Only one figure didn't hesitate for a second and chased after them—that was Garp. Meanwhile, Blood Hand Braille and Golden Buddha Sengoku paused to think it over before deciding to prioritize rescuing the Celestial Dragons!
The war erupted once again!
Without Rocks holding things down, the officers of the Rocks Pirates couldn't stand up to the Navy's elite leaders. Candidates for Admiral like Braille and Jung, along with headquarters elite Vice Admirals Golden Buddha Sengoku and Black Arm Zephyr...
Each one was a powerhouse capable of handling things on their own. In an instant, they suppressed the Rocks Pirates crew lingering in the front section of the Celestial Dragons' palace, rescuing some of the captured World Nobles!
As soon as these Celestial Dragons were freed, their savage nature burst out. They even started whipping and mutilating the pirates' corpses to vent their rage!
They gunned down the fleeing slaves one by one, too. This brutality made even the Navy officers frown. Killing pirates was one thing—they had no issue with that—but slaughtering slaves who were begging for mercy? Many Marines looked away and charged toward the endless rear section of the palace instead!
"Haha! I remember you—you're Sengoku, right? Hurry up and take out those pirates! We'll promote you to Admiral candidate right away. And if you drive off Rocks and Brook, you'll jump straight to full Admiral—no problem!"
A middle-aged Celestial Dragon had just finished whipping a pirate's body and killing a few slaves, his face smeared with blood. He dropped the feral grin and looked at Golden Buddha Sengoku with approval. This Vice Admiral was strong, and now he'd saved him once!
He'd have to reward him handsomely when they got back!
The expressions on candidates for Admiral Braille and Jung shifted subtly, but they masked it quickly!
The situation was dire—they needed to act fast to save more Celestial Dragons. Otherwise, not only would they miss out on merit, but they'd take the blame!
They knew that Admiral Kong was about to be promoted to Fleet Admiral in the next few years. And with Admiral Devo possibly getting taken out by Brook, that would open up two Admiral spots. They still had a shot at promotion!
But the two Admiral candidates couldn't help feeling irritated by Golden Buddha Sengoku. Not only was this guy favored by Fleet Admiral, but now the Celestial Dragons were naming him for a promotion. His rank could shoot past theirs in no time, jumping from headquarters Vice Admiral straight to Admiral!
That left a sour taste in the mouths of these two candidates!
"Saint Jefferson, you're too kind. But it's still extremely dangerous here. We'll arrange soldiers to escort you back to the Holy Land Mary Geoise immediately. Please head to the warships!"
Golden Buddha Sengoku replied humbly yet firmly. Deep down, he disapproved of the Celestial Dragons' cruelty, but these were the ones who held the reins of the World Government. He couldn't afford to offend them—not yet!
He had to climb the ladder step by step, reaching higher positions to gain real power. Only then could he start changing the world according to his own vision!
"Right, right—get us out of here first!"
Saint Jefferson immediately remembered how terrifying Rocks and Brook were. Better to run now—he wasn't ready to die! He hadn't enjoyed life enough yet!
"Make sure you take down those damn pirates and get my treasures back!!"
Saint Jefferson couldn't resist barking orders before leaving. Those wretched pirates had stolen his entire collection! And who the hell had knocked him out when he opened his vault?
If he found out, they'd be skinned and tortured to death—that's the only way to quench his fury!
...
With the first batch of Celestial Dragons safely away, Blood Hand Braille and the others pressed on to aid the rest. The whole God Valley was in utter chaos now—pirates, Navy, slaves running wild everywhere!
Captain John and Silver Axe had managed to corner over a dozen Celestial Dragons, stripping them clean. But still no sign of the Devil Fruits Rocks had mentioned. Frustration was setting in!
So far, they hadn't snagged a single Devil Fruit!
It was unbelievable!
Everyone knew Celestial Dragons didn't eat Devil Fruits—they even fed them to slaves as gifts. How could they not find any?!
Suddenly, bursts of sword energy exploded—experts were clashing!
Rocks, shrouded in swirling dark matter, furiously blocked the Roger Pirates, these thieves. His rage was beyond control!
"Hand over everything you've stolen!!!"
Rocks eyed the Roger Pirates, loaded down with loot. They'd even raided the lavish palace at the island's central peak—maybe the Devil Fruits were with them!
"If it's treasure you want, we'll give it back!!"
Roger gripped his famous sword Ace. After trading a few blows with Rocks earlier, he knew he was outmatched. That monstrous strength made even him feel inferior!
He'd gotten the rubbings of the red Poneglyph—that was enough. Treasure? He didn't care much for it. Not when his crew's lives were on the line—money meant nothing compared to that!
"I want the Devil Fruits—hand them over now!"
Rocks roared. Did this guy think he could brush him off with treasure? Did he look like he needed that crap?
"We don't have any Devil Fruits!!!"
Roger and his crew were baffled. They'd really just copied the historical text and grabbed some valuables—no Devil Fruits in sight!
"I'm gonna slaughter you all!"
Rocks lashed out, convinced they were lying even on death's door. Terrifying black sword energy whistled through the air, plunging the Roger Pirates into crisis!
Rocks alone took on the whole Roger Pirates crew, easily suppressing the combo. Roger and his top fighters hadn't hit their peak yet—they couldn't beat Rocks!
Without outside help, the Roger Pirates might get wiped out by Rocks single-handedly!
But Roger, the child of the era, had fate on his side. Garp, chasing Brook's flying fleet, just happened to stumble into the fight!
The reckless Garp charged into the battle between the Roger Pirates and Rocks—as a Navy man, no less. It made no sense!
And just like that, these three from the D clan clashed. To protect his crew, Roger erupted with blood-red steam, activating the D clan's life-burning secret technique. Finally, with Garp's help, they barely held off Rocks' ferocious assault!
...
While that massive fight raged, it actually benefited the Hell Pirates. Golden Lion Shiki had already lifted an entire section of palace into the air, and Parrot had returned to the Golden Ark with an insanely valuable haul!
But Brook didn't have time to tally the spoils yet. He kept dispatching his men to strip God Valley clean—time was short, so they had to make the most of it!
The Rocks Pirates officers escorting Celestial Dragon captives ran smack into the Navy—battle erupted in an instant. The Hell Pirates' raiding teams bumped into them too!
Soon enough, Brook and his crew—hunters of Devil Fruit users and Celestial Dragons—rushed in and jumped straight into the fray!
Beast Kaido, Kozuki Oden, and Fisher Tiger howled as they charged at the Celestial Dragons captured by Captain John. The chaotic battle kicked off, with no one able to tell friend from foe.
The Rocks Pirates officers, wary of Brook's group, ditched the Celestial Dragons and fled with their treasure. The Navy leaders, tasked with protecting the nobles, had no choice but to fight to the death!
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Fanfic is finished 955 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg