“Divine…divine war?”
Gladius was stunned for a moment, unable to process the term right away.
“Yeah, a war between the old god and the new god. It’s just that this old god seems to have slept for too long and let some people take advantage of the situation.
Fuffuffuffu, I can’t take it. Just thinking about it makes me want to burst out laughing!”
The more Doflamingo once longed to return to the status of a Celestial Dragon, the more he now despised that group. Since he had been cast out, then no one else should expect to benefit either.
The Lunarians were not a secret, just rare. Many people across the seas had heard of the massive bounties placed on them, but those who had actually seen a Lunarian with their own eyes were extremely few. Across the entire sea, there weren’t many at all.
Knowing this wasn’t difficult. The purpose of the bounty was to entice others with money to provide information. This was a message deliberately spread by the World Government.
Those who knew the deeper secrets were the truly rare ones.
“You should have heard that Lunarians once lived atop the Red Line, a mysterious race known as a tribe of gods.
If the root of everything lies with the ‘true god’ they worship…
I don’t know what happened back then, but when He sees that the homeland of His followers has been taken over, and His people nearly driven to extinction, what do you think he will do?”
Doflamingo sounded as if he was asking, but Gladius didn’t respond. He knew this was his young master’s habit; questions like this were just him talking to himself.
“To this day, the World Government has never stopped hunting the Lunarians. Gladius, you must understand, this is a race born to soar through the skies.
When their fury once again sweeps across Mariejois, I can’t even imagine how those parasites will manage to escape!”
As soon as his words fell, a series of synchronized footsteps came from behind Doflamingo. The bridge of sand had already dissipated, the guests had entered, and the ceremonial guard no longer needed to stand in place.
“Doflamingo, what are you laughing at over there? Are you planning to give up the seat that belongs to you?”
“Of course not. I’m just calming my emotions a bit. I can’t exactly lose my composure in front of your god, can I?”
Looking at the member of the Arceus Cult’s knight order urging him from behind, Doflamingo showed no dissatisfaction and quickly moved to rejoin the procession ahead.
At the tail end of the line, he encountered Mjosgard.
“My dear uncle, it seems you’ve made a very wise choice.
Perhaps I should also thank my foolish father? If not for his decision, I’d probably still be up there in Mariejois, completely ignorant of the outside world.”
“You don’t understand why I made this choice, nor can you comprehend the original intent behind your father’s decision.”
“I might never understand that. But you should understand what I’m saying. Once they’ve done this, the word ‘god’ is bound to spread.
And the Celestial Dragons won’t tolerate that word. In the past, the spread of religions might have seemed like small-scale nonsense to them. After all, who can even count how many religions exist across the seas?
But judging by this situation, this place will likely become what the Beasts Pirates call a ‘land of gods.’ Things are already on edge, and this is practically going to ignite the entire powder keg.”
“… ”
Mjosgard said nothing, but his expression turned somewhat grim. Influenced by Otohime, he hoped to see a world of equality, but as a former Celestial Dragon, he knew far more than most.
Especially after reforming himself, Mjosgard had learned many hidden truths, so he naturally understood what Doflamingo meant.
“Young master, I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Actually, I only know a few clues; after all, that incident happened so long ago. But my dear uncle here seems to know much more, I just wonder if he’s willing to answer for us.”
“There’s nothing that can’t be said. This is a game of the Celestial Dragons. Although they live atop Mariejois, every three years, the Celestial Dragons leave the Red Line and hold a human hunting game in a non-affiliated nation.
They release problematic slaves who are disobedient, injured, or simply unwanted onto the island, and treat them as prey, exterminating them together with the island’s native inhabitants.
After that, the World Government declares the island as their new territory.”
Mjosgard let out a sigh, as if regretting something. After all, as a Celestial Dragon, he had once been a participant in such acts.
“I only heard about this, but 38 years ago, during one of those ‘hunts,’ the location they chose was God Valley in the West Blue.
That country had extremely abundant resources, some of which held special value, so the word ‘god’ was included in its name. It’s said that the king of that ‘land of gods’ tried to stop them, but failed.”
A non-affiliated nation, the word “god,” a powerful pirate crew—Wano Country met all the conditions from back then, making parts of the future a self-evident reality.
