The streets of the vacation island quickly filled with excitement.
Unlike usual, today everyone was talking about the upcoming 'World's Greatest Swordsman Tournament.'
Souvenir stands selling all kinds of sword-shaped trinkets were completely sold out.
Even more popular were the plush dolls modeled after famous competitors,
especially the one based on Hawk Eyes Mihawk, which had become a top hit among young girls.
The many swordsmen staying on the island began leaving their lodgings, heading toward the tournament grounds one by one.
On the east side, a swordsman from the New World strode briskly down the street, accidentally knocking over a sloppy red-haired man who was entertaining some kids near a street vendor.
The red-haired man fell to the ground, and his laughing crewmates burst into loud chuckles. Even the kids giggled and teased him, but he didn't get angry, just laughed along with them.
The swordsman from the New World snorted in disdain and loosened his grip on his sword hilt.
"Typical Paradise trash pirate… Doesn't even have the guts to draw his sword."
New World Pirate Swordsman
Bounty: 260 Million Belly
Meanwhile, in the south, crowds parted on both sides of the street in a panic,
as a swaggering group marched through the center, they were clearly on a different level from your average pirate.
They were led by the actual daughters of the Sea Emperor Big Mom, the infamous Big Mom Pirates.
Among them, two sisters stood out most:
One was robust and boisterous, Big Mom's second daughter.
The other, slender and elegant, wore an enormous hat and carried a long, thin sword at her waist, this was Charlotte Monde, Big Mom's third daughter, and the most feared member of the group, known across the seas as:
The Ghost (Redacted) Lady
New World – Big Mom Pirates
Total bounty: Over 1 Billion Belly
On a balcony nearby, empty wine bottles clinked in the breeze…
On the street below, Mihawk walked alone toward the tournament grounds,
the massive black blade on his back shaped like a crucifix.
"Hope that Giorno guy gives me a fight worth swinging for," Murmured a tall man whose eyes glinted like blood-red demon light. He wiped down his longsword, a huge cigar in his mouth, and grinned broadly.
With that, he sheathed his sword and turned to leave.
In a recovery room elsewhere, SWORD clenched his fist tightly.
"Giorno... no matter how strong you are, there's no way you can stand up to the blade of Shiryu of the Rain..."
Meanwhile, at the massive and open tournament arena, staff were setting up the large screens and giant Den Den Mushi video projectors for broadcasting.
All around the world, from the First and Second Halves of the Grand Line, to bustling islands across the Four Seas, huge public screens had been erected in city plazas.
Crowds had already gathered, chatting and laughing, eager for the start of this Swordsman Tournament that had been hyped in newspapers for almost a year.
New World, Cake Island:
Big Mom was gobbling up pastries, raising her ever-thickening arm with glee:
"Let's look forward to Amande's match against that Hawk Eyes fellow!
Mama mama mama~!"
New World, The Moby Dick:
The sons of Whitebeard had specially set up a giant screen and projector Den Den Mushi on deck so their father could watch.
"Gu ra ra ra…" The towering Whitebeard sat on deck, guzzling alcohol in spite of his failing health. His once-golden hair was now nearly all gone.
Laughing heartily, he said: "Sons, you're thoughtful as ever… A Swordsman tournament, eh?
Let's see what kind of fun little brats show up!
Gu ra ra ra…"
With that, he took another massive gulp,
the kind that would drown a normal person like a bathtub of liquor.
The nurses nearby were distressed, but this was Whitebeard, no one could stop him.
The ship's doctor and First Division Commander, Marco, smiled and said:
"I heard that Hawk Eyes is joining, and Big Mom's daughter too. Looks like this tournament won't be boring at all."
Grand Line, Sabaody Archipelago:
The islands glittered with neon, dazzling and colorful, like a dreamlike paradise.
Little mermaid Keimi, not even four years old, floated on the sea near the coast, eyes full of wonder as she looked at the lively archipelago in the distance.
In Area 33 Park, a huge public screen had been set up using a projection Den Den Mushi. An excited announcer was enthusiastically introducing the globally anticipated Swordsman Tournament.
