The World's Gaze

"Head this way. We should run into them soon, but are you just leaving your ship here?"

Ginny roughly confirmed the direction, then looked at Oran's ship. Though this valley was originally deserted, there was still a chance it could be discovered.

"Of course I prepared for that. You'll see once we get up there."

After Oran and the others left the bottom of the valley, Ginny discovered in surprise that the ship which had been parked there had simply vanished.

"Huh? Where's the ship?"

"It's still there. I just activated the ship's holographic camouflage. You won't be able to see it unless you walk right into it. With the ship's automated weapons on top of that, it should be fine for a while."

Oran vaguely remembered that an unprecedented battle would erupt on this island, and in the end, the entire island would vanish from the map. Otherwise, they might have been able to try hiding here.

Oran's ship had originally been docked at an ordinary port, so there had naturally been no need to activate such a device. That was why Ivankov and the others had been able to see Oran's ship earlier.

"But we need to hurry. Some of my ship's equipment is damaged, including part of the power supply system. The backup energy can only last for a while. Also, put this on."

Oran handed Ginny something resembling a gas mask. It was an air filter, a necessity for living in Zaun, though its purpose now was to conceal her face.

"Cover your face. I have other plans once we get out, and I don't want to end up directly on their wanted list. You don't want the World Government's lackeys watching you the moment you get out either, right?"

The World Government's control over intelligence was not particularly strong. After all, they had not even managed to control public opinion. Perhaps they simply did not think it was worth managing.

In theory, as long as someone did not touch upon the Void Century, the World Government would not keep a close watch on them.

Oran was merely taking precautions. Given the widespread face blindness across the seas, wearing a mask was already showing them plenty of respect.

"Um... what about mine?"

Ivankov had thought Oran would give him one as well, but after waiting for quite a while—even after Ginny had adjusted the straps—Oran still made no move.

"Your face is too big. I don't have a size that fits you, so just make do by covering it with cloth."

It was not that Oran was discriminating against Ivankov. It was simply that his build—or rather, his face shape—made it impossible for him to use ordinary equipment. In the end, they could only resort to the crude method.

At the same time, in an open area of God Valley, towering stone pillars stood everywhere, surrounded by sparse shrubs and moss.

A small stream wound down from the mountain ravine, its waters babbling softly. Then suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps shattered the tranquility.

A boy, burlier than an average adult yet with an exceedingly youthful face, was desperately fleeing.

His shaved head was covered in scars, and his ragged clothes were full of tears. The chains on his hands and the target sewn onto his clothes made it clear that he too was a slave.

Those chasing him were not Marines or Celestial Dragons, but a group of slaves dressed exactly like him.

Amid a string of curses, a stone flew in from behind and struck the back of the boy's head dead on.

His eyes rolled white, and his huge body collapsed onto the grass.

The people who caught up with him still seemed unsatisfied. They raised the wooden clubs in their hands and smashed them down on the boy's body while cursing furiously.

"Bastard! Groups of ten share responsibility! If you run away, we'll all die! Who told you to escape?!"

Only after the wooden club snapped did the man finally feel satisfied. He called to his companions and prepared to drag the boy back.

But just as he grabbed the boy's foot, a rope net shot over from afar and bound him tightly.

"My lord! My lord! We've already caught the one who tried to escape! Please don't hurt me! We've already made up for our previous mistake!"

Not only did the man bound in the rope net make no attempt to break free, he immediately threw himself facedown on the ground and began pleading loudly. The slaves beside him also dropped to their knees in unison.

In their eyes, only Celestial Dragons in the present-day God Valley would do something like this. And before the Celestial Dragons, obedience had long been carved into their bones.

"You idiots. No one is even watching you, yet you're willing to work for the people who want to kill you. You really do love being slaves."

A faintly mocking voice came from the distance. Oran had fired the net round just now.

Ginny could not handle the recoil of the Net Gun, so Oran had taken the weapon for himself.

Looking at these remarkably obedient slaves, Oran had no words for them beyond pitiful.

The boy lying on the ground groggily opened his eyes again.

