Chapter 88 - Celestial Dragons, Live in Your Ugliness—Flee and Flee, Just to Survive!
Compared to Renji and Rocks, Whitebeard and the others didn't want to completely offend the Celestial Dragons.
Killing a Celestial Dragon meant declaring war on the World Government. From then on, one would be relentlessly hunted. So when Renji proposed the idea, they didn't immediately agree.
"Let's call it the Game of the Brave."
Renji smiled slyly at them. He could already tell most of them didn't want to get involved—otherwise, they wouldn't have held back so much during the battle at God Valley.
Big Mom and Kaido had snatched the Devil Fruit and immediately planned to flee. Whitebeard had fought against Saint Garling, so he at least contributed. As for Golden Lion and the others, it was likely they'd done little to help—especially since Rocks was surrounded by Garp and Roger. They probably didn't even fight properly.
Getting them to participate in this "game" wouldn't be easy.
"Renji, you sly bastard."
Golden Lion bit down on his cigar, blew out a smoke ring, and looked at Renji coldly.
So this was what that scene at Sabaody was about? Killing a Celestial Dragon just to drag them all into the mud?
"This game isn't mandatory. And the Celestial Dragons might already be retreating anyway. Even if you participate, you don't have to kill anyone. All it means is owing someone a favor—a favor that's limited to what you're capable of doing."
That clause about "within their ability" was vague enough to give them an out.
The ones who had been reluctant suddenly felt like it wasn't so bad.
Even if they lost, and were asked for something unreasonable, they could always reject it with that clause. Plus, the possibility of gaining favors from others made it seem like a fair deal.
"I'm obviously the first to support you!"
Rocks was the first to agree after Renji finished speaking.
"As long as it's not my treasure, I can help with anything. A Game of the Brave, huh? I, Captain John, am no coward!"
Captain John didn't hesitate to join in. Even if he knew he'd lose, as long as no one asked for his treasure, he didn't mind helping Renji.
"I'm in too!"
Kaido clenched his teeth and declared his participation.
He needed to prove he was stronger than Renji. Besides, the World Government had never stopped hunting him. As a member of the Oni race, he'd be a target for life. Whether he killed a Celestial Dragon or not, they'd still come after him. Might as well go all in. If things got bad, he could always hide in the New World.
"Gurararara... looks like I don't really have a choice either."
A favor that might never be claimed? That didn't sound so bad.
"I'm joining too!"
Charlotte Linlin's eyes lit up. Ignoring Streusen's frantic signals, she enthusiastically agreed.
If she won, she'd make everyone present have a child with her!
"Damn it…"
Streusen rubbed his forehead helplessly. He was too late. Linlin had agreed anyway.
Still, at least the favor could be rejected.
With that assurance, everyone agreed cheerfully. If the others hesitated to kill, but they happened to kill one, they'd earn multiple favors from the others. That wasn't a bad trade.
"Let's record it. Before killing, we must capture video proof of their death. Sound good?"
"Agreed!"
Everyone nodded. And so, upon landing on God Valley, the challenge officially began.
God Valley.
Saint Garling frowned, staring in a direction. "They're here."
The arrival of the Rocks Pirates had completely disrupted their hunt.
Now, they had no choice but to shift their focus to repelling the invaders. At the same time, the powerless Celestial Dragons needed to be evacuated.
Saint Saturn began preparing the teleportation array to move them. But since the hunt had spread them across the island, they needed time to regroup before extraction.
"Finish off the slaves on the island quickly, and get the others moving. The Rocks Pirates have landed in full force—this is about to get ugly."
A young girl holding a gun looked around coldly. The Five Elders had given a direct order: cover the Celestial Dragons' retreat, eliminate Rocks and Renji, and don't bother going all out against the others.
Also, kill all the island's natives—leave no one alive.
"Then the hunt continues."
A trace of cruelty flashed across Garling's face. He wasn't going to stop just because the Rocks Pirates had arrived. The game wasn't over until every slave was dead.
"Of course. I won't let you win, Garling."
A masked man replied coldly.
"I'm taking the prize back for the Mamaier family!"
The little girl refused to back down. The competition between them wasn't over, and the rest of the Knights of God silently agreed—none of them planned to stop the slaughter.
"Bartholomew, Ivankov—we have to save ourselves!"
Elsewhere on God Valley, Ginny was looking seriously at Kuma and Ivankov.
The massacre had already begun. They didn't know if anyone had received her distress signal, but they couldn't rely on hope—they had to act.
"What?"
Ivankov turned to her. Kuma also looked over curiously.
"Remember the prize they were talking about? There's a Devil Fruit among them. If we can get it before anyone else does, we might have a chance to escape."
Ginny reminded them of the intel they'd overheard. At first, she'd hesitated. With their current strength, trying to steal the fruit would likely be suicidal.
But now? Staying here meant certain death. If they took the risk, there was at least a slim chance of survival.
"But wouldn't going there now be suicide?"
Surely it was heavily guarded?
"Didn't you notice? The killing seems to have paused for a bit. And some of the Celestial Dragons look like they're in a hurry to leave. I think another force is involved. I'm not sure who, but this may be our only shot!"
Ginny didn't know what exactly was happening—and couldn't be sure of anything.
All she could do now was hope for the best.
When the Celestial Dragons had passed by her hiding spot earlier, they'd looked panicked—and that gave Ginny a hunch.
She wasn't sure if they were rushing to slaughter more slaves, but she didn't want to wait around to die.
Might as well take a gamble!
"Alright, I'll follow your lead."
Kuma nodded in agreement.
"I'll go too!"
Ivankov also didn't object. They'd survived this long thanks to Ginny, so he was willing to trust her judgment.
