Circus Maximus ~
Saint Nero's voice echoes across the stadium, every noble in attendance leaning on every word. The darkening clouds were ignored as the opening ceremony drew near.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Today we celebrate a tradition that has been a central part of our history. My ancestors devoted their lives to ensuring that we could enjoy the blessings of noble blood. Circus Maximus is not just a place of entertainment; it is the rightful house of the gods. As gods, we must remind mortals who they are meant to obey, and in return, they get the grace of our cheers."
Thunderous applause followed after his speech, celestial dragons cheering and cackling at the sweet words.
Nero raises his hand to the sky, looking up to the heavens.
"May the Soaring Dragon bless us."
Crack.
Lightning struck down on the stadium, dancing around pillars, seats, and the statues, never hitting anyone but a reminder of the danger hiding in the clouds.
"RUN!" A noble woman shrieks. A stampede of people scatter to the exits, pushing and shoving their fellow nobles to preserve their own lives.
-----
"What's happening?" Doll questions Warden Mitchell.
"I-I...I." Warden Mitchell stammers.
Click.
The sound of cell doors opening made his blood go cold. "Did you?"
Thud.
Mitchell's body fell as a bullet pierced through his head, right at the centre.
Doll froze at the sudden death, his blood staining her face, her eyes tracking the movement of slaves leaving their cells, still in chains and the collars around their neck but their eyes had hope, hope of escaping this hell.
"Should I kill you?" A voice whistles.
A short cat mink wearing a light orange coat, a dark brown collared shirt, white pants, and brown boots. He has a top hat and gadgets on his back. Lindbergh.
Doll took a step forward.
Bang.
"Hiss." She clutches her left shoulder, bullet scraping her flesh, leaving burning ash to cool on the wound. "Damn you!" She glares at the Mink.
Lindbergh still has his pistol aimed at her, "Go." He urges the slaves.
At his words, they ran out imm, not looking back at all.
"Thank you." Their gratitude echoed in the shadows.
"Tell me Marine? Will you kill me for freeing captives?" Lindbergh purrs, finger pressing on the trigger lightly, his marksman skills sharp.
Doll calms herself down, "You really had to make my day worse than it is ?" She growls.
"Oh–I believe they're having a far worse day than you." He teases.
Doll twitches her finger.
Bang.
Lindbergh let out another shot. Doll hardened her body, took the bullet that hit her neck, bouncing off her body, leaving a mark. She flashes towards him, fist aiming at his head.
Lindbergh blocked her punch with his left arm; the impact of her blow sent him slamming into the wall.
"Ouch." He groans, kneeling on one leg, pistol still in hand, and he wipes blood from his lip.
Woosh.
Doll charges again, slamming her fist at the revolutionary.
Bang
Lindbergh moved at the last minute, and her arm went through the wall.
"That was close." Lindbergh chuckles, taking out a rifle-shaped metal weapon with 3 orbs at the head of the weapon.
"Think fast~" He giggles.
Zapp!
A laser beam shot out of the gun, blitzing Doll who crossed her arms to form an x-shape.
The laser beam launches her to the tunnel, body fading in the darkness.
"Hehehe~" Lindbergh laughs, taking out his transponder snail.
Click.
"The captives have escaped zone 3 copy."
---
At Sonya's station, the chaos of nobles trying to leave jolted her out of her thoughts.
Turning her lower body to smoke, she moves up to the stands, trying to calm down the frantic nobles.
"Everyone calm down!" She hoisted a celestial dragon littered with footsteps from the ground, her eyes tracking the numerous injuries. "This is bad." She clenches her teeth.
"Get me out of here!" The noble over her shoulder ordered, despite his injuries, that the man dared to bark orders at her.
"WOMAN–HELP ME!" Another dragon clutching his head, barks at her.
"What are you waiting for, Navy Dog?"
"Kill whoever's responsible!"
More voices bombarded her ears, and Sonya felt doubt creeping into her mind.
"WHY ARE YOU STANDING STILL WOMAN!?" The celestial dragon over her shoulder, strikes her back. "Do something before I kill you." He threatens his saviour.
Sonya turns her head to him with killing intent, " What did you say?" Her voice is cold as ice, sending shivers down his body.
"Hush now." Camelot's voice prickling in her head.
The noble who were fussing, shut their mouth. His eyes are shaped like hearts, saliva trailing down his lips.
"Stand up, all of you."
The injured nobles, stood up, ignoring their injuries, still like soldiers.
Sonya's mouth opened at the sight, turning to Camelot casually leaning against the wall, devilish smirk on his face.
"Be good nobles–follow the slaves out of the stadium. " He says in a charming voice.
Sonya couldn't block his voice, still ringing in her head, the snake-like voice that annoys her, stimulating her mind like honey.
"What did you do?" She demands.
Camelot points at his lips," I ate the Miryoku-Miryoku no Mi. A paramecia that gives me the ability to charm anyone with my voice ~" He chuckles.
Sonya notices that slaves were ushering Celestial Dragons out of the stadium, their eyes have hearts in them.
"Amazing isn't it?" He hops, landing next to her, placing his arm around her shoulder.
"Lookie here~" He gestures to the race tracks."
----
Cling, clang.
