An hour ago, Koa left to find Kuma, Ginny, and Ivankov when he suddenly got distracted by the violence that was ensuing. The civilians who lived peacefully in God Valley were now being hunted, gunned down like common beasts.
The Celestial Dragons, who did not consider those who did not grow up in Mary Geoise as anything more than animals, were laughing at the deaths of the common people. Koa, who was watching this, suddenly felt an ache in his heart—something he used to feel in his past life, which he didn't think he had brought into this one. He was feeling immense empathy for the people being hunted, so Koa thought of something he could do before helping the people.
'When the civilians get to the forest, I'll make them invisible and float them to the floating island that I have,' Koa thought. This was the first plan that came to mind. He knew he wouldn't be able to save those who were being targeted by stronger Celestials like the members of the God's Knights, but he could certainly save the others who were being hunted by the more incompetent ones.
'But first, let me reduce the surveillance in the forest to create blind spots. Maybe I can even kill some of the Celestial Dragons to lessen their numbers,' Koa thought. He then flew at high speed, still invisible. There, he utilized his Observation Haki and began hunting the camera Den Den Mushi. He did this for a few minutes until he determined that enough blind spots had been created. Then, Koa began implementing his hunting plan.
'It's time to let the predators become the prey,' Koa thought. Using his Observation Haki, he found his first target—a Celestial Dragon carrying a musket, guarded by Cipher Pol agents, enemies Koa could kill even without using Armament Haki.
'He probably thinks he's safe with these weak guards around him,' Koa thought as he looked at the five people before him—four guards and one Celestial. Koa then flew down and slashed toward their necks. The five died instantly, without even knowing what happened.
Koa continued trimming down the Cipher Pol agents, his actions becoming increasingly noticeable. He had already killed more than ten Celestial Dragons in the past hour. Most importantly, he had managed to save over 2,000 civilians. Now, the Celestials were heavily guarded, and Koa knew he wouldn't be able to assassinate any more of them or the Cipher Pol agents—not without drawing too much attention.
Still, Koa understood his limits. He knew he couldn't save everyone. But even saving some thousands was enough for now. With that, he made his decision. It was time to find Kuma, Ginny, and Ivankov. If he could coordinate with them, they could rescue even more civilians and slaves before the chaos reached its peak.
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As Koa left to find Kuma, Ginny, and Ivankov, members of the God's Knights arrived at the location where he had last killed a Celestial. They were investigating the strange occurrence that had just happened. Though not part of the native hunt, they were present to ensure that nothing went wrong. However, not only had they failed in their mission, but more than ten Celestial Dragons had already been killed under their watch.
They first became aware of the situation when they noticed a familiar presence suddenly vanish. They rushed to the scene to get to the bottom of what was happening, but all they found were five corpses—one of which was wearing a white spacesuit. All had been beheaded, each cut clean and done in a single stroke, leading them to believe that a traitor from Cipher Pol was using the native hunt as a cover to murder the gods.
"Should we report it to the commander?" one of the members asked, referring to the highest-ranking God's Knight in the vicinity—none other than Figarland Garling.
"He probably already knows, but doesn't care. He likely thinks they were too weak if they died at the hands of slaves. But if you want to be the bearer of bad news, go ahead and report it to Saint Jaygarcia," said the one who seemed to act as the squad leader. All of them had some level of crass personality. If Koa were here, he would have recognized the man acting like the leader: Shepherd Sommers, one of the God's Knights who would go on to attack Elbaph in the future.
"This is going to come down hard on us. Whoever did this should just die immediately," Sommers complained. As one of the leading responders of the God's Knights in God Valley, he was responsible for ensuring nothing went wrong during the hunt. While they were discussing, they felt another familiar presence suddenly disappear. This instantly alarmed them, and they rushed to the next scene.
This continued until they reached the tenth victim. Sommers, who had been wearing a playful expression earlier, unbothered by the death of a single Celestial Dragon, now looked extremely serious, his face showing signs of wounded pride.
"Whoever is doing this is hunting us. I don't know how they've managed to avoid detection, but we are the targets here. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. WE ARE BEING TREATED LIKE COMMON LIVESTOCK—AS GODS! THIS IS SOMETHING I WILL NOT TOLERATE. LET'S IMMEDIATELY INFORM SAINT JAYGARCIA AND THE COMMANDER!" Sommers shouted the last part, his pride deeply wounded at the thought of being treated the way they treated the common people.
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Back to the Present
Koa, who appeared in front of Kuma, Ginny, Ivankov, and the other slaves, wore a big smile on his face, acting innocently toward them. However, the slaves reacted with alarm and caution, especially since they realized he had overheard their planning—and Koa's true intentions were still unclear.
"I know you're alarmed, but you can trust me," Koa said gently, placing his bag on the ground—an action that only heightened the slaves' anxiety. They instinctively stepped back, watching closely.
Koa then reached into the bag and pulled out two fruits with strange, swirling patterns.
"Wait—those are Devil Fruits?! Did you already steal the prizes?" Ivankov asked, alarmed and panicking, since those fruits were central to their escape plan.
"No, these aren't the prizes," Koa replied calmly. "I found them in the forest when I was living here." He offered this background to ease their suspicions and gain their trust. It seemed to work—Ginny, Ivankov, and Kuma now looked at him with softened expressions, their faces saying, we're sorry for judging you.
"Anyway," Koa continued, brushing off their sympathy, "I'll give you these two Devil Fruits—but you'll need to help me with something first."
"And what's that?" Ivankov asked, his tone more measured now, clearly assessing the potential deal.
"I have two conditions," Koa said. "First, I want all the prizes you're planning to steal. And second, you'll help me save more civilians before the chaos gets worse."
Everyone froze at the statement. The conditions were steep, and no one could guarantee the power of the fruits Koa was offering.
"That's outrageous!" Ivankov snapped. "What if those Devil Fruits are weak and useless? How do you expect us to escape using them?"
"Don't worry," Koa said with a reassuring tone. "These two are powerful—I've checked them myself."
"Oh yeah?" one of the slaves muttered. "What exactly are they, then?"
Koa held up the first fruit. "This one is the Mushi Mushi no Mi, Model: Namekujira—a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit that grants healing abilities. I'm offering it in exchange for the Azure Dragon fruit you're aiming to steal."
He then raised the second fruit. "And this is the Fupu Fupu no Mi, a Paramecia-type. It allows its user to summon numerous rings of different sizes. These rings can be used for shields, restraints—and even portals. Sounds good enough now?"
The explanation shifted the mood. The slaves, previously filled with despair, now had a spark of hope. These fruits sounded like a real chance.
"We'll accept your offer," Ivankov said without hesitation. He understood the potential these fruits carried—especially the Fupu Fupu no Mi, which could prove invaluable for their escape plan.
Koa smiled and tossed the Mushi Mushi no Mi, Model: Namekujira to Ivankov and the Fupu Fupu no Mi to Ginny.
"Eat the whole fruit," Koa encouraged them. "Might help trigger awakening one day—or maybe it's just a silly hunch, but hey, nothing to lose, right?"
Neither Ginny nor Ivankov hesitated. Without caring about the infamous bitter taste, they each devoured their Devil Fruit entirely, driven by purpose and determination.