"Are you sure?" Gringo's tone was icy, tinged with doubt, but he'd already accepted the truth. The question was routine.
Life card technology, flawless for centuries, never failed.
Gringo disliked Eladin's eccentricity. Though his brother was a full Knight of God, Eladin couldn't even make the reserves.
A Celestial Dragon's death by outsiders, unprecedented in a hundred years, was an insult to Gringo's honor.
Some dared to challenge them—Rocks, for instance. His reckless pirates feared no one.
"Hand over our treasure!" a pirate shouted, lunging at Gringo, only to be shot through the head.
"Gringo, I'm not attending your funeral for the Manmaiya family," a female Celestial Dragon quipped, firing her gem-encrusted musket. Each bullet, wrapped in Armament Haki, felled pirates.
A gunman's strength tied to their Haki was a sea hallmark.
"How could these bastards harm me? Who leaked the island's secret?" Gringo growled.
"Hey, brother!" the female Celestial Dragon called.
"I know! Knights of God, assemble! Eliminate these enemies, find Eladin's last location, and raze this island!"
Gringo shifted to offense, charging the pirate horde alone.
"To hell with you all!"
"Newgate!" a female pirate yelled.
"Gulala! Bajin, leave this to me. Find the treasures!" Whitebeard appeared, his naginata halting Gringo's advance.
"We can't stop them! Too many pirates! Where's the backup?" a navy officer cried.
"Reinforcements! Vice Admiral Garp!" another shouted.
"Tell me where Roger is!" Garp demanded, his purpose misaligned with the navy's.
In the Valley of the Gods' canyon, the Hextech core hummed, fully charged. The crowd's eyes brimmed with complex emotions.
Orlan, back from inspecting the device, connected the core to external systems. The bound Eladin lay on a makeshift platform.
Orlan's team recounted his feats.
"That's a Celestial Dragon up there?" someone asked.
"Yes! We saw it. He was strong, nearly caused trouble. But Mr. Mask sliced a mountaintop!" another exaggerated.
Orlan, unaware of the mountaintop rumor, checked his wrist timer, awaiting the device's recharge.
Bang!
A white light flashed, leaving a bear paw-shaped hole. Ivankov emerged, dust-covered.
"Orlan! Operation succeeded. Xiong's rescuing others. He says don't wait—retreat when ready!"
Their plan half-worked: two fruits secured, but Charlotte Linlin snatched the Fish-Fish Fruit. Xiong ate the Meat-Ball Fruit and sent Ivankov back.
More people arrived, some sent to distant islands by Xiong, who saved others his way.
"Just in time. I'm ready," Orlan said. "Everyone! Look at this Celestial Dragon. See anything special?"
As Orlan spoke, a fiercer battle erupted in the valley's center, Haki clashing like thunder. A scream snapped attention back.
Blood flashed on the platform. Orlan's blade pierced Eladin's throat, pinning him to the rack.
The crowd gasped. Witnessing this was far more shocking than rumors.
Silence followed, broken as Orlan raised his hand.
He scanned the crowd—fear, confusion, excitement, relief swirling among them.
"See this Draco, who treats you as prey and dust? He's just human, fragile like you. Not nobler, not special. They bleed. They fear."
Eladin's arrogance vanished, replaced by primal dread. Blood streamed from his throat and chest.
Murmurs rose, eyes gleaming with newfound light.
Resisting Celestial Dragons wasn't instinct—escape seemed their only path. Today, Orlan shattered their myth.
"Freedom isn't granted or begged for—it's won through brave resistance. We may never meet again, and the future's uncertain. Fight for a better tomorrow in your own way!"
Swish!
Orlan yanked out the sword. Blood gushed from Eladin's neck. His head rolled to the ground, eyes frozen in confusion and fear.
He couldn't fathom why the "rabbits" dared resist. His consciousness faded, the last sight a dazzling blue light—freedom's beacon.