https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-524-The-World-s-Top-Martial-Arts-Tournament-/12936945/
Chapter 525: The Respected One
Chapter 525: The Respected One
"Hurry, hurry!"
"Don't let any pirates escape!"
"Arrest them all!"
Three-quarters of the perimeter of Delta Island was already surrounded by the Navy's fleet. Sage's unexpected appearance halted the planned Demon Slayer Order and instead, they proceeded with the original plan to arrest the pirates.
After all, there were too many pirates gathered here, and capturing them all would effectively curb the pirate population in the New World.
As the pirates rushed towards the sea, attempting to escape, the Navy charged forward to engage them in battle.
"Feather Cage!"
Amidst the crowd, a pink-haired female Navy officer in a wine-red formal dress with a wide-open neckline extended her arm. As she passed through a group of pirates, her arm visibly elongated, transforming into a sturdy black rod that bound and restrained them.
"Leave it to me, Vice Admiral Tina!"
Finbuddy punched a pirate in the face, and as he turned to speak, another pirate swung a knife at him. Before he could react, a string of sharp circular blades flew from the side, knocking the pirate down.
"I'll take care of it!" Zangao caught the circular blades and shouted, "Vice Admiral Tina, leave it to me!"
"Vice Admiral Tina is not at ease."
Tina gazed at the pirates fighting with the Navy ahead and quickly strode towards them. With a swift kick, she struck one of the battling pirates, her leg transforming into an iron rod that pierced through and bound the pirate.
She took a drag from her cigarette, holding it elegantly between two slender fingers, and blew out the smoke. Then, she looked towards the only area on the island not surrounded by their warships—a place filled with pirate ships.
"Can't we engage in battle?"
Three-quarters of the island was under their control, but there was still a portion they couldn't approach.
Currently, direct confrontation with the Four Emperors was strictly prohibited. Only Fleet Admirals could engage them without punishment and avoid retaliation from the Emperors.
The strong showed tolerance towards their equals.
"Capture them all!"
Tina tossed her cigarette to the ground and stepped on it before charging towards the other pirates.
"We're not going anywhere!"
Amidst the chaos, a burly man, standing five meters tall, wielded a massive club, sweeping away nearby Navy soldiers with great force. He turned towards the central peak, exclaiming, "Since it's an invitation from Lord Catastrophe, I'll join them!"
Before Sage spoke, they thought it was over. With the Navy behind them and Lord Catastrophe, a known killer, in front, they believed they would be wiped out.
However, when Sage's voice echoed across the island through the black ship, some pirates immediately changed their minds.
Escape was impossible, so they decided to take a stand. After all, they were all pirates, and joining the Four Emperors was nothing to be ashamed of, especially when compared to being arrested by the Navy.
"Oh! Is the Four Emperors recruiting subordinates?"
In the crowd, a bandaged man with a pointed head, possibly of fish-man lineage, used his hook claws to defeat several Navy soldiers. Excited, he turned his gaze towards the central peak.
"Great! Joining Lord Catastrophe is way better than that Straw Hat kid! Hey, Toti, are you in?"
"Of course!"
A pirate with curly hair, dressed as a waiter, and wielding a large cleaver, slashed down two Navy soldiers. "This is a chance to join Lord Catastrophe's crew. There's no way I'm missing this opportunity!"
The two were new pirates who had emerged in Shabondy this year. One was 'Badly Wounded Elbio,' formerly with a bounty of 920 million, now at 980 million, and the other was 'Waiter' Lip Toti, with a previous bounty of 800 million beli and a current bounty of 900 million.
In Shabondy, they had been deceived by the fake Straw Hat crew but were later saved by the real Straw Hat crew, allowing them to escape the Navy and enter the New World safely.
They had also received invitations to this grand event and were now presented with a rare opportunity. They had always wanted to join a powerful pirate crew, and with Lord Catastrophe's invitation, they couldn't refuse.
A group of pirates who had been preparing to escape now changed direction and charged towards the surrounding Navy forces.
Meanwhile, pirates who had been planning to flee in a different direction from the Catastrophe Pirates' fleet cheered and rushed towards the central peak.
With fewer Navy soldiers to capture them, they advanced more swiftly.
"Tch, not even a little challenge?"
Belami crossed his arms, witnessing the scene with a scoff.
