...…
"I have to get you two out of here!"
At this moment, on the other side of God Valley, Dragon's arms trembled slightly from exertion. His left arm tightly cradled the sleeping Shanks, while his right arm held Shamrock close!
The tender bodies of the two children pressed against his wildly pounding heart, becoming the only remaining warmth and softness in this "hell."
"I must... I must get you out!"
These words roared repeatedly in his mind, nearly bursting from his throat.
This was not just a promise—it was the only faint consolation his soul could grasp after being forcibly dragged into this racial massacre, his hands stained with invisible blood.
Dragon trudged through an endless swamp of darkness, the two children in his arms serving as the sole faint starlight guiding his direction, preventing him from sinking completely.
He clenched his teeth, refusing to let his footsteps falter even for a moment.
Every breath scorched his lungs, as if he were inhaling not air, but burning ash and guilt.
As he passed a relatively intact building, the horrific sight of two Marine guards collapsed dead at the entrance stabbed into his vision.
They foamed blood at the mouth, eyes wide open, faces frozen in incredulous agony—clearly deprived of life in an instant by overwhelming force.
An ominous premonition gripped Dragon's heart.
He instinctively slowed his steps, his sharp gaze sweeping toward the slightly ajar door.
Through the narrow gap, the scene inside nearly froze his blood.
Saint Sommers of the God's Knights—that demon who seemed to have crawled out of hell!
He was now grinning ferociously, raising high his spiked thorn kanabo aimed at a woman slumped on the ground in despair!
"No more... absolutely no more lives can vanish before my eyes!"
This overwhelmingly intense thought exploded in Dragon's mind.
He quickly scanned his surroundings, moving at top speed to place Shanks and Shamrock behind a concealed pile of debris, ensuring they were temporarily safe.
Without hesitation, he drew his Marine-issued firearm—the very symbol of his "Marine" identity!
And now, Dragon once again pointed the barrel at one of those so-called World Nobles!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Several specialized tranquilizer rounds burst from the barrel, carrying Dragon's resolute will straight toward Saint Sommers' back.
Dragon's plan was simple: subdue him and rescue the woman!
However, a member of the God's Knights was no mere figurehead.
"Hm? Why is there still a rat here?!"
Saint Sommers didn't even turn around. His Observation Haki had already spread like radar, encompassing every movement in the vicinity.
He let out a contemptuous snort. His body flickered like a phantom, and those tranquilizer rounds—enough to fell beasts—grazed his clothing and harmlessly embedded into the wall.
"What!?"
Dragon's heart sank, his pupils contracting sharply.
He hadn't expected the opponent's strength to be so terrifying, his reaction speed far beyond imagination.
In the instant Dragon tried to swiftly reload, Saint Sommers had already turned, his face wearing the playful expression of a cat toying with a mouse.
He didn't even bother advancing personally—just swung his arm, activating the Thorn-Thorn Fruit's power.
Countless pitch-black thorn vines, barbed and alive like venomous snakes, erupted from the ground and the shadows of the walls, swiftly wrapping around Dragon's ankles and wrists!
A tremendous pulling force yanked him. The world spun, and Dragon was violently dragged off the ground!
In the end, he was slammed hard into the oppressive room, crashing onto the cold floor.
"Marine?!"
The imprisoned Shakky, seeing the disheveled Dragon in his Marine uniform fall to the ground, wore an expression of pure shock.
She could never have imagined that, in such desperate straits, the one extending a hand to help her would be a Marine.
"Hey hey hey! You damn fool—have you lost your mind? Do you even know who I am? How dare you attack me?!"
Saint Sommers, upon seeing Dragon's uniform, furrowed his brows in disgust. His gaze stabbed like a poisoned dagger.
That look held no concealment—pure fury and bewilderment from a superior that an "ant" dared to resist.
Dragon struggled to lift his head. His forehead had been scraped raw by the rough ground, warm blood mixed with dust streaming down, blurring half his vision.
But he didn't wipe it away. He simply stared back at Saint Sommers with eyes burning with equal rage.
The opponent's naturally condescending tone, the attitude that treated human lives like grass, the utter arrogance that refused to see others as people!
It was like keys slowly unlocking the sealed door of doubt and rebellion in Dragon's heart.
All his long-standing confusion and suppressed dissatisfaction exploded in this moment, converging into an increasingly clear, increasingly powerful conviction!
This system is wrong!
These self-proclaimed "gods" are twisted!
"You're an eyesore—die!"
Saint Sommers was thoroughly enraged by Dragon's unyielding gaze.
He lost all interest in toying and raised high once more that thorn kanabo symbolizing pain and death. Its shadow loomed over Dragon's head, the chill of death piercing straight to the bone.
Dragon clenched his teeth, trying to muster the last of his strength to resist—even if futile...
And right at this critical, hair's-breadth moment!
"Shwoosh!"
A figure moving at extreme speed, tearing through the air with a piercing whistle, appeared in the room as if teleporting!
The speed felt almost beyond sound!
Immediately after came a clear, resonant "clang!"
