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. Anyone who tries to escape will be executed without exception!"

Before long, the Cipher Pol Agents seemed to have received orders from above and began loudly berating and warning the slaves.

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

Seeing this, Xia Luo immediately moved, quietly following behind the group. No matter how the formation changed, 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 before burning every ship.

Blazing flames engulfed the entire coastline, and thick smoke billowed into the sky as hundreds upon hundreds of ships were reduced to ashes.

In an instant, vast God Valley had 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 people's demands and unrest, the Marines offered no explanation. Instead, they resorted to force, even at the cost of harming civilians.

Gunshots rang out one after another. Large numbers of civilians were suppressed, driven away, and killed...

The Marines had two missions on this trip. The first was to escort the esteemed guests to God Valley.

The second was to blockade God Valley and sever all contact between it and the outside world. No one was allowed in or out without permission. Trespassers would be killed without mercy.

At the same time,

In the mountains and forests outside the royal capital.

Yellow target-shaped markings prepared in advance were pasted onto the backs of thousands of slaves.

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

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

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

"What?! Targets?!"

"Fuck, I was wondering why they were suddenly being so kind and unlocking our shackles. 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, sooner or later, I'll get my revenge!"

"Even if I become a vengeful ghost, I won't let you off!"

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

Bang! Bang! Bang!

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

"Silence!"

As the voice rang out, a blond man wearing a white mask appeared on the platform at some point.

Judging by his attire, he was likely from CP0, known as the "Shield of the Celestial Dragons."

His cold gaze swept across 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. Run as freely as you like, and the farther you get, the better. Once you're found, you'll die."

"Also, you are not allowed to tear off the markings on your backs. Anyone who removes their marking will be eliminated immediately. And elimination means death. Understand?!"

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

Seeing the frightened expressions on their faces, the CP0 agent nodded in satisfaction and barked, "Very good. Then the timer starts now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire area fell silent. The slaves exchanged glances, then seemed to snap awake from a dream when someone suddenly shouted.

"Run!"

Whoosh!

The crowd instantly scattered like startled birds, rushing in every direction like headless flies. In their panic, they fled without regard for where they were going, and the scene became utterly chaotic.

Meanwhile,

The Cipher Pol Agents announced the same rules over the broadcast. They claimed it was a survival tournament hosted by the king.

Whoever survived until the end would receive generous rewards: money, land, beautiful women, slaves, and more.

For a time, the island's populace was thrown into turmoil. Some dismissed it as a joke, while others sneered 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 number sensed the danger. With the mindset that it was better to believe it than not, they quietly slipped away.

Some searched for secluded places to hide, intending to emerge only after the chaos had passed.

Others quickly packed their belongings, planning to take a ship and leave this dangerous place.

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. They looked relaxed and content as they chatted with one another in high spirits.

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

"Ha ha ha ha! First place belongs to me!"

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

Saint Gar slammed the table in fury. The fat on his body rippled up and down like waves as he glared with wide eyes and shouted.

"Bastard! You dare call me a pig? Believe it or not, I'll kill you!"

"Come at me if you've got the guts. Let's see who kills whom, you fat pig."

Elsewhere, a middle-aged female Celestial Dragon complained.

"Honestly, why does it have to be held only once every three years? Couldn't they hold one every year? It's not nearly satisfying enough!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

"I heard there are only so many non-member nations of the World Government. 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 the non-member nations are gone, there are still the member nations. Think about it: there are more than a hundred member nations. Even if we wipe out one each year, that'll still last over a hundred years."

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

Just as they were discussing it heatedly, a silver-haired masked man dressed in a black formal suit entered. He bowed to the many 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. Around 200,000 are ordinary prey, while only 3,000 are advanced prey!"

"You earn 1 point for each ordinary prey you shoot, and 10 points for each advanced prey."

"The rules are simple: there are no rules. Whoever has the highest score after three days will be the winner of this tournament."

The masked man paused before continuing.

"The distinction between ordinary prey and advanced prey is simple. Prey with target markings pasted on their backs are advanced prey."

"They are all premium stock transported here from all over the world!"

"Next are the prizes for this tournament. The top five contestants 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, silver, and jewels..."

"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!"

The Celestial Dragons showed no reaction when they heard about Devil Fruits and famous blades. When they heard about slaves from special races and great pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million, they finally showed some interest.

But when they heard that the prizes included the world's most beautiful woman, the Celestial Dragons were finally set ablaze with excitement.