Setting Out, I Want to Be a God Valley Minion!

As a Cat-Cat Fruit, Ice Zheng had a form resembling both tiger and leopard, which also meant its explosive power was exceptionally formidable.

However, Vikengam had yet to test just how powerful it truly was. Still, his speed had improved tremendously.

At the same time, his reflexes had become sharper as well. Perhaps that was also thanks to the Cat-Cat Fruit?

Tomorrow, he would set sail with Saint Saturn and the others for God Valley. Though everyone regarded it as nothing more than the usual triennial "field trip," something they had long since grown accustomed to, Vikengam knew otherwise.

Vikengam knew very well that once they arrived at God Valley, it would become the most elite battlefield on these seas!

Even the Summit War that would later erupt at Marine Headquarters—Marineford seemed somewhat inferior when compared to God Valley.

Garling, who was stronger than him right now, would be nothing more than a speed bump in that place, casually sliced apart like a melon by the monsters of the sea. Vikengam himself was even less worth mentioning.

Clearly, that would not be his stage. Once he reached God Valley and the war broke out, he would be nothing more than background scenery, a lowly minion.

In a war of that level, someone at his level would not be much different from Saint Shepherd, who had just passed near his house. The aftermath of a clash between top experts alone would be enough to leave him struggling to cope.

Therefore, in this extremely short period, Vikengam focused his ability development on two directions.

One was strengthening his defenses, and the other was increasing his speed.

In short, survival came first, opportunism second. If he could coast, he would coast; if it was time to run, he would run.

"God Valley obviously isn't a stage where I can stir up the winds and clouds yet. But if my Haki can upgrade my Sharingan to the level of the Mangekyo Sharingan someday, then once I activate Susanoo and wrap myself in the power of Ice Zheng, this Mythical Zoan, won't I be able to slaughter everyone in my path?" Vikengam thought smugly.

As he entertained those thoughts, Vikengam's hands did not stop moving. This time, he was not training his resistance to blows, but developing another application of his ability.

"Frost-Heaven Mirror Image!" Vikengam said softly.

Biting cold erupted from beneath his feet in an instant, spreading at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, it covered the training ground, which was roughly the size of two football fields. The ground froze completely, while moisture in the air condensed into flakes of ice crystal that drifted slowly downward. Jagged, countless icy crystal pillars and spikes rose haphazardly all around, radiating frosty air and displaying their savage forms.

It truly deserved to be called the power that could freeze a thousand miles in rage—All Things Mournful Ice. Vikengam felt that if he continued developing the speed and intensity of this freezing power, its display of power might not be inferior at all to Kuzan's Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit.

In fact, in terms of sheer intensity, the frost power of a Mythical Zoan might even surpass natural frost.

Though he thought this, Frost-Heaven Mirror Image was clearly not merely meant to freeze and alter the surrounding environment. Vikengam held his hands before his abdomen, palms facing each other without quite touching. Between them, a wisp of cold swiftly condensed into a smooth mirror surface that reflected repeated flashes of icy light.

The instant that icy light aligned with the distant ice pillars, Vikengam's figure suddenly vanished from where he stood, leaving behind only a trace of freezing mist.

Immediately afterward, an ice pillar more than a hundred meters away shattered. Vikengam appeared there amid the exploding fragments of ice.

This was a high-speed movement technique Vikengam had conceived and developed, inspired by Haku's Ice Release Kekkei Genkai and Borsalino's "Yata Mirror," the latter being born in the same year as him and destined to become a Marine Admiral.

For now, one could still vaguely track his path by following the freezing mist, and its range was not very large, with a maximum limit of only around two hundred meters. But if he developed it further in the future, its potential was considerable.

Who knew? Once fully developed, it might even be called true long-range teleportation.

Still, being able to develop an application of his ability in such a short time was enough to prove that Vikengam truly possessed considerable talent for developing Fruit powers, even if this technique still seemed rather crude.

"So amazing, Master!" Bartholomew Kuma exclaimed when he saw Vikengam abruptly appear more than a hundred meters away as though he had teleported.

Hearing Bartholomew Kuma's praise, Vikengam smiled without becoming too pleased with himself.

Come to think of it, Bartholomew Kuma was the true master of teleportation—provided he could still obtain the Paw-Paw Fruit this time.

