"It's my turn to go on stage."
Suddenly, Leo spoke, drawing everyone's attention.
"Who is your opponent?" Ben asked.
From the sixth round onward, whenever a contestant was called to the stage, their opponent's appearance would also be displayed.
Leo turned toward Ring 7 and said, "It's that Three-Eyed guy!"
Hearing this, Ben's expression immediately darkened.
After witnessing numerous elimination matches, he had encountered many extraordinary opponents. However, most so-called "strong individuals" didn't seem that impressive in his eyes.
Only this Three-Eyed guy remained a mystery to him.
Unlike others, Three-Eyes never needed to display his full strength—he defeated his opponents effortlessly.
After a moment of hesitation, Ben still advised, "Leo, this guy gives me a dangerous feeling. Why don't you just forfeit?"
Leo frowned slightly at Ben's words.
She valued his advice, but she also had her own judgment.
"If he gives you a dangerous feeling, then let me test his strength first!"
Leo stood up confidently and added, "Don't worry. My mental perception is sharp. If I sense danger, I'll admit defeat immediately."
As soon as she finished speaking, she disappeared from her seat and was teleported into the arena.
Helpless, Ben could only watch the match seriously.
On Ring 7
When Leo and Three-Eyes stood face to face, they immediately became the focus of attention.
Both humans and monsters turned their gaze toward Ring 7.
In the previous nine rounds, these two had displayed overwhelming dominance.
Leo was like a goddess of fire, effortlessly crushing her opponents.
Meanwhile, Three-Eyes was enigmatic and unfathomable. Many formidable contenders had been eliminated by him in just a single move.
Among the monsters, Three-Eyes was regarded as the strongest.
Among humans, Leo had earned the title of the strongest newcomer!
A battle between two number ones—it was an unmissable spectacle!
After a brief moment of silence, Leo made her move.
"Poof!"
Fierce flames ignited from her right palm, slowly condensing into a sphere.
Then, she raised her hand above her head.
The fireball rapidly expanded!
Within seconds, a super-giant fireball—more than fifteen meters in diameter—hovered above her palm, radiating blinding light.
It was like a miniature sun!
The entire arena was bathed in a crimson glow from the raging flames, and the temperature soared dramatically!
Fire Emperor!!
Though Leo's attack wasn't as overwhelming as Ace's, it was still awe-inspiring!
At that moment, she stood like a goddess wielding the sun, exuding unparalleled majesty.
The spectators marveled at her power.
In the Audience Stands
Watching Leo's display, Conrad's right hand trembled slightly.
He finally understood that the title of number one newcomer wasn't just for show.
Leo's move was far stronger than his proudest technique, "Big Fire Blast."
Not far from Conrad, Viktor from the Great Bear Country frowned, his eyes fixed on the girl in the arena.
As a Devil Fruit user of the natural element type, he grudgingly admitted that, at this moment, he was inferior to Leo.
In the Arena
Seeing Leo's astonishing attack, Three-Eyes was mildly surprised.
However, he quickly regained his composure, his eyes turning cold.
He raised both hands and formed a mysterious hand seal, resembling a cannon muzzle.
Then, he aimed it directly at Leo.
For the first time in the competition, Three-Eyes prepared an offensive move.
Until now, he had defeated opponents with nothing more than a punch or a palm strike.
Clearly, Leo's attack forced him to take things seriously.
Seeing this, Leo didn't hesitate—she hurled her super-giant fireball toward Three-Eyes!
"Whoosh!"
Like a falling meteor, the giant fireball charged toward Three-Eyes with devastating momentum.
It was extremely fast.
In the blink of an eye, it reached him and crashed down upon his head!
Yet, Three-Eyes remained calm and unflustered.
He ignored the Fire Emperor completely.
Instead, he aimed his hands at Leo and unleashed his attack.
"Poof!"
A small energy cannon shot through the void.
It pierced straight through Leo's Fire Emperor!
Like a high-speed bullet, the energy cannon streaked toward her.
Leo wasn't boasting—her perception was indeed exceptional.
The moment Three-Eyes' attack launched, she felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
She reacted instantly.
Using her flames for propulsion, she accelerated and dodged.
However, it wasn't enough.
"Poof!"
A spray of blood and fire burst from her left shoulder.
Three-Eyes' energy cannon had pierced through her flesh.
Simultaneously, her Fire Emperor engulfed Three-Eyes!
"Boom!!"
A thunderous explosion erupted.
The entire arena turned into a sea of fire.
The spectators gasped in amazement.
Many questioned:
"How would I counter Leo's move?"
After contemplating, most realized they had no way to break through it.
After the Flames Settled
In the arena, Leo's figure emerged first.
Her left shoulder was covered in blood, a testament to her injury.
Yet, she stood proudly.
Her face was pale, but she showed no signs of pain.
After a brief moment—
Another figure walked out of the flames.
It was Three-Eyes!
To everyone's shock, he was completely unharmed.
Not even his clothes were burned.
Gasps of disbelief rippled through the audience.
Upon closer inspection, they realized—
Three-Eyes was enveloped in a transparent air shield.
The flames couldn't touch him at all!
"What kind of ability is this?"
"It's terrifying!"
The contestants murmured amongst themselves.
In the Audience Stands
Ben clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.
"Good one, Three-Eyes!!"
"If I face you later, I swear I'll rip out your third eye!"
Back in the Arena
Seeing Three-Eyes emerge unscathed, Leo sighed softly.
Then, without hesitation, she declared:
"I admit defeat!"
Immediately—
Her figure disappeared from the arena, teleporting back to the audience stands.
Three-Eyes froze for a moment.
He wanted to kill this human woman!
But she had admitted defeat too quickly.
After a moment, he sensed an intense gaze on him.
Looking up, he locked eyes with Ben.
Ben was glaring at him, seething with rage.
In response, Three-Eyes simply smirked faintly, indifferent to Ben's anger.
After all—
As the victor, why should he care about the frustration of the losers?
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