Unconditional Trust

In the mountains and forests on the outskirts of God Valley, Lilith sprinted with the red-haired twins in her arms. Maffy and another God's Knight, who looked like a snow monster, pursued her from behind.

Laser beams shot from Maffy's mouth, trying to stop Lilith from fleeing, but Lilith was getting closer and closer to the coastline.

The task Lord Annus had assigned had been completed. All she had to do now was escape the island.

Although they had sailed here aboard the Fury without bringing a ship themselves, there were plenty of vessels along God Valley's shores now.

Countless pirates and Marines had gathered on this island through twists of fate, and their ships could all be seized. They only needed to defeat whoever was guarding them.

"We're almost out! Don't cry, babies!"

Lilith lowered her head to soothe the red-haired twins in her arms. The chase and fighting along the way had frightened the newborn babies, and they were now on the verge of bursting into tears.

Lilith was helpless about it as well. Not long after she had encountered Garp and fled separately from Whitebeard and the others, Maffy and that snow-monster God's Knight had begun relentlessly pursuing her.

Because she had to protect the two babies in her arms, she could not turn back to fight them. She could only keep running, and her stamina had been severely depleted.

Just as she was about to reach the shore, something even worse happened.

"Wahahaha! Woman! Where do you think you're running to?"

Another person appeared ahead, completely cutting off Lilith's path.

The one blocking her way was also a member of God's Knights. He wore a gas mask engraved with the number "46" and wielded two long blades.

"Filthy pirate bitch! Let's see where you can run this time!!"

Maffy and the snow-monster God's Knight caught up from behind as well, and the situation instantly became dire.

"Damn it..."

Lilith took a deep breath, realizing that she could not shake these people with her strength alone.

At that moment, a giant man carrying a woman on his shoulder burst out of the nearby jungle.

"Have we reached the shore? No... Lilith, why are you here?"

The giant man was Yale. Having gotten somewhat lost, he had stumbled into this battlefield and unexpectedly reunited with Lilith.

"What's with those ill-fitting pants of yours? Never mind, it's great that you're here! Did you complete the mission?" Lilith asked.

"Yeah, I rescued her already." Yale nodded and looked around. "Looks like you're being hunted."

After Rocks had entrusted his wife and child to him, he had immediately run off. After all, Lord Annus's order had only been to save Rocks's child, not Rocks himself...

The three God's Knights looked at Yale, who had suddenly appeared, then at Alice on his shoulder and the boy in Alice's arms. Their faces lit up with delight.

"Great! I didn't expect such an unexpected gain!"

"The people Lord Kong wants dead, and Garling's child... If we kill these two Rocks Pirates officers, we'll definitely be rewarded!"

The three God's Knights spoke over one another, as though they could already see their victory.

But Yale and Lilith clearly had no intention of surrendering without a fight.

"I'll handle that ugly woman, Yale. You deal with the other two!"

"I'll take all three! Lilith, take Rocks's wife and child and leave!"

"Please put me down! I can escape on my own! I won't become a burden to you!"

Just as Lilith, Yale, and Alice continued arguing, a golden bolt of lightning struck the ground between them.

The expressions of the three God's Knights turned grave, and they instinctively retreated several steps.

Then platinum-white lightning gathered, and a humanoid form of electricity stepped out from within it, swiftly transforming into the image of an angelic man.

"Calamity!"

The three God's Knights instantly recognized Annus.

"If we kill Calamity too, Lord Kong will be very pleased, won't he?!" said the God's Knight wearing the gas mask.

Unlike Rocks, Annus had never broken into Mary Geoise, so his reputation among God's Knights was not particularly well-known.

They only knew that the Rocks Pirates had someone like him. Some of the God's Knights did not even know that Lilith and Yale were actually Annus's direct subordinates.

"You've worked hard. Leave this to me. I happen to have some abilities I want to test," Annus said.

He did not take these God's Knights too seriously. As though no one else were present, he instructed Lilith and Yale, then handed the two Devil Fruits he had obtained to them.

"These are rare Devil Fruits taken from the prize storage warehouse. Keep them safe. This island is very dangerous now, so seize any ship and leave."

"Lord Annus, please be careful!"

Neither Yale nor Lilith hesitated. They carried out the order decisively. Years of habitual obedience, along with their trust in Annus, made them turn and leave without the slightest hesitation.

"You're just leaving that man behind? Those are God's Knights!" Alice could not help saying.

"There's no need to worry! Lord Annus won't die in a place like this!" Yale replied.

"You... trust him that much?"

"Of course! Because he's Lord Annus, we can trust him unconditionally!" Lilith said as though it were only natural.

Naturally, the three God's Knights had no intention of watching Yale and Lilith escape. Whether it was the Davy Clan or Garling's child, both were their highest-priority targets.

They tried to pass Annus and pursue Yale and Lilith, but their path was completely blocked.

"Didn't you hear me, trash? I'm covering my subordinates' retreat..."

As Annus spoke, the Golden Scepter in his hand began to transform within a blazing white radiance even brighter than gold. It flowed like water before finally becoming a Golden Ancient Sword.

"I advise you to think carefully before taking another step forward."

Annus lightly flicked the Golden Ancient Sword, and lightning flashed across its dark blade.

"You're too arrogant! Do you think you can stop the three of us by yourself?" shouted the God's Knight in the gas mask.

"Hey! Don't provoke him. I heard his strength is on par with Rocks's!" Maffy was more cautious than her companions and warned them quietly.

"Enough talk! If we don't move now, Garling's child will be kidnapped!" the snow-monster God's Knight said nervously.

Garling had entrusted him with watching over the child. If the child were lost, he did not need to imagine the fury he would face!

"That's true! Looks like we can only kill Calamity here! A head like his is worthy of becoming a collectible!"

The three attacked Annus from different directions, all giving it everything they had. But they clearly did not realize what kind of monster they faced.

In the next instant, Annus's body dissolved into twisting lightning, and all three attacks missed at once.

At the same time, the Golden Ancient Sword slashed down at an unimaginable speed, cutting through their bodies at their spines, chests, and heads respectively.

"I heard you're immortal. I don't quite believe it."