The declaration of a blade unsheathed—cold, sharp, carrying the weight of judgment.
A voice cold as ice, as if rising from the depths of the underworld, rang heavily behind Saint Sommers:
"Then allow me... to send you to the underworld!"
The voice was not loud, yet it carried overwhelming killing intent and unquestionable authority.
A vast, boundless surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted like a tangible tsunami, instantly flooding the entire space!
The air grew viscous, gravity seeming to multiply!
That pure, unadulterated killing intent actually caused the battle-hardened Saint Sommers' body to stiffen, his movements freezing fatally!
"Transcendent Higan Crescent!"
Silvers Rayleigh unleashed his fury!
The blade flashed like the underworld river reversing, carrying the sharpness to sever karma and lead straight to the netherworld, slamming solidly into Saint Sommers' back!
"Boom!"
Saint Sommers couldn't even let out a complete scream. His body was struck as if by a siege ram, blood spraying from his mouth!
He flew uncontrollably off the ground, crashing through the opposite wall and vanishing beneath rubble and debris—alive or dead, unknown.
This earth-shattering strike, this sudden reversal, left both people in the room momentarily stunned.
Dragon lay on the ground, staring blankly at the suddenly appearing figure—so reliable, like a mountain. His mind went blank.
What overwhelming power, what resolute will!
And Shakky—upon seeing the man who arrived stepping on starlight in her darkest, most desperate moment—finally let the tears she had held back burst forth.
Crystal tears fell like broken pearls, sliding endlessly from the corners of her eyes, mixing with dust and blood to leave trails on her pale face.
It was relief after surviving calamity, the grievance of seeing her beloved, and an indescribable surge of emotion.
"Are you alright?"
With one blow sending the powerful enemy flying, Rayleigh calmly sheathed his sword as if he had done something trivial.
He first looked at Shakky with concern. The icy chill from the underworld instantly switched to human warmth.
Earlier he had specifically told Roger he was going alone to rescue her—precisely for this bone-deep attachment.
He stepped forward quickly. Blade light flashed once more, precisely severing the chains binding Shakky.
Losing support, Shakky weakly pitched forward—only to be steadily caught by Rayleigh's strong arms.
"Rayleigh... he, he was trying to save me!"
Freed from her bonds, Shakky's first words were not complaints about her own suffering.
She hurriedly grabbed Rayleigh's arm, pointing toward Dragon on the ground. Her tone urgent as she defended this stranger Marine: "He's a good person!"
Rayleigh glanced over, carefully examining Dragon's conspicuous Marine uniform and the young, bloodstained but still somewhat familiar face.
In his mind, the earlier light screen footage about Garp's son quickly surfaced—the two faces overlapping perfectly.
"You're... Garp's son?!"
Rayleigh's tone carried confirmation.
Dragon silently nodded, struggling to stand. But after the earlier impact and extreme mental tension, his body was somewhat drained.
"Oh?"
Rayleigh drew out the word, a flash of understanding crossing his face. Then the corners of his mouth curved into a complex, profound smile—containing admiration, emotion, and perhaps a touch of amusement at fate's arrangements.
"Thank you, young man!"
Hearing Shakky's account and learning this young Marine had dared attack a Celestial Dragon, the last trace of scrutiny vanished from Rayleigh's eyes.
He walked to Dragon, not offering a hand to help him up, but regarding him as an equal.
"Don't worry—I won't kill you... Honestly, I hate trash like that too. Your future is far nobler than ours!"
Rayleigh had noticed Dragon's future earlier—the Marine who would become the greatest revolutionary, rebelling against these hypocritical gods...
"Thank you... cough cough cough!"
Dragon understood what Rayleigh meant. After a simple thanks, he forced himself to stand...
But earlier, Dragon had been pierced all over by Saint Sommers' thorns, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably even now!
"Waaah waaah!" x2
Two tender cries pierced the silence, instantly drawing Rayleigh's attention.
The moment Dragon heard Shanks and Shamrock crying, it was as if some invisible power surged into him.
Ignoring the tearing pain throughout his body, he staggered out and tightly embraced the two little ones hidden in the corner.
"Don't be afraid... With me here, no one will ever hurt you."
Dragon's low voice carried unshakable firmness. Under his gentle soothing, the children's cries gradually quieted, turning into soft giggles.
Dragon lightly touched their soft cheeks with his fingertips, carving out a patch of peace amid the despair.
"You can't get out."
Rayleigh supported Shakky as they emerged from the shadows, his voice grave...
"When I came, I scouted the area. The entire island... has been completely sealed off by that thing in the sky."
His gaze turned upward—at this moment, the glowing light screen had fully isolated them from the outside world!
Hearing they couldn't leave, Dragon looked regretfully toward the nearby coast. Was he ultimately unable to get these two little ones out?
"Otherwise, come with me. I'll take you to find your father—and I believe many there would be willing to protect you and these two children..."
Rayleigh looked at Dragon and spoke calmly, offering his suggestion. Though they were pirates, they also despised the World Government and these Celestial Dragons.
If Dragon would one day overthrow them in the future—that would be perfect!
...