Chapter 284: Sabo
In the yellow-bricked resting room of the arena.
"Rebecca?"
Noticing her abnormality, Luffy stretched his neck and leaned forward, tilting his puzzled head. "Eh, why are you crying?"
"...Ah!"
"It's nothing!"
Rebecca took two startled steps back, hurriedly raising her hand to wipe away the tears that had unconsciously fallen.
"I'm fine, sorry."
"Thinking about it now, I was actually the one being too full of myself, to think of winning the championship in an arena full of experts," Rebecca forced a smile.
"So you're giving up? Since you can't win anyway."
Zoro suddenly spoke, his tone calm, just like his emotionless eyes.
"I won't."
Rebecca subconsciously gripped the hilt of her sword and said firmly, "I am a gladiator. Even if my opponents are you, I will not yield."
"Ah, good luck then. Of course, don't expect me to go easy on you either."
Zoro chuckled, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
He believed that true strength was not something that could be obtained with just one Devil Fruit.
If one didn't have that unyielding heart, one couldn't master even the sharpest sword.
"Just a disgraced princess of a fallen kingdom, talking so prettily."
An unfriendly voice came from the crowd in the corner.
The three of them looked over.
"Who's talking!"
Luffy angrily shouted at the crowd, "You bastard! Come on out! See if I don't send you flying!"
The other party probably didn't want to cause trouble before the match, and no more voices came from the crowd.
Luffy indignantly took large strides forward.
But he was stopped by Rebecca, who held his arm. "Forget it, Lucy. If you cause trouble, you'll be disqualified from the competition."
"Hah? I don't care about that kind of thing. I'm not participating in the competition for the Devil Fruit anyway."
Luffy snorted, pointed at the crowd, and shouted, "Listen up, you bastards! Rebecca is my friend! If you dare to say bad things about her, I'll never forgive you!"
"What's all the noise!"
"Keep it down!"
Two guards were attracted by the commotion. Just then, a dark shadow flew out from the crowd.
Bang!
A large, curly-haired man was smashed onto the floor. By the time his figure was clear, he had already been beaten black and blue.
Following him, a blond man in a formal suit walked out. He wore a mask that covered half his face and came before the guards, smiling.
"This guy was the one who initiated the provocation. According to the rules, he should be expelled, right?"
The two soldiers glanced at each other. No one around stood up to say anything. Seeing that the man who had been knocked out was a contestant who had registered from the outside, they didn't say anything and just carried him away.
"Oh, so it was that bastard. Thanks a lot," Luffy said, waving his hand in thanks.
"You're welcome."
Sabo waved his hand with a smile, then looked at Rebecca. "You are the princess of this country, right? Coincidentally, I'm also in Block D. Please go easy on me later."
"Thank you for your help. I should be the one asking for your guidance," Rebecca bowed slightly.
"Then I'll see you later."
After just a brief meeting, Sabo did not linger and left.
The moment he turned...
Luffy looked at the steel pipe on the other's back and was suddenly stunned.
In a trance, a certain figure appeared and overlapped with the back figure before him.
"That guy is quite polite."
Zoro watched the other walk away, then turned his head to look at Luffy and casually slapped him on the back of the head.
Slap!
"Hey, what are you spacing out for? Get ready, it's almost your turn."
"Ah, oh, oh."
Luffy came back to his senses and scratched his head sheepishly. "I mistook him for someone else just now. I'm off then."
"Good luck, Lucy," Rebecca said with a nod and a smile.
Zoro waved his hand nonchalantly, while at the same time muttering with dissatisfaction, "Where did that guy Reiner run off to? Don't tell me he's lost. Tch."
A small disturbance thus passed.
The staff worked very quickly. Before long, a new fighting ring was set up. Luffy, wearing a golden helmet, headed there under the guidance of the staff.
The contestants who had lost the previous match had also returned to the resting room. In an empty corridor...
"Why did you have to show off just now, you idiot? The other party is Straw Hat, who is in the limelight and rumored to be the most troublesome."
A brown-haired girl puffed out her cheeks and grumbled, "Don't forget our current situation. What if our identities are exposed? There's an Admiral right here in the arena!"
"Alright, Koala, it's fine, isn't it?" Sabo rubbed the girl's head and said with a gentle smile:
"And one of our goals this time is to liberate Dressrosa. Isn't it good to have met the princess here in advance?"
"What do you mean, 'it's fine'? Stop making excuses, you bastard!"
"And take your dirty paws off me!" Koala didn't buy the head-patting, crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks.
Sabo gave a sheepish smile and sat down on a nearby rock.
Making a move just now was not his intention.
He didn't know why, but seeing Luffy's exasperated look, he had inexplicably wanted to help him.
It was as if he was instinctively supposed to dote on the other.
"How strange..."
Regaining his composure, Sabo looked at Koala again. "What's the situation on the island now?"
"On the Marines' side, besides Ryokugyu in the arena, there's also Fujitora, whose whereabouts are unknown. In addition, there are also many officers from headquarters."
Koala smoothed her skirt and squatted down beside Sabo. "The three Admiral candidates, 'White Snake' Smoker, 'Momousagi' Gion, and 'Chaton' Gake are all among them."
"Dispatching two Admirals... I'm afraid they're not just here for the Float-Float Fruit. Our actions have probably been detected."
Sabo rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before speaking, "How is our side's assembly going?"
"The Grand Line army commander, Little Iva, the West army commander, Morley, and the North army commander, Karasu, have all arrived," Koala replied.
"The situation is still not optimistic. It's a bit of a stretch to confront the Marines with this. Not to mention having to deal with the Donquixote Family at the same time."
Sabo frowned slightly. The forces dispatched by the Marines were beyond his expectations. They were definitely not just here for the Float-Float Fruit.
The fact that Fujitora's whereabouts could not be controlled also needed attention. He had never dealt with these two new Admirals before and had no idea about their style of doing things.
"There are currently two other pirate crews on the island worthy of note."
Koala continued to remind him, "They are the Straw Hat Pirates you just met, and news from the northern coastline that the newly promoted Sea Emperor, Ace's crew, has landed."
"Flame Emperor Ace? They're probably here to get Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
After a brief thought, Sabo had a rough plan of action in his mind and instructed:
"Leave the reconnaissance mission to Morley. As for surveillance, let Karasu hold off for now. The Marines are not just here for us this time."
"Everyone, hide for now. We'll act when the firepower is shifted to the pirates. If they get entangled with the Whitebeard crew, even a Marine Admiral won't be able to get away easily."
"I understand. I'll go and inform everyone now."
Koala nodded emphatically and stood up. "You be careful. Admiral Ryokugyu and Black Snake Reiner are unfathomably strong. Don't push yourself."
"Don't worry. Our main mission is still to liberate Dressrosa. We won't force the issue of the Float-Float Fruit in such a chaotic situation," Sabo said with a smile.
"Mm, then I'm off."
"Be careful."
"You too."
It wasn't until Koala was far away that Sabo's face hardened. He spoke coldly to the shadow on the ground that hadn't left with Koala.
"What exactly is your purpose, Black Snake Reiner..."
(End of chapter)
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