In the crowd, a disheveled old man with long gray-white hair, wearing flip-flops, sipped booze lazily.
"That Giorno kid… seems to be in early Paradise lately… Wonder if he'll show up? Heh heh heh…"
West Blue, Rascapu Island:
Villagers flocked excitedly to town, chatting and laughing along the way to watch the tournament broadcast.
North Blue:
Donquixote Doflamingo, dressed in his iconic flamingo-feathered coat and signature sunglasses, sat watching the large screen with his family.
Anytime someone asked for snacks or drinks, a cheerful girl named Baby-5 came bouncing over to serve them.
"Fuf fuf fuf fuf…" Doflamingo chuckled, "Shichibukai, huh… With the Marines letting this tournament go on unchecked, it really feels like… one of the contestants might just end up as the next Shichibukai. Fuf fuf fuf… Seems like the Marines are scouting for new candidates lately."
"Young lord, the Shichibukai title is hardly out of your reach," One of his followers said reverently.
Doflamingo roared with laughter:
"But not just yet! Fuf fuf fuf…"
On a pleasure barge:
The CPO agent known as the Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy, gently applied lipstick, pressed her lips together, then turned to the Den Den Mushi beside her mirror.
"...I understand."
"Jolyne Cujoh… Chopperna Giorno…" She smiled at herself in the mirror, then snapped it shut.
With elegance, she picked up her small handbag and gracefully walked away.
Vacation Island, Hotel:
Robin slowly opened her eyes, sat up under the covers, her long hair cascading over her shoulders.
After a quick wash, she stood in front of the vanity mirror, tilting her head side to side. With a wave of her hand across her face, a "flesh mask" made of flower petals instantly covered her features, and just like that, her appearance seamlessly transformed into that of "Jolyne Cujoh."
The Jolyne in the mirror gave a faint smile. Just then, she heard Liam's voice from outside: "Are you, done, yet?"
She responded, then looked around until she found him out on the balcony.
"It's lively out there!" Liam pointed toward the street far below, nearly twenty floors down.
"The tournament's about to begin, right?" Fully dressed, Robin stepped onto the balcony as well, gazing distantly toward the tournament grounds.
"Yes… it's perfect weather for a fight."
Liam laughed heartily and pulled Robin into his arms. Robin naturally draped herself over his shoulder, and as expected, a sudden sensation of weightlessness followed.
From the street below, someone in the crowd shouted in surprise, pointing upward.
People looked up, and to their shock, they saw a figure leaping from the top floors of the hotel.
"Someone's jumping?!"
"Wait, no…"
"Why… why aren't they falling?!"
Everyone on the street stared in astonishment as the figure who'd leapt from the high-rise didn't drop, but instead began striding and bounding through the air, like casually walking across the sky, moving at incredible speed toward the distance.
Smack!
Liam, carrying Robin, stepped across the sky using Geppo, each step covering dozens of meters.
Smack!
The wind whipped Robin's hair, but she merely smiled. She was long used to this man's reckless habits.
Smack!
In mere moments, the two of them had crossed the distance of an entire city.
On the street below, a red-haired man in the middle of a drinking contest suddenly paused with a surprised "Huh?"
He looked up and saw the two flying figures streaking across the sky.
"Who's that? Pretty impressive!"
"That's Geppo from Rokushiki…" the first mate said, eyes on the sky.
The sniper gasped: "Such incredible speed…!"
Smack!
Smack!
Smack!
The sound of rapid bursts in the sky approached fast.
At the tournament arena, the already-arrived contestants, all the way from New World Swordsmanes to members of the Big Mom Pirates, to Hawk Eyes Mihawk,
in unison looked skyward.
They soon saw two overlapping silhouettes soaring toward them, descending dramatically with the sun behind their backs.
Boom!
They landed with an explosive crash, kicking up a gust of wind in all directions.
"Looks like I'm not late after all…" Liam straightened up, smiling faintly. Beside him, Robin casually dusted off his clothes.
(End Of This Chapter)
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