Hunting Game

"All right, time's up. Everyone, get on your feet and follow me!"

"Line up one by one. Do not resist, and don't even think about running away. Anyone who tries to escape will be executed!"

Before long, the Cipher Pol agents seemed to have received orders from their superiors and began loudly berating and warning the slaves.

Then, dozens of fully armed Cipher Pol agents whipped and cursed as they drove the slaves toward the royal capital.

Seeing this, Charlotte immediately moved, quietly following behind the group. No matter how the formation shifted, his eyes remained fixed on Ivankov and Kuma.

About ninety minutes later, the group was brought into the forest outside the royal capital.

Meanwhile,

The massive Marine force surrounding God Valley was working with Cipher Pol to seize control of the island's major ports and docks, then burn every ship.

Blazing flames engulfed the entire coast, while billowing black smoke rose into the sky. Hundreds and thousands of ships were reduced to ashes.

In an instant, vast God Valley had effectively become an isolated island.

"Ah, my ship..."

"Marines, what are you doing? What gives you the right to burn our ships?!"

For a time, every town around the ports descended into chaos.

Faced with the public's demands and unrest, the Marines offered no explanation. Instead, they did not hesitate to harm civilians as they brutally suppressed them by force.

Gunshots rang out one after another as countless civilians were subdued, driven away, and killed...

The Marines had two missions on this trip. The first was to escort the esteemed lords to God Valley. The second was to seal off God Valley and cut off all contact with the outside world. Without permission, no one was allowed in or out. Any trespassers would be killed without mercy.

At the same time,

In the mountains outside the royal capital.

Yellow target-shaped marks prepared in advance were pasted onto the backs of the clothes of several thousand slaves.

At the same time, the shackles around their feet were unlocked.

Anyone who had been a slave knew that masters would not easily remove a slave's shackles unless...

Suddenly, a terrified voice rose from the crowd. "Hey, are they treating us as targets?"

"What?! Targets?!"

"Fuck, I was wondering why they were suddenly kind enough to unlock our leg irons. They want us to be moving targets! You animals!"

"No, don't! I don't want to die! Someone save me!"

"I want to live! One day, I'll have my revenge!"

"Even if I become a vengeful ghost, I won't let any of you go!"

In the blink of an eye, panic rapidly spread through the crowd. Clamoring, curses, cries, and pleas for mercy filled the air without end.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With several gunshots, the slaves cursing the loudest fell to the ground. Everyone froze in place, their faces deathly pale.

"Silence!"

As the voice rang out, a blond man in a white mask appeared atop the platform at some unknown point. Judging by his attire, he should have been from CP0, known as the "Shield of the Celestial Dragons."

His cold gaze swept over the crowd, and a cruel smile appeared on his face as he slowly spoke.

"Trash, welcome to the triennial hunting tournament. Next comes hunting time!"

"All of you here are prey. I'll give you three minutes to run as you please. The farther you get, the better. Once you're found, you'll die."

"Also, you're not allowed to tear off the marks on your backs. Whoever removes their mark will be eliminated immediately, and elimination means death. Understand?!"

The threatening voice of the CP0 agent echoed across the grounds, leaving everyone silent with fear.

Seeing the frightened expressions on their faces, the CP0 agent nodded in satisfaction and shouted, "Very good. Then starting now, the clock begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire area fell silent. After exchanging glances, the crowd finally snapped out of it. Then someone shouted:

"Run!"

With a rush, the crowd instantly scattered in all directions like startled birds. Like headless flies, they fled every which way in complete chaos.

Meanwhile,

Cipher Pol agents announced the same rules over the broadcast, claiming it was a survival tournament organized by the king. Whoever survived until the end would receive lavish rewards: money, land, beautiful women, slaves—everything one could want.

For a time, the island's people were thrown into disorder. Some dismissed it as a joke, some scoffed in contempt, some were eager to try, some loudly demanded answers, and others shouted for the king to come out and explain himself.

Only a small portion sensed the danger. Taking the view that it was better to believe it than not, they quietly slipped away.

Some searched for hidden places and concealed themselves, intending to emerge only after the chaos had ended.

Others hastily packed their belongings, intending to take a ship and leave this place of trouble.

Outside the royal capital stood a temporary palace built for the Celestial Dragons.

Escorted by Cipher Pol agents and Marines, hundreds of Celestial Dragons had gathered there. Some sat, some stood, some lay down, and some leaned back. Relaxed and content, they chatted among themselves in high spirits.

"Ohohoho, the triennial tournament is finally about to begin! This time, I'll definitely take first place!"

"Hahahaha, first place belongs to yours truly!"

"Gar, you think you can take first place? You're fat as a pig! First place is mine!"

Saint Gar slammed the table in fury, the fat on his body rippling like waves. His eyes bulged with rage as he shouted:

"Bastard, you dare call me a pig? Believe me, I'll kill you!"

"Come on, then. Let's see who kills whom, you fat pig."

Elsewhere, a middle-aged female Celestial Dragon complained:

"Why does it have to be held only once every three years? Can't it be held every year? It's nowhere near satisfying enough!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

"I heard the number of non-World Government member nations is limited. If they held one every year, they might kill them all off. Then there'd be nothing left to play with."

"Tch, so what if they're all killed? What's there to fear? This sea lacks everything except people. If there are no more non-member nations, there are still member nations. Think about it—there are over a hundred member nations. Even if we wiped out one a year, that would last more than a century."

"Oh, Rika, that actually makes a lot of sense!"

Just as they were discussing it animatedly, a silver-haired masked man in a black formal suit walked in. He bowed to the Celestial Dragons and said:

"Esteemed lords, this hunting tournament is about to begin. Please allow me to announce the rules of the competition."

"A total of 210,000 prey have been prepared for this hunting tournament. Of them, approximately 200,000 are ordinary prey, while only 3,000 are high-grade prey!"

"Each ordinary prey killed is worth 1 point. Each high-grade prey killed is worth 10 points."

"The rules are simple: there are no rules. Within three days, whichever lord earns the highest score will be the winner of this tournament."

The masked man paused, then continued:

"The way to distinguish ordinary prey from high-grade prey is simple. Prey with target marks on their backs are high-grade prey. They are premium goods we transported here from all over the world!"

"Next are the prizes for this tournament. The top five may each choose three precious prizes provided by the World Government, while first place may choose five!"

As he spoke, attendants entered carrying more than a dozen treasure chests.

"Esteemed lords, please look. The prizes include Devil Fruits, Supreme Grade Blades, antique calligraphy and paintings, gold and silver jewelry..."

"There are slaves from special races, three great pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million, and the world's most beautiful woman from Amazon Lily, Shakuyaku!"

When the Celestial Dragons heard about Devil Fruits and famous blades, their expressions did not change. When they heard about slaves from special races and great pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million, they showed some interest.

But when they finally heard that the prizes included the current world's most beautiful woman, the Celestial Dragons' passion was ignited.