Dividing Forces (Monthly Ticket Veterans... ...Daisuki!)

As Annus described the appearances of the three people Yale needed to rescue to Lilith, the warships off the coast of God Valley also began trying to stop the Rocks Pirates' advance.

Though caught off guard and thrown into panic by the Rocks Pirates' sudden arrival, the Marines still displayed the discipline expected of a regular army when faced with an emergency.

"Fire!!"

The naval guns fired, accurately striking the bow of Rocks' Fury.

Yet instead of stopping them, it only boosted the Rocks Pirates' morale—

The sturdy timber used to build the ship was capable of withstanding cannon fire, and the explosion caused no real damage to the Fury.

The Fury charged straight through the barrage, capsizing the warships blocking its path and forcefully crashing onto the shore. Along the way, it even returned fire and sank a warship.

On every warship, the Marines could only watch helplessly as the pirates passed before their eyes.

"Quick! Get ashore too! We must stop them!"

The officers aboard the warships quickly reacted and issued their orders.

A great number of Celestial Dragons were currently on God Valley. If the pirates were allowed to charge in, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The colonel had no time to think about Dragon's whereabouts. He hurried into action and relayed the orders to every soldier aboard.

Once the Fury reached shore, the Rocks Pirates' officers scrambled to disembark.

The fastest were undoubtedly Rocks and Annus. The two had already vanished before the Fury even reached land.

The other officers consciously fell a step behind, unable to conceal their agitation in their words.

"That bastard Rocks has definitely lost sight of the objective! We need to confirm it quickly!" Whitebeard said coldly, his expression grim.

"Don't put on airs like you're the captain! I'll blow all of you to pieces!" Ganzi the "Smuggler Pirate" roared irritably, his voice booming like a bell.

"Roger seems to be making his move too. He's the only one truly worrying," Kaido said with a frown.

Powerful figures had gathered across this island. Though he was confident in his own strength, he was not certain he could seize that legendary Devil Fruit.

"Mamamama! Who cares what you lot do? Once I get what I want, I'll leave this island." Linlin smiled. "Every single one of you dreams of getting Shakuyaku. You really have no clear understanding of yourselves!"

"Let's get moving for now! After that, it'll be every man for himself!" Kiel Baster also spoke up, unusually.

"It's all your fault, Xiong! You let those two get ahead of us!"

"You should be blaming yourself! Get lost! I don't have time to waste with you!"

Shiki and Xiong tugged at each other. Since neither was willing to let the other go first, they instead fell behind.

Only after Whitebeard, Buckin, Kaido, and Linlin passed them one after another did the two begin discussing a truce.

"Let go of me! You bastard!"

"You should let go first!"

"Damn it... I'll count to three, and we'll let go together! We should be focusing on how to rescue Shakuyaku! If we drag this out any longer, the Marines will land too!"

"Works for me! You'd better not go back on your word! I don't have time to deal with those weak Marine soldiers!"

The two finally reached an agreement. As Shiki counted down from three, they released each other at the same time and staggered back a few steps.

Looking around, they realized Whitebeard and the others had already gone far ahead, so they hurried after them.

Lilith and Yale walked at the very back, recalling the task Annus had just assigned them.

Once they saw everyone scatter, they exchanged nods and headed into the island from different directions.

At the same time, a flash of lightning streaked across the shore and shot into the island's interior.

As he advanced, Annus silently spread his Mantra. In an instant, overwhelming sounds engulfed him.

Some cried out in despair, while others laughed cruelly... Annus was like a powerful signal receiver, receiving and deciphering the bioelectric waves of every living thing within the range of his Observation Haki.

And his Observation Haki completely covered all of God Valley.

Soon, within this "ocean" of bioelectric waves, Annus found the voices he wanted to hear.

"It's unlocked!"

"The prizes for this tournament are the key to escaping!"

"Prizes?"

"The strongest Devil Fruit, one that lets you become a Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon! And another ability that can blast others and yourself away to distant islands!! The thing called the Paw-Paw Fruit is on this island too!!"

"Those are only the fruits stored in two of the nine treasure chests I know about! The other seven chests should contain Devil Fruits no worse than those!"

"As long as one of us eats the Paw-Paw Fruit, dozens of us can escape this hell and the Marines' encirclement!"

"The prizes are right in the center of the island!"

"I'm an expert in communications, theft, and intelligence! I already sent the information outside two weeks ago! Maybe someone received it!"

Annus rubbed his chin. If he was not mistaken, those voices should have come from Ivankov, Ginny, and their group from the original timeline.

Just as he remembered, the Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon Fruit and Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit were both on this island.

There were also seven unknown Devil Fruits. But as prizes for the Celestial Dragons, their quality certainly would not be low. They were all priceless treasures that could not be bought even with money.

Furthermore, information about God Valley had leaked two weeks ago. More pirate crews would arrive on the island afterward.

News of the Rocks Pirates' landing should soon reach the Celestial Dragons.

By then, the Marines who had originally surrounded God Valley's outer perimeter to prevent the "escapees" from fleeing by sea would likely converge toward the island's interior to cover the Celestial Dragons' retreat...

Before that situation takes shape, I need to act quickly and obtain as many Devil Fruits as possible.

Annus thought silently.

He had little interest in treasure. Sky Island already held plenty of gold.

Devil Fruits, on the other hand, were treasures of the seas that could not necessarily be exchanged for even vast wealth.

Still, if there are famous paintings or antiques, I can take a few while I'm at it...

Annus was quite interested in the various cultures of this world, each so different in style.

Things born from such rich history had considerable value as collectibles.

Lost in thought, Annus suddenly stopped within a dense forest.

"Someone on this island can actually detect my presence. That was unexpected..."

As he spoke, Annus' gaze fell beneath a patch of shade.

There had originally been nothing beneath that shade. The wind gently rustled the leaves, peaceful and tranquil, without anything unusual.

But after several seconds, as though sensing Annus' certainty, the person hiding in the darkness finally revealed himself.

"So this is the Calamity? Terrifying Observation Haki. I was originally planning to ambush you from behind..."

A person in a long white coat and a snake-faced mask slowly emerged from the shade, as if he had appeared out of thin air.