Rumors of God Valley

Rocks's summons was like a stone thrown into a still lake. Hachinosu looked no different on the surface, but Lin Yuan knew the undercurrents below had begun to stir.

Ginny had been run off her feet lately. Her intelligence network stretched from the South Blue to the New World, her informants had grown from three to more than a dozen, and reports came in every day. Documents formed a small mountain on the desk, while the account books were stacked higher than her knees.

"Lin Yuan, take a look at this." She set a document in front of him and rubbed her aching eyes.

Lin Yuan looked down. The headline read: "Celestial Dragons' Hunting Game, held once every three years, to take place at God Valley this year."

"God Valley?" Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes.

"That's right. A small island that isn't an Affiliated Nation, nothing special. But this year's hunt is bigger than ever. Apparently, several Celestial Dragon families will be taking part." Ginny pulled out another document. "And the World Government has shipped a lot of supplies there. Weapons, food, medicine, and Devil Fruits."

Lin Yuan's fingers paused.

"Devil Fruits?"

"Yes. The intelligence says there are at least five, all rare types. Some are Ancient Zoans, and there are Mythical Zoans too."

Ginny kept her voice low, as if she were sharing some illicit secret. In this world, information about Devil Fruits was highly classified in itself, especially when it concerned Ancient Zoans and Mythical Zoans.

Lin Yuan was silent for a long time.

At least five. Ancient Zoans and Mythical Zoans.

He knew that a great many valuable fruits had indeed appeared at God Valley in the original story, and that Kaido's Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon had been snatched from there. But hearing the news with his own ears still made his heart pound.

"When?" he asked.

"Three months from now."

On the training ground, Kaido was sparring with Bullet. They had been fighting all afternoon, and both were battered, but neither had called a halt.

Lin Yuan walked over and stood at the edge of the field.

"Hold it."

The two stopped and turned to look at him.

"What is it?" Kaido wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"God Valley. The Celestial Dragons' hunting ground," Lin Yuan said. "They're holding it there this year."

Kaido's smile faded. Of course he knew what God Valley was. The Celestial Dragons treated civilians as prey, slaughtering them on the island as they pleased. They cared nothing for human life or any rules. They were the gods of this world.

"You're going?" Kaido asked.

"Yes."

"What for?"

"To snatch people. Snatch fruits. Snatch everything we can."

Kaido stared at him for a few seconds, then grinned.

"Wororororo... fine. I'll go with you."

Bullet came over too. He had several bruises, but his gaze was as fierce as ever.

"I'm going too."

"You sure?" Lin Yuan looked at him. "There'll be Marine Vice Admirals, CP0, and the Celestial Dragons' guards. This is no game."

"When have I ever treated anything like a game?" Bullet snorted. "I went to war at eight and killed people at ten. God Valley? Isn't it just a bigger battlefield?"

Kuma stood up from the corner. He rarely spoke, but his gaze was unusually resolute now.

"I'm going too."

"Why?" Lin Yuan asked.

Kuma was silent for a moment.

"When I was little, I saw the Celestial Dragons slaughter a village. Everyone in it, not one left alive. I survived by lying in a pile of corpses for a whole day and night." His voice was calm, but the hand holding his account book trembled slightly. "I don't want to see that happen again."

King said nothing. He simply stood on high ground, the flames behind him burning more fiercely. The golden firelight shone on his brown skin, making him look like a silent statue.

Moria tightened his grip on his scissors.

"Count me in."

"You're going too?" Lin Yuan looked at him. "You haven't even mastered Armament Haki yet."

"I can master it there." Moria gritted his teeth. "I don't want to be alone anymore."

Lin Yuan glanced over the group.

Kaido, Bullet, King, Kuma, Moria. Five people. Six with him.

Not many. But enough.

"No rush," he said. "We still have three months. For those three months, every one of you is going to train like your life depends on it."

Ginny's intelligence reports grew more frequent, with new information arriving every day.

"God Valley is heavily guarded. The Marines have sent at least two Vice Admirals, and CP0 has more than a dozen people there. The Celestial Dragons have brought their own guards too. I hear there's an elite force called the 'Holy Knights.'"

"What about the civilians on the island?"

"They've already been herded onto the island. There are probably several thousand of them." Ginny's voice grew a little tight. "The Celestial Dragons will release them, then hunt them down."

Lin Yuan knew what that looked like. He had seen it once in the South Blue. He had endured it then. This time, he didn't want to endure it again.

"What else?"

"There's also..." Ginny turned a page of the document. "We still don't know exactly what kinds of Devil Fruits the World Government shipped there. But an informant says one of them is a Mythical Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit."

Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

A Mythical Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit. That was Kaido's fruit. In the original story, Kaido had snatched it at God Valley.

"Keep a close eye on it," he said. "That fruit is as good as mine."

Ginny nodded and made a note on the document.

Word reached Morgans. He called soon afterward.

"Lin Yuan, have you heard about God Valley?"

"I have."

"You're going?"

"Yes."

Morgans was silent for a moment.

"It's dangerous there. Not the kind of danger you face raiding ships, either. People really will die."

"I know."

"And you're still going?"

"Yes."

Morgans sighed.

"All right. I'll keep an eye on it for you. If there's any news, I'll let you know right away."

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me," Morgans said. "I just don't want to lose a major customer."

Lin Yuan smiled and hung up.

At night, Lin Yuan sat alone on the terrace, gazing at the stars.

Ginny came up carrying two glasses of water.

"Still not going to sleep?"

"I can't sleep."

Ginny handed him a glass and sat down beside him.

"Lin Yuan, what do you think we'll be like after God Valley?"

"I don't know."

"Aren't you afraid?"

"I am. But I have to go anyway."

Ginny was silent for a moment. She looked out at the sea, where moonlight shimmered on the water.

"You're always like this."

"Like what?"

"Carrying everything on your own." Ginny turned to look at him. "You have us, you know? You're not alone."

Lin Yuan was taken aback.

Ginny rarely said things like that. Usually, she kept the accounts, sorted intelligence, and scolded Kaido for eating too much. Hearing such gentle words from her took Lin Yuan a little off guard.

"I know," he said.

Ginny took a sip of water and stood up.

"I'm going to bed. You should get some sleep too."

"Yeah."

Ginny left.

Lin Yuan continued gazing at the stars.

The waves beat against the rocks, one after another.

Three months. He had three months left.

In three months, everything would change.

(End of chapter 31)