The Starting Place-God Valley

West Blue, God Valley.

A large number of warships had already surrounded the place. The World Government's flags fluttered in the wind, their black-and-blue cross symbols glaringly conspicuous beneath the sunlight.

Two towering mountains stood upon the island, their steep cliffs as sharp and imposing as though carved by blades and axes.

The sky was dark and thick with clouds, as if a torrential downpour could fall at any moment. Yet amid that gloom, a flash of light suddenly streaked across the sky.

Space twisted, and an eerie radiance blossomed forth.

Within the curtain of light, a massive ship slowly emerged. Its entire hull was forged from black metal, smooth as a mirror yet reflecting no light at all, giving it an air of mystery and solemnity.

Boom!

The light curtain in the sky vanished abruptly. With the sound of something heavy striking the ground, the mysterious Black Ship ran aground within the canyon.

Upon closer inspection, a gear-shaped mark could be seen engraved on the hull, declaring the ship's affiliation.

"Cough, cough... That caused quite a commotion this time..."

Amid a fit of coughing, a figure stepped out from the cabin. Even the surrounding dust could not conceal his pale blue eyes.

His short-to-medium pink hair looked both distinctive and vibrant, while his glasses seemed to lend him a touch of scholarly refinement.

"But the impact test was a success. An impact of that degree can no longer affect me. Now it's time to try another aspect."

The corners of his lips curled upward. He patted his chest in satisfaction, and as blue light flowed across it, the exoskeleton-like equipment on his body appeared to enter a new mode.

Before he could begin the next round of testing, however, he noticed a new problem. This environment was completely different from where he had previously docked his ship.

"Again?"

Apparently, this was not the first time he had experienced something like this. The man did not panic. He checked the instrument on his wrist monitoring his physical condition, confirmed that he was not dreaming, then began inspecting the ship's equipment.

"The compass is damaged, part of the power supply system is damaged, the defense system is functioning normally, and no supplies are missing... Not bad. It's not as bad as I thought.

But where is this? Bilgewater doesn't have anything like this... Ionia?"

The man was puzzling over where he had been sent while attempting to repair the damaged compass when a shout came from the distance.

"Hey, little brother, are you trying to sail away from here? Give it up, it's impossible. The Navy has already surrounded God Valley. No ship can leave this place! Hee-haw!"

Though the nearby cliff face was steep, it had several natural rock platforms. At that moment, an exaggeratedly large face appeared from one of the lower platforms.

A man with a large face was lying at the edge of the cliff and waving at him. Someone stood behind him, tugging him back to keep him from falling straight down.

As the words "God Valley" entered his mind, the man realized that something was wrong. For example, the language spoken here was not one he normally used.

Fortunately, he was fluent in many languages, so that was not a problem.

The man's name was Xidilier Oran. Unsurprisingly, he had no parents.

He had finally succeeded in getting into graduate school, only to encounter a life-resetting incident right before graduation.

His soul had arrived in Piltover on Valoran, the world of League of Legends—a city highly developed in both commerce and technology.

This time, Oran had received the double blessing of the orphan buff as well.

This wondrous continent held countless mysteries. One night, Oran discovered his talent—dreams.

That was also why Oran had first checked whether he was in a dream world.

Every night, he would inevitably enter dreams. Unlike ordinary people, Oran's dreams seemed connected to fantastical places, even surpassing the limits of time and space in certain aspects.

Through countless nights, his knowledge grew rapidly. He gradually made a name for himself in Piltover, becoming a rising talent whose reputation nearly rivaled Heimerdinger's.

Heimerdinger held a prominent academic position in Piltover, and his accomplishments were all genuine. That was the highest praise possible for a newcomer.

Earlier, Oran had personally sailed to Bilgewater to purchase a batch of special materials and discuss a new business deal. Unexpectedly, after an experiment during his downtime, he seemed to have encountered that mysterious phenomenon once more.

Even his body had changed during the process. He had become much younger, returning to the appearance of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old.

Thanks to his dream ability, Oran possessed an exceptional memory. Even though more than twenty years had passed since he arrived in Valoran, he still remembered some things from before, including the term "God Valley."

But only major events, such as the final outcome of a certain war.

As for the specific details, he could no longer remember them clearly.

There were two people questioning Oran. Besides the strange, afro-haired man with the large face, there was also a little girl. Both looked filthy, and targets were painted on their clothes.

"Don't just stand there, little brother. My goal is to survive. You don't want to wait here to die, do you? If that's the case, I won't waste my time here. Hee-haw!"

After confirming that Oran had noticed him, the large-faced man stood up and struck a strange pose, continuing to wait for Oran's answer.

"First, let's establish one thing. What are your names?"

"My name is Ginny, and this is my big brother Ivankov. Is that really so important? And little brother, shouldn't you tell us your own name?

Or is your name actually Little Brother?"

Ginny kept stuffing food into her mouth as she spoke. The blackened food did not look appetizing, but she ate it with great relish.

"Just call me Oran. Come down and we can talk. Your goal is to survive, so you must have some kind of plan, right?"

The somewhat familiar names, combined with God Valley, allowed Oran to determine the time and the exact event. He was now completely certain where he had ended up.

Compared to the birthplace of Valoran he had initially suspected, this place was utterly terrible.

Ivankov had not yet become the Okama King, but that face was already eye-catching enough. According to Oran's memories, Ivankov had definitely escaped successfully. Otherwise, there would have been no Okama King in the future.

However, Oran had no intention of simply following him. Better rely on himself than beg others for help. Only he himself was truly reliable. His appearance here was already a variable, and placing his future in someone else's hands would not be wise.

Oran remembered some things about God Valley. Whether it was great pirates like Rocks and Roger, Navy officers like Garp, or Saturn, one of the Five Elders, nearly every notable figure of the future could be seen here.

