One Piece: Reborn in God's Valley

Somewhere in the New World, on a vast stretch of ocean.

The massive Moby Dick sailed steadily beneath the blazing sun, casting a long shadow across the water.

On the deck, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were all gathered around their captain.

A young boy stood nearby, his hands clenched tightly into fists. 

His wide eyes were fixed on the transponder snail, and his whole body trembled with emotion as the voice on the other end echoed in his mind.

"Hey. Teach, how dare you interrupt Pops' conversation?"

Vista, still sporting his bowl-cut hairstyle, only dared to pull Teach back after confirming that Whitebeard's expression hadn't changed.

He couldn't understand what was wrong with Teach today. Why would the kid suddenly cut into a conversation between captains?

That was a serious breach of protocol. Had it been any other crew, Teach would've been beaten black and blue for his disrespect.

If not for the fact that Teach was still just a kid and his ignorant words could be dismissed, Vista wouldn't have gone easy on him. 

This time, he decided to offer a reminder, so the kid would learn what kind of rules a pirate crew truly followed.

"Ah… I'm sorry, Pops. I shouldn't have spoken out of turn."

Snapped out of his daze by Vista's scolding, Teach immediately apologized to Whitebeard, bowing his head.

Whitebeard, in a good mood today, waved it off without anger and continued his conversation with Ashen.

But deep down, he made a mental note of the new crew member, Teach.

'Might makes right, huh? Well said! I have to meet this Ashen V. Helgrave someday.'

Pushed aside, Teach began scheming in silence. But soon, a sense of caution returned.

'That guy was right… I don't have any real strength yet. I shouldn't stand out too much.'

'Luckily, I'm in the Whitebeard Pirates. If this were another crew, I'd already be dead by now.'

'But wait… That guy doesn't even know me. How the hell did he know my name? Was it Marco who mentioned me?'

'Looks like I really need to keep a low profile from now on…'

…

Afternoon. Dressrosa, Main Street.

After half a day of cleanup, the central streets were finally looking presentable again. 

Burnt-down buildings were being dismantled and cleared under the supervision of the military, while reconstruction efforts had already begun.

The recent battle had taken a heavy toll on the citizens of Dressrosa. Still, Riku promised that the kingdom would rebuild their homes.

Furthermore, for those injured or who lost loved ones in the fight, he pledged tax relief for any future businesses they opened. 

Once the new factories were operational, those same people would be given employment priority.

So, despite their wounds, the people of Dressrosa harbored no resentment toward the Helgrave Pirates. On the contrary, they applauded King Riku's decisions.

After all, the root cause of Dressrosa's constant pirate troubles was its own lack of power. Now that they had the protection of the Helgrave Pirates, why wouldn't they be grateful?

"Go back and tell Umit and Feld… I owe them one for this."

"And for those who gave their lives, make sure their families are properly compensated. As for the money, I'll give you both a discount in our next round of dealings."

Inside the royal palace, after seeing Marco off, Ashen was now bidding farewell to Jean.

To be honest, with Jean's status, Ashen didn't really need to see him out personally.

But the people Jean led, those from the Underworld, all threw themselves into the battle wholeheartedly. 

In the end, only Jean was left standing. Ashen couldn't help but feel guilty, and that was why he insisted on personally saying goodbye.

"You're too kind, Ashen-san. We might be men with blood on our hands, but we still value honor above our lives."

"We know who our enemies are, and who our friends are."

"If we turned our backs on a friend in need, we might as well be dead."

"And yes, I'll make sure to deliver your message to both of our bosses. Now then, I'll take my leave."

With that, Jean rose and gave a formal gentleman's bow before exiting the room.

Truthfully, Ashen had already spoken to Umit and Feld via Den Den Mushi earlier. Both men had dismissed his gratitude, saying it wasn't necessary.

But Ashen wasn't the type to forget favors. Anyone who helped him, he made sure to repay. That's why he asked Jean to pass the message along one more time.

Puru…Puru…

Just as Jean left, a Den Den Mushi rang again, interrupting Ashen's thoughts about the crew's next moves.

"I absolutely love you, Ashen! Ever since your Helgrave Pirates set foot in the New World, there's been nothing but breaking news!"

The distinct voice of Morgans came through, sounding pleased as ever.

"Oh? And you don't have anything else to say, Morgans?" Ashen cut in coldly.

"Gawk.. "

Morgans went silent for a beat, as though someone had suddenly grabbed him by the throat. A few seconds later, he chuckled awkwardly.

"Heh… heh…. Don't be mad, Ashen. I really meant well with that last article. I never expected it to cause you guys so much trouble. Don't worry, if you need anything from me, just say the word."

"Fine, I'll let it slide this time. But if it happens again… you know what'll follow."

With a bit of intimidation, Ashen let it go.

In truth, Morgans hadn't been entirely wrong. His last article had basically been free advertising for the Helgrave Pirates.

And even if Morgans hadn't published anything, the World Government would've likely made a move while Ashen was away anyway.

"Hahaha…. No worries, I guarantee it won't happen again."

Relieved, Morgans laughed heartily before shifting gears.

"Say, Ashen, about that transportation tech I mentioned last time… any idea when it'll be ready?"

"One month. Maybe two..." Ashen replied with a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. 

"But…"

"But what, Ashen? If there's any problem I can help with, just say it."

Morgans, hooked by the suspense, couldn't resist.

"No problem… Just that the price is now double."

"What? You said you weren't gonna hold it against me."

The moment Morgans heard "double," he panicked.

After all, his fortune had been built on risks, life-threatening risks. Hearing he'd have to cough up twice the amount now made his heart ache.

"Bullshit! Do you even know how much money I lost because of you? You're lucky I didn't kill you!"

"Now go prepare your money."

Ashen slammed the receiver down.

"Hey.. . Hello?"

"Ugh… You, get me the author of that last article. I'm gonna kill him!!"

"Sir, you wrote that one yourself…"

"…"

"President? Sir Morgans?"

"GET OUT!!!"

…

The next morning, news of the Dressrosa battle had already spread across the world via News Coo.

As usual, Morgans personally wrote the article, dedicating an entire front-page spread to the event.

Maybe it was to grab more attention… maybe to boost sales… or maybe to earn back the fortune he was about to lose to Ashen.

A massive headline stood printed in bold in the top-left corner of the paper.

"Three Great Pirates Fall in Dressrosa, The Helgrave Pirates Draw Blades in the New World!!"

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