"Kill them! Loot them all!"
Countless unknown pirates roared as they charged, their gleaming blades radiating a cold light.
Centered around the most prominent geographical feature of God Valley—the two towering peaks that pierced the clouds—pirates surged like tidal waves from all directions.
Chronos reached out and clenched his hand in the air. Crackling currents surged, coalescing into a long lance.
With a fierce throw, the lance plunged into the pirate horde. A thunderous explosion followed, and a chunk of the charging pirates vanished into thin air.
The detonating Thunder Lance released expanding rings of electricity, which then rippled through the oncoming pirates. Amidst the incessant crackling, another wave of pirates fell.
"Hey, hey! Why do these all seem like old-timers from over a decade ago!"
Moria shouted loudly, drawing his massive blade. Wrapping it in Haki, he unleashed a ferocious slash.
The powerful slash, infused with detached Haki, blasted into the pirate crowd, sending leaves scattering like a storm.
Tohru's expression turned fierce. He charged forward recklessly, barging directly into the pirate mob. Grabbing one pirate with each hand, he hurled them like weapons.
The flung pirates crashed into more of their comrades. Tohru then swung his arms wildly, smashing and pummeling, moving through them like a harvester through a wheat field.
"Huh? Captain Jack? Didn't you die at God Valley over a decade ago?"
"And Captain Morgan, shouldn't you have been buried at God Valley alongside your first mate, Henry?"
Jackie Chan was surrounded by the closing pirates, his face a mask of panic. In his memory, these pirates were all people who should be resting in coffins!
But the encircling pirates remained silent, only swinging their weapons relentlessly, as if driven by an irreconcilable hatred to chop Jackie Chan and the others into pieces.
Left with no choice, though terrified, Jackie Chan dodged left and right under the assault. He occasionally leaped high to avoid blades, then swept with a low kick to forcefully take down foes.
Disarming them, striking at vital joints like wrists, luring the pirates into attacking each other, hiding behind burly pirates to catch his breath while letting them eliminate one another.
Even though Jackie Chan appeared astonishingly timid, in the chaos of this melee, he remained almost completely unscathed, even thriving like a fish in water.
Meanwhile, Chronos had finished gathering his power. Soaring into the air, his Observation Haki spread out like radio waves, capturing the positions of every pirate from above.
In his perception, Moria was wreaking havoc on all sides, Tohru was wreaking havoc on all sides, and Jackie Chan, in his own unique way, was also wreaking havoc on all sides. Not a single one was slacking.
A smile touched Chronos's face. Truly worthy of his companions!
Myriad Thunder: Universe!
Boom!
Bolts of lightning, thick as arms, poured down like raindrops in a torrential storm.
Under precise targeting, every single inexplicably appearing pirate in the area was struck directly by the thunder.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared, the brilliant radiance nearly illuminating the entire region.
By the time silence returned to their ears, when Moria and the others looked at the battlefield again, it was already empty, leaving only a field of charred blackness.
Tap. Chronos landed lightly, not even a hint of irregularity in his breathing.
"So what exactly is going on here?"
With the sudden outbreak of battle concluded, the group caught their breath. Moria slowly walked over, deeply puzzled.
Chronos looked into the distance and flicked his finger. Under electromagnetic force, he directly attracted a leaf that was about to be blown away by the wind.
Holding up the leaf, Chronos waved it in front of the three of them and continued:
"Clearly, someone has set a trap for us here. We just don't know exactly what they intend to do."
"That's…"
Jackie Chan stared at the leaf, his face showing surprise.
"I remember this. Isn't that Patton's Devil Fruit ability? It can be used to transform objects."
"I remember too, but Patton said it can't transform living creatures."
Tohru added, the big guy unexpectedly having a good memory.
"Patton can't, but that doesn't mean others can't. Devil Fruit abilities also depend on who uses them."
Chronos shook his head and explained.
"If I remember correctly, Patton's Devil Fruit should be the Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan Type: Bake-danuki Form. Its ability is to create leaves to activate transformation techniques.
Patton himself can probably only transform small items, but the peculiarity of the Tanuki Transformation Fruit is that the leaves it produces can also be used by others."
Even with the same Devil Fruit, the abilities can differ. Some users master powerful abilities immediately upon eating it, while others only grasp the basics and need to develop them gradually.
Examples of the former are the Azure Dragon Fruit and the Paw-Paw Fruit, which shine brightly right after consumption. The latter includes fruits like the Mochi-Mochi Fruit and the Biscuit-Biscuit Fruit, which rely entirely on the user's development to become strong.
With Patton's own abilities, he can at most transform small items like binoculars.
But if his boss were to use it, it would be different. That great pirate could recreate all the old rivals he had encountered.
