Chapter 138: Departure to the Valley of the Gods
…
At the time when Luo Han and the others arrived on Hachinosu, the news that Rocks had supposedly found the great treasure also reached the World Government.
It seemed Rocks had leaked it deliberately. Government spies easily intercepted the news via various Den Den Mushi, especially since all the top pirate leaders had been informed—making it impossible to miss.
"So what exactly is this so-called great treasure that guy's talking about?" asked the blond elder in the Five Elders' office, his voice low. They had been puzzled by the matter for days.
Truthfully, even the Five Elders had always assumed the legendary treasure was just a lie made up by Rocks to unite powerful pirates under his banner. They hadn't expected the treasure to actually exist—let alone for it to be found.
"I'm less concerned about Rocks than I am about that intel we received from Blue Demon," said the sword-wielding elder, holding a report.
"You mean the one from that girl with the Devil Fruit that sends people into the future?" the blond elder asked. The other Elders turned their attention to the man with the sword.
"Yes. Even though that girl only uttered one word before Blue Demon stopped her, it's a word we can't ignore," the elder replied, raising an eyebrow.
"'God…'" the long-bearded elder muttered, deep in thought.
The elder leaning on his cane thought for a moment and added, "Something must've happened in the future that made Blue Demon leave some of his companions on Battleship Island, while only he and Beastman Cole went to Hachinosu."
"You don't think Rocks' so-called treasure… is actually that island, do you?" the long-bearded elder asked, his voice suddenly shaky.
Because the intel on Luo Han was no longer being submitted directly to them, the "God" clue from the girl had only reached them now. Connecting the dots triggered a terrible realization.
The other Elders froze in place. Their pupils contracted. The more they thought about it, the more likely it seemed. The girl with precognition had said "God," and everything pointed toward that island.
"If I recall correctly, Rocks sent out the treasure announcement just three days after the Celestial Dragons set sail."
"That's right. Based on all the intel, it seems Rocks' real goal from the very start has been that mysterious island—the Valley of the Gods, the so-called dwelling of gods among men!"
A heavy silence filled the room. None of the Five Elders could believe it: for the past two years, Rocks had been holed up on Hachinosu, apparently just waiting for the Celestial Dragons to head to the Valley of the Gods.
"How does he even know about that island? And that the Celestial Dragons visit it periodically?"
No one had an answer.
"Whether he truly knows or not, or whether we've completely misread him—it doesn't matter. We must stop him at all costs," the sword-wielding elder said firmly. "Don't forget—Rocks is also one of the D clan!"
The others stiffened. They had clearly just imagined a terrifying future scenario.
"We can't give those 'sinners' even the slightest chance!"
"Deploy the full strength of the navy. End the Rocks Pirates in one final battle!"
"Agreed…!"
After finalizing their discussion, the Five Elders immediately issued an order: mobilize all naval forces, including the Fleet Admiral himself. The goal—intercept and destroy the Rocks Pirates at Hachinosu before they could make it to the Valley of the Gods.
That very night, all navy personnel ranked Rear Admiral and above who had received the order began to gather at the Navy's New World base on the Red Line.
Because they were already in a prolonged conflict with the Rocks Pirates, assembling the forces happened swiftly.
"Hey, Sengoku. Is something big going on?"
Just as he disembarked and walked through the brightly lit port, Garp turned to Sengoku, who had just arrived as well, his expression serious.
Sengoku didn't respond immediately. He looked at the warships arriving in waves, then frowned and said grimly, "I'm not sure, but I checked the manifest. Practically every high-ranking officer the navy can mobilize is here. Something big is about to happen."
"A major operation…" Garp pondered silently. What kind of event could possibly warrant such a massive deployment?
They both remained silent, carrying their doubts as they entered the base.
…
Meanwhile, after a night of festivities, all the major pirates on Hachinosu had gathered in a grand hall inside the massive skull.
The space was about the size of three basketball courts—wide, clean, and mostly bare except for a single couch at the center.
Rocks sat on the couch at the center, while the others stood or sat around casually. There were no snacks or drinks—this was not a social visit.
Luo Han, Cole, and Whitebeard sat near the entrance, clearly preferring to keep some distance from the rest.
"Hahaha! Looks like everyone's here. Let's begin!" Rocks laughed loudly after scanning the room. Then his expression turned serious.
"First, let me explain where this so-called great treasure came from. For centuries, the Celestial Dragons have regularly visited a certain mysterious island. Over time, rumors of a legendary treasure began to spread. And those rumors are true—there's a vast fortune there, built from centuries of Celestial Dragon wealth. But there's also something far more precious. That's the real reason they keep returning."
Heh heh heh… The room filled with low, excited laughter—excitement that couldn't be contained.
"Captain Rocks, does that mean… you've already found that island?" John suddenly stood up, his face flushed with anticipation.
"Heh… That's right. This is the coordinate to that island—and we have the Celestial Dragons to thank for that!" Rocks pulled out a torn life paper and tossed it onto the floor.
All eyes followed the piece of paper as it fluttered down, and when it began to shift slowly toward Rocks' left-front direction…
BOOM! The room erupted in triumphant roars. The years of dreaming, of longing, of waiting—for many, that moment was everything.
"I didn't think something like that actually existed…" Whitebeard murmured. Even though they had known, seeing it confirmed by the life paper made Rocks' words real.
If it were all fake, there would've been no point in producing the paper. A life paper always pointed to a destination—it couldn't be faked.
"Heh…" Watching the others erupt in joy, Luo Han and Cole remained calm. One already knew the outcome. The other simply didn't care.
But in the midst of the celebration, a scar-faced man hurried up to Rocks and whispered something urgent in his ear.
A wave of overwhelming dominance burst from Rocks' body. The hall fell silent. Everyone turned to him.
"The navy has mobilized its full strength. They're heading for us right now. Their goal is to trap and destroy us here at Hachinosu," Rocks said, his tone darkening.
"I'm sure you've all realized what this means."
(END CHAPTER)
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