Damn!!
A pulsating, pink hollow heart, conjured from Hancock's palm, shot through the cell, enveloping the three of them in its eerie radiance.
Thud!!
The Kuja warriors erupted into ecstatic cheers, witnessing once more the terrifying devil fruit power of their god, Boa Hancock.
Despite a sudden wave of relief, a profound sense of incongruity gnawed at Hancock. She wondered if the man she had just petrified in an instant could genuinely be the same individual who had orchestrated a breakout from the impregnable Impel Down.
While her sisters and the rest of the Kuja tribe celebrated, Hancock was left to seriously contemplate whether she was trapped in a daydream. 'If this is the man who shattered his way out of the world's greatest prison, why in hell hasn't he broken out of this cell?' A comical sweatdrop appeared on her temple for a moment before a loud, bored yawn emanating from within the cell seized their collective attention.
"A power to turn anything to stone? I'd say it's formidable, but is that truly the best a Warlord can muster?" Gojo's voice rang out, his pinky finger digging into his ear as he remained seated cross-legged on the floor.
"Unbelievable!!" The Kuja tribe, Hancock included, exclaimed in unison, leaping backward in shock.
One of the Kuja warriors immediately fired an arrow infused with Armament Haki; it obliterated the cell bars, filling the air with a cloud of dust and debris before the smoke dissipated.
"Did I get him? And his crewmates?" She demanded.
"Nah, you missed," Gojo commented casually. He was now squatting atop a nearby roof, flanked by the petrified statues of Jake and Ryuken.
'He's fast.' Hancock's posture shifted, her body tensing for combat. "Slave Arrow!" She unleashed another volley of pink projectiles at Gojo, who simply stood and allowed them to impact the defying, infinite space around him.
"See? Your devil fruit powers are useless against me," he declared, leaping down from the building. He carefully placed the statues of his crewmates to the side, unwilling to risk further damage. "Now, why don't you revert my friends to their normal state, and then you can ask me how the hell I avoided petrification?"
"Why won't you turn to stone?!" Hancock raged, refusing to accept what she had witnessed not once, but twice.
"Why, you ask?" Gojo loosened two buttons on his marine attire with a theatrical flourish. "Because I'm handsome," he smirked, striking an absurd pose.
"Go to hell, pirate!" Rindo charged forward, loosing an arrow that Gojo effortlessly caught in his bare fist.
Tightening his grip, he caused the wooden shaft to crack and splinter into fragments. "Don't act without a direct order." With a decisive step, his figure vanished from his position and reappeared before Rindo, his fist connecting with her abdomen. Before she could even process the movement, her feet left the ground, saliva flying from her mouth as she was hurled meters backward, crashing through the trees at the forest's edge.
"I'm not here for games, weakling." He then turned his impassive gaze upon Boa Hancock and her other warriors, who stood agape, struggling to comprehend what had transpired in a split second.
The Gordon sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold, were just barely able to track Gojo's speed as he incapacitated their comrade. "Who the hell are you, and what did you just do to our friend?" Sandersonia gritted her teeth in sheer frustration.
"If you didn't hear my name earlier from your princess's mouth, then I'd advise you to go find your momma and have her help clean your ears," Gojo teased, a calm yet terrifying smirk playing on his lips.
"Wait!" Hancock immediately intervened, stopping Sandersonia from attacking, fearful of the consequences if she rushed him recklessly.
"You're not a Warlord for nothing; it's wise of you to stop her from being turned into a donut," Gojo continued his taunts before his demeanor shifted abruptly to seriousness.
"You truly are an enigma. A being said to manifest different kinds of powers, yet you claim to have eaten a devil fruit," Hancock muttered, more to herself than to him.
"I did indeed ingest a devil fruit, but I think I'll keep its nature a mystery for whoever is clever enough to uncover the truth," he said. "Now, let's get down to business, Snake Empress."
"Now you're getting serious, huh?"
"Why don't you turn my friends back to normal, and we will leave your country peacefully."
"And you really expect me to allow a criminal wanted by the World Government to simply flee my domain without consequence? How quintessentially arrogant of a man."
Gojo cracked his knuckles, hopping lightly to loosen his muscles. "In that case, you won't have a problem with me destroying this country and delivering your head to the Government, correct?"
"Your little taunts are ineffective, boy. If you genuinely wish to save your companions, why don't you play a game with me?" Hancock's lips curled into a predatory grin.
"A game, huh? And what game would that be?"
Hancock giggled, a low, melodious sound. "A game of life and death. A contest of survival of the fittest."