Steel clashed with metal, battling for leverage in the heat of chaos. Gion and Sabo pressed their weapons simultaneously, her sword slashes colliding with his pipe swipes. Sparks flew at each clash, with no clear advantage for either of them.
"Spider's nest." Gion slashes at the air, a purple projectile slash bursting into spiders crawling in the air, charging at Sabo.
Sabo gritting his teeth, coats his weapon in haki and twirling his weapon like a fan.
Gion's spiders cut into Sabo's weapon, black lightning sparkling at the purple energy, as the attack fades.
"HELP ME!" A giant slave with hearts in his eyes, charges at Sabo.
"What are you–" Sabo dodges the giant's attempts at grabbing him.
Gion halts, torn between attacking her enemy and risking the slave's life or freeing him from the collar. "Tsk. These damn Celestials."
Across the stadium grounds, revolutionaries faced off against slaves under Camelot's control, many begging to be killed as their bodies were no longer obeying them, just puppets to the squire.
Ivankov and Karasu did their best in holding them without causing serious injuries.
"Dragon, this isn't going well." Ivankov ducks a kick from a slave woman, who's dragging her chains just to hit her.
Karasu uses his soot-soot fruit to bind the slaves, attacking them with the burned powder, breaking the chains, and holding them down as captives. "There that solves one problem. " He announces.
"Aaaahhhh!" Shrieking ran out the tracks as Arthur walked around cutting down slaves and revolutionaries alike.
"I hate pests." He spits out, slicing a slave's neck open, blood spraying him like a broken faucet.
"You bastard!" Morley snaps, the giant revolutionary aiming her spear at him. Roots grew out of the ground, coiling around her weapon.
"Whoa–" She gasps, thick bark wrapping around her form.
Aramaki(Green bull) grew to the giant's height, the plant-man absorbs the energy of slaves and revolutionaries trapped in his roots.
"You sick bastard," Morley growls.
Aramaki smirked at her comment, using his roots, he lifts her, roots digging into her flesh, sucking the life out of her.
Morley screams in agony, life being drained out of her.
"Morley!" Sabo calls out, as he's about to skywalk to his comrade. The hairs at the back of his head straightened. His body was warning him of immense danger.
"Don't move now, boy~" a feminine voice spoke to him, calm and deadly, he felt steel kissing his throat, aimed at his jugular.
Tanoe hums behind him, her pale fingers trailing his jaw. "You shouldn't burn too bright Little flame." She chuckles.
The skies rumbled with thunder, winds moving violently across the stadium, Aramaki's smirk dropped, his haki flaring.
"I feel such tremendous power approaching."
"Dragon claw." Said Monkey D. Dragon, flying at Aramaki, fist pitch black, red and black lightning twirling around it, he forms a claw with his fingers, jabbing the attack at Green Bull's jaw.
BOOM
The arrays of red and black energy, crackling across his body, the Vice-Admiral's eyes rolled to the back of his head, blood leaving his mouth as Aramaki was forcefully reverted to his human form, falling to the ground.
Woosh.
Dragon caught the falling Marine, holding him under his arm. He glides back to the surface. The battle below halted at the aftermath of his attack, the conquerors and armament mix left the weak out cold and those strong enough to resist, sweating and standing on wobbling legs.
"Such power..." Gion whispers, her body refusing to move at the power difference. Doll was in a similar state; her earlier fight with Lindbergh left her mad, but the chaos of the attacks made her forget the encounter and focus on evacuatinand g the nobles. She never felt this type of fear before, unable to do anything against the immense power of the leader of the rebellion.
"This is D-Dragon." She stammers.
Sonya dropped her Jitte, her smoke fruit returning her lower limbs, the will of one man made her submit her own fruit.
"This is insane." Her cigarettes were dropping out of her mouth.
Camelot is still grinning, sweat drops at his neck, "This is amazing ~" He giggles, body sand haking with a mix of fear and excitement.
Sonya~get ready." Camelot uses his charm fruit on Sonya, her eyes turning into hearts, her body under his control. "Yes, Camelot ~" She responds.
---
Morley went on one knee, catching her breath. "Thanks boss." She praises.
Dragon i gnores her praise, keeping Aramaki tucked in his arm, "Let go of my subordinate. " and He warns.
"Oh–is that a threat?", Tanoe teases, her blade drawing blade.
Sabo gulping at the pain, his eyes steeling on Dragon.
"Get them out of here–I'll be fine." He assured his leader.
Dragon glances at Karasu, the soot-man nods at him.
"Soulless lotus." He turns his body into soot, dispersed into the element, the bound slaves,were propelled up by the crow-shaped soot.
As the slaves were lifted up, leaving the stadium, Dragon let put his will, making the ground tremble, the tremors leaving everyone shaking.
Tanoe laughs like a madwoman, releasing her killing intent to counter his will. The two spiritual forces clashed, the monstrous wills battling for dominance, the stadium becoming nothing more than an enclosure for the two forces,cracking walls, statues of Nero's ancestors crumbling to rubble and those who have to bear the power, felt their bodies trembling.
Tanoe and Dragon locked eyes– leaving their captives, they flashed in a blink of an eye, reanimating in the middle of the stadium, her
Black blade clashing with haki-coated fist.
A duel between monsters.
[End of chapter]