“The difference is, the king of that ‘land of gods’ was only a worldly king, but here… there seems to truly be a god.”
By the time they arrived at the venue, the crowd had already split into different groups. Mjosgard’s seat was not with Doflamingo’s, and some observant people noticed that while most gathered in the central area, a few were being guided to different sections.
Even the kings could only sit in the third row. At the very front were two seats, one large and one small, belonging to Kaido and Yamato. Behind them were the Beasts Pirates’ officers and special guests, and only after that came the kings.
There were quite a lot of people in the venue, yet it was unusually quiet. Even the typically unruly pirates had restrained themselves here.
Beneath this silence, however, was an undercurrent of excitement.
The pirates who had come here had more or less witnessed this ceremony before. They had seen one companion after another rise above the rest, exchanging effort and blood for the rewards they deserved.
“Governor-General Kaido and the Oni Princess are already here.”
“And they’re not even fighting. Only Lord Arceus could manage something like that.”
“Actually, Lord Queen could do it too, it’s just that his methods are a bit… special.”
It wasn’t complete silence; some familiar pirates whispered among themselves.
“Drought, Phantom, Plague, the three calamity-class senior officers are all here, but where’s Lord King?”
“He’s probably busy with something. Isn’t Lady Shayna absent as well?
Aside from Brother Mandrell, the single-digit Numbers are all here too. This is my first time seeing so many high-ranking officers gathered together.”
“Look over there: Aokiji, Red Hair, oh, and Katakuri. They’re all sitting obediently down there. In any other place, could you even imagine something like this happening?”
“Doesn’t that just highlight how powerful we are?”
To the pirates of the Beasts Pirates, this was simply a more grand Divine Blessing Ritual. Even if the guests were somewhat special, it didn’t change that.
After all, in the eyes of the Beasts Pirates, their crew was the strongest in the world.
Among these special guests, Katakuri was almost like a supporting figure. Not to belittle him, but compared to Kuzan and Shanks, he still fell far short.
The pirates could remain calm, but the kings gathered here for the first time felt an indescribable pressure.
Even under the banner of the Beasts Pirates, most of them had only dealt with one or two senior officers at most. Facing so many monsters of the seas at once was a first.
“Calamities, Numbers… Giant beasts… Is this the military power they intend to display…?”
“Military power? Is your vision really that shallow? If it were only about military power, you could just tally up the bounties here. The combined bounties of these people… should exceed 30 billion Berries by now, right?
That great lake that appeared and disappeared out of nowhere earlier, along with what that Lunarian said, haven’t you figured it out yet? What they’re showcasing is the divine power they believe in. With your level of insight, how did you even become a regent?”
There was a trace of disdain in those words. The relationships among these royal figures were far from harmonious. But at that moment, a dramatic change on the stage drew everyone’s attention.
Golden, pink, and azure beams of light shot into the sky as the spirits of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf returned to their bodies.
【Knowledge brings the future to the world, paving the road forward.】
【Emotions enriches the world’s changes, adding color to a black-and-white world.】
【Willpower grants the courage to press onward, unveiling the mysteries of the world.】
The voices of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf echoed one after another in everyone’s minds. When the fairy-like beings from the illusory lakes appeared before them once more, some people couldn’t help but almost stand up, but quickly restrained themselves. Drawing attention to oneself in such a setting was hardly a wise form of reverence.
【The road ahead is never easy, yet our Father God shall guide the path!】
Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf spoke in unison. The triple-layered voices gave a sense of sudden enlightenment. At the same time, radiant glows flashed across the sky above Onigashima, and even Mt. Fuji in the distance seemed to come alive.
As a dormant volcano, Mt. Fuji had not erupted for a long time. Through the long river of history, it had silently witnessed the development of Wano Country. As the place most influenced by Arceus’s power, it now seemed to sense its master’s will.
The sacred spring atop the mountain rose into the air, then scattered into a wondrous rain.
Withered trees met with spring, and all kinds of flora welcomed renewal; a powerful surge of vitality suddenly erupted within Wano Country. Even the snow-covered Ringo welcomed a touch of spring after a long time.
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.
Become a Patron!