Chapter 83 Old Era

At this moment, an aura of darkness and despair enveloped the entire bar.

Even Robin, who had survived the Buster Call in Ohara as a child, became as pale as never before after hearing Doflamingo's description of the so-called Valley of the Gods incident.

"How can this be..."

Zala, who had grown up in the dark world and seen some of its ugliest aspects, felt that the genocide described by Doflamingo was more horrifying than anything she had previously encountered.

Crocodile took a long puff from his cigar and remained silent.

"Hey, why is it impossible? Killing games like the Valley of the Gods have been going on for hundreds of years in Celestial Dragon history, and the number of survivors from previous events is always... 'zero'!"

"Zero!"

The mention of this number caused Robin and Zala to shudder, their bodies going cold.

"Are you kidding? What is the Marine doing about this?"

Zala asked incredulously. In such a desperate world, she found herself placing her last bit of trust in the Marines, hoping for some semblance of justice.

But Doflamingo's next words shattered her remaining faith.

"The Marines? They're simply protecting the Celestial Dragons. The Marines are just a tool of the World Government. In this sea, those who lack true justice wear those two words on their backs. It's utterly ridiculous..."

At that moment, the only sound in the bar was the collective breathing of the people present. Even Gnar was taken aback.

Although he had long known that the Celestial Dragons were the source of much of the world's evil, he had never imagined they were so depraved. A killing game like that was an unforgivable sin in any world.

"Continue!"

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

"Although I don't know the full reason behind the killing game in the Valley of the Gods, someone leaked information that attracted the Rocks Pirates and the Roger Pirates. To protect the Celestial Dragons, the Marines dispatched Garp, and with the aid of the God Knights, the war ended with the defeat of the Rocks Pirates. Since then, the existence of the Rocks Pirates has been erased by the Marines and the World Government, and the Valley of the Gods has also been erased by the Celestial Dragons. On the sea, only a few Marines and high-ranking World Government officials know the truth about the Valley of the Gods incident, not to mention the Celestial Dragons themselves, who were directly involved."

Having said this, Doflamingo sneered.

"Speaking of which, non-World Government countries in this world have to thank that man, Rocks..."

"Why?"

Robin, confused, frowned and asked.

"Why did the Roger Pirates fight against the Rocks Pirates? As pirates, shouldn't they have teamed up with the Rocks Pirates to defeat the Marines and Celestial Dragons?"

Doflamingo glanced at Nico Robin with appreciation.

"That's a very good question, but unfortunately, I don't have an answer right now. Some say it was to stop Rocks' ambition to dominate the sea, some say it was to obtain the historical text owned by the Rocks Pirates, and others say it was to seize Devil Fruits on the island. Unfortunately, only Roger or his crew would know the true reason..."

After hearing this, Gnar smiled slightly.

"It seems the so-called Marine heroes are not deserving of their name!"

Everyone knew who Gnar was referring to.

If the Celestial Dragons in the Valley of the Gods were indeed involved in such a killing game, then the Pirate King Roger and Marine Hero Garp should have made stopping this game their top priority. Clearly, they did not.

Doflamingo also smiled sarcastically.

"Justice is written by the victors. So now, do I have the ticket to join this cooperation?"

Gnar shook his head.

"One more question: What was the Devil Fruit rewarded in that killing game you mentioned?"

"Oh, that's something you might have heard of..."

Doflamingo said, without hiding anything.

"A total of six Devil Fruits were awarded in that game. The two most powerful ones were the ones belonging to the current Governor of the Beasts Pirates, Kaido, and the one belonging to the man who gained fame on the sea last year, Basso Romu Bear. As for the rest, who knows? Maybe someone from the God Knights obtained them..."

Gnar responded, as if he already knew.

"I know it's all nonsense that Celestial Dragons don't bother with Devil Fruits. The truly powerful fruits are meant for the Celestial Dragons themselves..."

Doflamingo, hiding his surprise, said,

"That's right. If the Rocks Pirates hadn't caused trouble, those two fruits would have been originally prepared for the God Knights. Now, most of the Devil Fruits in the sea were handed out in such a killing game. After the God Knights died, they spread across the sea..."

Speaking of this, Doflamingo suddenly thought of something and said,

"How about I give you a secret?"

"Oh, what is it?"

"The power of Devil Fruits comes from human desire. When do you think human desire is at its strongest?"

Gnar, who didn't understand at first, immediately reacted when he saw Doflamingo's expression.

"You mean during the killing game?"

"Exactly. But idiots like that are just an exception."

Doflamingo fell silent after that, but Gnar understood a lot from his words.

"Ha ha ha ha..."

Gnar laughed twice to draw everyone's attention, then looked at the two men before him and said with great enthusiasm,

"Doflamingo, although I'm surprised to see you here, I must say this is destiny's guidance. Also, Crocodile, do you know why I proposed cooperation to you in the first place?"

Without waiting for an answer, Gnar provided it himself.

"The answer is simple: In my view, most pirates in this sea are playing childish games, and only a few can be called true pirates. Crocodile, Doflamingo, you both are among them. My next plan requires people like you..."

Crocodile was not one to be easily swayed by such words.

"Let's discuss the details of your cooperation first. I might not be interested otherwise..."

"You will be! Otherwise, you wouldn't be here!"

Under the intense gaze of the two men, Gnar finally revealed his grand plan, which began with entering the Grand Line, passing through Alabasta, and culminating in completing the Impel Down.

"My plan is very simple. It's time for the balance of power maintained by the World Government, the Marines, and the pirates to change. The Marines' Shichibukai system inspired me. The Marines want to recruit pirates to maintain the order of this sea, but why should we be their lackeys? Why can't we do it ourselves? We can control a share of the power ourselves and fight against pirates, Marines, and the World Government. Power, just like the original Rocks Pirates..."

Crocodile and Doflamingo both frowned.

Gnar's plan sounded grand, but...

"Hey, why do you think you can succeed? Even Rocks Xebec failed..."

Gnar smiled confidently.

"Simple. Because we all have a common enemy, and I'll give them a bait they can't refuse!"

As Gnar spoke, he took out several design drawings filled with various patterns and placed them in front of the two men...

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