Chapter 22: Where the Blood Flows
Under normal circumstances, the death of a pirate with a bounty of several hundred million berries in the West Blue would undoubtedly be considered a major event.
Even after the Berries experienced a period of inflation, a bounty exceeding one hundred million was still a certification of strength. Such pirates weren't mere cannon fodder, even in the New World; at the very least, they were NPCs with names.
But in the current region of God Valley, such an event was trivial. Pirates stronger than Valentine were a dime a dozen here, and all of them were advancing with God Valley as their target.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Accompanied by the roar of heavy cannon fire, a warship sank into the sea amidst gunpowder smoke on the eastern waters of God Valley. This immediately caught the attention of the Marines stationed on the island.
"It's the Rocks Pirates!!!"
"No! It's not just them! Many other notorious pirates are rushing in too!!"
Flag after pirate flag fluttered in the wind, marking the identities of these invaders. A sense of foreboding rose in the hearts of not just the ordinary soldiers, but even the Rear Admiral-level officers.
"Fire! Fire! Stop them! Don't let them make landfall!!"
Boom! Boom!
Other warships adjusted their angles, pouring firepower onto the Rocks Pirates' ship at the forefront of the charge.
However, the impact of this resistance was negligible. The Rocks Pirates' ship was several times the size of these large warships and was constructed from the finest materials.
The people on board didn't even lift a finger to intercept the attacks. Relying on its sheer scale and durability, the ship tanked the Marine artillery fire, charging straight ahead. It crushed and capsized the warships directly in its path before ramming violently onto the shore.
"It's useless, Marines! Men of the Rocks Pirates! Follow me!"
Rocks D. Xebec took the lead, rushing onto the island first. The pirate landing immediately caused a commotion among the Celestial Dragons.
"This is bad!! The pirates are here! What are you Marines good for?!"
"If we suffer even a single scratch, you'll all be hanged!!"
However, this was only the beginning. Before the Marine intelligence officers could even issue orders to handle the situation, piece after piece of bad news arrived from the surroundings.
"Report! Pirates spotted on the West Coast! It's the Roger Pirates! They've landed too!"
"Report! The North Coast..."
"Report! The Celestial Dragons are demanding..."
One message after another left the Marines on the island utterly overwhelmed. Forget about the commander; even if this entire fleet were combined, they might not be able to handle a single executive officer from the pirate crews being announced over the broadcast.
And right now, these pirate crews were appearing in droves, as if doomsday had arrived.
Not to mention, they were responsible for the safety of the Celestial Dragons—and those nobles were not making things easy. One moment they demanded their slaves be taken away, the next they demanded their prizes be protected.
For these Marines, the only good news was that there were still some elites among the Celestial Dragons.
Garling Figarland, the leader of the God's Knights at the time, knew very well that these Marines couldn't handle the incoming pirates. Therefore, he took over the combat duties against the pirates, leaving the Marines solely responsible for the evacuation of the other Celestial Dragons.
The Marine reinforcements led by Garp also landed quickly, igniting a glimmer of hope for the Marines on the island.
But regardless, the island was now thoroughly covered in the flames of war. With multiple factions and their hidden agendas intertwining, God Valley had become a nightmarish battlefield with no escape.
And attacks didn't necessarily come from the enemy.
"Newgate! You bastard, was that attack just now aimed at me?!"
"Who cut you? Didn't I cut down the enemy?"
Facing Charlotte Linlin's accusation, Whitebeard offered his excuse and pointed to a member of the God's Knights who had been bisected by his blade, proving he hadn't missed his target.
But this excuse wasn't enough to convince Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom).
"You're lying to ghosts! I almost died there! Do you want to settle things with me right here?!"
"Not interested. Just how many Marines are on this island? And how many pirates have landed?!"
A group of pirates seeking fame launched attacks on the members of the Rocks Pirates in unison. Meanwhile, the members of the Rocks Pirates gradually split into several groups, forming temporary alliances in different locations.
Although their shipmates weren't exactly trustworthy, they could still be somewhat helpful.
"Rocks ran off to who knows where, and Nereus is gone too?! Babel! Where did he go?! Did he go ahead to snatch Shakky?"
The famous swords Oto and Kogarashi moved so fast they left afterimages in the Golden Lion's hands. Every swing was accompanied by a flying slash wave, yet the enemies before him seemed endless.
Just as one group was killed, another would pop up.
Shiki generally knew where the others were, but Nereus, who had left the group midway, remained a mystery.
Shiki couldn't help but ask Babel, who was also a Fish-man.
"How should I know about that? Big Bro doesn't need to notify me when he goes somewhere! But don't use that brain of yours filled with yellow waste to speculate about Big Bro! He definitely has serious business to attend to!"
Babel blasted an enemy to the side with a punch, but the Golden Lion seemed to focus on the wrong point.
"You call my Shakky 'yellow waste'? Is your aesthetic sense broken too, you bastard?!"
"Stop arguing! Isn't Nereus over in that direction?"
Kaido pointed toward one side of the island. Although nothing could be seen there yet, the few people present all looked down at their feet in unison.
The corpses of the pirates who had just been killed while attacking them were undergoing a strange transformation. The blood within these bodies seemed to be drawn by some mysterious force, flowing out from their wounds.
Fresh blood gathered into a river, flowing eerily in one specific direction, as if something was beckoning it.
"Nereus has started using his ability again."
To be able to manipulate blood within a certain range—in Kaido's knowledge, only Nereus could do this, and only he would do this.
"I remember that guy saying this ability only works on the dead, right? By the way, why does he suck up so much blood every time? To fill his stomach?"
"Who knows? 'Blood is the currency of the soul'... he seems to have said something like that. Always acting so mysterious."
The others on the ship had dealt with Nereus to some extent and knew a bit about his situation. However, now wasn't the time to discuss Nereus's abilities; the treasure ahead was far more important.
Meanwhile, on the other side of God Valley, Nereus had also landed on the island. At this moment, he was in his Zoan Hybrid Form.
Expansive bat wings unfolded behind his back, and his pupils were dyed a vibrant crimson.
However, there was a slight difference from when he had sparred with Rocks earlier: floating behind him was a ribbon of blood-red flame clouds.
These flame clouds were no mere decoration. With the "version update" of the era, they were the special mark of an Awakened Zoan user!