One Piece: A Warlord's Path-Chapter 692: Victory of the Church of the Night

Valanfort.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and an evening breeze swept through, thinning the heavy stench of blood and the black smoke billowing over the city.

Across the battlements and through the streets, layers upon layers of corpses lay strewn in every direction. The bodies of men and horses, mangled and torn, formed a gruesome sight that chilled the marrow; fresh blood pooled and flowed through the narrow crevices of the floor tiles.

Overhead, hundreds of crows, vultures, and other carrion birds circled Valanfort, their eerie cries piercing the air. Had they not been wary of the humans below, they would have likely swarmed down long ago to feast upon the grisly banquet.

Large swathes of houses had collapsed into charred ruins. In some corners, fires still raged, reducing nearly half of the castle town to a wasteland.

Many survivors stared blankly at the scene. No one could have predicted that in just a few short hours, this once-prosperous fortress would be engulfed in the flames of war, transformed into a living purgatory.

In the square before the Inner Keep of Valanfort, broken swords and shattered shields lay scattered across the ground alongside several cannons that had tumbled down from the ramparts.

Whether they were high-born nobles in finery, knights clad in armor, defenseless commoners, or clergy dressed in the black robes with white crosses, their bodies were piled together so thickly that there was no place to set a foot. To walk across the square, one had to tread upon the dead.

In this square alone, dozens of nobles and hundreds of knights had fallen. As for the commoners, paladins, clergy, and city guards, the casualties were beyond counting. The flag of the Kingdom of Bivins was stained a deep crimson, while the banners of various noble houses lay trampled in the dirt.

"We did it!"

Bane stood atop the city walls. Beside him, the old Lord of Valanfort had been skewered by several spears and pinned to the ground. Looking down at the staggering scene of a field covered in corpses, Bane couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

The sound of approaching footsteps came from behind him.

"Any movement from the Chris Pirates?" Bane asked directly without turning his head, as if he already knew who was there.

"Having suffered such a sudden raid, the Chris Pirates took significant casualties. After all, their numbers were right there for the taking," Mondos Bank said expressionlessly as he walked to Bane's side, clutching a black katana.

"I heard the situation at the port is complicated?" Bane asked, turning his head.

"Indeed. Our uprising was too sudden. Our primary focus was on the city guards at the gates, the Inner Keep, and the Chris Pirates; we were somewhat negligent regarding the harbor. Now, the merchant ships, passenger vessels, and even pirate crews have formed an alliance. Some of the Valanfort nobles have also fled to the docks."

"Although we have seized many of the coastal battery towers and can shell the harbor, a portion of them remain under noble control. As long as we don't open fire, they remain wary. But once the cannons roar, those fellows will fight back. Even at a high cost, they could destroy every tower we've occupied after just a few rounds of bombardment," Bank said tonelessly.

The Kingdom of Bivins possessed no organized navy; only a few wealthy nobles owned a handful of ships. The kingdom's strategy against pirate raids was primarily defensive; the army would only strike once the pirates set foot on land.

Consequently, the ships in the ports of Bivins were almost entirely foreign. To prevent attacks from the sea, battery towers had been built along the coast, creating a defensive net of thousands of large-caliber cannons to blockade the harbor waters.

Because the Church of the Night had risen so abruptly, they weren't fully prepared. Combined with the unexpected variable of the Chris Pirates, the Church found themselves in a position where, despite successfully occupying all of Valanfort, the harbor remained a "safe zone" for their enemies.

With the Church only controlling a fraction of the coastal batteries while the nobles held the rest, the two sides had entered a delicate, tense stalemate.

"Keep a close eye on the port, especially the Chris Pirates, at least until the Church can reorganize the Valanfort military," Bane said in a low voice. "We have completed the first step, but the subsequent phases of the plan are even more critical. We cannot afford to be careless."

"I'll do my best, but I make no guarantees," Bank said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Mm," Bane nodded, falling silent.

…

Valanfort Harbor.

Aboard a Chris Pirates secondary vessel.

"Why are you here?"

Inside the captain's quarters, Dimitri looked up at Mina.

"I discovered some interesting things, so I came to personally oversee the Kingdom of Bivins intelligence network." Having freshened up, Mina sat on the sofa wearing a bright red dress, a glass of red wine in her hand.

"Interesting things?"

Dimitri's eyes narrowed. "If it's interesting to you, it seems the situation behind the scenes is quite complex."

As the Minister of the Military for the Clifford Kingdom, Dimitri's instincts were sharp; he immediately caught the implication in Mina's words.

"Today's events were very sudden. As far as I know, even the higher-ups within the Church of the Night weren't prepared," Mina said, gently swirling the goblet. The crimson liquid rippled, releasing a fragrant aroma.

"Not prepared? Does that mean the Church of the Night was already planning an uprising?" Dimitri frowned slightly.

"Exactly. In Valanfort alone, the Church has hundreds of elite Paladins, along with a vast number of trained clergy. They have their people among the city guards, the garrison, and even among the great merchants and nobles," Mina explained calmly, sniffing the wine's bouquet.

"Tsk, it seems they were just waiting for the Kingdom of Bivins to fall into chaos so they could seize the country and establish a theocracy," Dimitri remarked, immediately deducing their intent. "No wonder Mondos Bank is here, along with another powerhouse from the Church. That explains it."

"Yes, though I doubt even the Church expected things to escalate today."

Mina took a sip of the wine, her face devoid of emotion. "The commoners of Valanfort have been ruthlessly exploited by the nobility, leading them to seek spiritual solace in the Church of the Night and place their faith in the Goddess of the Night. When you were hunting Mondos Bank, his clerical robes led the people to believe you were trying to destroy their spiritual faith. Combined with a few lower-level clergy, who were unaware of the official plan, fanning the flames, it turned into this massive riot."

"So the Church simply seized the opportunity to launch their rebellion and take Valanfort," Dimitri noted with a nod.

"Religious faith is fanatical; it makes people lose their reason easily. Furthermore, the people here were living in misery due to the nobles' oppression, so it only took a spark to set them off," Mina analyzed, based on her gathered intel. "With the Church having been entrenched in Valanfort for years, their roots were deep. Once they made their move, taking the city was easy."

After a pause, Mina continued, "As for that other Church powerhouse you mentioned, my intel is limited. All I know is that his name is Razalo. He is the Vice Commander of the Dark Tribunal and an Ace Dark Arbiter. Beyond that, the details remain unclear."

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