On the arena, the battle continued with high intensity. Perospero launched a series of fierce attacks, using his candy-based powers to corner his opponent. Sanji remained focused, moving with grace as he dodged every strike. The clash lasted for a significant amount of time, yet neither side seemed ready to give in. Observers in the crowd began to notice a pattern. Perospero's fighting style was relatively straightforward, and his mastery of the two types of Haki did not appear particularly overwhelming. Many whispered that if Sanji were facing someone like Katakuri, the fight would have ended much sooner.
Sanji eventually noticed the limitations in his opponent's strategy. He realized that his chances of victory were increasing the longer the fight continued. Instead of just staying on the defensive, Sanji began to move forward. He closed the distance between himself and Perospero while continuing to avoid the sticky candy traps thrown his way. Perospero grew anxious as the distance shrank. In a desperate attempt to stop the chef, he unleashed his Candy Swamp technique. However, he had forgotten one crucial detail: Sanji could travel through the air using his Sky Walk ability.
Sanji moved like a flash of lightning. Within seconds, he appeared directly in front of Perospero. His presence felt different now, as if he had grown in size and power. He was surrounded by a dense field of crackling thunder, his body glowing with electrical energy. He looked like a god of lightning.
"Thor Diable Jambe!"
Sanji delivered a powerful kick aimed directly at Perospero's face. The eldest son of Big Mom tried to defend himself with a thick candy shield, but the heat from Sanji's leg was too intense. The fire melted the candy instantly, allowing the thunderous kick to connect with full force. Perospero let out a pained scream as the electricity surged through him. His body smoked from the heat, and his eyes rolled back as he collapsed onto the stone floor.
The Thor mode faded immediately after the strike. Sanji wobbled, clearly exhausted from the massive output of energy. Despite his fatigue, he was the only fighter left standing in the ring.
"Perospero is down!" Gaz shouted into his microphone. "The winner is Black Leg Sanji from the Straw Hat Pirates!"
The crowd erupted into a deafening roar of applause and cheers. Sanji calmly lit a cigarette to hide his exhaustion. He used a burst of speed to return to his crew, landing right next to Luffy. He tried to act cool and composed, even though he was secretly thrilled with the win.
"Hahaha! Sanji, you did it! Congratulations!" Luffy said with a wide, toothy grin.
"Sanji-san, that was wonderful," Brook added, tilting his head. "You actually beat someone as strong as Perospero. I admire your strength, even though I don't have a heart to feel it! Yohohoho!"
Marco, Ace, and Vista also offered their respect. "Perospero is a major figure in the Big Mom Pirates," Marco noted. "Defeating him is a real achievement".
Sanji felt a bit embarrassed by the praise and shot a smug look at Zoro. However, Zoro simply snorted and continued to rest on his stretcher. Zoro moved a bit too quickly, causing Tashigi to worry he might hurt himself further. She quickly stepped in to support him, and for a moment, Zoro's head rested on her shoulder. Tashigi's face turned bright red, but she carefully adjusted him back onto his pillow as if nothing had happened.
Sanji's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He had just fought a life-or-death battle to impress the ladies, yet the moss-head was getting all the attention without doing anything. If Zoro hadn't been so badly injured, Sanji might have started a fight right there.
"It's my turn next!" Luffy shouted, punching his palms together. "I've been waiting forever for this. I wonder who I'll get to fight!".
The staff quickly cleared the fallen fighters from Group B and repaired the damaged arena. Once everything was ready, Gaz returned to the center of the ring to make a big announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the matches for Group B are finished! Next up is Group C! I can promise you that this group will be even more exciting. Why? Because the Fifth Emperor, Straw Hat Luffy, is in this group!".
The stadium went wild at the mention of the Fifth Emperor. Everyone watched as Luffy walked onto the stage. He didn't look like a terrifying monster; he looked like a young man on an adventure. He raised his fists and gave the crowd a friendly, cheerful smile.
"Is that really the Fifth Emperor?" someone asked. "He looks so kind."
"He's actually a bit handsome," another spectator whispered. "I thought a pirate with that kind of bounty would be scary."
"He looks just like his bounty poster," a man added. "He doesn't seem dangerous at all. Have you ever seen a great pirate in a straw hat? He looks like a kid from the next village over!"
The other contestants in Group C did not share the audience's warmth. They walked onto the stage with terrified expressions, doing their best to stay as far away from Luffy as possible. Some people even turned around and walked away, choosing to forfeit rather than face a man with the power of an emperor. A few brave souls stayed, hoping to at least see how they measured up against such a legendary figure.
The audience began to chant in unison. "Five Emperors! Must win! Five Emperors! Must win!"
The cheering only made the other contestants more nervous. They felt like the fight was over before it even started. If the whole world was rooting for Luffy, what was the point of trying? However, the situation was about to become much more complicated.
A new group of fighters stepped onto the arena, and the crowd fell silent in shock. Gaz looked down at his list of names, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Oh my goodness! This is unbelievable!" Gaz screamed with excitement. "Look at the talent in this group! We have Jesus Burgess, the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates' first ship! We have Katakuri from the Big Mom Pirates! There is also Don Chinjao, the leader of the Happo Navy, and Urouge, the Mad Monk and new Warlord!".
Gaz continued to read the names, his voice rising with every word. "And that's not all! We have three rising stars from the Worst Generation: Eustass Kid, Basil Hawkins, and Scratchmen Apoo! This is a gathering of monsters! Will they all team up to take down the Fifth Emperor? We are about to find out!".
The tension in the air was thick. No one expected so many world-class fighters to be in the same block. It felt like a trap specifically designed to stop Luffy from moving forward.
"Katakuri and Burgess are both here," Ace said, his expression turning serious. "Plus Chinjao and Urouge... Luffy is going to have his hands full. This won't be an easy win".
Marco nodded in agreement. "Katakuri is incredibly strong. Even I wouldn't be sure of a victory against him. Luffy has a real challenge ahead".
The arrival of Kid, Hawkins, and Apoo only added to the chaos. No one knew these Supernovas were even in Dressrosa. The crowd leaned forward in their seats, knowing that the battle for Group C was going to be legendary.