The skies over God Valley burned crimson.
The once-idyllic island — a glittering paradise prepared for a Celestial Dragon "Festival" — was now hell on earth.
Explosions echoed. Marines clashed with pirates. The scent of smoke and blood choked the air.
The Rocks Pirates had arrived.
And so had destiny.
Amid the chaos, a young Monkey D. Dragon, then a Marine soldier in training, sprinted through burning streets. Screams echoed all around him — slaves trying to flee, soldiers falling in droves.
He turned a corner and froze.
A red-haired woman, wounded and bleeding, leaned against a broken wall. In her trembling arms were two crying infants — twin boys. Her breathing was shallow.
"Please…" she whispered, spotting the Marine coat on his shoulders. "You… you're a good man, aren't you?"
Dragon knelt instantly. "You're hurt—"
"Forget me," she gasped, pressing the babies into his arms. "Save them. Please, save them."
Dragon's eyes widened. "Whose children are they?"
Her lips trembled. "Mine… their father… he betrayed us." A tear rolled down her cheek. "Promise me… they'll live free."
Dragon hesitated — a Marine, bound by duty — but something in her eyes broke his resolve. He nodded. "I'll get them out of here. I swear it."
The woman smiled faintly. "Thank you… Tell them their mother loved them…"
Her voice faded as she fell still. The firelight flickered on her hair — crimson like spilled wine.
Dragon clenched his jaw, holding the infants tight.
"I'll protect you," he vowed. "Both of you and get you out of here."
Elsewhere, Gol D. Roger's ship cut through the chaos, cannons blazing. Marines and Rocks pirates clashed across the shoreline.
"Damn it!" Roger barked. "We're late!"
Beside him, Silvers Rayleigh jumped from the deck, landing on the burning beach with a shockwave. His eyes scanned the horizon until he saw her — Shakky, bound and surrounded by guards.
"Shakky!" he shouted.
Her head snapped up, disbelief flooding her eyes. "Rayleigh?"
He charged forward, cutting through soldiers like paper. With one sweep, he broke her chains and pulled her close. She gasped into his chest as he held her tight.
"I told you I'd find you," he said softly.
Shakky smiled weakly while crying. "You took your time."
Roger landed behind them, blade drawn. "Oi, oi! You two done flirting? We've got Marines incoming!"
Rayleigh grinned. "Jealous, Captain?"
Roger scowled, cheeks twitching. "Shut up and move!"
They laughed — even amidst the flames — as the Roger Pirates fought their way out, Shakky safe in Rayleigh's arms.
In the western district, Rocks D. Xebec stormed through the fortress walls like a hurricane. Marines fell before him, their rifles shattering under his Haki.
"Eris!" he roared. "Teach!"
A door burst open — a woman with white hair and sharp eyes stumbled out, clutching a terrified boy.
"Xebec!" she cried.
He rushed to them, lifting both in his arms. "You're safe now. I'll get you out of here."
"Rocks," Eris whispered, tears falling. "You came back."
"I'll always come back," he growled, pressing his forehead to hers. "No one touches my family."
Behind them, explosions rocked the fortress as Marines surrounded the area — but Rocks' Conqueror's Haki burst outward, flattening them instantly.
The sky itself seemed to shudder.
Far from the battlefield, Ada navigated the ruins with her pistols drawn. Smoke, gunfire, and screams filled the air — but she moved like a phantom through it all.
She turned a corner and froze.
A group of slaves — frightened, huddled — were trapped behind a burning gate. Among them were Bartholomew Kuma, Ivankov, and Ginny, barely in their teens, bruised and terrified.
Ada's eyes softened. "Stay behind me," she said, kicking the gate open. "You want freedom? Follow me."
They nodded hesitantly, eyes wide as Ada shot down Marine soldiers with effortless precision.
Ginny trembled. "Who are you?"
"Someone who hates nobles," Ada replied coldly.
Suddenly, Linlin burst through the ruins, laughing madly, dragging a chest of treasures behind her. "MAMA MAMA! I finally found the prize!"
Ada's eyes narrowed as she saw Linlin shove Ivankov aside and grab a peculiar fruit — scaly, azure-blue, shaped like a dragon's horn.
"That's mine now!" Linlin cackled, taking the Mythical Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon.
Ivankov shouted, "Hey! That was supposed to—"
Linlin laughed wildly as flames wrapped her body. "Let's see what this power can do, eh? Ill give it to Katakuri"
Ada clenched her teeth. "Linlin, you idiot—you don't even know what you just stole."
"Doesn't matter," Linlin smirked, aura radiating. "I'll make it mine!"
Kuma grabbed Ada's coat. "We have to go!"
Ada nodded sharply, firing her grappling hook toward the cliffs. "All of you, climb!"
As Ada led the slaves toward the evacuation point, Garp appeared before them, blood on his arms and determination in his eyes.
"Freeze!" he barked. "No pirate leaves this island!"
Ada stepped forward, pistols raised. "You're in my way, Vice Admiral."
Garp's eyes narrowed. "Ada Wong… I've heard of you. Vice-captain of Rocks."
"Then you know you should walk away."
Garp cracked his fists, smiling grimly. "Those three brats behind you can go but do you think I can just let you pass?"
Ada's expression didn't change. "I don't think you can stop me."
Their Haki collided, tearing the ground apart. Marines stumbled backward as black lightning erupted between them.
