Chapter 82 Bait
"It's so lively!"
In the somewhat surprised eyes of Crocodile and Doflamingo, Gnar walked into the bar in a swaggering manner, wearing bat-patterned beach pants and a sunhat. With his bare chest and Miss Zala in his arms, he seemed completely unaware that the whole world was searching for him outside. To him, it was just like a casual beach vacation.
After entering the bar, Gnar naturally sat next to Nico Robin, hugging her from left to right and asking happily,
"Robin-chan, have you missed me in the past three months?! I've missed you so much!"
Robin responded with a cute roll of her eyes. She wasn't so shameless as to be overly affectionate with Gnar in front of others. Moreover, seeing Miss Zala's shy but rosy expression, it was clear that she had been well taken care of by Gnar.
Crocodile, observing Gnar's playboy behavior, felt a bit disdainful. However, Doflamingo seemed to have a realization and put on a sinister smile.
"Hey, don't waste time. Let's talk about your cooperation."
Crocodile said impatiently.
Gnar laughed and replied without concern,
"Why, Crocodile, are you so anxious now? You weren't like this the last time we met. Besides, shouldn't we ask the irrelevant people to leave before we talk?"
Gnar looked at Doflamingo. It was clear he considered Doflamingo the irrelevant party.
Crocodile shot Doflamingo a disdainful glance and said slowly,
"Doflamingo, should I ask you to leave, or will you leave on your own?"
Doflamingo chuckled.
"Don't be so hasty. I'm also very interested in your so-called cooperation. I wonder if I might have the honor of joining it?"
Crocodile's face showed clear displeasure, but Gnar did not refuse. He spoke slowly,
"The most important thing in a cooperation is the chips each side holds. I have 1,300 prisoners who escaped from Impel Down, Robin who can read the Poneglyphs, and my bounty of 1.45 billion beli."
Crocodile, understanding Gnar's point, listed his own assets,
"My Baroque Works has five chief agents, ten executive agents, 200 billionaires, and 2,000 millionaires. Additionally, I control all the casinos and entertainment venues in Rainbase, the richest city in Alabasta."
Hearing the impressive claims from Gnar and Crocodile, Doflamingo looked somewhat dissatisfied.
Unfortunately!
Although Doflamingo had a bounty of 180 million beli, apart from a few subordinates, he had little to offer that could match Gnar and Crocodile's assets.
However, considering the record-breaking bounty and the fact that Gnar had not only escaped from Impel Down but also gathered such a large number of prisoners, Doflamingo had a hunch that missing this cooperation might mean missing a chance to reshape the world.
So, he decided to reveal his trump card.
"What if I use my former identity as a Celestial Dragon as leverage?"
This made everyone except Gnar look at Doflamingo with some suspicion.
"What do you mean?"
Doflamingo smiled sadly.
"As a former Celestial Dragon, I know many secrets about the Celestial Dragons and even the Creator of this world."
Upon hearing this, both Crocodile and Robin's expressions changed.
Who wouldn't be intrigued by secrets related to the Celestial Dragons, who are considered the descendants of the Creator?
Crocodile responded meaningfully,
"Hey, Doflamingo, that's just talk. It doesn't serve as a proper bargaining chip!"
Doflamingo, aware of this, smiled even more sinisterly.
"I can use a secret about the Celestial Dragons as my ticket to join this collaboration!"
This made Robin, Crocodile, and Zala stare in shock, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Gnar, who disliked having the initiative taken by others, seized the opportunity to take control of the conversation.
"Really? However, I'm not interested in Celestial Dragon secrets at the moment. I'm more curious about something else."
This left everyone, including Doflamingo, stunned.
"What is it?"
Gnar's question was straightforward.
"What happened in the Valley of the Gods 23 years ago?"
Upon hearing this, Robin, Crocodile, and Zala all looked puzzled, but Doflamingo's face showed shock before he began to laugh wildly.
"Hey, I didn't expect you to know about the Valley of the Gods!"
Crocodile asked anxiously,
"The Valley of the Gods? What's that?"
Twenty-three years ago, Crocodile was just an eight-year-old child, and naturally, he was unaware of the major events that had shaped the current state of the world.
Doflamingo looked at Gnar, as if to gauge how much he knew.
Under the curious gazes of everyone, Gnar revealed what he knew.
"Twenty-three years ago, there was a pirate crew called the Rocks Pirates that dominated the entire sea. Great pirates like Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Big Mom, Kaido, and Ochoku were all once members of the Rocks Pirates."
Robin and Zala were shocked and speechless. Crocodile also gasped and said,
"Are you kidding? These monsters were once on the same ship? What happened back then? Why have I never heard of the Rocks Pirates before?"
"It's simple," Gnar continued, "because during the Valley of the Gods incident twenty-three years ago, Rocks, the captain of the Rocks Pirates, invaded the Valley of the Gods, where the Celestial Dragons resided. From that day on, the name Rocks Pirates was erased from the ocean by the Marines and the World Government."
Instantly, Robin and Zala's faces turned a bit pale, and Crocodile looked concerned as well.
Zala asked incredulously,
"A pirate group like that was actually wiped out by the Marines and the World Government? Gnar, you..."
Seeing Zala's worry, Gnar smiled lightly.
"Don't worry. The reason the Rocks Pirates were eliminated was largely due to bad luck. They happened to run into the Roger Pirates. Without the Roger Pirates, the situation at sea might be very different now."
After hearing this, Robin and Zala still looked worried, but Doflamingo's expression had completely changed.
Because this was information that could not be learned through ordinary espionage. Even within the Marines and the World Government, only a few people knew what truly happened.
Of course, the exception was the Celestial Dragons!
"So, what really happened during the Valley of the Gods incident? I want to know everything you know, Doflamingo!"
"Hahaha!"
Facing Gnar's question, Doflamingo didn't hide anything. With a sinister smile, he said slowly,
"No problem. Before I reveal everything, you must first understand what the Valley of the Gods incident actually was."
Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Doflamingo revealed darkly,
"Every three years, the Celestial Dragons select a country among the non-member nations of the World Government and conduct a genocidal human hunting competition on that island. The person who kills the most people is awarded a prize from the Celestial Dragons. The prize is a Devil Fruit, and twenty-three years ago, the chosen country was located in the West Blue, known as the Valley of the Gods..."
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