The Church of the Night was a cult that rose several hundred years ago, notorious for its sinister rituals of execution carried out under the cover of darkness.
At its peak, its influence reached many member nations of the World Government. Even within the ranks of the Navy and the World Government itself, there were those who secretly worshiped the "Goddess of the Night."
Legend tells of a King from a World Government member nation who, realizing the Church's malignancy, began a domestic crackdown, strictly forbidding the worship of the Goddess.
As fate would have it, a Marine Branch was stationed near that kingdom. The Branch Commander was a genius Rear Admiral and a devout follower of the Goddess—he had even secretly joined the Church of the Night.
Upon learning of the King's suppression of his faith, the Rear Admiral felt his beliefs had been desecrated. During a royal banquet, he stormed the palace alone under the veil of night. In front of the assembled nobility, he loudly recited the Church's scriptures before decapitating the King with his own hands, performing a "Night Execution" ritual on the spot.
The incident sent shockwaves across the globe.
More concerningly, several similar incidents followed. Marine officers, World Government officials, national nobles, and top-tier tycoons were all found to be involved. While none were quite as high-profile as the regicide, the collective impact was devastating to public order.
It was then that a truth the world never expected was unveiled: three member nations of the World Government were already under the total control of the Church of the Night. Their reigning Kings were nothing more than puppets installed by the cult.
The higher-ups of the World Government and the Navy realized the situation had spiraled out of control.
This was no ordinary religion. It was a cult that threatened the very balance of the world!
Consequently, the World Government and the Navy launched a massive purge. They scrutinized internal personnel, banned any affiliation with the Church, and coordinated with member nations to demolish cathedrals. A Buster Call fleet, led by an Admiral, was dispatched to conquer the three puppet nations.
Fortunately, while the Church of the Night had a vast foundation and many low-level followers, their high-level combatants were few. In less than a year, the combined efforts of the Navy and World Government agents successfully uprooted the Church, destroying hundreds of cathedrals and capturing the reigning Holy Maiden and the Pope.
Believing the Church had been entirely eradicated, the Navy and Government turned their attention elsewhere. However, having suffered near-total annihilation, the Church of the Night simply moved underground. They became incredibly low-profile, proselytizing only in non-World Government member nations.
Yet even those nations were wary of such a cult and largely prohibited their teachings. For centuries, the Church of the Night developed in the shadows, never daring to show its face.
It wasn't until twenty years ago, when the world had almost forgotten they existed, that Gold Roger sparked the Great Pirate Era. As chaos engulfed the world, the Church finally resurfaced in non-affiliated nations, eventually reaching the scale they possessed today.
…
Back in the present, a chaotic chase ensued across several streets.
Many priests of the Church of the Night noticed the commotion. Wait, that man in the black-and-white vestments... he's one of ours!
Since when do outsiders dare to hunt down our people in this city?
"These are blasphemers who desecrate the Goddess of the Night! Kill them!" a middle-aged priest roared, fanatically pulling a flintlock pistol from his robes and charging toward the Chris Pirates.
That single cry acted like a detonator for high explosives. The streets erupted.
In Valanfort, while not everyone was a believer, at least sixty percent of the population were devotees of the Church of the Night.
In an instant, countless civilians rushed from their homes wielding kitchen knives, hoes, and other crude implements, swarming toward Dimitri and his group. Those already on the street grabbed stones and joined the fray, interspersed with priests brandishing flintlocks and cutlasses.
"Kill the blasphemers!"
"Bastards who insult the Goddess! Die!"
"Goddess of the Night protect us! May the night shroud the earth forever!"
Thousands screamed fanatical slogans, charging forward as if they had no fear of death.
"What is going on?"
Dimitri and the others were stunned. They were just chasing a pirate. How the hell did it turn into a holy war?
Hindered by the mob of Valanfort's citizens, Dimitri could only watch as Mondos Bank vanished into the distance. The sudden turn of events made even the normally calm Dimitri lose his cool.
"What do we do? Do we cut our way out?" Vito frowned, sparks of electricity beginning to dance across his skin.
Dimitri watched the murderous, fanatical civilians closing in. He took several deep breaths to force himself to remain calm.
"Regroup with the brothers behind us and fight our way back to the harbor!" Dimitri ordered solemnly. "Target the priests first. Try to go easy on the civilians, they've been brainwashed!"
"Got it!"
Vito and the others nodded. They weren't mindless butchers; they couldn't bring themselves to slaughter ordinary people indiscriminately.
"More-More: Tenfold Buckshot!"
Dimitri crushed a paving stone with his bare hand, grabbed a handful of pebbles, and flung them outward.
Zip, zip, zip, zip!
The pebbles shot through the air, suddenly expanding in mid-flight into stones the size of bullets. The impact knocked back the fanatical crowd, leaving many screaming in pain with bruises or broken limbs. However, Dimitri had clearly held back; he hadn't used his full strength or Armament Haki, otherwise, these people wouldn't just be suffering flesh wounds.
Cavendish used the hilt of his unsheathed Durandal, employing his sword techniques to knock civilians unconscious. Vito and Rock refrained from using their abilities, and Marcus kept his blade sheathed, relying purely on martial arts. The five of them fought their way back toward their subordinates.
They struck down civilians and killed any Church priest they encountered. Over a dozen priests fell to their hands in short order.
Soon, they reached the group of subordinates who had followed them. However, a thick, pungent scent of blood filled the air. The street was littered with corpses, all killed by members of the 3rd Division and the Triangle Pirates.
Unlike their leaders, these pirates didn't know about Dimitri's decision to show mercy. Having been suddenly ambushed and seeing their own comrades wounded by gunfire, they had reflexively retaliated with lethal force. Once the killing started, there was no stopping it.