Ada fired — Garp deflected the bullet with a punch that shattered the air. The shockwave sent both of them sliding backward across the dirt.
"You're strong," Garp admitted. "Stronger than I expected."
Ada holstered one gun, twirling the other. "And you're annoyingly persistent."
She feinted — then fired upward, collapsing part of the cliff between them.
"Sorry, hero," she called through the smoke. "You'll have to catch me next time."
By the time the dust cleared, Ada and the freed slaves were gone — vanishing into the smoke and chaos.
Garp exhaled, grinning despite himself. "That woman… she's something else."
Smoke and fire swallowed the skies as Ada led the rescued slaves toward the cliffs. The rumble of battle thundered behind them — cannons, screams, and the clashing wills of legends.
"Keep moving!" Ada commanded, pushing Kuma forward. "Don't stop until you reach the docks."
Ginny looked back. "What about you?!"
Ada's crimson eyes hardened. "I'm not done yet."
She turned back toward the chaos, boots kicking up ash as she sprinted through burning streets. The air pulsed with Haki — waves of pressure colliding like storms.
When she reached the western slope, she found them.
Kaido, his body battered and bleeding, was swinging his kanabo wildly, roaring with laughter.
"COME ON, YOU MARINES! THIS IS FUN!"
Beside him, Whitebeard deflected a barrage of cannon fire, his naginata cutting through smoke and metal.
"Stop shouting and focus, brat! We're surrounded!"
Linlin, her hommies flickering, hurled debris at the approaching Marines, shrieking, "They'll never take MY treasure!"
Behind them, Shiki, Captain John, and Silver Axe fought back to back, their blades clashing against waves of Marine elites.
And in front of them, leading the charge — Garp, bruised but smiling.
"You Rocks pirates just don't know when to quit!"
A gunshot cracked through the air.
A bullet whizzed past Garp's face and buried itself in the ground beside him — perfectly aimed, a warning.
"Wrong target, hero," Ada's voice echoed through the smoke.
Garp's eyes narrowed as she stepped out of the haze, twin pistols drawn, coat tattered, face streaked with soot. Behind her, the rescued slaves were already gone.
The Vice-Captain of Rocks had returned to the battlefield.
Kaido grinned. "About time you showed up, Ada! We were getting lonely!"
Whitebeard gave her a nod. "You made it."
"I always do," Ada replied coolly, spinning her pistols. "Now move — we're not dying here."
Linlin snarled. "Why do you care, little girl? You think you can give me orders?"
Ada shot her a glare that silenced even Linlin. "If you want to live, follow me. Or stay here and get crushed — your choice."
Linlin hesitated — then laughed. "MAMA MAMA! Fine! Lead the way!"
Garp stepped forward, fists glowing with Armament Haki. "You think you can just run from justice?"
Ada met his gaze. "Justice is a luxury for men who win."
She fired. Garp dodged — barely — as the bullet grazed his cheek. Kaido charged forward to cover her, swinging his club. "HAHA! LET'S GO, OLD MAN!"
Garp blocked Kaido's blow with a thunderous punch that cracked the ground beneath them. The shockwave sent debris flying as Ada moved like a ghost, picking off Marines from the flanks with surgical precision.
Whitebeard slammed his naginata into the ground, creating a quake that split the earth.
Shiki used his ability to lift debris and ships into the air, launching them at Marine battleships offshore.
It was chaos — raw, beautiful, catastrophic chaos.
Amid the carnage, Garp's eyes darted toward Ada again. "You… you remind me of someone."
Ada smirked. "I'm unforgettable."
She unleashed a burst of Conqueror's Haki that clashed with his, the air exploding between them. Lightning crackled as Kaido and Whitebeard fell back in shock.
"Holy hell," Shiki muttered. "That woman's a monster."
"Rocks is still fighting near the fortress," Whitebeard shouted. "If we don't move soon, we'll all get trapped!"
Ada nodded sharply. "Then we make an opening."
She leapt onto a fallen mast, reloading midair, her coat whipping in the wind. "Kaido! Smash the ridge to the east! Linlin — clear the path with your flames!"
Kaido grinned and swung his kanabo, smashing the cliffside. Linlin followed with a burst of fire, carving a molten tunnel through the ruins. The path opened — an escape route leading toward the beach.
Ada turned back toward Garp. "Tell your superiors they won't bury this truth."
Garp wiped blood from his lip. "As much as I I would like to, the world government will bury God Valley, Ada Wong."
Ada's expression hardened. "Then I'll make them remember."
She tossed a grenade into the ruins and turned away as it detonated — a wall of fire rising between her and Garp.
Behind her, the remnants of the Rocks Pirates retreated down the cliff, carrying their wounded.
Whitebeard looked at her as they ran. "You could've killed him."
"I don't kill men who can still change the world," she said softly. "Even if they don't know it yet."
As the sun began to sink, the Rocks Pirates regrouped near the shoreline.
Their captain, Rocks D. Xebec, was still missing — locked in battle somewhere inland.
The survivors looked to Ada.
"What now, Ada?" Shiki asked.
Ada stared back at the burning island, the crimson light reflecting in her eyes. "We hold the line until the Captain returns," she said.
Her voice was calm, commanding — but deep down, she could feel it.
The world was shifting.
The end of an era was near.