Totto Land Sea Area, Inazuma.
After receiving the emergency message from Hachinosu Island, Charlotte Linlin did not hesitate at all.
"Gloriosa! Let's go!" Grabbing Gloriosa beside her, a blast of air erupted beneath her feet, and she turned into a streak of light, racing toward Hachinosu Island, leaving behind the startled cries of Mia, Gerd, and the others.
"Damn it! Charlotte Linlin, you're leaving us behind again!" Ripley bared her teeth and shouted toward the sky.
"The situation this time is not simple; you all stay and guard Inazuma well. There will definitely be many pirates looking for trouble in Inazuma later, so I'm leaving this place to you!"
Charlotte Linlin's voice drifted back from the horizon.
During the high-speed flight, the violent airflow whipped their long hair.
Gloriosa, on her shoulder, asked, "'Human Hunting Game'? What is that?"
Charlotte Linlin shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure either, but I hope it's not what I think it is."
Her gaze turned cold, and her speed increased once more.
Not being a fan of the Pirate King series, she only knew that the Celestial Dragons were detestable. If the Celestial Dragons truly treated humans as hunting targets and the Marine was an accomplice, she would never let those two groups off!
...In the temporary cage area of God Valley, a tall boy from a special race took advantage of a lapse during the CP shift change, pried open the bars with all his might, and bolted out.
"Hmm?"
The CP member taking over the shift immediately noticed the anomaly.
Instead of chasing the boy himself, he walked up to the cage and swept his gaze over the other Slaves inside.
"Hey," the CP member said coldly, "you all saw it, didn't you?"
The cage was deathly silent as the Slaves lowered their heads in fear, not daring to meet his eyes.
"I'm sorry... sir, we didn't keep an eye on him..." one slave answered with a trembling voice.
A cruel curve formed at the corner of the CP member's mouth. "Now, you are responsible for catching him and bringing him back."
He paused, his gaze piercing everyone like an icicle. "If he gets away, the rest of you... will—all—die."
On the wasteland, the Moonlight was desolate and cold.
The boy from the special race was running for his life, his bare feet cut by gravel, leaving behind spots of blood.
Covered in wounds and with ragged breaths tearing at his lungs, he collapsed helplessly beside a rock, his strength exhausted.
Just then, the sound of messy footsteps and heavy breathing came from all directions.
"Found him!"
Nine dark shadows closed in from the dim night. Holding rough wooden clubs, their faces were as distorted as demons as they approached the boy.
"Ah!!" The boy let out a terrified scream, looking at these adults.
"You damn brat!!" one slave roared.
"Why are you running?! Do you want to get us killed?!"
"Get over here! Come back with us!"
The boy shrank back in despair, tears streaming down his face. "No! I don't want to go back! Please..."
"Just come quietly!" The nine Slaves had no patience for more words; they swarmed him, their rough hands grabbing at the boy's thick limbs.
"No! Let me go! Let me go!!"
The boy erupted with incredible strength, struggling and kicking desperately; his instinct for survival made his resistance exceptionally fierce.
His immense power made it impossible for the nine grown men to fully subdue him for a moment, and the scene fell into a chaotic stalemate.
"I don't want to! I don't want to go back to that place ever again!!" The boy's cries echoed across the wasteland, shrill and desperate.
"If... if I have to go back... then just kill me here! Isn't it just death if I go back anyway?!!"
"Shut up! You selfish brat!!" A slave who had been kicked in the jaw by the boy completely lost his mind; he roared and swung the wooden club in his hand.
Bang!
A heavy thud landed on the boy's thin back, making him let out a whimper of pain.
That thud seemed to flip a switch. The last trace of hesitation and sympathy in the eyes of the other Slaves vanished, replaced by a kind of madness.
"It's all because of you!"
"We don't want to die!"
"Don't blame us!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The wooden clubs fell like raindrops. At first, the boy was still crying out and struggling, but his voice soon weakened until only the terrible thuds of wood striking flesh remained, exceptionally clear in the silent wilderness.
They weren't just following orders; it was more like they were venting their own fear. The brutal beating only stopped when the boy completely lost consciousness, slumped on the ground like a rag doll, motionless.
Several Slaves panted heavily, looking at the bloody child on the ground. A flash of bewilderment crossed their eyes, but it was quickly covered by a deeper numbness.
They silently lifted the unconscious boy. One of them cursed under his breath, though it was unclear if he was cursing the boy or this damn fate:
"To actually dare run away on your own..."
"We of the Ten-Person Tribe all share collective responsibility..."
