Boom! Boom! Boom!
Massive bubbles exploded in the sky above the open-air arena, scattering colorful confetti that drifted down from above.
In an instant, the densely packed crowd in the stands erupted into an overwhelming wave of excitement.
"Two billion Beli!"
"A Logia-type Devil Fruit!"
"A chance to join the world's greatest entertainment city at sea—the Gran Tesoro!"
"Or have the Magic Eye Pirates fulfill a request within their capability!"
A thin, flamboyantly dressed host holding a microphone shouted with intense enthusiasm, his voice rising higher and higher, "Wealth, fame, power! Just imagining it is enough to set your blood boiling!!"
The already heated atmosphere was pushed to an even higher peak under the host's lead.
"And now, let us welcome the four finalists!"
"Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates—Monkey D. Luffy!"
"Captain of the Heart Pirates—Trafalgar Law!"
"Captain of the Kid Pirates—Eustass Kid!"
"And finally, the mysterious powerhouse who defeated two Supernovas in succession to reach the finals—Rob Lucci!"
The host gripped the microphone tightly as he announced their names in one breath, without any unnecessary embellishment.
He knew very well what everyone present wanted to see, and as a qualified host, he had no intention of wasting time on anything irrelevant.
Bang—bang!
As the gates at the four corners of the arena opened, Luffy and the other three walked out from within.
Before the host could continue speaking—
Whoosh!
Luffy bent his legs like compressed springs and suddenly leapt into the air, landing heavily at the center of the arena.
Feeling the surging excitement around him, he spread his arms wide and laughed loudly.
"I'm Luffy!"
"I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!!"
The unexpected declaration, delivered in such a direct and unrestrained manner, caused the entire audience to freeze momentarily, and a brief silence fell over the arena.
After all, every pirate set sail with the goal of becoming the Pirate King, but very few would dare to shout it out so openly in such a setting.
In the audience stands—
"Luffy…" Nami covered her face with one hand, her cheeks flushed red.
Saying it casually was one thing, but shouting it like this in front of so many people filled her with an indescribable sense of embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, and Franky had already stood up and were cheering loudly toward the arena.
This made Nami, who sat among them, flush even deeper red as she clenched her fists and shouted, "You guys, behave yourselves!!"
At the very front row of the audience—
the people seated there were all dressed in luxurious clothing. At a glance, they were either wealthy elites or nouveau riche. The price of front-row seats had already been driven to an extremely high level, far beyond what ordinary people could afford.
And yet—
among them sat an old man in a worn white cloak, standing out starkly from the rest.
"Hahaha, what an interesting brat!"
Rayleigh, wearing shorts with one hairy leg casually crossed over the other, laughed heartily, completely ignoring the looks of disdain from those around him.
Inside the arena—
"Bastard!"
"The one who will become the Pirate King is me!!" Kid snapped out of his momentary daze and roared angrily.
Bang!
He kicked off the ground and charged forward, throwing a punch straight at Luffy.
In the next instant, the two of them were already locked in combat.
The audience's excitement surged once again at the sight.
However, faced with this sudden turn of events, the skinny host began to sweat profusely, panic written all over his face.
"W-wait, wait a moment!"
"You're not supposed to be fighting each other yet!"
He tried to approach the center of the arena, but the shockwaves generated by Luffy and Kid's clash made it impossible for him to get close. All he could do was shout anxiously from a distance, his face pale.
"Gum-Gum Gatling!"
Luffy pulled both arms back and then launched a rapid barrage of punches, his fists turning into afterimages as they rained down like a storm upon Kid.
Kid grinned ferociously, excitement flashing across his savage expression as he crossed his arms, placing his metal prosthetic arm in front to block.
Boom—boom—
The dense and heavy barrage forced Kid backward step by step until he reached the edge of the arena.
Only then did he stabilize himself, lifting his head sharply as a crimson glint flashed in his eyes.
"Straw Hat Luffy… now it's my turn!"
"Magnetism—Repel!"
Kid roared as he raised his metal arm toward Luffy.
Boom!
The metal arm shot forward like a cannon, carrying immense force as it blasted through the air. A visible shockwave spread across the entire arena.
The host, who had been trying to step forward to stop the fight, was instantly blown away by the shockwave.
Below the arena—
Lucci and Law watched the scene quietly. When the host was sent flying by the aftermath of the clash, no one stepped in to intervene.
Both of their expressions shifted slightly.
"The host is gone, Mr. Lucci."
Law adjusted his fluffy spotted hat and turned his head slightly toward Lucci, lowering the nodachi that had been resting on his shoulder.
Only then did Lucci shift his gaze away from Luffy and Kid.
"That works. Let's finish this quickly."
"I just hope that guy doesn't lose. Otherwise, winning the championship won't be interesting."
Lucci did not open his mouth, yet the voice clearly came from him.
Only then did Law notice the white pigeon perched on Lucci's shoulder.
A talking pigeon?
No.
The voice was coming from Lucci's abdomen.
"You speak as if you've already secured victory, Mr. Lucci."
Law smiled faintly, a hint of mockery in his tone.
"Everyone participating in this tournament has their own reasons. And I also have my reasons for not losing."
As he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand and formed a gesture toward Lucci.
"ROOM."
Shing!
A translucent spherical space expanded outward from Law, rapidly enveloping the surroundings as it attempted to capture Lucci within.
But Lucci reacted instantly.
At the very moment the space expanded, he activated Soru from the Six Powers, vanishing from his position and widening the distance in an instant, while simultaneously kicking forward.
"Rankyaku!"