By then, Ivankov and Ginny had already followed Oran over.

"So this is someone from the Buccaneer Tribe? He really is huge. I heard you have Giant race blood. Is that true?"

Ivankov studied him curiously. Based on the information Ginny had stolen earlier, the Celestial Dragons were all very interested in this special prey.

"Ivan, we can talk about that later. How about it? Can you still stand?"

Oran extended a hand to the boy. Perhaps sensing the goodwill, the boy responded. With Oran's help, he stood up again.

"Thank you... You are...?"

"Just some people planning to leave this place. At least you knew to run. Want to join us?"

In Oran's eyes, those who did not even dare think of escaping were not worth winning over. It would already be good enough if such people did not cause trouble. The boy agreed without hesitation; for him, there had never been much of a choice.

"Wait! You can't take him away! If he gets away, we won't be able to answer to the Celestial Dragons!"

"Capture them all. Maybe if the Celestial Dragons are pleased, they'll give us some rewards..."

Unable to resist the powerful, they chose instead to curry favor with their masters by bullying those weaker than themselves. That was the choice made by some slaves.

Even when they wagged their tails and begged for mercy, they still ended up being treated as prey for amusement.

The slaves had the numerical advantage. After exchanging glances, they seemed to agree with the person who had spoken earlier.

Several of them approached in a half-encircling formation.

"You idiots really are stupid beyond belief. Even if you catch us, do you think the Celestial Dragons will spare you?!"

Ivankov raised his gun and aimed it at them, but Oran's earlier actions had shown that the weapon only fired nonlethal nets, so it failed to scare them off.

"What else can we do? There's no way to escape this place. Those are the Celestial Dragons..."

Though they spoke the most cowardly words, they continued to close in. Oran merely raised his arm in response, and the blue cylindrical tubes embedded in the exoskeleton on his arm began to charge.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, several sharp ice spikes shot from Oran's armguard.

There was no violent explosion, but when the ice spikes struck the ground, they kicked up a frost storm across a small area.

A moment later, only several ice sculptures remained on the ground.

Hextech GLP-800, commonly known as the Ice Gun. Compared to the police net gun, this Hex Core-powered weapon was far more lethal.

Having lived in Valoran for so many years and possessing countless "dreams," Oran would not be softhearted when it came time to act. He had no time to waste on people determined to curry favor with their masters, so he chose a brutal solution.

"Stop standing around. This isn't just an escape—it's a special kind of war. Since they've decided to become our enemies, this is the inevitable result. People always die in war.

Let's go. We'll find people willing to resist. Hopefully, there'll be fewer idiots like them."

After calling out to Ginny and the others, the group continued through the mountains of God Valley.

Compared to the situation in God Valley, the outside world was even more tense.

Some time earlier, in the New World, on Hachinosu Island.

Because an outrageous number of pirates gathered there, it was also known to the outside world as Pirate Island.

And among those pirates, the strongest force was undoubtedly the Rocks Pirates.

Having received the information Ginny had released, the entire Rocks Pirates crew had already set out for God Valley.

"The Rocks Pirates have set sail! They beat us to it!"

"Quick, follow them! This is a major event in the pirate world!"

Countless pirates streamed out, crossing the Calm Belt from the New World toward the West Blue.

Not long afterward, the Marines also received news that the pirates had set sail.

At Marine Headquarters, the current Fleet Admiral, Kong, irritably fiddled with the Den Den Mushi in his hand as he reviewed the intelligence gathered by the Marines.

"That's the situation, Garp. It hasn't been confirmed yet, but if it's true, we'll be in trouble. So I can only ask you to handle it."

"Huh? Why would the Celestial Dragons all run off to such a remote island? A school trip?

I'm not going. They must've brought enough guards with them, right? What's there to be afraid of?"

On another island, Garp lay leisurely in a recliner, with no intention of moving at all.

"I can't tell you the exact details. I only heard that Roger went to that island too."

"What? Why didn't you say so earlier? I'm leaving right now!"

For a time, the top combat forces of both the pirates and Marines began heading toward God Valley. A clash for a new era seemed to have officially begun at that very moment.