Chapter 334: As Long as There Are No Strong Men, There Are No Weaklings
Chapter 334: As Long as There Are No Strong Men, There Are No Weaklings
The next day.
At first light, Kuro set out with Navy, proceeding to Tui Town together with Ju Geng.
The Martial Arts Grand Tournament began at ten in the morning. The journey from this village to Tui Town wouldn’t take that long, and since they left early, they arrived by nine o’clock.
“There are too many strong men at the Martial Arts Grand Tournament,” Ju Geng said to Lida as they gazed at Tui Town’s architecture ahead. “Last time I participated, even after giving it my all, I was still knocked off the stage. But this time, I still want to try again.”
“Huh? You’re not weak. There are actually people who can take you on?” Lida asked in surprise.
Ju Geng wasn’t weak. Her archery aside, her judo skills alone could match even members of the CP faction who had completed Six Styles. As for those competing in Tui Town’s Martial Arts Grand Tournament, though they might tout themselves as “famous,” in Lida’s eyes, anyone who could handle someone trained in Six Styles could easily defeat them—and Ju Geng was far beyond that.
“It was ‘Luo.’”
Ju Geng’s expression darkened. “Last time, Luo participated. I lost to him.”
“Oh? Does the Luo Family compete too as organizers? That’s totally unfair—acting as both referee and contestant!” Kuro raised his eyebrows.
“Huh?”
Ju Geng looked stunned, about to say something, but Kuro quickly waved her off. “Lida, talk to her!”
He’d figured it out—this woman’s hallucination problem only targeted certain people. Lida could speak normally, but anyone else would sound like gibberish to her. The more he talked to her, the more he felt his lifespan shortening.
She looked gentle and lovely, but those ears of hers were damn faulty—total liability.
Lida repeated Kuro’s words. This time, Ju Geng understood and shook her head. “It’s not like the Luo Family participates in every tournament. They only join when they feel like it, for fun. Some people died on the stage, while others survived but lost all their fighting spirit, never recovering.”
Kuro narrowed his eyes. “Interesting. They probably couldn’t resist the urge to fight when they encountered strong men. This time, though, they might be disappointed.”
With that, they approached Tui Town’s gates and entered.
The moment they stepped inside, Ju Geng gazed blankly at the surroundings, her eyes clouded with confusion.
“Is Tui Town like this now?” she murmured.
“What’s wrong, Ju Geng sister?” Lida asked.
“No,” Ju Geng shook her head. “During past Martial Arts Grand Tournaments, Tui Town was bustling with activity. Why is it so quiet this time?”
“Maybe everyone’s just tired of it. Perhaps they decided not to come,” Lida chuckled, shooting Kuro a pointed glare.
The culprit’s right here!
“That’s actually pretty good work,” Kuro mused, stroking his chin as he surveyed the empty streets.
Tui Town was eerily quiet. Not only were competitors scarce, but even local residents had vanished, their doors locked tight. From his Observation Haki, Kuro sensed most of the population had disappeared, leaving only the weak-aura Naval Auxiliary Army gathered in one spot.
“Let’s go check it out,” he said, smirking.
He’d initially planned to seek out the Luo Family’s ancestor immediately, but now he wanted to see how this Martial Arts Grand Tournament would unfold.
The Martial Arts Grand Tournament was a grand spectacle in Insect Country. Every year, nobles from neighboring nations and domestic dignitaries attended. It was the highlight of West Blue.
But this year was an exception.
With Insect Country at war with Flower Country, other nations feared offending Flower Country and stayed away. Even Insect Country’s nobles, who should have arrived early, hadn’t shown up—whether due to the war or not. Only martial artists had come as usual.
And even among them, many were missing.
At the massive complex in Tui Town’s center, several large platforms had been set up. Crowds gathered around, watching the towering entrance with eager, confident expressions.
“Huh?” Ju Geng’s confusion deepened.
These people looked pitifully weak. Where were the famous martial artists of past years? Why was this tournament so different?
“Hey, did you hear?” a frail martial artist whispered to his companion. “They say the Revolutionary Army really is around here somewhere.”
“What? You think it’s fake? Even Navylord confirmed it’s true! Otherwise, how else could we’ve driven everyone else out?” The other artist rolled his eyes, excited. “This is a rare chance! If only people at our level are left, we’ve all got a shot at the championship—and the fiefdom and nobility title that come with it!”
“Didn’t you claim you were the strongest?”
“Take that with a grain of salt. If you’re really scared, just don’t compete.”
“Ha! What nonsense!”
Conversations like this echoed through the crowd.
They knew they were weak, but if everyone was equally weak, strength hardly mattered.
If I’m weak, aren’t you too?
Strength was relative. Without strong men, there were no weaklings. Without weaklings, everyone became a strong man.
Exactly!
All eyes fixated on the high platform ahead.
Two hosts—a man and a woman—stood at the podium, their expressions uneasy.
“Wanna big brother, is this really the Martial Arts Grand Tournament?” The female host, a West Blue veteran, pursed her lips as she eyed the scrawny fighters below. Something felt… off.
Wanna had hosted three consecutive Insect Country Martial Arts Grand Tournaments. Normally, he’d be hyping the crowd with his signature fiery commentary—describing bone-crunching clashes and blood-soaked battles. A die-hard fan of the brutal hand-to-hand combat that rivaled Navy and pirate fights at sea, this was the stage where he thrived.
But this… what was this?!
Where were the iconic fighters—the ones whose faces alone made you expect lines like You’re already dead!?
Why were all these participants so… wretched?!
“Candice, don’t worry. Maybe the real strong men haven’t arrived yet,” Wanna forced a smile, swallowing hard.
He didn’t believe his own words.
At events like this, everyone came early. Even latecomers couldn’t all be late.
Something had gone terribly wrong this time.
(End of Chapter)
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