Invisible slashes crossed through the air toward Law.
Boom!
A fierce clash erupted immediately.
In the blink of an eye, Law and Lucci had already engaged in battle.
Not far away, the host lay sprawled on the ground after being blasted away. His face was pale, his lips trembling.
"It's over… it's over…"
He muttered in terror, his entire body shaking.
This tournament was organized by the Magic Eye Pirates, and it also involved powerful figures from the underworld. The massive gambling pools tied to the event had now been completely invalidated due to the chaotic situation.
He himself had bet a full one million Beli on the match between Kid and Lucci. Now that Kid was fighting Luffy instead, the entire bet had been rendered meaningless.
Just thinking about it made him feel as if his head had already been separated from his body.
Of course—
compared to the terrified host, most of the audience did not care in the slightest. All they wanted was to see intense, close-quarters combat. The more chaotic things became, the more it fueled their excitement.
At the top of the arena—
inside the VIP room that overlooked the entire battlefield—
Buggy pressed his face against the glass, staring down at the chaotic scene below, his expression twisted with anger.
"Captain!"
"Should we send someone down there?"
He stepped back and rubbed his face hard, trying to suppress his frustration as he spoke.
Yuuki sat leisurely on a leather sofa, flipping through the materials Robin had compiled from Vegapunk's research.
"Don't take something like this too seriously, Buggy."
"As long as someone wins in the end, the process doesn't matter. Don't expect pirates to follow your rules."
He spoke calmly without even looking up.
Buggy opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words, his shoulders drooping helplessly.
"Luffy really hasn't changed at all. He still loves causing trouble just like when we were kids."
Uta stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the battle below with a focused gaze.
Among everyone present, only Uta and Buggy were paying attention to the fight in the arena. The rest of the Magic Eye Pirates showed no interest at all, each occupied with their own activities.
Cabaji sat cross-legged in midair, wind magic flowing around his body, maintaining a perfectly still posture as he trained his control over fine magical energy.
Mochi was enveloped in dark red magic, constantly shifting into various animal-like stances as he practiced adapting different traits for use in Beast Magic.
As for Marianne, she sat quietly in a corner of the room, a canvas placed before her as her brush moved steadily across it.
Clearly, none of them found a battle at this level worth their attention.
For a moment, the room fell silent once again.
Buru buru—
Buru buru—
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi at Robin's waist began to ring, breaking the silence and drawing everyone's attention.
Robin was momentarily surprised. After exchanging a glance with the others and offering an apologetic expression, she took out the Den Den Mushi and answered the call.
"I see."
Her previously calm expression turned serious upon hearing what was said on the other end.
She quickly ended the call and walked over to Yuuki.
"Captain."
Yuuki raised his head slightly upon seeing her expression.
"Who was it?"
"The president of the World Economic News—Morgans."
Only then did Yuuki reach out and take the receiver. Soon, Morgans' voice came through from the other side.
This action caused Marianne and the others, who had been minding their own business, to glance over with curiosity.
"Thank you for the information, Mr. Morgans."
"I understand."
"After all, it involves the World Government. Don't worry—it won't affect our cooperation."
With a faint smile, Yuuki concluded the call and hung up.
A brief silence followed.
"Captain, what happened?" Buggy was the first to ask, unable to hold back any longer.
"Did Morgans do something against us?" Cabaji asked as he descended from midair, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Facing the questioning gazes, Yuuki spoke plainly.
"The commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 2nd Division—Portgas D. Ace—has been captured by the World Government."
"And before long, he will be publicly executed by the Navy."
"What?!"
Everyone present—except Uta, who was less familiar with the state of the seas—stood up in shock.
"Public execution?!"
"What are the Marines thinking?!"
"With Whitebeard's personality, there's no way he'll ignore this. The only outcome is a full-scale war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy!"
Voices filled with disbelief echoed throughout the room.
This was an earth-shaking event—one that could very well alter the balance of power in the New World.
Robin was the first to recover from the shock. However, before she could speak—
"If it's a public execution, then the news can't be concealed, nor would there be any need to."
Marianne had already grasped the key issue and spoke thoughtfully.
"So why would Morgans contact you specifically, Captain? Just to inform you? That doesn't seem necessary."
"You're getting sharper, Marianne," Yuuki said with a smile.
"The Navy has already partnered with Morgans. The announcement of Ace's public execution will be handled by the World Economic News."
He paused slightly, a trace of amusement appearing on his face.
"But the timing of the announcement has been arranged very deliberately."
"Deliberately?" Robin asked.
"The announcement will be released right after the conclusion of our 'Ten Pillars' selection."
"I see."
Understanding immediately dawned on Robin's face.
No wonder the Marines had taken no action despite the massive commotion they had caused on Sabaody.
The Navy intended to use the momentum created by the Ten Pillars selection—letting the excitement build to its peak—only to douse it with cold water at the perfect moment.
Not only would this erase the influence the Magic Eye Pirates had accumulated, but it would also deal a heavy blow to pirates as a whole.
As long as Ace's execution succeeded, all of the Navy's recent setbacks would be wiped away.
"Damn Marines… so that's their plan!" Buggy cursed angrily.
"Captain, we can postpone the tournament."
"We can afford to wait—but the Navy can't," Marianne proposed after a brief moment of thought.
However, Yuuki remained calm throughout.
"There's no need."
"We'll proceed as planned."
"If the Navy wants this opportunity…"
"…then we'll give it to them."
Robin, Marianne, Buggy, and the others all looked puzzled.
But soon—
they recalled that just a few days ago, the Whitebeard Pirates had already invited their captain.
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