He recalled the hardships he endured when he joined the Catastrophe Pirates.
"Luck is also a form of strength."
Hawkins slowly descended the gangplank, drawing a few tarot cards and attaching them to the tip of a straw extension. "These people's lives are not meant to end today."
"Sifer shrugged, "There are too many people, we only need two thousand."
"To be precise, seventeen hundred."
Urqui raised a palm and cackled, "The Demonic Tribe can't lose, so there are only the remaining spots left."
"Who will be in charge of the Seven Stars' assessment?" Sifer asked curiously, "Do we just have to charge forward?"
"I will."
Akin's voice echoed from behind, and he slowly walked to the front, gazing at Sifer and Misty, who stood silently beside him. He said, "Defeat me, and you'll have the qualifications to become one of the Seven Stars."
"Single battles are allowed, but any number of opponents is fine. You can wait for a tag-team battle, and when I'm exhausted, you can seize victory, or you can defeat me fairly and earn this position."
Among the Seven Stars, in terms of strength and importance, the others were slightly superior to him. As the 'Gatekeeper,' it was his responsibility to determine the candidates for the Seven Stars.
Luck and strength, one of the two was necessary.
Sage didn't dislike lucky individuals; in fact, he rather liked them. However, it was extremely difficult for an ordinary person with only luck to win against him.
"Ah, is it that difficult?"
Sifer scratched his head, "I feel like giving up. Let fate decide."
He took out a coin, tossed it, and caught it. When he opened his palm, he saw the coin's head side.
"Hmm, I won't go with the head, but I'll go with the tail."
As he tossed the coin, his heart made a decision, so he had to go!"
Sifer smiled and looked at the Seven Stars, including Akin, with a glint of battle intent in his eyes. He said in a low voice, "Because I also want to know if there's a gap between me and you, or if I've already surpassed you!"
"Likewise, I want to know how powerful the Chief Sheriff of Ohara is. Back then, you were defeated by Hawkins and Urqui. If you haven't improved, it'll be embarrassing." Akin spoke.
At this, Sifer merely chuckled.
"Charge forward!"
Just then, among the pirates heading towards the summit, a group moved in the opposite direction, "We won't join the Cataclysm Pirates. We're part of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet!"
Some agreed, but there were also those who didn't want to comply. Aside from those heading towards the center, another group of pirates didn't want to join and intended to charge out directly.
At the forefront was a man riding a white horse, with golden curly hair, a rose between his teeth, and an exceptionally handsome appearance.
Another had a green cockscomb-like hair, sharp teeth, and intertwined fingers forming a unique shield, protecting those behind him. He collided with the pirates charging from the front.
"Oh? Those two..."
Sifer exclaimed softly, his gaze fixed on the man riding the white horse, "If he wasn't so flamboyant, he'd be like..."
Before he could finish, everyone's attention was on him, causing Sifer to shudder for no apparent reason. "No, I added a prefix, and even if it's similar, it's still an insult. I didn't even finish, so why are you all staring at me?"
"Bartolomeo and Cavendish."
Belami clenched his fists and took two steps forward, resting his fists on the ground. His limbs transformed into springs, and a layer of aura covered them.
"These two guys actually came, and they dare to defy Sage!"
Bang!
A gust of wind blew, and Belami was launched forward. His fists, empowered by the springs, slammed into Bartolomeo's barrier.
"Don't go too far!"
Thud!
A dull sound echoed as Belami was bounced back by Bartolomeo's barrier and flew into the sky.
"Huh? What was that?"
Bartolomeo was momentarily stunned, and three afterimages appeared before him.
Thud, thud, thud!
Three arrows struck the barrier, only to be deflected by the sturdy barrier and ricocheted around, causing several unlucky pirates to be hit in the knees.
"Air Barrier?"
Misty, who was about to nock an arrow, was slightly taken aback. Her perception color ability allowed her to clearly see the semi-circular barrier enveloping them.
"Its defensive power is astonishing."
Sifer chuckled and stomped on the ground. The once-hard ground transformed into undulating waves, soft like silk, causing the pirates standing on it to lose their balance and fall.
Cavendish's horse also lost its footing and stumbled, causing him to crash into the barrier, his face almost flattening against it.
"Hey! Be careful!" Cavendish yelled at Bartolomeo, "If my handsome face gets injured, I'll kill you first!"
