After his outburst, Rocks fell into a rare moment of regret. Gritting his teeth, he muttered bitterly,
"Damn it… I should've just eaten it myself!"
Charlotte Linlin shrugged nonchalantly.
"Captain, you'd better calm down. If you keep losing it like this, you'll knock out half our crew with your Haki. We've got another big fight tomorrow, remember?"
The others nodded in agreement. Just moments ago, Rocks had released a devastating wave of Conqueror's Haki in a fit of rage. His Haki was so overwhelming that even among the fearsome Rocks Pirates, a few of the weaker members had fainted.
"Tch. Anyone who collapses from that is just a weakling," Rocks scoffed. "They're not worth worrying about."
Linlin didn't argue. "Yeah, you're right."
Shiki and the others kept their opinions to themselves. Strength ruled their world. The strong lived, the weak died — it was that simple.
Newgate, however, frowned. Unlike the rest, he valued his comrades deeply. The way the others treated their crew rubbed him the wrong way. He was already thinking more seriously about leaving the Rocks Pirates behind.
Still, he spoke up. "We don't know who leaked the information, but the World Government definitely knows. They've probably started preparing. This time, we're not just up against the Celestial Dragons and their Knights of God. The Navy will be involved too."
Though Rocks knew Newgate was planning to leave, he still valued his strength. A man like Newgate was too powerful to ignore.
Rocks finally settled down. He tapped the table with his fingers for a while, then looked up, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
"Perfect. It's about time we had a decisive battle with the World Government. After this… I'll be the undisputed king of the world!"
Valley of the Gods
In the heart of the island stood a magnificent palace. Once the royal seat of the Valley of the Gods, it had since been seized by the Celestial Dragons. As for the king? Slain long ago by Figarland Garling, leader of the Knights of God.
At that moment, Garling sat alone, slowly cleaning the bloodstained blade in his hands. His brow was slightly furrowed, his movements absent-minded — as if something troubled him.
As one of the highest Celestial Dragons, little in the world could unsettle him.
But tonight, he had broken the rules.
He stared at the blade and murmured quietly, "In the end, I cheated. But I needed a reason to accept you... The rest is up to fate."
The Next Morning
Riven was the first to awaken. He shot to his feet and immediately shook the others — Kuma, Ivankov, and Ginny — awake.
"We need to move. The hunt will start again soon. Let's find that Devil Fruit before they do!"
Without waiting for a response, he dashed into the forest, and the others followed closely behind.
They had avoided acting at night on purpose. The island was filled with surveillance Den Den Mushi watching the slaves' every move. Most participants, unaware of the Devil Fruits, used the night to rest.
If Riven's group had been seen sneaking around after dark, it would've raised suspicion. Everyone was exhausted — who wouldn't rest after a full day of running? Acting otherwise would only attract attention.
Not long after they left, gunshots rang out behind them. Some unfortunate slaves, still asleep from sheer exhaustion, were gunned down where they lay.
Riven ignored it all. His focus was on the fruit.
He remembered the setting from the manga — the Devil Fruit had been found somewhere surrounded by buildings. That meant it was located in what remained of the original kingdom's town. So their first goal: find the town.
After a long run, they were suddenly greeted by blinding sunlight — the end of the forest.
And beyond it, just as Riven had hoped, was a town.
His eyes lit up. This was it — the final zone of the game. The battleground.
"Let's go!" he called to the others, and they sprinted toward the town.
They weren't alone. Many other slaves followed. Inspired by Ivankov's earlier speech, several had chosen to tail Riven's group, believing in their strength and leadership.
Riven noticed the growing crowd — and the increased risk. The more people there were, the easier it would be to draw attention.
So, he slowed down.
He didn't shake off the group, but subtly fell behind. Let others lead the charge into danger.
Ivankov noticed and asked with concern, "Riven-chan, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick again?"
Riven nodded weakly. "Yeah… I didn't think it would hit me again now. Sorry for slowing us down."
"What are you saying?" Ivankov said firmly. "We're friends! You're not a burden!"
Kuma and Ginny echoed his words:
"Brother Riven, you waited for me yesterday when you could've left me behind. Now it's my turn to carry you. I'm strong — I can handle it!"
"Right! We're in this together. Even if we die, we'll die together!"
Riven smiled, waving them off.
"Don't talk about dying. We're going to survive. Besides—"
Before he could finish, gunshots rang out from the town ahead, followed by screams and the unmistakable sound of swords cutting through flesh.
Ivankov's face went pale. "It's an ambush!"
But Riven was calm. Almost too calm. A subtle smile touched his lips.
Just as I thought.
No matter how arrogant the Celestial Dragons were, they wouldn't leave a potential Devil Fruit unguarded. Of course they'd set up traps.
But that confirmed it — the fruit was in the town.
Riven had slowed on purpose, letting others rush in first. Let them trigger the traps. Let them draw the fire.
Now, with the chaos underway, he and the others could slip in under cover.
Even so, many slaves were frozen in place. The town was dangerous — but behind them, the Celestial Dragons were closing in.
With no choice left, they charged.
"Keep your head down, Kuma!" Riven yelled. "You're too big of a target!"
In the original timeline, Kuma had managed to survive and win the game. But Riven wasn't taking any chances. Every small change could trigger a butterfly effect.
Kuma nodded. He crouched low, keeping his frame tight as he, Riven, Ivankov, and Ginny merged with the crowd and rushed into the city.