Yet they all shared one thing in common: no one cared about the ordinary people on the island. If they did not want the World Government to erase them here, they had to rely on themselves.

Oran needed Ivankov and Ginny to provide specific information about the island so he could devise his own countermeasures. If he had enough time, the things aboard his ship could handle this situation.

Ivankov's reason for approaching him was simple as well. He knew that he and Ginny lacked the ability to escape alone, so they needed helpers to form an escape team.

Whether they were slaves or original residents of God Valley, they were all prey for the Celestial Dragons. Thus, they naturally shared the same position.

While searching for companions, they had been drawn here by the noise. When Ivankov and Ginny arrived, they saw the Black Ship, which had already completed its journey through space.

Using trees and vines, Ivankov and Ginny slid down from a gentler slope and made their way to the foot of Oran's ship.

The pitch-black hull was entirely unlike the ships common on the sea, and its metallic sheen was even rarer to see.

Before they could think too much about it, Oran tossed down a rope ladder. After exchanging a glance, the two climbed onto the deck one after the other.

However, their formal meeting was not particularly friendly. The moment their feet touched the deck, what appeared to be seamless decking flipped open, and two black cannon barrels extended from within, aiming directly at them.

"Don't be nervous. It's just my ship's automated defense system. Come aboard. As long as you don't make any hostile moves, they won't attack you."

Seeing Ivankov and Ginny at a loss, Oran motioned for them to relax.

The seas of Valoran were far from peaceful, so Oran's ship was naturally equipped with plenty of heavy firepower. That was also why he dared to let strangers board it. In a sense, it was also a way of warning strangers not to try anything reckless.

The panic in Ivankov's eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by delight. Meeting someone with a large amount of weaponry under these circumstances was not a bad thing.

"Stop staring. If we need them, I'll naturally put them to proper use. Now then, tell me what intelligence you have."

Oran could see what Ivankov was thinking. He did not care about a few weapons. As long as they could be put to use, that was enough.

Under these circumstances, sharing some supplies for the ultimate goal was no problem.

"Let me explain. You probably don't know about this, but in short, those Celestial Dragons organize an event like this every so often.

Disobedient slaves, slaves they dislike, criminals, and the native residents of whichever country they choose as the venue all become their prey.

They hunt for three weeks. Everyone on the island will be slaughtered, and the island will become new territory for the World Government."

Ginny explained the intelligence she had gathered. The Celestial Dragons needed time to choose a location and prepare the event, and traveling to their destination also took time. That window of time was exactly what Ginny and Ivankov had seen as an opportunity.

"The Celestial Dragons give prizes to the winners of the event, and those prizes are the key to our escape."

"Prizes?"

As Ginny explained the plan, Oran also rechecked the ship's equipment. In this situation, he needed to confirm what aboard the ship could be useful and eliminate the possibility of accidents.

"That's right. I'm personally an expert in theft and wiretapping. Two of the prizes are the highest-grade Devil Fruit that lets whoever eats it transform into the mythical Azure Dragon.

And the Paw-Paw Fruit, which can send yourself or others flying to distant islands. As long as we seize those two fruits, we can escape using their powers. If we're lucky, getting dozens more people out won't be impossible."

As she said that, Ginny waved a fist toward the sky as if cheering herself on, as though it would give her more confidence.

"Hee-haw! Little brother, that's our plan. Can the cannons on your ship be removed? The prizes are in the middle of the island, so we need to make proper preparations.

We need more people..."

Ivankov looked over everything on Oran's ship. Everything here was novel to him. Whether it was the special materials or the ship's equipment, he had never seen anything like them before.

Ginny's actions were not as obvious, but the curiosity in her eyes was equally impossible to hide.

"Those weapons aren't suitable for mobile use. Come with me. I do have some things that can be useful, and I can share my thoughts with you while we're at it.

A warning in advance: don't touch anything carelessly. It wouldn't be good if you got hurt."

Oran led the two toward the cabin. As he had said, they carefully followed behind him.

The automated defense cannons had achieved some effect. Though Ivankov and Ginny were curious about the things aboard the ship, they did not touch anything and temporarily buried their questions.

Because part of the power supply system was damaged, the cabin was rather dim. The unfamiliar environment made Ginny nervous, but she continued speaking anyway.

"I already sent the news out earlier. I hope those prizes can attract other people. In any case, that's all for now. Is there anything you want to add?"

Ginny and Ivankov's plan did not yet have many details. After all, there was absolutely no way the two of them could succeed alone, so they had only created a rough framework.

"First, we can confirm that ordinary ships can't leave this place, right?"

"Yeah. The warships have already surrounded the island. I don't know how strong those people are. Maybe even flying out would be difficult...

Your ship looks impressive, but it can't withstand that kind of firepower..."

Ivankov's expression was grim. Their plan had only found a sliver of hope amid despair; it had not changed the situation at its root.

"Then what do you think of this?"

After passing through a corridor, Oran returned to his workshop. He took out a pair of spherical objects from a box on the table and secured them there.

The surfaces of the spheres were not a single metallic color, but covered in intricate golden decorations. Those decorations formed precise mechanical patterns, as though telling some unknown story.

When Oran pressed a switch, faint cracks appeared across the spheres. Through the gaps, a deep blue glow could be seen at their cores.

Under Ivankov and Ginny's puzzled gazes, Oran casually picked up a screwdriver from the table and placed it at one end of one sphere.

The next moment, accompanied by the sound of gears turning, brilliant blue light gathered in ripples. The screwdriver was gradually assimilated by the light, while the gears on the outside of the other sphere began to rotate, and its port lit up at that moment.

As specks of blue light gathered once more, the screwdriver appeared intact before the other sphere.