Time passed quickly, and early the next morning, Mary Geoise stirred with activity.

The gates of God's Residence opened wide as large numbers of Celestial Dragons began leaving in groups, heading toward the Red Port in the direction of West Blue.

There were many people in the accompanying procession. Nearly every Celestial Dragon brought along more than a dozen, or even dozens, of servants. From afar, the entire group looked like a vast sea of people, with too many heads to count.

Walking at the very front were naturally the members of God's Knights.

Saint Figarland Garling, who led the group, fantasized about soon winning the beauty's hand, becoming the wielder of the Azure Dragon Fruit, greatly increasing his strength, and roaming freely across the Four Blues. At the same time, he looked around.

Then he asked with slight confusion, "Why don't I see that Vikengam fellow?"

His status as a core figure of God's Knights naturally meant that he was exceptionally outstanding among the younger generation of Celestial Dragons. Garling had once believed that no one among that generation could possibly emerge as someone he would consider a rival.

That was until Saint Vikengam of House Jaygo Lucia began to show his brilliance several years ago.

In terms of strength, Vikengam could not be mentioned in the same breath as him right now. But in terms of talent, Vikengam had displayed even greater aptitude than Garling had in his youth. Saint Saturn had publicly praised him on several occasions. Who in Mary Geoise did not know of Saint Saturn's favoritism toward Vikengam?

Especially since he had heard that just two days ago, Saint Saturn had personally bestowed upon Vikengam the power of a Mythical Zoan Fruit.

Garling himself had not even become a Mythical Zoan user yet!

Thus, Garling attached great importance to Vikengam. According to his father, should changes occur in God's Knights in the future, Vikengam would be a formidable rival for his position as commander, or even for the post of commander-in-chief someday!

It was even highly possible that if Imu took notice of Vikengam, it would affect Garling's standing in Imu's eyes.

That was right. As the current commander of God's Knights, Garling had signed the Deep-Sea Contract. Naturally, he was among the very few Celestial Dragons who knew of Imu's existence. He understood very clearly that while God's Knights appeared to be the blade protecting the Celestial Dragons, in truth, they were Imu's blade.

Of course, although he vaguely felt that Vikengam would become his rival, Garling was too proud to suppress Vikengam at a time like this.

It was not that he had never entertained such thoughts. More importantly, neither he nor his father could afford to offend Saint Saturn, one of the Five Elders. In this era, the Figarland Family was ultimately still inferior to the Jaygarcia Family.

Thus, in the eyes of outsiders, Garling played the role of a "good big brother" who was happy to see rising talents strive forward, who was united and friendly, and who had the magnanimity to tolerate others.

As his slightly puzzled words fell, Saint Shepherd Sommers, a mainstay of God's Knights who followed beside him half a step behind, grinned and said, "He boarded the Marine Admiral's warship with old man Saturn early this morning. He won't be traveling with us."

Although Sommers held a lower position than Garling within God's Knights, from a broader perspective, his status was somewhat more impressive.

For example, Garling would never dare call Jaygarcia Saturn Saint "old man." He would only respectfully address him as "Saint Saturn" or "Lord Saturn."

But Sommers dared to do so, and the reason needed no explanation. He was a direct descendant of the Shepherd Family, one of the Five Elders' families, and also its young master. His standing within the Shepherd Family was equivalent to Vikengam's standing in the Jaygarcia Family.

As young masters of the Five Elders' families, all five could use more intimate forms of address for the five supreme authorities.

Garling felt a little displeased upon hearing that, but outwardly, he appeared to breathe a sigh of relief. "That's good. Sailing across the sea is risky, after all. I was thinking of having him travel beside us so I could protect him. It seems he has a better choice now, so I'm relieved."

With both a Marine Admiral and Saint Saturn aboard the same warship, its strength and security were clearly higher than theirs.

Sommers, meanwhile, had no particular feelings toward Vikengam. In fact, the two got along rather well, since Sommers was also the young master of a Five Elders' family.

It was only because Saint Saturn would personally visit God Valley this time. If it had been his own family's elder instead, Sommers would likely be aboard the Marine Admiral's ship as well.

Boarding alone took nearly half a day before all those boisterous Celestial Dragons had finally embarked upon the fleet.

By the time noon approached, the Celestial Dragon fleet, escorted by multiple Marine warships, finally set sail slowly toward God Valley.