"Hey, what's the deal with that little guy?" a gladiator not far away asked, looking at Luffy in shock. "He actually took down Sparta in one go?"
"Are you kidding me? He's one of the star gladiators of this arena!"
"This..."
Those who heard him also began to hesitate. This was indeed a problem.
"Could it be that he just accidentally tripped?" someone asked uncertainly.
After all, the speed at which Luffy moved just now was far too fast. These ordinary contestants couldn't see what had happened at all.
"How is that possible!" another person retorted. "Even if I didn't see what happened, a fall wouldn't smash a huge crater into the ground!"
"And Sparta has lost consciousness..."
Listening to this man, the others gradually realized one thing... Sparta might have actually been defeated by this tiny-looking old man!
Just... who was he?
"Clean and decisive, didn't give him a single chance to react."
Hidden in the shadows, Sai looked at Luffy's back with interest and said, "Interesting."
Was this the last contestant to join?
He hoped they would meet in the tournament; that would make things even more fun.
Thinking of this, Sai grinned.
"Honestly, why did he suddenly run over here for?"
Luffy looked at Sparta with some dissatisfaction. Why did this guy suddenly attack them?
"Maybe there's something wrong with his head," Meiser said with a shrug.
After speaking, Meiser turned to look at a man running over from a distance. If he wasn't mistaken, this guy was a staff member of the Corrida Colosseum.
Was he here... to check on the situation?
"Hey!"
"Are you two the ones who caused this commotion?" the man glared at Luffy and Meiser, shouting angrily, "Get out of here immediately! You're disqualified!"
"What?!"
Luffy's expression changed instantly. If he was disqualified now, how was he supposed to get the Diamond-Diamond Fruit?
"Did you not read the competition rules?" the man shouted. "No fighting is allowed before the match!"
"Sir, this guy started the trouble first," Meiser said, pointing at the unconscious Sparta on the ground.
The staff member instinctively looked down at the unconscious Sparta, then frowned and looked around. "Who can prove that?"
If someone could prove that Sparta had made the first move, he could let these two off.
Hearing this, the surrounding people suddenly showed mocking smiles.
Prove it?
If they could eliminate a powerful opponent early, it would be a good thing for them.
Seeing that no one stepped forward to speak, the man said, "Since no one will testify for you, then I have no choice but to let you—"
Whoosh—
Clang!
Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a large axe that suddenly flew over.
"Shut up, you sightless fool." Sai pointed at the unconscious Sparta nearby and said, "The one who started the trouble was that big man lying on the ground. If anyone's disqualified, it should be him!"
"That's right." Boo also grinned. "I agree with my big brother."
Seeing the figures emerging from the shadows, the people in the distance suddenly showed looks of terror.
"Look, it's Sai and Boo of the Flower Country!"
"Not only that, even Don Chinjao is here!"
Hearing these names, the staff member instinctively swallowed his saliva. So it was these monsters?
Since they had spoken up, then he... shouldn't meddle further.
After all, he was just working for a paycheck; why risk his life?
With that thought, he intended to back down.
Right at that moment, a gladiator nearby spoke up.
"These two are right," the gladiator said. "It was indeed Sparta who attacked first."
The staff member breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "In that case... then the one disqualified is Sparta!"
"Contestant Lucy and Contestant Wanhao, you may continue to participate in the tournament."
"Great!"
Hearing that he wouldn't be disqualified, a bright smile appeared on Luffy's face.
It was great that he could continue the competition!
Then, he picked up the giant axe from the ground, turned around to walk to Sai and Boo, and returned the weapon to Boo.
"Here you go, thanks for just now."
"It's nothing, what are you thanking us for..." Sai grinned. "Really, there's no need to thank me. Why are you saying thank you?"
"Don't say thank you to me, you—"
At this point, Sai suddenly snapped.
"Take back your 'thank you,' you bastard!" Sai roared angrily. "Take it back!"
Seeing this, Boo quickly held Sai back, shouting, "There's no need to go that far, Brother!"
"But this bastard said thank you to me!"
"Take those two words back, you bastard!"
Luffy: "..."
Meiser: "..."
What was wrong with this guy?
He just said thank you; was it really worth getting that worked up?
"Sorry, you two," Boo said somewhat awkwardly. "This guy gets a bit emotional."
"Ah, it's fine."
Although he didn't know what was going on with the other guy, Luffy chose not to hold a grudge.
"But this competition is really interesting," Luffy said, walking back to Meiser's side with a chuckle. "There are all kinds of people."
To this, Meiser only smiled, not particularly surprised.
After all, the prize this time was the Diamond-Diamond Fruit, so it was normal to attract people from all over the seas.
"Hey, Mei—"
Thud!
Meiser punched Luffy on the head, then turned and pointed to the name on his back, saying:
"Look clearly before you speak."
Luffy, who had been punched, held the large bump rising on his head and said, "Couldn't you just tell me? Doing it like that..."
Using Haki to hit him... it really hurt!
Meiser rolled his eyes. "Did you give me a chance to speak?"
If he hadn't acted, this guy would have blurted out his real name.
What an idiot.
Luffy expressed his dissatisfaction but didn't dare say more, as Meiser raised his fist again.
"When does our match start?" Luffy rubbed his stomach. "I'm a little hungry."
Meiser gave a speechless expression. "Didn't you just eat?"
"How much was that?" Luffy complained.
Because of that strange fairy, they hadn't eaten much at all.
"Fair enough."
Meiser stroked his chin. "Then let's see if there's a place to eat around here in a bit."
Normally, a place like this should have food stalls.
"Okay."
Luffy nodded, then turned to look at Dagama, who was still over there shouting about competition blocks and forming alliances.
"What is he talking about?"
"Grouping up in advance."
