"Is it certain?"
Glingo's tone was icy, tinged with a trace of doubt, but it was clear he had already accepted the outcome. The question was merely procedural.
After all, in the centuries since the creation of life cards, there had never been a mistake.
Glingo didn't like Eratin, whose behavior he found erratic and frivolous.
Though Eratin's brother was a formal member of the Knights of God, Eratin himself hadn't even made it into the reserves.
But a Celestial Dragon dying at the hands of an outsider was unprecedented in over a hundred years.
To Glingo, who valued their collective honor above all, this was an insult to their entire group.
Of course, there were those who dared to attack Celestial Dragons. Rocks was one such example, and the pirates bold enough to follow him didn't fear their status either.
With a leader like that, this lawless bunch could do anything.
"Hand over our pirate treasure!"
A pirate swung his blade at Glingo, only to have his head pierced by a bullet from the side.
"Glingo, what are you doing? I don't want to represent the Manmayer family at your funeral."
A female Celestial Dragon wielded a musket adorned with precious gems, firing relentlessly at the landing pirates. Each bullet from her gun was infused with potent Armament Haki.
This was a hallmark of the seas: a gunman's strength was inextricably tied to their Haki prowess.
"These vermin couldn't possibly hurt me. Who leaked the island's secret? How did these pirates know that thing was here?"
"Hey! Glingo, my brother!"
"I know! Knights of God, assemble! Clear out these enemies as quickly as possible, then head to where Eratin was last seen. Find that bastard, and then obliterate this island!"
Glingo shifted from defense to offense, charging alone into the pirate landing force.
"All of you, die!"
"Newgate!"
Glingo's eyes saw no distinction between men and women—everyone was a target. As he closed in on a female pirate, she merely shouted a name.
"Gurararara! Buckingham, leave this to me. Go find those treasures!"
A towering figure appeared before Glingo in an instant, his massive naginata halting Glingo's advance.
"We can't hold them! There are too many pirates! Where's the backup?!"
The Knights of God held off some of the Rocks Pirates' monsters, but the problem was that more than one pirate crew had arrived, and the Navy's defensive line was steadily crumbling.
"Backup's here! It's Vice Admiral Garp! We're saved!"
"Tell me where Roger is!"
The Navy thought they'd received reinforcements, but this backup's purpose seemed entirely different from what they expected.
Meanwhile, in the canyon of the Valley of the Gods, the Hextech Core had finished charging, and the gathered crowd displayed a mix of complex emotions in their eyes.
Not long ago, Oran, upon returning, completed the final checks on the device, gradually connecting the core to the external apparatus.
The captured Eratin was bound to a makeshift platform.
Those who returned with Oran recounted his feats to the others.
"You're saying that guy up there… is a Celestial Dragon?"
"Yeah, a Celestial Dragon. We saw it with our own eyes. That guy was no pushover—things almost went bad.
But the masked man was even stronger. He sliced a hilltop clean off with one swing…"
Unbeknownst to Oran, rumors had grown increasingly exaggerated in corners of the camp. At the very least, Oran himself had no idea when he'd supposedly cleaved a hilltop.
"Why's that Celestial Dragon's face so swollen?"
"Obviously, we beat him. See that shoe print? That's mine. The situation back then…"
Various versions of the story spread through the crowd, but they all agreed on one thing: they had really captured a Celestial Dragon.
The participants seemed more excited than Oran himself.
As the person at the center of it all, Oran, after calibrating the device, stood silently, occasionally glancing at a timer on his wrist, waiting for the device to fully charge and for other updates.
Boom!
A white beam streaked through the air, leaving a bear-paw-shaped crater in the ground. Soon after, Ivankov climbed out.
"Oran! The mission was a success! Kuma's rescuing others on the island. He told us not to wait for him—we can leave when the time comes!"
Ivankov stood, covered in dust. Their plan had succeeded halfway. They managed to steal two Devil Fruits, but the Fish-Fish Fruit was intercepted by Charlotte Linlin, who appeared out of nowhere. Only Kuma consumed the Paw-Paw Fruit, using it to send Ivankov back here.
Ivankov's return seemed to mark the start, as others began arriving one after another, either sent back by Kuma or transported to distant islands. Kuma was using his abilities to save as many people as he could.
"Perfect timing. I'm ready here too. Everyone, look this way! This is a Celestial Dragon. Can you see anything special about him?!"
As Oran spoke, the fighting in the island's center seemed to escalate, with Haki clashes resounding like thunder. The booming sounds drew the crowd's attention, but a scream snapped them back.
On the makeshift platform, a flash of blood caught their eyes. Accompanied by the scream, a blade pierced Eratin's body.
The intense pain roused him. Looking at the crowd below, Eratin tried to speak, but Oran drove a sword through his throat, pinning him to the frame.
A wave of gasps erupted from the crowd. Witnessing this firsthand was far more shocking than hearing it described.
But the gasps soon gave way to dead silence as Oran raised his hand again.
Oran surveyed the crowd below. Fear, confusion, excitement, joy, relief—countless emotions swirled among them.
Clearing his throat, Oran declared loudly:
"Look at this Celestial Dragon, who treated you as prey and dust!
At this moment, he's just like you—a fragile human. He's no nobler or more special than you.
We're all flesh and blood. They bleed too, and they fear too!"
Eratin's eyes lost their former arrogance. For the first time in his life as a Celestial Dragon, he felt the threat of death. The life draining from his throat and chest filled him with primal fear.
As Oran's words landed, the crowd began to whisper, their eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light.
The notion that Celestial Dragons couldn't be defied was almost a biological instinct. Even when cornered with no way out, they hadn't realized fighting back was an option.
But today, Oran had torn apart the myth of the Celestial Dragons' invincibility before their eyes.
"Freedom doesn't fall from the sky. It isn't given by others, nor can it be begged for!
Freedom is something every person must stand up and fight for with courage.
After today, we may never meet again, and I don't know what the future holds.
Everyone, for a better tomorrow, fight in your own way!"
Schlick!
The blade was pulled out, and blood gushed uncontrollably from Eratin's neck. With a swing of Oran's arm, a head rolled from the platform to the ground, Eratin's eyes still filled with confusion and fear.
He still couldn't comprehend why those rabbits, who only ever fled, had suddenly found the courage to resist. If more people like this emerged…
Eratin's thoughts ended there. His consciousness faded, and the last thing he saw was a dazzling blue light—the light leading to freedom!