"If you had escaped, we would all have been killed... We... just want to live..."
They dragged the battered boy step by step back to that cage.
After reporting back to the CP member, they silently crawled back into the cage.
The iron bars closed again, locking away not just their bodies, but also their humanity and hope, which had been completely lost in fear... Whiz~ Bang! Whiz~ Bang! Whiz~ Bang!
Fireworks exploded one after another in the sky over God Valley. What should have been a signal of celebration was now an opening salute for an impending massacre.
In the center of the island, on a temporary yet extremely luxurious stage, a Celestial Dragon wearing a space suit and a transparent bubble helmet, with light purple hair and an ugly, distorted face, announced loudly:
"Everyone, thank you for waiting!" He brandished a gem-encrusted longsword in his hand, pointing at the group of Celestial Dragons below who were dressed like him and holding various expensive weapons.
"The triennial festival that displays our supreme authority and power—the 'Native Cleansing Contest'—is about to begin!"
His joyful voice spread across the square through the broadcast transponder snail, reaching the ears of the imprisoned people nearby.
"Ohhh—!!!"
The Celestial Dragons below erupted in fanatical cheers, raising their famous swords and gold pistols in celebration.
"The venue chosen this time is this very island—an arrogant, non-World Government affiliated island that dares to call itself 'God Valley'!"
The purple-haired Celestial Dragon said contemptuously, "This shameless land has been surveyed and found to be rich in resources! Today, we shall conduct our customary 'Human Hunting' here, and at the same time, bring this place completely under the rule of the World Government!"
Even from the periphery of the square, pointed at by the guns of Marine Soldiers, the original residents of God Valley kneeling on the ground clearly heard this arrogant declaration.
The last shred of hope was completely shattered, and despair overwhelmed everyone.
"Marines! Are you still the Marines who claim to represent 'justice'?! Why are you helping the tyrant?! Why are you doing this to us!!"
A middle-aged man suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot as he roared questions at the Marine holding a gun beside him.
Bang!
What answered him was not an explanation, but a hot lead bullet.
The bullet accurately pierced his chest, bringing out a spray of eye-catching blood.
The anger on his face froze, then his body fell heavily to the ground, twitching twice before falling silent forever.
This time, what was loaded in the Marine's gun barrel was no longer a tranquilizer dart, but a real, life-taking live round.
"Well done!"
A Celestial Dragon nodded with satisfaction, expressing approval to the Marine who fired, then clicked his tongue with a bit of regret.
"If points weren't deducted for killing 'prey' early, I would have wanted to deal with this noisy piece of trash myself!"
"How can... how can they act so recklessly!!"
A middle-aged man wearing a crown and dressed in fine clothes stepped out from the imprisoned crowd.
His face was pale, his forehead covered in fine cold sweat, and his body trembled slightly with fear, but his dignity as a king and his responsibility to his subjects supported him as he voiced his question:
"For a... a ridiculous game! You're going to kill all my citizens?! You people are truly insane! This... this is our country!"
"Your Majesty!" Behind him, a dignified and beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes whispered a terrified warning.
"What the? This guy seems pretty arrogant~" A Celestial Dragon with long blonde hair picked his ear, looking displeased.
"Tsk, but that woman behind him is quite good-looking and has a nice temperament." Another Celestial Dragon beside him sized up the queen.
"It's a pity she's 'prey,' otherwise I'd really like to 'taste' his wife right in front of this useless king. That would surely be fun."
Shing—!
A cold flash of a blade swept past!
A figure had already appeared before the king.
It was Galin Saint! The famous sword in his hand was already unsheathed.
The King of God Valley fell with a great deal of blood. The crown symbolizing royal power fell to the ground with a "clatter."
"Your Majesty! No—!!!" The Blonde Queen, her face covered in tears, threw herself toward her fallen husband.
"Oh dear~ please wait a moment, Galin Saint!" the host on the high platform shouted with feigned surprise.
"You've jumped the gun! You actually struck down the native king! As punishment, Championship Candidate Galin Saint will start the match from minus ten thousand points!"
Galin Saint's expression didn't change in the slightest as he responded flatly, "A concession of this level is just right for me."
"Ah! So cool!" Some female Celestial Dragons around clutched their hearts in admiration.
"That's a huge point deduction~" the blonde Celestial Dragon laughed, spreading his hands with no sympathy in his tone.
"But with this guy dead, it really is much more refreshing." His companion nodded in agreement; in their eyes, the death of a king was perfectly natural.
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