The three of them began quietly moving toward the area where the Devil Fruits were stored.
On the western shore of God Valley, a large force from the World Government was already stationed.
Once they learned the Rocks Pirates were arriving—and knew the likely landing point—the government had dispatched troops in advance to block them.
They were just there to buy time. Everyone posted here was expendable cannon fodder.
"Boys! Kill your way through! Anything you snatch from the island is yours! Let the World Government know the cost of stealing from the Rocks Pirates!!"
With Rocks' order, the pirates on deck immediately grew frenzied.
They already knew there were great treasures on the island—including top-tier Devil Fruits. Many of them came here dreaming of devouring a rare fruit and soaring to greatness.
Renji was a living example standing right in front of them!
"Oh? Fired up, aren't they?"
Renji twisted the magnetic field in his hand, then let it dissipate. Honestly, he was itching to unleash an electromagnetic storm right here.
After consuming the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, Renji discovered something terrifying: his Rumble-Rumble Fruit had awakened a new trait.
The interaction between the two fruits had shown him the overwhelming potential of electromagnetism. He was glad—grateful, even—that this had been the fruit he'd obtained.
"You're not going?"
Captain John walked past Renji and glanced back curiously. He wasn't going to wait. Any treasure he got, he was keeping.
No one touched his loot.
"Hmph. If I get that fruit, I'm not giving it to you."
Kaido walked by with a calm statement. Though Rocks had already decided who would get it, Kaido made his stance clear—if he snatched it, he'd eat it himself. Still, he had his eye more on the Mythical Zoan.
"I'd love to see how you plan to take it from me."
Renji replied calmly. He already knew exactly where the fruit was. That was the benefit of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit—it guided him straight along the trail of Ginny and the others.
And with the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, his mantra had become far more precise.
His electromagnetic sense allowed him to pinpoint exact positions—especially since Zoan types had distinct magnetic fields.
He pulled out a live-broadcast Den Den Mushi. He was fully prepared—today, he was going to make history.
As the Rocks Pirates stormed past, the human wall created by the World Government had already been shattered.
Countless pirates flooded into God Valley to plunder.
"Hello? Testing—can you hear me?"
Renji leaned toward the Den Den Mushi, curious. It was his first time using one of these.
The live-broadcast Den Den Mushi could transmit video feeds to any connected terminal. He'd grabbed it casually back at the auction house.
His face now appeared on screens across the Four Seas and parts of the Grand Line.
At Marine Headquarters, Kong stared at the image, teeth clenched.
"What the hell is this bastard doing?!"
He was broadcasting. Broadcasting footage from God Valley!
Elsewhere, a young Morgans—just getting his start—sensed an opportunity. He immediately ordered his News Coo birds into action and began relaying Renji's stream to as much of the world as possible.
He'd received insider information: Renji had killed a Celestial Dragon. And now, if Renji was broadcasting this… there was definitely a major scoop coming.
This was Morgans' chance to make his newspaper world-famous—to dominate global news.
Originally, the stream was limited. The World Government quickly moved to shut it down.
But thanks to Morgans' intervention, the only surviving feed was relayed through his network—and it continued spreading.
"Find out who's still broadcasting this!!"
At Mary Geoise, Saint Nasujuro gripped his sword, seething with fury. He wanted nothing more than to kill the person still transmitting.
If the truth about God Valley got out, the World Government's reputation would be in ruins.
Back in God Valley—
"Well? Is the feed working?"
Renji dialed a number using another Den Den Mushi. At Sabaody, one of his clones glanced at the transmission and replied:
"Yeah, it's working."
"Good. Keep monitoring it."
With confirmation secured, Renji blocked off the surrounding electromagnetic fields—leaving only his broadcast Den Den Mushi functional. All others instantly shut down.
The next second, his face reappeared on-screen, this time deliberately amplified.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Aida D. Renji, Fourth Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates. Right now, I'm speaking to you from God Valley."
He gestured calmly at the scenery behind him.
"That's right—this place doesn't appear on any map. But it's real. A very special location."
"It's the Celestial Dragons' private hunting ground. Right now, they're hosting a bloodsport—hunting and killing slaves for sport."
Renji explained the setting casually.
Since they had already decided to go to war with the World Government, there was no way he would let this golden opportunity go to waste.
God Valley was something the World Government would never want exposed.
So he would be the one to expose it.
He wasn't interested in playing the anonymous hero.
And as his words spread worldwide, Morgans could barely contain his excitement.
The stream bore the branding of his news company. How could he not be ecstatic? This was the story of the decade!
He wanted to hug Renji on the spot.
A man like a godsend!
Yes—keep going! Give us more! Give us something explosive!
"And now," Renji continued, "I'd like to play a game with the Celestial Dragons."
"You think of yourselves as gods, creators, rulers of the world."
"Well then—when faced with death, will you remain composed?"
"Now… the roles have reversed. Celestial Dragons, live on in your ugliness. Keep running, keep hiding—if you want to live."
"From this moment forward, I officially declare the Hunt begins."
"Let the world see if Celestial Dragon blood is any different from everyone else's."
A madman!
That's all the Celestial Dragons on God Valley could think.
A cold dread gripped their hearts.
They had never imagined the day would come when they were the hunted.
"That guy… he has to die, doesn't he?"
Saint Garling looked at the screen, a cruel sneer on his lips.
Hunting Celestial Dragons?
Broadcasting it to the world?
He would kill this man.
"CP—get the Celestial Dragons over here. Now!"
Saint Saturn's face was stormy as he gave the order.
He might've doubted others, but not Renji.
This lunatic had just killed a Celestial Dragon at Sabaody.
He would absolutely do it again.
(End of Chapter)
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