"Mom… what's happening?" Argento's voice trembled, raw and uncertain. "Why… why do you look so panicked?"
Celestia's eyes met his, sharp and unflinching, yet there was a flicker of something deeper—fear, urgency, the weight of knowing more than she could yet explain. She took a careful step closer, her presence folding around him like a shield.
"We've been marked... By the Gods... We are to be hunted... For Sport," Celestia's voice trembled ashen in fear and resentment.
Argento froze, the words striking him like a physical blow. Marked… by the Gods? Hunted… for sport? The syllables rattled inside his skull, colliding with the fog of confusion and pain that still clung to him. He wanted to ask, to demand clarity, but his throat felt raw, his voice caught somewhere between disbelief and fear.
Veyra's hand found his again, smaller, tighter, trembling with barely contained dread. Her wide eyes mirrored the terror in their mother's gaze, and the warmth he had felt moments ago now twisted into something sharper, urgent.
"Marked… hunted…?" he whispered, barely more than a rasp, as if saying the words too loudly might summon the threat closer. His gaze darted toward the horizon. "What do you mean??? for sport?"
Celestia's jaw tightened, shadows of worry deepening on her face. "Yes… for sport," she said, her voice low, heavy with both fear and restrained fury. "They… the Gods… watch us, Arg. They see life as a game, a test of endurance, strength, cunning. Those who falter, those who fail… they are prey. Nothing more. Nothing less."
Argento's chest tightened, each breath scraping raw against his lungs. "But… why us? Why… why would they do this?" His hands fidgeted nervously at his sides, the rough earth beneath him pressing into his palms, a sharp reminder of his fragility.
Veyra pressed closer, her small hand clutching his arm with a grip that was almost frantic. "They've… done this before," she whispered, voice shaking. "Others… like us… have been hunted. Few survive." Her words trembled in the air, each one a jagged shard slicing through his fog of confusion.
Veyra's small hand gripped Argento's arm tighter, her eyes wide with the weight of what she was about to say. "You… you have to understand," she murmured, voice trembling, "our family isn't just… anyone's family here. We're… close to the Davy Clan."
Argento blinked, confusion thickening the fog in his mind. "The… Davy Clan? What does that mean? How… how are we close to them?"
Celestia's voice cut through the tense silence, firm and measured despite the fear etched on her face. "Listen carefully, Arg" she said, her eyes locking onto Argento with a weight that made him shiver. "The Davy Clan… they are no longer the rulers of the world. They have been disgraced, hunted, and forced into hiding. We've been hiding for 800 years, and they've caught our family… even in hiding, our connection carries danger... enough to make us targets."
Celestia's eyes hardened, her gaze sweeping over the distant festival. "Arg… Veyra," she said, voice low but urgent, "you need to understand something. To the people here, it looks like a celebration. Music, laughter, games… even food and drink. But it isn't. This… this is a hunt. And we… we are the prey."
Argento blinked, his stomach tightening. "A hunt? For… for people? But… everyone's just… celebrating!"
Celestia continued "Exactly. They don't know. The villagers, the merchants… the children… they think it's an ordinary festival. No one knows what's really happening… except the Gods. And those who have contacts, like us… we are the prizes."
Argento's heart hammered, the metallic tang of dust and fear still lingering in his mouth. "Prizes…? You mean… they're hunting people?" His voice was barely a whisper, raw and trembling, as if saying it louder might summon the Gods themselves.
Celestia nodded, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder, grounding him in the chaos of revelation. "Yes… and it's not just random. God has marked this island for execution. God Valley is being erased from the world, Arg. Every person here… everyone who matters… is being watched."
The words seemed to echo inside him, hollow and heavy, like a bell tolling deep within his chest. God Valley. The name rippled through the fog in his mind, stirring something he didn't understand... something familiar, impossibly so.
He lifted his gaze, scanning the horizon. Ships... massive, intricate vessels. Loomed near the island's edges. The symbols on their sails twisted something in his chest: a sunburst, a cross-like emblem, and that unmistakable mark... An island encircled by celestial ships.
"God Valley…" he murmured, voice trembling as memory and disbelief warred within him. "That name… I've heard it before." His heartbeat thundered. Images flashed unbidden in his mind... tyrants in naval coats, pirates with monstrous smiles, chaos, blood, and flame.
And suddenly, it clicked. Every word, every clue... the festival, the hunters, the "God" who watched, the hidden clan, even the strange energy in the air, fell into place.
He wasn't in some dream.He wasn't in some forgotten myth.He was in that world.
His eyes widened as he realized… This is One Piece...
Argento's knees weakened. "God Valley… Rocks D. Xebec… the Celestial Dragons… the festival…" He swallowed, saying the words in his mind. Each word heavier than the last. "It's all real…"