"I asked Patton about his boss's appearance: red skin, a red suit, an umbrella-shaped sword, and a large blue brooch hanging on his chest."
Chronos said helplessly. It seemed that the old senior had really set his sights on them.
"What kind of person do you think would dress and look like that?"
"Hey, hey, hey, no way?"
Moria's expression turned serious. For someone like him, who enjoys collecting information on strong individuals, the first clue was enough to put him on alert.
"Red Count Byron Redfield? Why would someone like that target us?"
"Maybe it's to temper the young, or maybe it's just out of interest. Who knows?"
Chronos didn't want to speculate. He only knew that Red Count had already set his plan in motion.
At that moment, before they could catch their breath, the sound of fighting reached their ears again—cannons roaring, Haki bursting, and a faint sense of vibration accompanying it.
Chronos suddenly looked up. In his perception, he sensed a familiar presence.
"There's no time for idle talk now. You heard the announcement earlier, right? Forces are attacking from all four directions, and a massive brawl is about to erupt."
"Although I don't know what Senior Red Count is thinking, we definitely can't just go with the flow."
"I don't need to explain much about the situation at God Valley: the World Government, Celestial Dragons, God Knights, and Marines; the Rocks Pirates; the Roger Pirates; the Garp Pirates; the Great Kingdom's army; and a large number of pirates."
"Now, we can only choose one side to join first, then look for an opportunity to break through."
"Senior Red Count has directly placed us right in the center of God Valley."
Chronos looked toward the nearby high platform. If he wasn't mistaken, that should have been where the Davy Back Fight participants were placed, but now it was completely empty.
Although it was a free-for-all, Red Count clearly despised the Celestial Dragons' murderous games and wouldn't create those innocent, suffering "escape rabbits."
"This shouldn't require a choice, right?"
Jackie Chan said directly—among these options, one clearly stood out as out of place!
"I think so too. Let's go—Auntie Linlin's presence is over there!"
Chronos stated plainly. As for Whitebeard from the Rocks Pirates at this moment, it was better to avoid him—after all, the Rocks crew itself was a source of danger right now.
The four of them moved with incredible swiftness. Chronos transformed into lightning, enveloping Tohru and Jackie Chan as they flashed forward in a sudden assault.
Moria waved his hand, and the Shadow Mage burrowed underground, moving in a straight line before shifting positions, advancing in long segments one after another. Though not as fast as the lightning, it was still able to keep up.
Along the way, large numbers of pirates erupted, but fortunately, they were just weak underlings. A simple thunderclap from Chronos scattered all the minor foes.
Before long, several towering figures appeared before the four of them.
"Ikoku!"
The young Charlotte Linlin laughed heartily, swinging her massive blade with such force that it unleashed a shockwave resembling Haki.
Compared to those randomly fabricated underlings, the Charlotte Linlin before them was undoubtedly an elite unit. Under the crushing impact of her Haki-enhanced strike, she blasted open a gap.
Her will was firm and powerful, and her nearly nine-meter height was almost indistinguishable from a true giant. Her cherry-red long hair cascaded down, her face was stunningly beautiful, and her lips were a vivid red.
If not for her massive size, the young Charlotte Linlin would undoubtedly have been the world's greatest beauty.
"Wow, she's so pretty!"
Tohru blushed, a rare occurrence for him. Due to his own size, his preferences also leaned toward tall girls—though Charlotte Linlin's stature was still a bit too much.
"As expected of Auntie Linlin."
Chronos sighed in admiration. In this lifetime, with the systematic training of the Great Kingdom, Charlotte Linlin was undoubtedly far stronger than her counterpart in the original timeline.
"Gyororororo!"
"Gababababa!"
At that moment, right beside Charlotte Linlin, a long-bearded giant and a bushy-bearded giant burst into laughter before raising their weapons together.
A massive longsword and a gigantic sharp axe clashed, the metallic clang ringing out, followed by an aura of compressed and condensed power.
"Hakoku!"
It was as if a colossal cannon had been fired. The air itself compressed in that instant, and an unparalleled shockwave roared forward like an enraged dragon.
Everything in its path—islands, pirates, trees…—instantly turned to fine dust upon contact, disintegrating and vanishing without a trace.
The captains of Elbaph's Giant Warrior Pirates, Dorry and Brogy, had arrived!
"Uncle Dorry, Uncle Brogy, what are we doing this time? Smashing the World Government here?"
Charlotte Linlin rested her weapon on her shoulder and casually asked the two giant captains.
"Gababababa, you'll have to ask our king about that," Brogy replied with a hearty laugh.
"Hey, Harald, what are we doing this time?"
