Chapter 118: The Year 1484 in the Sea Calendar

"Yo hohoho, that's exciting! From now on, the Heavenly Gold is all ours!"

John's eyes lit up at the mention of Heavenly Gold.

Even though he had plundered a lot of treasure this time, for someone as greedy as John, no amount of treasure was ever enough!

Two months later, the officers of the Rocks Pirates gathered as promised.

Rocks didn't say much, simply handing out sea charts as before.

They formed three teams to plunder the Heavenly Gold in the New World.

However, due to the World Government's vigilance and changes, the Rocks Pirates managed to capture only 12 shipments in total.

For the Rocks Pirates, this was disappointing.

But for the World Government, it was a colossal issue.

Last time, the Rocks Pirates had the element of surprise and an inside man, but this time, the World Government was prepared.

Yet, 12 shipments of Heavenly Gold were still intercepted, a huge embarrassment.

Despite their anger, the World Government refrained from rash actions.

The power of the Rocks Pirates was too formidable to be completely eradicated in the short term.

After plundering the Heavenly Gold, the officers of the Rocks Pirates left Hachinosu Island one after another.

With their newfound wealth, they frantically expanded their territories and strengthened their forces.

As their power and influence grew, so did their ambitions.

Previously, they feared Rocks' strength, even though he had showcased his Dark-Dark Fruit abilities and killed Navy Admiral Black.

But this didn't stop the officers' swelling ambitions. After all, weren't they all monsters themselves?

Weren't they ambitious and confident in their abilities?

Moreover, they knew Rocks' strength had peaked, and he was getting old.

Even with the Dark-Dark Fruit, maintaining his strength despite aging was already impressive.

Rocks was no longer an insurmountable mountain but a peak that was visible and conquerable.

The mountain once shrouded in mist was now clear, waiting for them to climb and cross!

Rocks was well aware of his officers' ambitions.

But he didn't stop or suppress them, letting things develop naturally.

He understood that this was the result of his own indulgence, or rather, he didn't fear his officers' ambitions.

As long as they fought for him when he commanded, that was enough.

"Let's see what these Devil Fruits are!"

Li Yuan laid out all the Devil Fruits he had acquired over time.

Initially, he didn't identify them, waiting until after intercepting the Heavenly Gold to examine them all at once.

It was like opening a mystery box, full of anticipation.

"Paramecia-type: Mirror-Mirror Fruit!"

"Paramecia-type: Spicy-Spicy Fruit!"

"Paramecia-type: Eyebrow-Eyebrow Fruit!"

"Paramecia-type: Pressure-Pressure Fruit!"

"Paramecia-type: Tongue-Tongue Fruit!"

"Zoan-type: Pig-Pig Fruit, Sawtooth Boar Form!"

"Zoan-type: Duck-Duck Fruit, Long-Billed Duck Form!"

"Zoan-type: Horse-Horse Fruit, Striped Horse Form!"

After identifying all eight Devil Fruits, Li Yuan was speechless. Except for the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, the others were nearly useless.

"Mirror-Mirror Fruit, I didn't expect this strategic-level Devil Fruit to land in my hands."

"Even if the others are useless, having this one makes it all worthwhile."

Li Yuan didn't expect to intercept the Devil Fruit originally meant for Charlotte Linlin.

After storing the other Devil Fruits, Li Yuan took the Mirror-Mirror Fruit to Shakky.

"Shakky, this is the Paramecia-type Mirror-Mirror Fruit, perfect for you."

"The Mirror-Mirror Fruit can create mirrors and even a mirrored world, connecting all mirrors."

"The user can enter the mirrored world and travel between mirrors in the real world, teleporting from one mirror to another."

"Additionally, since others can't freely travel through the mirrors without the user's consent or touch, you can use this to trap enemies."

"Note that appearing in front of a mirror can be seen by those on the other side, and mirrors don't block sound, allowing communication."

"Apart from these auxiliary functions, you can use a mirror as a shield to defend against attacks, even reflecting them."

"The user can also project mirror images onto themselves or others, mimicking appearances and actions."

Li Yuan explained the Mirror-Mirror Fruit's abilities.

He believed it was perfect for Shakky, as an intelligence agent.

With this Devil Fruit, if Shakky was cautious, she would be safe.

After all, the Mirror-Mirror Fruit's escape abilities were top-notch.

"Thank you, Li Yuan. This Devil Fruit is indeed perfect for me!"

Shakky realized that Li Yuan had chosen this Devil Fruit specifically for her.

With that, Shakky ate the Mirror-Mirror Fruit.

"Mirror Creation!"

After eating the Devil Fruit, Shakky created a large mirror and a vast mirrored space within it.

"Li Yuan, let's go in and take a look!"

Shakky happily led Li Yuan into her mirrored space.

Currently, the mirrored space was simple and had only one mirror.

"Shakky, shouldn't we develop this wonderful place?"

Li Yuan said, pulling Shakky close, his hands wandering.

A closed mirrored space like this was perfect for exploring certain interests.

"Don't rush, let me create a mirror bed first!"

