified over time. Initially, Eladin struggled to move, but soon his body succumbed to a strange paralysis, though he remained conscious.
He saw a group outside the field, seemingly celebrating.
"Damn untouchable, how dare you—"
Eladin tried to speak, but his tongue failed him. The lotus trap's lingering poisonous smoke, no longer blocked by his shattered mask, invaded his lungs. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a shoe sole looming closer.
"Anyone else want a turn? Do this again after leaving, and you'll face the consequences. You may not get another chance."
Orlan's exoskeleton emitted a Hextech energy field, countering the gravity field's restrictions, allowing free movement. For safety, he injected Eladin with an extra dose of anesthetic before deactivating the field.
"I'll do it!" Ginny declared.
Orlan's actions—felling a Celestial Dragon and stepping on him—stunned the onlookers, redefining their worldview. The idea of "stepping on him" was equally shocking. Ginny, the first to act, kicked Eladin's head.
After nine years of slavery, her hatred for Celestial Dragons burned deep. A few kicks couldn't quench it.
Her lead inspired others. The Valley of God's locals hesitated, but the slaves didn't.
"Damn you! Do you know what we've endured?"
"Give me back my family!"
Amid furious curses, punches and kicks rained on Eladin. These blows, driven by courage against a fallen foe, lacked lethal force.
Celestial Dragons, morally bankrupt, had skin thick enough to withstand even mace strikes without fatal injury.
Eladin's clothes were stripped, as were those of the dead agents. Ivankov's team pieced together outfits, selecting lookalikes to wear them, planning to infiltrate the island's center and seize fruits to boost their operation's success.
Orlan hauled the unconscious Eladin to their base. Shak reported that the craftsmen had completed the device.
Both plans reached their final phase, with the Valley of God becoming the world's storm center.
"Pirates! Fire! Fire!"
On the valley's outskirts, warship cannons roared. The dense pirate fleet unnerved the navy—each ship carried notorious criminals.
"What's happening? Why so many pirates?"
The commanding officer sweated. In all his years, he'd never seen such a pirate armada.
Initially, warships halted some ships, but a single flag shattered the balance.
"It's the Rocks Pirates! Repeat, Rocks Pirates on the east side—requesting support!"
A burning skull replaced the "O" in ROCKS. The flag of the era's strongest pirate crushed navy morale.
They couldn't stop such monsters—especially an entire ship of them.
"Useless navy! Everyone, follow me!" Rocks bellowed.
On the Rocks Pirates' flagship, a long-haired man at the bow shattered a warship with a single sword strike. Seeing no familiar navy elites, Rocks sneered.
He charged ashore before the ship docked.
"Wait, Rocks! We're not your subordinates, you bastard!" voices protested.
Behind him emerged Whitebeard, Big Mom, Golden Lion, Kaido, John, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe—some legendary, others lesser-known, all monstrous.
"That idiot Rocks forgot our goal. We need to move fast," Whitebeard growled.
"Newgate! Stop acting superior, or I'll crush you!" Big Mom snapped.
"Who cares what Rocks thinks? Grab the treasure and run. It's in the island's center, right?" Golden Lion said.
The Rocks Pirates were a loose alliance. United by greed, they advanced toward the island's heart.
"Rocks Pirates have landed!"
"Roger Pirates too! Pirates everywhere—we can't hold them!"
Without elite fighters, the navy's defenses crumbled. Tasked with suppressing civilians, they were outmatched.
"All navy, protect the Celestial Dragons! Ensure their evacuation! The Knights of God will handle the enemies!" a commander ordered.
The navy lacked top fighters because the Celestial Dragons and World Government relied on their own elite forces. Gringo now faced these monsters.
"Is everyone back?" Gringo asked.
"Saint Gringo, all but Saint Eladin's team have returned," a subordinate replied.
"What's Eladin dawdling for?"
"Gringo! Eladin's life card—it's gone!"
"What?!"
The words stunned Gringo. Life cards, impervious to fire or water, only turn to ash when their owner dies.