"Head this way, and we should soon run into them. But are you just leaving your ship here like that?"
Ginny roughly confirmed the direction, then looked at Oran's ship. Though this was a sparsely populated valley, there was still a chance it could be discovered.
"I've got that covered. You'll see once we're up there."
After Oran and the others left the valley below, Ginny was astonished to find that the ship, which had been parked there, had simply vanished.
"Huh? Where's the ship?"
"It's still there. I just activated the ship's holographic camouflage. You can't see it unless you walk right up to it. With the automatic weapons on board, it should be fine for a while."
Oran vaguely recalled that this island would witness an unprecedented battle, after which the entire island would vanish from the map. Otherwise, he might have considered just hiding out.
Originally, Oran's ship had been docked at an ordinary pier, so there was no need to activate such a device, which is why Ivankov and Ginny had been able to see the ship earlier.
"But we need to hurry. Some of the ship's equipment is damaged, including parts of the power system. The backup energy can only last for so long. Also, take this."
Oran handed Ginny something resembling a gas mask, a necessity for life in Zaun—an air filter. Here, however, its purpose was to conceal her face.
"Cover your face. I've got other plans once we're out of here, and I don't want to end up on their wanted list right away. You don't want the World Government's lackeys coming after you the moment you escape, do you?"
The World Government's intelligence-gathering capabilities weren't particularly strong. After all, they didn't even control public opinion, perhaps because they deemed it unworthy of their attention.
In theory, as long as you didn't touch on the Void Century, the World Government wouldn't relentlessly pursue someone.
Oran was just taking precautions. Given the widespread face-blindness on the high seas, wearing a mask was already showing them plenty of respect.
"Um… what about mine?"
Ivankov thought Oran would give him one too, but after waiting for a while, even as Ginny adjusted the straps on hers, Oran didn't make a move.
"Your face is too big. I don't have one in your size. Just make do with wrapping some cloth around it."
It wasn't that Oran was discriminating against Ivankov; it was just that his size—or rather, his face shape—made standard equipment unusable. In the end, they had to resort to a makeshift solution.
Meanwhile, in a clearing in the Valley of the Gods, tall stone pillars stood everywhere, surrounded by sparse shrubs and moss.
A small stream wound its way down from the mountains, its gentle trickling sound filling the air. Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps shattered the tranquility.
A boy, more robust than the average adult but with a strikingly youthful face, was running for his life.
His shaved head bore numerous scars, and his tattered cloth clothing was full of holes. The chains on his hands and the target symbol on his clothes marked him as a slave.
Chasing him, however, were neither Navy soldiers nor Celestial Dragons, but a group of similarly dressed slaves.
Amid a flurry of curses, a stone flew from behind and struck the boy in the back of the head.
As his vision blurred, the boy's massive frame collapsed onto the grass.
The pursuers, still unsatisfied, caught up to him. One of them grabbed a wooden stick and began beating the boy's body, shouting angrily:
"You bastard! The ten-person group has collective responsibility! If you escape, we all die! Who told you to run?!"
It wasn't until the stick broke that the man felt satisfied. He called to his companions to drag the boy back.
But as he grabbed the boy's leg, a rope net flew from a distance, ensnaring him tightly.
"Sirs! Sirs! We've already caught the runaway! Please don't hurt us! We've corrected our mistake!"
The man caught in the net didn't even try to struggle. Instead, he dropped to the ground and began pleading loudly. The other slaves beside him also knelt in unison.
In their eyes, in the Valley of the Gods, only the Celestial Dragons could do something like this. Submission to the Celestial Dragons was ingrained in their very bones.
"A bunch of fools. No one's even watching you, yet you're willingly serving people who want to kill you. You really love being slaves, don't you?"
A mocking voice came from a distance. The net shot had been fired by Oran.
Since Ginny couldn't handle the recoil of the net gun, Oran had taken it for himself.
Looking at these utterly submissive slaves, Oran could only describe them as pitiful.
The fallen boy, meanwhile, groggily opened his eyes again.