"It's not my fault, you vain guy!" Bartolomeo shouted back.
"That's useless, it's not a terrain-based ability."
"Sifer turned to Palu beside him and said, “Hey, Palu, your turtle shell seems a bit harder than mine.”
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”
Palu knocked his iron shield with both hands, puffed out his chest, and glared at Bartolomeo with disdain, “What kind of barrier can compare to my defense! And I'm not a turtle shell! I'm an original alligator turtle, at least I'm a turtle!”
“But Lord Sag said you're a turtle.”
“Shut up!” Palu's eyes turned white, “Do you want to fight right now?!”
In this Martial Arts Tournament, there was competition among them. After all, even if they wanted to challenge Akainu, they would need to win to earn the qualification to challenge him.
“So, you're from the Calamity Pirates.”
Bartolomeo maintained his barrier and smiled, “Give up. You can't break through my defense with your strength. Even the Four Emperors are nothing compared to the strongest, Luffy-senpai!”
“Shut up! Negative Ghost!”
Just then, a few wisps of ghostly energy passed through this so-called invincible defense barrier and through Bartolomeo's body, causing his face to instantly turn pale, and he fell to the ground in despair, crying out:
“Sorry, Mohawk-head!”
Perona hovered above the ground with her umbrella, looking disdainfully and shaking her head, “Is this guy that hard to deal with?”
Among abilities, there are counters.
Perona's ghostly energy could penetrate any barrier, and even the so-called absolute defense barrier could only block physical entities, not her special ghostly energy.
Only Aura could withstand all abilities effective against humans.
Bartolomeo fell into a state of negativity, and the fingers he had clasped naturally loosened, causing the protective barrier to disappear.
“Damn it! This is not flashy at all!”
Cavendish stumbled, took a few steps back, and immediately dove forward, drawing Durandal from his waist. Like a swift wind, he attacked the umbrella-holding girl.
This guy actually had the ability to break through Bartolomeo's defense, so he must be defeated first!
Moreover, he wouldn't allow anyone to outshine him!
“Swiftbird!”
The rapid thrust of his sword generated a powerful airflow, and with a powerful straight stab, he aimed directly at Perona.
But this speed was relative.
Just as a wisp of ghostly energy emerged from in front of Perona, it passed through the Aura that enveloped the blade, and then through Cavendish's body, which lacked defense.
This caused him to suddenly stumble and fall to his knees, crying in pain:
“It's truly embarrassing to have my glory stolen!”
“What a terrifying ability.”
Sifer clicked his tongue, “If I was hit, I'd lose all face.”
“Unacceptable!”
As soon as he finished speaking, another person in the crowd knelt and punched the ground, crying, “I want to cut off my nose!”
It was Bakki. He had come from the other side, intending to blend into the crowd and see if he could sneak out, but he was inexplicably hit by a ghostly energy and fell into a state of depression.
But this depression didn't last long. He suddenly straightened up, looked at the people in front of him who were staring at him, took a deep breath, and became serious.
“That's right, I am Bakki-sama! One of the Seven Seas Fleet Admirals! And I'm also your captain's brother! We were just fishing together.”
He spoke in a low voice, “I don't want brothers to fight each other. Sag has his own path, and all I can do is leave, so make way and let me out! Otherwise...”
Huff!
His loose cloak suddenly expanded, making Bakki's body look huge. He waved his arms and shouted,
“You will face the wrath of the Seven Seas Fleet Admiral!”
Click.
This sudden movement seemed to trigger something, and a small red ball with a skull painted on it fell from his toes.
“Ah!”
Bakki's eyes almost popped out. He stared at the small ball that had fallen below, then looked at the crowd with puzzled expressions, and forced a dry smile, “Let me explain. This thing is called Bakihorn Bomb. Recently, it combined with your special cannonballs. A standard cannonball can blow up half a town, and this miniature one...”
Boom!!!
A flashing explosion erupted below, blasting the surrounding pirates away, and Bakki was sent spiraling into the air by the flash.
“I'll be blasted off!”
He shouted, leaving behind a sentence, and like a meteor, he flew from the edge of the island to the center, planting his head into the ground, and skidding like a high-speed brake for a good distance, landing right in the middle of the crowd surrounding Sag, becoming one of them.
All the influential guys were now gathered.
(End of Chapter)
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