"Are you sure?"
Gringo's tone was icy, with a trace of doubt in it. Yet it was not hard to see that he had already accepted the outcome; the question was merely routine.
After all, since the Vivre Card technology had been created, it had never once malfunctioned.
Gringo did not like Elatin. In Gringo's eyes, Elatin's usual behavior was far too erratic.
Although his older brother was an official member of the Divine Knights, Elatin himself had failed even to enter their reserve ranks.
But a Celestial Dragon dying at the hands of outsiders was something that had never happened in centuries.
To Gringo, who treasured their glory above all else, it was an insult to every one of them.
Of course, there were still people who dared attack Celestial Dragons. Rocks was one such example, and the pirates who had charged in alongside Rocks feared neither that title nor its authority.
As long as someone took the lead, there was no telling what those lawless pirates might do.
"Hand over our pirate treasure!"
A pirate swung his blade at Gringo, only for a bullet fired from the side to punch through his head.
"Gringo, what are you doing? I have no interest in attending your funeral on behalf of the Manmaya Family."
A female Celestial Dragon held a musket adorned with precious gems, continuously firing upon the pirates coming ashore. Every bullet that left its barrel was wrapped in powerful Armament Haki.
This was also one of the sea's defining truths: a marksman's strength was inseparable from the power of their own Haki.
"How could trash like this possibly hurt me? Who leaked the island's secret? How did these pirates know that thing was on this island...?"
"Hey! Gringo, my little brother—!"
"I know! Divine Knights, assemble! Eliminate the enemies before us as quickly as possible, then search the place where Elatin was last seen. Find him, then wipe this island from existence!"
Gringo's fighting style shifted from defense to offense, and he even charged alone into the pirate landing force.
"Die, all of you!"
"Newgate!"
In Gringo's eyes, there was no distinction between man and woman; everyone was a target to be killed. Yet when he closed in on a female pirate, she merely called out a name.
"Gurararara! Bakin, leave this to me. Go find those treasures!"
A towering figure appeared before Gringo in an instant, and a massive naginata blocked his advance.
"We can't hold them back! There are too many pirates! Have the reinforcements not arrived yet?!"
Members of the Divine Knights held back some of the monsters from the Rocks Pirates, but that was the problem: they were not the only pirate crew here. The Marines' defenses were gradually being broken through...
"The reinforcements are here! It's Vice Admiral Garp! We're saved!"
"Tell me where Roger is, now!"
The Marines believed reinforcements had arrived, but the purpose of those reinforcements seemed entirely different from what they had expected.
At the same time, within a canyon of God Valley, the energy within the Hex Core had finished charging. Among the gathered crowd, countless complicated emotions flickered in their eyes.
Not long before, Oran had returned and completed the final inspection of the device, gradually linking the core with the external equipment.
Elatin, who had been captured and brought back, was tied to a hastily constructed platform.
The people who had returned with Oran were telling everyone else about Oran's earlier feat.
"You're saying the one on that platform... is a Celestial Dragon?"
"Yeah, a Celestial Dragon. We saw it with our own eyes. That guy wasn't weak either; things nearly went wrong.
But Mr. Mask was even stronger. He cut off an entire mountaintop with one slash..."
In corners beyond Oran's awareness, rumors were gradually becoming more and more absurd. At the very least, Oran himself had no idea when he had ever cut off a mountaintop.
"Why is that Celestial Dragon's face so swollen?"
"Of course he was beaten. See that shoeprint? That was from me stepping on him. Back then, the situation was..."
All sorts of versions spread through the crowd, but they ultimately agreed on one point: they had truly captured a Celestial Dragon.
These participants seemed even more excited than Oran himself.
As for Oran, after finishing the facility adjustments, he stood silently in place. From time to time, he glanced at the timer on his wrist, waiting for the device to finish charging and for further news.
Boom!
A streak of white light cut through the air, and a paw-shaped crater appeared in the ground. Before long, Ivankov climbed out from inside it.
"Oran! The operation succeeded! Bear is rescuing the other people on the island. He said not to wait for him; when the time comes, we can evacuate directly!"
Ivankov rose to his feet, his face covered in dust. Their plan had succeeded halfway. Although they had seized two Fruits, Charlotte Linlin had intercepted the Fish-Fish Fruit midway. Only Bear had eaten the Paw-Paw Fruit and sent Ivankov flying back here.
Ivankov's landing seemed to mark the beginning. Soon afterward, people were sent back one after another, while others were sent by Bear to distant islands. In his own way, Bear was saving even more people.
"Perfect. I'm ready here as well. Everyone! Look over here. This is a Celestial Dragon. Can you see what makes him different from you?!"
At the same time Oran spoke, even fiercer fighting seemed to erupt in the center of God Valley. The clash of Haki roared like raging thunder, and the booming echoes in the air drew everyone's attention. Then a scream jolted them awake.
On the hastily built platform, a flash of blood entered their sight. Along with that scream, a sharp blade pierced Elatin's body.
The agonizing pain woke him. Looking down at the crowd below, Elatin tried to speak, but Oran drove his sword through his throat, pinning him to the frame.
The crowd erupted in shocked cries. Witnessing such a thing with their own eyes was far more shocking than hearing someone describe it.
But the uproar was quickly replaced by dead silence, because Oran raised his hand again.
Oran swept his gaze across the crowd below. Fear, confusion, excitement, joy, relief—countless emotions continued to grow among them.
After clearing his throat, Oran spoke loudly:
"Look at this Celestial Dragon, the Celestial Dragon who sees you as prey and dust!
Right now, he is just as fragile a human as you are. He is no nobler than you, nor is he any more special.
They are made of flesh and blood too. They bleed too. They, too, feel fear!"
The arrogance in Elatin's eyes vanished. Since the day he was born, this Celestial Dragon felt the threat of death for the first time. The life draining from his throat and chest filled him with terror from the depths of his heart.
As Oran's words fell, murmurs began to rise from the crowd below, and an unprecedented light shone in their eyes.
They could not resist the Celestial Dragons. That had practically become an instinct carved into their very beings. Even after every path of retreat had been cut off, they had never realized that they could still fight with everything they had.
But today, before their very eyes, Oran had personally torn apart the myth surrounding the Celestial Dragons.
"Freedom does not fall from the sky, nor is it bestowed by others! And it can never be begged for!
Freedom can only be won when every person steps forward and resists bravely.
After today, we may never meet again in this lifetime. I do not know what the future will look like.
Everyone, for a better tomorrow, fight in your own way!"
Squelch!
The blade was pulled free, and blood sprayed uncontrollably from Elatin's neck. With a swing of Oran's arm, a head rolled down from the platform and struck the ground. Elatin's eyes remained filled with confusion and terror.
He still did not understand why those rabbits who only knew how to flee had suddenly found the courage to resist. If more people like that continued to appear...
Elatin never thought any further. His consciousness had already faded away. The last thing he saw was still that dazzling blue light—the light leading to freedom.
Before you continue