[~1300 Words]
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"Alright, Baby-5, that's enough with the massage. It's time for us to go~"
James gave the order with a relaxed smile. He shot Violet a meaningful glance, and she immediately understood, subtly leaning her head against his chest.
James grinned broadly and turned slightly, pulling Baby-5 into his other arm as well.
"Kyaa~"
Baby-5 let out a small gasp, then mumbled awkwardly, "Mr. James… this doesn't seem to be part of what you need from me…"
"Oh? Is that so?" James replied playfully. "Simple fix—just add it in. Baby-5, I need you to obediently lean into my arms and stay close, alright?"
"O-Okay~" Baby-5's face turned bright red.
She had received countless marriage proposals before, so why was she acting so shy now? The truth was, her personality had always been like this since childhood.
Whether it was lending money, accepting aggressive sales pitches, or even marriage proposals, she would say yes the moment she felt "needed." As a result, she had been tricked many times.
Thankfully, she was part of the Donquixote Family. Under Doflamingo's protection, the worst that had happened was her racking up a 98 million Berry debt and subscribing to fifty different newspapers.
Any man foolish enough to propose and try to take her away was eliminated by Doflamingo's watchers long before they could even get close. The family's fearsome reputation kept most opportunists at bay.
Still, Doflamingo and the others had never grown tired of her or abandoned her.
They treated her as a valuable tool for missions while keeping her safe. That was why, despite everything, Baby-5 remained an untouched, pure-hearted girl—hence her current shyness.
James nodded in satisfaction, then took off into the air with both women in his arms.
Using the power of the Door-Door Fruit, he flew straight upward. Any obstacle in his path simply turned into a door that swung open at his touch.
*(Wait… someone's probably wondering where his flying carpet went. Why isn't he using it?)*
James could only offer a mysterious smile that said everything and nothing at once.
＼(^ω^)／
They soon reached a room filled with high humidity. Violet sensed danger and quickly activated her Clairvoyance, looking upward. Above them stretched a vast expanse of seawater!
"Wait!" she warned urgently. "If we keep going up like this, we'll burst straight into the seawater surrounding the Bullfighting Arena's ring!"
"No problem," James shook his head calmly. "Mere seawater won't get anywhere near us."
Violet's eyes widened in surprise at his confident tone. Did James have some ability she didn't know about?
She stared intently upward, unwilling to miss even the smallest detail.
When they reached the final ceiling, James pushed it open with a faint creak. The seawater that should have come crashing down the instant the door appeared instead parted smoothly to both sides, avoiding James and the women as if they carried the plague.
Their momentum didn't slow at all. They shot upward rapidly.
"What!? The seawater actually moved away on its own?" Baby-5's eyes sparkled with amazement. Her curious gaze quickly shifted to James.
She hated seawater more than anything. As a Weapon Fruit user, any contact would leave her weak and powerless.
"This… What kind of ability is this? It's completely absurd!" Violet could hardly believe her eyes. If not for the very real sensation of James's arm around her, she would have suspected she was dreaming.
James had expected their shocked reactions and remained completely unfazed.
Below them, the many fighting fish in the arena's underwater section were far from pleased. Seeing James and the outsiders, they became enraged, as if something precious had been stolen from them. All of them turned their strange twin horns toward the intruders and charged furiously.
A red light flashed in James's eyes as he instantly calculated the positions of the oncoming fish.
They would reach him in just a few breaths.
He glared, gathering brilliant azure energy, and swept his gaze across them with precision.
⚡ 30,000,000 Volts: Thunderous Eyes ⚡
The scorching lightning beams sliced through the water like razor-sharp lasers. Anything caught in their path was cleanly severed.
Because of the angle, several unlucky spectators and gladiators waiting to enter the arena were also tragically hit.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The surface of the water split apart. James, still holding the three women, shot through the gap and soared into the open sky, treading on air as if it were solid ground.
The artificial seawater rain created earlier by Jinbe had already stopped, so James didn't need to shield the women from any falling droplets.
"What's going on!? Was this some kind of special performance scheduled for today?" Diamanti muttered to himself.
But the moment he caught sight of James's familiar face—and the three women nestled comfortably in his arms—his expression turned deadly serious.
"Isn't that the guy Doflamingo told us to watch out for…? Things are going very wrong…"
"This is… an unexpected guest!?"
The Bullfighting Arena's live announcer, Gatz, was momentarily stunned, but his professional instincts kicked in immediately. He quickly tried to assign James an on-the-spot identity for the broadcast.
"Who are they!? How dare they interrupt the gladiators' match!?"
"The rules of the Bullfighting Arena cannot be trampled on! Where are the Thunder Soldiers!? Hurry up and remove them!"
"A bunch of fools. That's clearly a powerhouse standing there. Are you all rushing to reincarnate and meet the Pirate King or something?"
"…"
The crowd in the stands erupted into loud chatter. Many spectators shouted arrogantly, sticking to their favorite principle: the bigger the trouble, the better the show.
"Oh! How lively," James's calm, indifferent voice suddenly cut through the noise, bringing an unusual oppressive silence over the entire arena. Anyone with even a little sense could feel the cold disregard for human life hidden in his eyes.
"Baby-5! Violet! Sugar! What are you doing? Did this brat abduct you!?" Diamanti yelled, his clown-like face twisted in anger.
To his shock, only Sugar bothered to roll her eyes at him in pure exasperation.
James ignored Diamanti completely. He looked around the arena with a relaxed expression and continued speaking as if the Warlord's officer didn't even exist.
"However, it seems the people here need a serious lesson in manners. To dare speak so rudely to someone far stronger than them… I assume you're all prepared to die?"
With those words, James gracefully descended with the three women and landed right in the center of the fighting stage.
The two swordsmen who had been dueling saw the situation turning dangerous and frantically fled to a far corner of the arena. They huddled together, watching James and his group with fearful vigilance.
James raised his hand. A crackling sphere of condensed lightning formed in his palm.
He grinned, his eyes locking onto certain people in the stands as if they were already corpses.
"Wait, what is he going to do!?"
"Run!!"
*Sizzle—*
⚡ 30 Million Volt - Lightning Chain ⚡
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