"Then, if I should win your game of life and death, I have but one wish."
"How bold of you," Hancock said. "State your wish."
"It is a simple question. You are only permitted to answer 'yes' or 'no'."
"That's it? How foolish a man can be," Hancock smirked. "Follow me to the colosseum, and let the game commence."
"Who could refuse a pretty lady like you?" Gojo teased, tracing his own lips with his tongue before trailing behind the Warlord, who was escorted by her retinue of Kuja warriors.
The Amazon Lily fighting ring is a massive, circular stone arena surrounded by the roaring stands of the Kuja warriors. Elevated precariously above a deadly pit lined with wickedly sharp spikes, the ring serves as both a stage for combat and a ground for execution. Fighters who fall meet a grisly fate, being impaled upon the stakes below, a brutal emphasis of the island's ruthless warrior culture.
The spectator stands rise steeply around the pit, ensuring the audience witnesses every clash and every drop of blood. Ornate carvings and primal jungle stonework reflect the island's ancient, untamed beauty. Used for public duels and solemn trials, the ring stands as the ultimate symbol of the Kuja's belief in strength and honor—a place where only the strongest survive beneath the collective gaze of Boa Hancock's people.
Gojo felt profoundly amused, his eyes sparkling with curiosity and amazement as he glanced at the colossal colosseum before him. "I'll get going first," he announced. He then leaped away, the sheer force of his legs leaving a web of cracks visible on the ground. His characteristic grin never leaving his face, he flipped his body mid-air in a theatrical stunt, landing in the center of the ring in a superheroic pose.
"He is an unpredictable and careless airhead," Hancock mused, finding herself increasingly intrigued by this peculiar pirate. She was startled to realize her fingers had unconsciously begun trailing across her lips. 'What the hell am I doing?' She gritted her teeth in self-reproach. 'What does a mere pirate believe he can accomplish in this situation? Ha! Only death awaits him.'
Hancock regally made her way to her throne overlooking the ring while the colosseum roared with cheers and bloodthirsty excitement. The arena was packed with Kuja tribeswomen and warriors, all booing the audacious pirate who stood nonchalantly in the center of the ring, seemingly oblivious to the peril about to befall him.
"What? Don't I have even a small contingent of fans here to cheer me on?" Gojo hummed aloud, his eyes widened in mock surprise, arms outstretched as he basked in the charged atmosphere. His enjoyment of the calm was short-lived.
"Silence," Hancock muttered, her chin resting imperiously on her interlaced hands.
"Hey, snaky-snaky, don't I have at least one soul here who could cheer for me?" Gojo turned towards her, his expression feigning hurt. "Wait! Don't tell me you're too embarrassed to cheer for me?" He then hugged himself, eyes closed, his cheeks flushing a dramatic red.
"What the fuck did you just say?!" The crowd erupted in unified anger, hurling water bottles, shoes, and whatever else was at hand toward Gojo the moment he finished his sentence.
Gojo could see the veins throbbing heavily on Hancock's forehead, her desire to crush him skyrocketing with every insolent statement he uttered.
"Bring in Bacura!" Hancock commanded, her voice ringing with authority through the arena. The colosseum buzzed with renewed excitement while Gojo merely looked dumbfounded.
"Heh? What's happening? What's Bacura?" He asked himself until a loud, deafening roar shattered the air.
The heavy metal gate began to grind open slowly, the ground vibrating violently as dust flared around its base. When the gate was fully open, the monster emerged with another earth-shaking roar, its glistening fangs promising to shred its opponent into smithereens.
Bacura was a colossal black panther, with malevolent yellow and red eyes and saber-like fangs. It sported a rugged brown cap that draped halfway down its muscular back. As a pure wild beast, Bacura possessed the ferocious personality of a primordial predator. It was said that all of her victims were devoured so completely that not even their bones remained.
"Isn't that Kon? One of Megumi Fushiguro's divine dogs?" His curiosity intensified. "Hey! It's me, Satoru Gojo!"
With a wave of excitement, Gojo charged toward the beast, which was simultaneously poised to devour him. With another deafening roar, Bacura charged at Gojo with formidable speed, sending the colosseum into a rampage of bloodthirsty excitement. The Kuja tribeswomen yearned to witness how Gojo would scream as he was torn to pieces by Bacura's sharp, elongated fangs.
Gojo leaped upward, effortlessly dodging the incoming monster, and landed with a graceful backflip. "I see you really want to play tag," he said, his smirk widening into a maniacal grin.
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