Chapter Thirteen: The Return! The Prelude to the Valley of the Gods (Please Follow!)

It was quite a coincidence that when Loki was carrying Roa back to the castle, Lox also happened to be coming out with Whitebeard.

“Let’s go, kid.”

The captain’s voice was as cold as ever.

“Huh? So soon, Captain?” Roa asked in surprise. “It took me over a week just to get here!”

They’d only stayed for two hours, and now they were leaving? Not even a sip of water had been taken.

“It’s settled. I don’t have time to waste here,” Lox said coldly. “Do you think I’m free?”

Indeed, the captain had a lot on his plate—recovering stolen treasures while preparing for the ultimate battle against the World Government.

“Ah, that’s really a pity,” Roa said regretfully as he jumped down from Loki’s shoulder, then looked back at the tall man with a wistful gaze. “Looks like I have to say goodbye early. Don’t forget me! And when I ask for your help in the future, you better not refuse!”

“Huh?” Loki was a little confused but nodded instinctively. “Oh…”

“That’s good. Farewell, my friend.”

Roa nodded with relief.

The friendship of men was just that simple.

“Let’s go, Captain.”

After the farewell, Roa walked toward the captain calmly.

The three of them headed straight for the nearby pirate ship.

Watching their backs, Loki felt something was off.

“Wait!”

Loki shouted in surprise. He hadn’t even joined the Lox Pirate Crew yet! “Take me with you, damn it!”

“Oh? What’s wrong, my friend?” Roa turned back in surprise. “Do you want a warm hug? You little glutton, alright, I’ll indulge you.”

He opened his arms enthusiastically. “Come on!”

“What are you talking about?” Loki was furious. “Didn’t you say you’d tell me the secret to joining the Lox Pirate Crew?”

“Oh! That’s right!” Roa suddenly remembered. “Haha, I almost forgot!”

Lox stopped and looked back at the back of Roa’s head with interest.

That little rascal…

“It’s simple, my friend,” Roa said seriously, his face solemn. “You just need to do one thing.”

“What is it?” Loki asked eagerly.

“Wait! Just wait!”

Roa said, “Wait until I become the captain of the Lox Pirate Crew, then I’ll come recruit you immediately!”

“Huh?”

Loki was stunned for a moment, then instantly furious. “You bastard, are you playing with me?”

Without hesitation, a huge iron rod slammed ruthlessly toward Roa.

“Is that all you’ve got? After all,”

Black wings suddenly blossomed behind Roa’s back, and the horn-like markings spread across his head, “you’re still too weak now.”

Whoosh!

A fierce wind rose!

Howling gusts condensed into wind blades that struck Loki relentlessly, who could not dodge.

Sizzle!

Blood splattered instantly.

“Waaah!”

Amidst the screams, Loki bled profusely and collapsed.

Without Haki, even the tough body of an ancient giant’s bloodline was far from resilient—Whitebeard himself couldn’t withstand a musket shot.

“Well then, goodbye, Loki,” Roa said with a smile as he deactivated his power. “Next time we meet, you better be stronger, or I won’t let you on my ship.”

“You bastard…”

This time, Loki truly had no strength left to get up. He could barely lift his head and looked at Roa’s departing figure with difficulty.

Didn’t you say you wouldn’t bully the wounded?

Just wait, asshole. Next time we meet, I’ll kill you!

“Take care of yourself, Ghana.”

The pirate ship once again sailed over the Rainbow Bridge as the Lox Pirate Crew began their journey home.

Only upon landing again on the Green Sea did Roa awaken from his daze. “Oh no! I forgot to tell Loki my name! What if he mistakes me for someone else next time?”

Isn’t that a common plot in novels?

Mistaking the savior for someone else often leads to a bunch of melodramatic stories.

Whitebeard sneered, “You’re overthinking, kid. That guy hates you with a vengeance. Even if you turned to ashes, he wouldn’t forget you.”

“Huh? You’re wrong, Uncle Newgate,” Roa said in surprise. “Loki and I are friends! Isn’t it normal for friends to tease each other?”

Whitebeard continued to sneer.

“That kid does have some talent, but he was born too late,” Captain Lox bluntly remarked. “There’s no stage left in this world for him to show his prowess.”

Is that what the captain thinks?

Because he believed the end was near, that he would soon topple everything and snatch the world from the Celestial Dragons, a rising star like Loki was no longer needed.

After all, the captain’s ultimate battle was just around the corner.

How arrogant, the captain.

Popping champagne halfway through rarely ends well.

That’s why unveiling the truth behind the void century is so crucial—at least to figure out what cards the World Government holds.

But the captain couldn’t have imagined that the sudden battle at God’s Valley would be the undoing of his ambitions.

What took so long to arrive took just as long to return.

After more than a week, the pirate ship finally docked again at the harbor of Beehive Island.

Roa eagerly disembarked. After more than a week of plain food, he was desperate for a feast.

However,

Gloriosa was waiting at the harbor to greet them. The beautiful woman said, “Captain! You’ve returned just in time! Today, the Den Den Mushi suddenly received a strange audio transmission!”

“Audio transmission?” Lox raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. It says that on an island in the West Sea called God’s Valley, the Celestial Dragons will hold a hunting event!”

Roa’s pupils contracted.

Is it starting?

Later, in the conference room of the Skull Building,

All the officers of the Lox Pirate Crew gathered.

“My treasure was indeed snatched away by those bastards from the World Government!” Lox roared angrily. “Damn scum! How dare they snatch food from the tiger’s mouth!”

“But captain, you secretly found the Mythical Zoan Blue Dragon Fruit and didn’t tell us. Were you planning to keep it all to yourself?” Wang Zhi, wearing a hat, asked with interest.

“After we take it back, what about that fruit, Lox?” Kaido said excitedly. “Heh heh heh! That fruit suits me best!”

“That’s mine!” Lox shot them a sharp glare.

One of the strongest Devil Fruits, even for Lox, was a precious treasure.

“Not just the Blue Dragon Fruit. Two weeks from now, God’s Valley will have more treasures, like the Zoan-type Meatball Fruit,” Charlotte Linlin’s eyes gleamed with greed. “That’s another all-powerful Devil Fruit!”

“And a huge fortune that even the Celestial Dragons would covet!” Captain John stopped drinking and stared intensely. “Hey, Lox, are we really going to miss this grand event?”

“But how reliable is just an audio clip?” Gloriosa said. “We don’t even know who sent it.”

It was Jinny.

Though young, she was highly skilled in intelligence and communications—a tragic girl.

Who would have thought?

The root of it all lay with a few little slaves whom no one ever paid attention to.

Roa thought silently.

The battle of God’s Valley was truly about to begin.

If memory served, Jinny had sent the message two weeks before the hunt started.

“Investigate!” Lox’s voice was sharp. “A large number of Celestial Dragons are traveling. The navy will surely dispatch a massive fleet for escort. As soon as we detect the navy gathering forces toward the West Sea, we set off immediately!”

“Ha ha ha ha! A bunch of Celestial Dragons? Even if not for the treasure, this trip is necessary! Let’s cause some chaos!”

“Kurarara! Human hunting—only those scum would do such a thing. This time, let’s teach them a lesson!”

“Momomomama!”

“Uhohohoho!”

Here we go again.

Otherwise—

“Hehehehehe!”