Chapter 167: The Fall of God Valley

“Damn it, is this thing after me now?” Karl shrank down, darting around the battlefield, but no matter where he hid, he could feel the attacks from above locked right on him.

Even the several energy clones he released couldn’t fool the eye hovering overhead.

He had no clue what was allowing those attacks to follow him so relentlessly.

Meanwhile, Rocks charged toward the island’s interior, but before he got far, Roger and Garp caught up with him, and the three of them clashed fiercely in midair.

Their battle only sped up the sinking of God Valley.

High above the island’s ruined heart, Golden Lion swept his hand across the rubble, and with the power of the Float-Float Fruit, dozens of treasure chests soared into the sky under his control. Just as he tried to take them all and fly away—

“Sovereign Nation!”

“Quake!”

“Cyclone Axe!”

“Wave Slash!”

Attacks from Linlin, Newgate, John, and Silver Axe crashed down in quick succession. Golden Lion was just too greedy—trying to take all the treasure for himself.

There was no way they’d just stand by and watch as he snatched everything.

Seeing the angry mob charging at him, Golden Lion knew he couldn’t make off with all the treasure. He immediately gave up trying to snatch the falling chests.

With ten remaining chests still floating, he rose high into the air and made for the shore. Even getting this much wasn’t so bad.

In the end, Linlin snatched five chests, Newgate got six, John took five, and Silver Axe grabbed three.

“Boom!”

The ground rumbled and bucked beneath their feet. Grim-faced, the treasure carriers bolted for the island’s edge. They all knew the island was done for—any second now, it would shatter completely.

At the shore, Sengoku was already steering a Navy warship away from God Valley.

He stared at the fallen bodies of the Navy soldiers left behind on the island, a deep ache settling in his heart. He couldn’t even give them a proper burial.

His fist slammed hard upon the ship’s railing.

“Cough… Kong…”

Just then, Fleet Admiral Hill, standing on the deck, called over Admiral Kong.

“I’m afraid my time’s up. From here on, the Navy is in your hands.”

Hill could sense the destructive force rampaging inside him. He knew he didn’t have long.

Right now, only Kong could take over. Sengoku was still too young, not yet steady enough.

“Fleet Admiral Hill, you’re going to pull through. I know it.”

Kong stepped forward and gripped Hill’s arm. “What…” He stiffened, feeling that icy coldness seep through Hill’s skin.

“Don’t make a fuss. Just leave it be.”

Kong held tightly to Hill’s arm, tears streaming down his face before he could stop them.

The second his hand touched Hill, he felt that icy chill all the way down to the bone.

“I understand.” Kong shrugged off his bloodstained cloak and gently draped it over Hill.

“Kong, about Fleet Admiral Hill…”

“Let him go in peace,” Kong shook his head.

A grim look flashed across Sengoku’s face. “What a disaster this has been…”

The rest of the Roger Pirates, sensing things were turning bad, had already started retreating.

Now, only Karl dodging nonstop—and the fierce aerial battle between Rocks, Roger, and Garp—remained on the field.

Linlin, Newgate, and the others had long since pulled back to the shore, waiting in silence.

In the distant sea, most survivors had already evacuated.

Ledfield, Dragon, Davis, and the others used Observation Haki to sense what was happening on God Valley.

For many of them, it was the first time seeing Rocks truly cut loose—the shock was unimaginable.

Back on the battlefield, Rocks, Garp, and Roger wove in and out, clashing again and again. Their crazed laughter echoed across the sky.

“You two… are traitors.”

Rocks darted about, switching from fist to blade, never letting up. He could feel Garp and Roger’s stamina flagging.

“You’re getting way too full of yourself,” Garp grumbled—he always hated Rocks, but hearing this just made him snap. Wrapping his fist in Armament Haki, he wanted nothing more than to smash Rocks then and there.

He swung at Rocks’s head with all his might.

“Bang!”

Rocks just smirked coldly, returning the blow with a powerful punch of his own.

He blocked Garp’s attack, then spun around, the Black Dragon blade whipping through the air to parry Roger’s sword.

His blade shimmered, wreathed in black and crimson Conqueror’s Haki, as he swung at Roger.

Roger looked none too pleased himself; he could feel how tricky this fight was. Whether it was raw martial skill, Haki, or swordsmanship, Rocks was a top-tier monster.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Ten minutes had just ticked by when the sky suddenly rained down beams of light.

In an instant, those lights ripped straight through God Valley—and Karl took several hits himself.

At that moment, everything went dead quiet. Not a sound in all the world.

“Aah!”

“Divine Might!”

Right then, only Rocks’s furious roar could be heard.

Seconds later, silence fell over the island. Not a single noise remained.

“What happened?” someone gasped.

“How could this be?”

“Seriously, what just happened?”

As startled voices called out, the wounded dragged themselves from the deck and hurried to the rail.

God Valley was dissolving before their very eyes.

In just a dozen seconds, the entire island disappeared.

Now, only endless sea stretched out before them.

No sign of life. Nothing left at all.

“Curse that World Government.” On the far side of the sea, the Roger Pirates boarded their ship and sailed off.

In that last attack, several beams targeted both Rocks and Roger.

Roger and Garp sprinted for the shore one after another; only Rocks stayed pinned under the light.

Looking back at the empty, lifeless expanse behind them, it was clear—Rocks must have died in that mysterious barrage.

Even Mor Morris, still afloat in the sky, looked shaken.

Around the world, shockwaves of disbelief rolled through the crowd.

“What was that attack?”

“How could an entire island just vanish like that?”

The live broadcast flickered out in a splash of white.

The surge of energy created a fierce magnetic field, jamming all signal from the Video Transponder Snail.

“Karl!” Linlin’s anguished cry pierced the silence.

Karl was nowhere to be seen, and the Vivre Card in Linlin’s hand burned away to nothing.

“Mama!” Perospero rushed to catch Linlin as she collapsed.

But the next moment, he noticed a tiny scrap of the Vivre Card hadn’t burned up yet. He quickly looked around, saw no one watching, and stuffed it into his pocket before helping Linlin into the cabin.

“Set sail!” Perospero gave the grim order. He knew if they lingered, the Navy might strike again—and in their battered state, they wouldn’t stand a chance. Plus, John and the others nearby were eyeing them like hungry wolves.

Rocks’s death hung heavy over the remaining crew, dealing a devastating blow to their morale.