Chapter 205: The Secret of the Valley of God!

Chapter 205: The Secret of the Valley of God!

Vice Admiral Garp was silently fuming.

He refused to speak to Ryuunosuke until he caught a fish.

Call it pride. Call it stubbornness. But Garp was locked in a one-sided fishing war.

Finally—after over an hour of tense, fruitless waiting—

Plop!

A tiny fish, barely two taels in weight, dangled from Garp's line.

"Hahaha!" he roared in triumph, raising it as if it were a sea king.

"I told you I'd catch one!"

"Boy, don't look down on—"

Ryuunosuke chuckled, setting his own rod aside. His basket was already full of plump fish.

"Old man, you didn't come here just to fish, did you?"

"If you've got something to say, spit it out. I've got things to do."

Despite the teasing tone, Ryuunosuke knew Garp wouldn't come without reason.

The moment turned serious.

"…Ryuunosuke. Are you planning to head to the Valley of the Gods?"

The smile faded from Ryuunosuke's face.

Garp packed away his "precious" fish, the humor gone from his eyes.

Seeing Garp this solemn—it was unsettling. The old man usually cracked jokes even mid-battle.

"…Yes," Ryuunosuke admitted. "But I haven't told anyone outside the crew. How do you know?"

They had decided on the Valley of the Gods only days ago, following a discovery Najenda made. It was kept under wraps.

"The guy from Logue Town gave you the Eternal Pose," Garp said, arms crossed.

"With your personality, I figured you'd go."

"Not to mention... Alabasta built a statue of you, right? Worships you like a god?"

"You must've found out something. And with the direction your crew's been heading, this was the next logical stop."

Ryuunosuke stared at him, impressed.

He had underestimated the old man's intuition.

Garp might play the fool, but he was anything but.

He had been at the original battle of the Valley of the Gods—a living witness.

Ryuunosuke leaned forward, curious now.

"So what's your real reason for coming?"

"Are you… planning to join us?"

Garp shook his head.

"No. I won't go."

"But… even with all your power, even as the Dragon Hunter Pirates… you need to be careful in that place."

"Back then, someone was taken from the Valley by the World Government."

"And the one who personally came to retrieve them—was Imu."

Ryuunosuke's expression changed.

He already knew who had been taken. Erwin had told him back in Loguetown.

But Imu—the hidden sovereign of the World Government—had personally gone?

That was another level of revelation.

Imu was the supreme ruler, the shadow behind the Celestial Dragons.

Even with all his strength, Ryuunosuke wouldn't dare claim he could take Imu down in a frontal assault—not without serious losses.

The World Government was far beyond the Navy in authority and power.

And if he attacked Mary Geoise directly, he'd be intercepted by Garp, Sengoku, or worse—Fleet Admiral Sakazuki.

Victory was not guaranteed.

Not even factoring in Imu.

…Unless Escanor went all out.

But if Escanor unleashed his artifact form recklessly, it would damage him permanently.

He couldn't be used as a wild card in every situation.

"So why did the Rocks Pirates target the Valley?" Ryuunosuke asked.

"Was it just about killing the Celestial Dragons, or was there more?"

Garp looked into the distance, silent for a moment.

"I don't know everything," he finally said. "But I can tell you this—the Valley of the Gods holds a great secret."

"Something tied to Raftel."

"After the battle, Gol D. Roger sailed to Raftel almost immediately."

"And he succeeded—he returned with most of his crew."

That was all Ryuunosuke needed to hear.

Garp hadn't come to warn him out of duty. He came out of respect.

Ryuunosuke felt a flicker of emotion.

This stubborn old marine…

"I appreciate it, old man."

He paused, then smirked.

"By the way—Vice Admiral Vergo of the G5 Branch? He's Doflamingo's man."

Garp's eyes narrowed.

"…Vergo?"

He was already suspicious. But now…

"…You mean the one who… leaked the intel that led to Rosinante's death?"

"You should ask Sengoku about that," Ryuunosuke said. "He might take it worse than you."

That name struck a nerve.

Rosinante's death had been a devastating blow to Sengoku.

If it turned out Vergo had been involved…

"Sengoku's not a marshal anymore," Garp muttered. "He, Tsuru, and I retired together."

"Sakazuki's the Fleet Admiral now."

"But I'll tell them. Both of them."

Then Garp stood up, snatched Ryuunosuke's full fish basket without shame, and slung it over his shoulder.

"Call it a trade—we exchanged information, now we exchange fish."

"I'll be back in three days."

"I'll report what happened with G5… and your little rebellion."

With that, Garp casually boarded his boat and sailed off, grinning like a bandit.

Ryuunosuke stood in silence, watching the marine fade into the sea horizon.

"…That shameless geezer," he muttered. "He probably thinks 'face' is just another word for 'butt.'"

He stared out at the sea.

"God's Valley… Imu"

"What are you hiding?"

"No matter what it is—we'll uncover it."

"The Dragon Hunter Pirates will strip every secret the World Government buried."

His eyes gleamed with quiet resolve.

To reach the peak of this world, they couldn't avoid conflict with the World Government.

They were bound to clash.

Their goals were incompatible.

As for the so-called world's morality? The Celestial Dragons? The false gods?

He didn't care.

His only duty was to protect and advance his crew.

Ryuunosuke tossed the tiny fish back into the ocean.

Then, without warning, he punched a nearby Sea King across the jaw, knocking it unconscious.

He grabbed the beast by its fin and began dragging it back to camp.

"Let's eat something proper."