Chapter 156: The Vaults of God Valley: A Deadly Gamble

Meanwhile, just as the others discovered the second vault, the Kurozumi siblings had already slipped behind God Valley.

They emerged from a palace residence, with Kurozumi Murasame disguised as a Celestial Dragon and Kurozumi Semimaru trailing at her side.

Both moved with purpose. They’d been here before and knew the layout well, giving them a huge advantage.

Not long ago, inside that same palace, they’d dealt with a Celestial Dragon and snatched a vault key from him. Reaching the first vault, no one had blocked their way.

Instead, everyone they saw paid respectful greetings.

“This must be the place.” Murasame’s voice brimmed with excitement, her eyes glued to the dazzling Golden Gate. Elegant patterns were carved all over it and two huge red gemstones formed its handles.

“That’s right, this is it.” Semimaru stared greedily at the Golden Gate before them.

Their eyes sparkled with longing for treasure. To pull off their plan to steal top-tier Devil Fruits from God Valley, they’d been laying the groundwork for years. If Rocks hadn’t launched his attack, they probably would never have made it inside.

The vault they targeted was actually the third one — the only vault they’d managed to memorize back then.

While Murasame’s gaze danced with anticipation, Semimaru pulled a palm-sized key from inside his coat. It was pure gold, covered with intricate patterns. He slid it into the lock on the massive doors and, with a gentle twist and the sound of gears grinding, the gate slowly creaked open.

“Heh heh heh…”

As the doors parted, a blinding gold light spilled out. The pair started cackling in the shadows.

They knew that, for now, all the treasure inside belonged to them.

Without waiting, Murasame surged in, unable to hold back her impatience.

Semimaru took a careful look around to make sure nobody was passing by, then darted into the vault as well, pulling the doors shut behind him.

They both realized time was tight. If anyone found them, there was no way the two of them could fight their way out.

Just five minutes after the siblings slipped inside, Jennifer, Smith, and White Tiger arrived before the third vault.

They glanced around, found no guards, and turned themselves as thin as paper, slipping in through the crack beneath the door.

“Wait a second.” The moment they entered, White Tiger sniffed the air, alert for the scent of strangers, and raised a hand to halt the other two.

“What is it, White Tiger?” Smith stopped at once, ducking to the side as he watched White Tiger.

White Tiger drew in another breath through his nose. “There are two unfamiliar scents in the air, but they seem oddly familiar. They got here just a few minutes ago.”

“You think someone from another group made it in?” Smith rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. Then he looked at the others. “Doesn’t matter who they are, let’s have a look. If things get rough, we bail.”

They’d already secured two vaults and picked up seven or eight Devil Fruits. If this last vault looked too dangerous, their priority would be to get out alive.

After all, if they died here, all the loot would be lost with them. Caution was everything.

“Let’s move!” Just to be safe, Smith used his power to turn them into golden statues as they crept toward the center.

They’d barely gotten near the central platform when a voice reached them from up ahead.

“Is this the Devil Fruit?”

“Ehehehehe…” Murasame let out a piercing laugh. “That’s it — the Zoan Mythical Serpent Fruit, Yamata no Orochi Form.”

“Put the rest of the Devil Fruits away and get out fast. We can’t waste time.” Clutching the Devil Fruit, Murasame stuffed it into her arms.

Semimaru quickly followed suit, shoveling the other boxes into his pockets.

“What do you think? Should we go for it?”

White Tiger watched the two snatch up the Devil Fruits, looking more anxious by the second.

“We need to think this through. We’ve got to separate them.” All three recognized the pair as the Kurozumi siblings. Murasame wasn’t the issue; the problem was Semimaru.

His Devil Fruit was the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, able to create an impenetrable shield. The three of them didn’t have any way to break that turtle shell, and time was running out. But they couldn’t just let the siblings walk away with the Devil Fruits.

Smith’s eyes lit up. He turned to White Tiger. “White Tiger, this one’s yours.”

Of the three, only White Tiger could get close to Semimaru without raising alarm — or losing control of his urge to kill.

As a tiger, he naturally sat at the top of the food chain; when it came to hiding his presence, he was an absolute master.

So White Tiger was the perfect choice to deal with Semimaru.

White Tiger nodded silently. As his golden statue body drifted closer, he aimed for the left passage to the platform — the same route Semimaru would have to take to leave.

Meanwhile, Murasame would be left for Smith and Jennifer to handle.

Clack, clack, clack…

The Kurozumi siblings quickly packed up the Devil Fruits and strode toward the exit.

But after barely a dozen steps down from the platform, Semimaru was suddenly seized by a surge of danger.

“Watch out!” he managed to shout in terror. A heartbeat later, Jennifer and Smith launched a sudden attack at Murasame.

Semimaru instantly formed a special gesture, conjuring a transparent wall in front of Murasame.

“Thud, thud!”

The wall easily stopped Jennifer and Smith’s flurry of kicks and punches.

“Ugh…” But a second later, blood bubbled from Semimaru’s lips. He slowly lowered his head and stared at the massive tiger’s claw protruding from his chest. Looking up, his gaze drifted backward.

The whole trick had been to prevent Semimaru from trapping their group in one of his half-dome barriers; if that happened, they’d be helpless. By attacking Murasame first, they forced Semimaru to reveal a weakness — just in time for White Tiger to deliver the killing blow.

Semimaru collapsed, every second stretching into eternity as his strength drained away.

When Murasame saw him fall, her eyes widened in shock. His collapsing figure was reflected in her pupils as she cried out, “Semimaru!” Her voice was raw and desperate, as if it could pierce the endless night.

Now only a handful of the Kurozumi Family remained. Losing even one more of them felt like their bloodline was being cut away.

At that moment, Murasame’s heart felt as if it were being torn apart. She was losing all support, like a dying candle that would never light the darkness again.

For a split second, she froze. Then Smith darted in, moving like a gust of wind. He stooped to snatch a sword resting at his feet, its blade catching the light as he thrust it clean through Murasame.

“Spurt!” The blade pierced straight through Murasame’s heart. She barely managed a whisper.

“Who would have thought…”

Her voice trembled with shock and agony, but her eyes flared with stubborn defiance. She glared at Smith, fury and hatred etched in her stare. She knew her end was near but refused to go quietly.

Maybe what shocked her most was finding another group in the vault after all.

Still, all that fierce defiance could only vanish as she slumped to the ground in defeat.

In those final moments, her last thoughts must have turned to the Kurozumi Family.