In the sky, the sun was obscured behind layers of dark clouds.
Even at noon, the area appeared gray and hazy from a distance.
The sunlight couldn't penetrate the clouds, leaving the entire island devoid of any brilliance.
Looking down from the sky.
It was an island surrounded by the sea on all sides.
Covering an area of roughly ten thousand square kilometers, in the central region stood a cracked mountain peak.
It looked incredibly mysterious.
This was God Valley, a mysterious island that didn't even appear on maps. It was said that the secrets of the Celestial Dragons were hidden here.
Some even claimed that the Ancient Weapon Uranus was buried on this island.
This was an island unknown to ordinary people, and entry was strictly forbidden to anyone except the Celestial Dragons.
Thirty-five warships and battleships slowly docked.
Members of CP carried boxes quickly off the ships and marched forward.
The Marines also disembarked, forming orderly ranks.
Kong, Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr stood to one side, their expressions grim. Garp didn't even want to look at the Celestial Dragons.
"We've finally arrived!"
Fifteen Celestial Dragons disembarked, accompanied by a group of slaves.
Having been on the ship for so long, they were bored. As soon as they stepped off the ship, the Celestial Dragons began surveying their surroundings and moving forward.
Though reluctant, the top-tier Marines of the Navy had their Observation Haki spread out, constantly vigilant for any signs of movement.
"Could it be that the Rocks Pirates don't dare to show up?" Zephyr frowned and spoke.
The Rocks Pirates—even the Celestial Dragons trembled at the mention of them. They were known for hunting the descendants of the gods.
In their years of activity, they had never missed an opportunity to attack the Celestial Dragons.
"They'll come. Given Rocks' arrogant nature, he doesn't care about anything. He'll definitely show up at God Valley," Kong stroked his goatee and said solemnly.
"I hope they do come, or all our preparations will be for nothing! I came here with the intention of wiping out the Rocks Pirates in one fell swoop!"
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to protect these foolish Celestial Dragons," Garp muttered under his breath.
"Watch your words!" Kong frowned and said slowly.
Not just the top-tier Marines, but everyone else was also closely monitoring their surroundings.
Each person was tense, their eyes fixed on the surroundings, not daring to relax even slightly, despite being surrounded by allies.
Because they knew exactly who their opponent was today—the Rocks Pirates!
The rulers of the seas, whose mere mention made all pirates hold their breath in fear! The three genius of the Navy were also holding their breath, cautiously observing their surroundings.
"All combatants are present, and the preparations for the ritual are complete. The ceremony can begin!"
A man in a black suit and mask knelt before the lead Celestial Dragon, Saint Rosward, and spoke.
"Begin the ritual!"
Hearing this, the fifteen Celestial Dragons put away their arrogance and haughty expressions, bowing respectfully to Saint Rosward.
As they rose, their faces were twisted with sinister and evil expressions.
"Hehehe! The ritual of the creators is about to begin!"
"Bring forth the sacrifices!" "..."
As the words fell, several tall, black-clad guards nearby pulled on the iron chains in their hands, expressionlessly dragging out the offerings.
The so-called offerings.
They were not fruits, animals, or toys!
They were living people—twenty underage human girls.
Each of them was dressed in white, their hair styled uniformly, their faces delicate but their eyes vacant, their expressions numb.
They allowed the black-clad guards to pull the chains around their necks, leading them toward the center of the circular sacrificial altar.
Around the cracked mountain, the marines were wide-eyed.
"What does this mean? What's going on with these girls?"
"I don't know, but I just heard the Celestial Dragons say something about the ritual starting and the offerings!"
"But these are living humans! And from the looks of it, they're not even adults yet!"
"Could it be that these girls are the offerings?"
The marines, seeing the girls with chains around their necks and dull eyes, felt a deep sense of unease.
They thought of something extremely cruel—these people were likely the offerings.
...
Meanwhile, Kong, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Garp all furrowed their brows.
Their attention, originally focused on scouting the surroundings, was now entirely drawn to the Celestial Dragons' eerie sacrificial altar.
On the altar, various patterns were carved, and at a glance, they bore a striking resemblance to the patterns on Devil Fruits.
Moreover, there were exactly twenty of them, one corresponding to each girl.
Beside the altar, a pile of dry firewood was stacked.
The black-clad guards pulled all twenty girls onto the altar, yanking the chains to force them to kneel before the golden patterns.
The twenty girls were now arranged in a circle, their hands and feet bound, unable to move an inch.
"Wake them up. The ritual's effect is best when they're conscious," Saint Rosward said in a deep voice.
The black-clad guards nodded, pressing their fingers against the girls' temples.
The girls, who had been expressionless and dazed, now woke up, their faces contorting in terror as they took in the scene before them.
The marines, seeing this, even the slowest among them, finally understood.
The Celestial Dragons intended to use these twenty girls as living sacrifices.
The pile of dry firewood beside the altar had already sealed their fate.
This left a bitter taste in the marines' hearts, and some of them closed their eyes, unwilling to witness what was about to happen.
In Saint Rosward hand, a small dagger now appeared.
The Celestial Dragons, seeing the cold, gleaming blade in his hand, looked somewhat panicked.
According to Celestial Dragon tradition, the ritual required them to shed blood.
This eight-hundred-year-old rule could not be broken!
Even if they were unwilling, they had to grit their teeth and extend their hands, each of them having a small cut made to draw some blood.
A few minutes later.
After the blood was collected, a CP agent gathered it into one place and walked to the altar, slowly pouring it into the center of the twenty patterns.
If one looked closely, it wasn't hard to notice that the patterns, now stained with blood, resembled the shape of a tree.
"Ugh, that hurts! If I'd known it would be this painful, I wouldn't have come!"
"It'll only hurt for a moment, and then it's time to enjoy the show!"
The Celestial Dragon covered his wound, his gaze fixed on the twenty young maidens on the sacrificial altar. His eyes revealed a twisted and insane gleam!
"Begin the sacrifice!" commanded Saint Rosward.
The black-clad figures immediately picked up the dry firewood placed beside the altar and tossed some rice paper stamped with the Celestial Dragon's hoof print into the center.
"Light the fire!"
[Note : looks like the original author did not read the manga till the god valley flashback, so treat it as an AU]
------------------------------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator