One Piece: Reborn in God's Valley

Dressrosa, Central Avenue.

The scene was nothing short of brutal. 

The raging fires engulfing buildings had finally been extinguished by the citizens, but the damage was done, many structures lay in ruin, and the death toll continued to rise. 

Survivors were still being rescued, but only in areas far from the battlefield.

To the south end of Central Avenue, the battle had shifted.

"So you're King Riku, huh? Gotta say, you've held out better than I expected."

Standing before Riku was a massive lizard, no, a chameleon over ten meters long, speaking in human tongue.

Cough, cough. 

"You're the captain of the Giant Lizard Pirates, the Infiltrator, Komilin, right? I didn't even expect you to show up."

Riku, supported by a tank unit, stood barely upright. He'd just taken a devastating blow from Komilin's tail, breaking several ribs.

"Hmph! Of course I came. You've joined hands with the Helgrave Pirates, so you must know the kind of tech they've got, huh? 

Hand it over now, and we'll be on our way. What do you say, King Riku?"

Next to Komilin stood a pirate with narrow, triangular eyes, Orich, the Giant Lizard Pirates' first mate. 

A master schemer, Orich was behind most of the crew's plans, including this operation. It was he who'd reached out to Uges and Begrin.

"Don't even dream of it. We don't betray our friends in Dressrosa."

Though they hadn't known each other long, King Riku already considered Ashen a true friend. 

And he'd seen with his own eyes the positive changes sweeping through Dressrosa since their cooperation with the Helgrave Pirates.

"Then… die."

Orich didn't hesitate. In a flash, he struck, his finger jabbing straight at Riku.

Ding…

Before Riku could react, a small figure darted in front of him, blocking Orich's attack with a sharp pointed weapon.

"Are you alright, King Riku?"

The voice snapped him back to awareness. Looking down, he saw it was Garta of the Tontatta Tribe.

"Hahaha. What a bonus. We've even got dwarves here, boys, snatch 'em all up first."

Komilin's eyes gleamed with greed. He knew well the prices dwarves fetched on the slave market.

Over a hundred Giant Lizard Pirates remained, all clad in bizarre clothing. At their captain's command, they charged again.

Clang! Clang!

Bang! Bang!

The sounds of clashing steel and gunfire filled the air once more. With the dwarves now lending a hand, Riku's forces fought back harder, but were still gradually pushed back.

Whoosh!

Komilin's tongue shot out like a whip, catching an unsuspecting dwarf and reeling him in.

"Rayne. Ah.., ."

Garta gasped as his comrade was captured, distracted just long enough for Orich to land a brutal kick, sending him flying.

Smack!

Just as Garta was about to slam into a wall, a large hand intercepted him gently, holding him in a palm.

"Ah…. What an adorable little guy…."

The voice was lazy, drowsy, as if its owner had just woken up. He set Garta down, then turned to face Komilin. 

"How could you hurt such a cute race, Komilin?"

"Ma… Marco…."

Komilin's long tongue nearly tripped over itself as he stammered. His massive body morphed back into human form as fear crept into his features.

The rest of the Giant Lizard Pirates froze when they heard their captain call the man's name. All eyes turned to Marco.

"It really is Marco. Don't tell me Whitebeard is here too?"

As realization spread, the pirates rushed to regroup near Komilin. Orich also retreated to his captain's side, his gaze wary.

It wasn't just Marco's own strength that intimidated them, it was who he represented. 

Whitebeard, at his peak in this era, wasn't holed up in some sea territory like decades later. He roamed the world, and the pirate crews he crushed were countless.

More importantly, the Whitebeard Pirates treasured their family above all else. 

They rarely separated, and even when they did, no one dared lay a hand on Whitebeard's sons, not without paying the ultimate price.

"No need to panic. Pops doesn't care about you lizard-skin freaks."

Marco's tone was polite, but the disdain beneath it was unmistakable. The overwhelming presence of the Whitebeard Pirates came through in every word.

He called them "lizard-skin freaks" because all their clothing was crafted from Komilin's shed skin. 

As a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, Lizard-Lizard Fruit, Model: Chameleon, Komilin's molted skin had high concealment properties. 

Many pirate crews had suffered because of this, and Marco had clearly heard the stories.

Whew…

Realizing Marco had come alone, Komilin let out a breath. He forced calm into his voice. "If the Whitebeard Pirates are stepping in, we'll go."

Just like that, Komilin abandoned the entire Dressrosa operation, turning to leave without a care that Uges and Begrin were still expecting to trap the kingdom in a pincer attack.

"You're not going anywhere today, Komilin."

Marco leapt forward, blocking the path of the Giant Lizard Pirates. Seeing this, Riku gave orders for the royal army to circle behind them.

No way were they going to let someone wreak havoc on Dressrosa and just walk away.

Slurp…

"I haven't done anything to offend the Whitebeard Pirates, have I? Marco."

Komilin's face darkened. He'd already shown willingness to retreat, yet Marco still pursued him. Wasn't this a bit much? 

"You raided an island six months ago, didn't you? Komilin?"

Marco's expression hardened. He remembered how heartbroken Pops had been after that incident, and the memory burned in his chest.

"So what? Since when do the Whitebeard Pirates police the seas? What are you, Marines or pirates?"

Komilin's rage boiled over. Dragging up something from half a year ago, what nonsense.

"Glad you admit it."

Boom!

Marco's fist smashed into Komilin's face, eyes filled with fury.

"You want a fight? Then don't blame me for what happens. Orich, we're killing him."

Komilin had had enough. He feared Whitebeard, not Marco. 

But if Marco was going to keep pushing him like this, then he'd do what needed to be done, even if it meant silencing every witness, including his own crew.

At that moment, Orich moved, faster than the eye could follow, appearing behind Marco with his fingertip coated in Armament Haki, aimed for Marco's back.

Simultaneously, Komilin's tongue lashed out from a sharp angle, also coated in Haki. The two clearly had practiced this combo many times.

"Kill them… wipe out these pirates."

Bang! Bang!

King Riku's army and the dwarves surged forward once more, fighting alongside Marco.

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