"Can the two of us group up?!" Luffy asked excitedly.
If the two of them were in the same block, they could join forces and defeat everyone else.
At the thought of this, Luffy became even more excited.
"Forget it," Meiser said. "You're in Block C, and I'm in Block D."
"Besides..."
At this point, Meiser paused slightly, then turned to look at Dagama in the distance and continued, "There's only one winner per block, so it's actually a good thing we aren't grouped together."
At least this way, their chances of winning the championship were higher.
Of course, they didn't necessarily have to win the championship to get the Diamond-Diamond Fruit.
As long as he confirmed the location of the Diamond-Diamond Fruit, he could directly snatch it once Franky started destroying the factory.
"I see," Luffy scratched his head. "Alright then."
Although it was a pity he couldn't be with Meiser, this was indeed more advantageous for them.
Luffy then looked around and said, "I see they all have armor and weapons. Can we get some too?"
"I think so," Meiser said uncertainly.
Normally, this place should provide weapons for free or sell equipment.
Of course, it wasn't ruled out that the Colosseum required contestants to bring their own weapons.
"We provide equipment."
A girl responsible for recording things nearby spoke up. "I'll take you there."
With that, she turned and walked toward a distant corridor.
Meiser and Luffy exchanged a glance and then followed her to a place that looked like an armory.
Looking at the dazzling array of equipment, Luffy's eyes began to shine.
"Armor!"
"Helmets!"
"Weapons!"
"Can we use all of these?!"
"Only throwing weapons are prohibited; there are no restrictions on other equipment," the girl said. "Use whatever you like."
"I see!" Luffy grinned. "You guys are so nice."
Hearing Luffy's words, the girl smiled.
What did he mean by "so nice"?
Providing weapons and equipment was the most basic thing.
"Hey!" Luffy ran excitedly to the statue of Kyros. "This mister looks really cool!"
"I want this!"
The girl: "..."
What kind of strange request was this?
"That won't work," the girl said expressionlessly.
"It won't work..."
Luffy said with a look of disappointment, "Then never mind."
He had originally thought about taking this cool statue.
"What kind of weird request are you making?" Meiser said speechlessly. "They provide weapons and equipment here, not statues."
Sometimes he really wanted to cut open Luffy's head to see how his brain worked.
Then, Meiser turned his gaze toward a commotion in the back.
"What's happening now?"
"Hey, why are the girls falling one after another?!" other men looked at the corridor behind in shock. "What happened?"
"Look, a man appeared in the corridor!"
"A man?"
"Could it be that these women fainted because of him?"
"Are you kidding? How is that possible?"
"But it's the truth..."
Although they didn't know why these women would faint because of a man, that was the reality.
At this moment, a man recognized the newcomer's identity.
"It's Cavendish!" the man's eyes widened. "It's the Pirate Prince!"
"It really is him! How is he still alive?"
"Maybe he escaped..."
"He's so beautiful, this man!"
Meiser: "???"
Seeing this rough man with hearts in his eyes, Meiser instinctively stepped aside.
Wait, brother, is this right?
Shaking his head, Meiser focused on Cavendish's face and stroked his chin. "This kid is indeed a bit handsome."
Even he had to admit the guy was ridiculously good-looking.
Of course, he wasn't bad himself.
"So this is the preparation room."
Cavendish looked at the equipment here but felt uninterested. For an elegant Sword Master like him, any armor or the like would only affect his beauty—they were redundant burdens. It was better not to use them.
Then, Cavendish noticed the only man present who wasn't paying attention to him—Luffy.
"Hey, you over there."
"Hmm?"
Luffy, who was putting on armor, turned in confusion to Cavendish. "Are you talking to me?"
"Yes."
Cavendish wasn't angry; instead, he smiled gently. "You're wearing too much equipment; you're overweight."
"Overweight?"
A look of confusion appeared on Luffy's face. Were there requirements for this?
"There are weight limits for protective gear," Cavendish explained patiently. "Otherwise, it's considered a violation."
"I see..." Luffy looked disappointed. "I thought I could use it all."
It seemed he couldn't use this cool set of armor; what a pity...
Meiser, on the other hand, had a look of helplessness. Did this kid listen to any of the rules the registration girl said?
Then again, given this kid's personality, it would be strange if he actually listened to anyone.
"Actually, it doesn't matter what kind of protective gear you wear," Cavendish said. "Because the Diamond-Diamond Fruit will definitely be mine."
"Because... only I am worthy of such a magnificent ability~"
At the thought of becoming even more dazzling, the smile on Cavendish's face grew wider.
Then, Cavendish looked at Luffy and continued, "Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself."
"My name is Cavendish~"
"But with my fame, I shouldn't need to introduce myself."
"After all... it's impossible for anyone in this world not to know me~"
"Hahahaha~"
Cavendish was very confident in his fame.
"So beautiful!"
"Lord Cavendish!"
"I didn't expect to see Lord Cavendish here; it was worth it..."
Looking at Cavendish, who seemed to be shimmering with light, the girls around immediately fell to the ground in excitement.
Seeing this, Cavendish smiled even more happily.
Yes, that's the reaction!
In this sea, he was the spokesperson for beauty!
"The sin of beauty is so heavy~" Cavendish took out a rose. "To exist as perfectly as this rose~"
"Yes, that's me~"
"From birth until now, I have always been excessively favored by the heavens~"
"That's right~"
"I haven't eaten a Devil Fruit, nor have I put in much effort to get to where I am today... I am simply the chosen one!"
"Hahahaha~"
Cavendish was enjoying his monologue, but unfortunately... neither Luffy nor Meiser paid him any attention. They didn't even give him another glance.
Cavendish: "???"
These two... were they not blinded by his brilliance?
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