At this moment, Ivankov and Ginny had caught up with Oran.
"Is this a member of the Buccaneer tribe? He's huge! I heard you have giant blood. Is that true?"
Ivankov curiously examined the boy. According to Ginny's intercepted intelligence, the Celestial Dragons were particularly interested in this special "prey."
"Ivan, we can talk about that later.
How about it, can you still stand?"
Oran extended a hand toward the boy. Sensing his goodwill, the boy responded, standing up with Oran's help.
"Thanks… Who are you?"
"Just some people trying to get out of here. At least you had the guts to run. Want to join us?"
To Oran, those who didn't even dare to think of escaping weren't worth bothering with. They were lucky if they didn't cause trouble. The boy, without hesitation, agreed. For him, there was no real choice.
"Wait! You can't take him! If he escapes, we won't be able to answer to the Celestial Dragons!"
"Capture them all! Maybe if the Celestial Dragons are pleased, they'll reward us…"
Too afraid to resist authority, some slaves chose to curry favor with their masters by oppressing those weaker than themselves.
But no matter how much they groveled, they would still be treated as prey for amusement.
The slaves outnumbered Oran's group. After exchanging glances, they seemed to agree with the one who had spoken up.
A few of them moved to surround Oran's group in a semicircle.
"You idiots are beyond hopeless. Even if you capture us, do you really think the Celestial Dragons will spare you?"
Ivankov aimed his gun at them, but Oran's earlier action had shown that the gun only fired non-lethal nets, which didn't deter them.
"What else can we do? There's no escape from this place. Those are Celestial Dragons…"
Speaking the weakest words, they still closed in. In response, Oran silently raised his arm. The blue tube embedded in his exoskeletal armor began to charge.
*Boom!*
With a muffled sound, several sharp ice spikes shot out from Oran's gauntlet.
There was no dramatic explosion, but when the ice spikes hit the ground, they unleashed a localized frost storm.
Moments later, only ice sculptures remained on the ground.
The Hextech GLP-800, commonly known as the Ice Gun, was far more lethal than the police net gun. Powered by a Hextech Core, it was a deadly weapon.
Having lived in Valoran for so many years and with his wealth of "dream" experiences, Oran didn't hold back when action was needed. He had no time to waste on people desperate to please their masters and opted for a brutal solution.
"Don't just stand there. This isn't a simple escape. This is a special kind of war. If they choose to be our enemies, this is the inevitable outcome. War always has casualties.
Let's go find some people willing to fight back. Hopefully, there'll be fewer of these fools."
With a shout to Ginny and the others, the group continued through the mountains of the Valley of the Gods.
…
Meanwhile, the situation outside the Valley of the Gods was even more tense.
Some time ago, in the New World, on Hachinosu, the Beehive Island.
Due to the staggering number of pirates gathered there, it was known as the Pirate Island.
The strongest among these pirates was none other than the Rocks Pirates.
Having received the message Ginny sent out, the entire Rocks Pirates crew was now heading toward the Valley of the Gods.
"The Rocks Pirates have set sail! They've got the jump on us!"
"Hurry and follow them! This is a major event in the pirate world!"
Countless pirates poured out, crossing the Calm Belt from the New World toward the West Sea.
Soon after, the Navy received news of the pirates' movements.
At Navy Headquarters, the current Fleet Admiral Kong was irritably fidgeting with a Den Den Mushi, overwhelmed by the intelligence reports.
"That's the situation, Garp. It's not confirmed yet, but if it's true, we're in trouble. I can only rely on you."
"Huh? Why would the Celestial Dragons all go to some remote island like that? A field trip or something?
I'm not going. They should have enough guards, right? What's there to worry about?"
On another island, Garp was lounging casually on a chair, showing no intention of moving.
"I can't explain the details, but I've heard Roger's heading to that island too."
"What? Why didn't you say so earlier? I'm leaving now!"
In an instant, the top forces of both pirates and the Navy began converging on the Valley of the Gods. A clash heralding a new era seemed to officially begin at this moment.