With that question, the final giant appearing on the battlefield made his entrance.
Broad shoulders, a spiky beard like a sea urchin, a pair of large curved horns protruding from his forehead—his entire being exuded a complex aura, a blend of destruction and gentleness.
King of Elbaph, descendant of the Ancient Giant Tribe—Harald.
"Stop this atrocity of the World Government, in the name of the Great Kingdom and the honor of Elbaph."
Harald spoke calmly, yet a flicker of struggle and hesitation passed between his brows.
Chronos looked at the four giants before him and shrugged helplessly.
"It seems Senior Red Count refused to give us more assistance. Only four giant warriors."
"Better than nothing!"
Moria sighed, as the scene before him felt strangely familiar...
Dorry and Brogy had grown up with Harald since childhood, so how could they not understand what their old friend meant?
They laughed heartily, about to tell their old comrade to go ahead and do what he needed to do, leaving the battlefield to them.
But at that moment, Charlotte Linlin, who was preparing to move, suddenly sensed an unusual presence.
"Hey, who are you people?"
Charlotte Linlin strode toward Chronos and the other three, then leaned down to ask.
From a distance, it was fine, but up close, her nearly nine-meter-tall figure cast a shadow large enough to envelop everyone.
Moria looked like a child in comparison, while the others seemed to have turned into dwarves.
Facing the youthful Aunt Linlin, Chronos felt a sense of temporal disorientation, but he quickly snapped out of it. Pulling Jackie Chan over, he pointed and said:
"We were hired as bodyguards by an archaeologist under the Great Kingdom. We originally came to study the history of God Valley, but we didn't expect..."
Jackie Chan was stunned, not expecting his identity to be so useful. Chronos nudged him, and he hurriedly took out his credentials.
Charlotte Linlin glanced at them, seemingly spotting the emblem of the Great Kingdom, and believed it.
"So that's how it is."
She nodded in affirmation, but immediately changed her tone.
"You're our reinforcements, right? Then fight alongside us! Once the war is over, you'll be safe!"
Jackie Chan turned his head—this didn't seem right!
Chronos gave Jackie Chan a look, telling him not to overthink it.
Since they were already here, leaving wouldn't be easy.
Patting Jackie Chan's shoulder, Chronos comforted him:
"Relax, Jackie Chan. Aren't you an archaeologist? Think of it as a hands-on historical investigation on the battlefield."
"But I'm not a war archaeologist!" Jackie Chan cried, though it was no use.
Thrust into the former battlefield of God Valley, Chronos felt a mix of complexity and excitement. It was dangerous, of course, but also an opportunity.
To witness the clashes of powerful figures from all sides—even if it was a simulated version—it was clear Red Count had no intention of letting them die.
In that case, they might as well treat it as a grand trial!
Consider it practice for facing the powerful figures of Toriko and Dragon Ball in the future. If they couldn't overcome this, how could they face those?
Leaping onto Charlotte Linlin's shoulder, Chronos declared directly:
"No problem, Aunt Linlin. I assure you, we will welcome victory!"
Still speaking as if following a script, in this world, the battle of God Valley was won by the Great Kingdom!
Charlotte Linlin tilted her head, somewhat surprised by Chronos's familiarity.
"Have we met before?"
"We've met now, and we'll definitely meet again in the future!"
Chronos laughed heartily. Charlotte Linlin sighed but let it be.
At this moment, Dorry and Brogy also arrived, having already finished discussing with their good brother Harald.
"If that's the case, then we'll have to rely on you!"
With that, Harald lowered his head and charged straight toward the battlefield—the eastern side where the Rocks Pirates had landed.
Clearly, the ill-fated couple from the original storyline had not missed each other again in this parallel world.
"Hey hey, Linlin, who are they?"
The two Giant Warrior captains approached, asking in confusion.
After a brief explanation, they learned these were reinforcements. The giant uncles smiled, then picked up Jackie Chan and Tohru, placing them on their respective shoulders.
"If that's the case, then let's set off!"
Each of the three giants carried one person, with only Moria having to run on his own due to the size difference.
The combat power of giants could be glimpsed from the battle on Egghead Island, where the Giant Warrior Pirates faced off against Marine warships.
Their terrifying brute strength, enormous size, and speed that matched their stature—once they charged, they were comparable to steel tanks.
In Marine Headquarters, an adult giant could at least secure the position of vice admiral!
As Charlotte Linlin and the two Giant Warrior captains charged forward, all the low-level pirate grunts were swept away like fallen leaves in an autumn wind.
Chronos calmly sensed the auras. The small fry were no longer a threat, so next came the big ones.
Ahead, a frenzied aura was approaching.
"Where is that Roger guy!"