Seeing Li Yuan's eagerness, Shakky blushed and used her ability to create a sturdy bed of mirrors.

She also created several mirrors around them, allowing them to see each other from all angles.

Even during their activities, looking into the mirrors gave the sensation of watching a live show.

This unique experience intrigued Li Yuan greatly.

Another year passed, and it was now 1484 in the Sea Calendar:

On Hachinosu Island, it had been a long time since the officers of the Rocks Pirates had gathered, and Rocks himself had left the island without a trace.

But during Rocks' and the officers' absence, someone stole from Rocks' treasure vault!

Yes, Rocks' treasures were stolen!!

"Damn it, who stole from me?!"

Upon returning and discovering the theft of his most valuable items, Rocks' anger erupted in a wave of Conqueror's Haki, knocking out many innocent pirates on the island.

"Find out who did this! If I learn who it was, I'll destroy their entire country!!"

After calming down, Rocks ordered his intelligence team to thoroughly investigate the matter.

But due to the embarrassment, Rocks kept the theft under wraps, only a few people knowing about it.

Holy Land Mariejois:

"The triennial ceremony is starting. Have we decided on a location?"

Legal God Vauquere Saint asked.

"It's been decided, at the Valley of the Gods in the West Blue."

"This name insults the gods, so let's use it for this ceremony."

Environment God Mars Saint replied.

"I hear the Celestial Dragons have offered several top-tier Devil Fruits as rewards."

Finance God Nasujuro Saint mentioned.

Although they were Five Elders and Celestial Dragons, they belonged to the World Government's faction, so they only learned about the Celestial Dragons' ceremony later.

"Yes, known ones include the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Azure Dragon Form."

"There's also a Paramecia-type, Paw-Paw Fruit, with teleportation abilities akin to instant movement, but the rest haven't been revealed."

Agriculture God Peter Saint added.

"Mythical Azure Dragon? I wonder when they acquired such a top-tier Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit."

Science Defense God Saturn Saint said in surprise.

"Let's not dwell on that. Deploy the Navy to guard the Valley of the Gods. The ceremony is about to begin."

"Each ceremony isn't just a competition; it also determines resource distribution proportions."

Agriculture God Peter Saint explained.

The Celestial Dragons' ceremony wasn't just about eliminating a non-government nation and turning it into World Government territory.

The competition was merely a means to allocate resources, with the results deciding the distribution.

Even the Celestial Dragons had factions and competed for resources.

Therefore, after each competition, the distribution was decided on the spot, which was the main event.

This meant that the Valley of the Gods not only held a few top-tier Devil Fruits but also treasures, famous swords, non-top-tier Devil Fruits, and other valuable items.

Every ceremony drew nearly two hundred Celestial Dragons.

These Celestial Dragons weren't all participants; some hosted the event, some were spectators, and some were powerful guardians.

The Roger Pirates, stationed in the West Blue, learned of the Celestial Dragons' ceremony through secret channels.

"Rayleigh, let's go to this ceremony!"

Roger said excitedly.

"Roger, are you out of your mind? That's the Celestial Dragons' ceremony. What are we going for?"

"Besides, those are Celestial Dragons. If we accidentally kill one, we'll be hunted by the Navy and World Government forever."

Rayleigh couldn't understand what Roger was thinking.

Could pirates like them mess with the Celestial Dragons?

"Hahaha, Rayleigh, I have a feeling Rocks will come to the West Blue, and then we'll have our chance to deal with him."

Roger laughed.

"Even if Rocks comes, he'll bring his officers. We can't beat them."

Rayleigh said, exasperated.

"Hahaha, the Navy and Celestial Dragons will handle Rocks' officers. We just need to deal with Rocks."

Roger laughed heartily.

The Celestial Dragons were the world's rulers and the Navy's masters.

If the Rocks Pirates came, they'd be the World Government's and Navy's primary targets. Roger's crew would only need to team up with the Navy to fight Rocks.

Rocks had pushed them too far, forcing them to rely on the Navy to eliminate him.

"Alright, you're the captain; it's your call."

Rayleigh agreed, tired of their humbling retreat to the West Blue.

As long as Rocks lived, the Roger Pirates couldn't return to the New World.

Somehow, news of the Celestial Dragons' ceremony leaked, including the Azure Dragon Fruit.

Rocks' intelligence team quickly relayed this to him.

"Damn it, those damn Celestial Dragons stole my Devil Fruit!!"

"Wa hahaha, Celestial Dragons, the true rulers of this world?"

"Let me, Rocks, bring an end to you. Dare to steal from me, Rocks, and even gods will fall!"

Rocks laughed maniacally, summoning all his officers to Hachinosu Island.

He was planning a war against the gods!

"Oh? Is it finally time?"

Li Yuan learned from Shakky about Rocks' treasure vault being robbed and his plan to attack the Valley of the Gods in the West Blue.

For the past two years, Li Yuan had been preparing for this day, and it had finally come, rewarding his diligent training.

Over the two years, Li Yuan's greatest achievement was mastering the advanced application of Conqueror's Haki, imbuing it into his sword to enhance its power.

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