Corrida Colosseum.
On the ring, the blinding glare of the lightning gradually dissipated, and the cacophony of a thousand chirping birds faded into silence.
The beast-like Quiniel Vito stood with his chest pierced by an estoc, blood dripping onto the stone floor, yet his hands remained firmly clamped onto Gergiel Haunger's shoulders.
In stark contrast, Haunger was now a blackened husk, emitting a pungent burnt smell and wisps of blue smoke. His original features were virtually unrecognizable.
Cough!
"Bastard... I'm the last one standing!"
Vito coughed up a mouthful of blood, a flicker of triumph crossing his deep-blue reptilian pupils.
Squelsch—shink—
He released his grip on the charred Haunger and stepped back, sliding off the estoc that had skewered his body.
The moment the blade left him, crimson blood welled from the entry and exit wounds. Every movement sent a stinging jolt through his body; combined with the agonizing pain of the wound, it made him grimace and bare his teeth.
Vito knew this was the result of overtaxing the "electro-muscles" in his body. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he forced the muscles around the wound to contract, sealing the puncture to prevent excessive blood loss.
While this massive discharge of electricity couldn't compare to Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit, it was potent enough to turn an ordinary man into charcoal from the inside out. The fact that Vito's own internal electro-muscles were stinging was proof that he had exerted his absolute limit.
"Gah—!"
Suddenly, Haunger's eyes snapped open, and he exhaled a puff of black smoke.
"You're still alive?!"
Vito jumped back, nearly striking out again.
However, Haunger simply tilted backward and fell with a heavy thud, his eyes closing once more as he hit the deck.
"Uh..."
Vito blinked, studying his opponent for a moment before muttering to himself, "Passed out from the shock, huh... What a monster physique. Even that didn't kill him!"
At that moment, the spectator stands were deathly silent. No one had processed what they just witnessed.
The pace of this battle royale was simply too fast!
How long had it been since the start? It was already nearing its conclusion!
Furthermore, the carnage was staggering. Whether it was the earlier clash between Fran and Juka, Eden versus Fran, or the final showdown between Vito and Haunger, everyone fought with a suicidal disregard for their own safety, trading wound for wound as if driven by deep-seated blood feuds.
"..."
"If my eyes aren't deceiving me... Master Gergiel Haunger has been floored!"
Gatz's voice, slightly stammering, echoed through the Colosseum, finally snapping the crowd out of their stupor.
"That was brutal!"
"I can't believe it... Master Haunger actually lost!"
"Quiniel Vito... as expected of a Chris Pirates Executive. He's terrifyingly strong!"
"Unbelievable!"
"Another legend has fallen. It seems the waves of the New Era are truly sweeping across the world!"
The spectators were in an uproar. Faces in the crowd displayed a cocktail of shock, fear, wonder, and even disdain.
There aren't many veteran powerhouses in the world who carry the title of "Legend," perhaps ten or twenty at most, and even fewer are still alive today.
These figures are divided into tiers. Haunger, the late Don Chinjao, and the crippled Syrons belonged to the secondary tier of legends.
But a legend is still a legend, monsters whose names are known across the seas. Defeating one was a guaranteed ticket to global fame, striking fear into the hearts of many.
However, some felt that if a mere Executive from the Chris Pirates could take down a legend, perhaps those "legends" weren't all they were cracked up to be.
Regardless of the crowd's thoughts, only about a dozen fighters remained on the ring following Haunger's collapse. The rest had been blown away by the shockwaves of the high-level battle or finished off by Eden.
Seeing the wounded Vito, a spark of ambition ignited in the eyes of the remaining dozen. Without a word, they exchanged glances and, by silent agreement, began to encircle him.
Observing the shift, Gatz shouted into his mic, "It looks like the other contestants have reached a silent pact! They're moving to eliminate the greatest threat left on the stage!"
The sight of them ganging up on a wounded man drew boos and condemnation from the audience.
"Cowards!"
"Teaming up like that... have you no shame?!"
"Scum! Disqualify them already!"
"Fools," Vito scanned the circle and smirked, his voice dripping with contempt. "If you had surrendered, I might have let you off the hook!"
"Stop acting tough, Vito!"
"Your chest was skewered! Let's see how much strength you have left!"
"Your head is mine!"
The dozen contestants charged with snarling faces.
But a wounded monster is still a monster, hardly an opponent for ordinary men.
As the blades struck, they couldn't even pierce Vito's scales. Swords clattered against the deep-blue plating, leaving nothing but faint white scratches and a shower of sparks.
Without even needing to discharge electricity, Vito relied solely on his empowered hybrid form to systematically crush the encirclement.
"Pah... trash!"
Vito drove his claws through the chest of the final gladiator. With a look of disgust, he spat on the ground and tossed the corpse out of the ring.
A moment later, his body rapidly shrank, transforming from a ferocious, upright beast back into his human form.
Suddenly, just as Gatz was about to declare the winner, a dark shadow blurred at the edge of the ring. It lunged at Vito with terrifying speed, two katanas lashed out silently, their keen edges shimmering with a lethal glint.
Gatz gasped! The audience screamed!
But Vito didn't even flinch.
"And here I thought you'd decided to give up, 'Demon Snake' Juka!" Vito's lips curled into a smirk.
Indeed, the shadow was none other than Juka, whom everyone had presumed dead!
Zzzzt—Zzzzt—
Electricity arced across Vito's skin. He vanished instantly, appearing to have teleported. The dual blades sliced through nothing but thin air.
"Nani?!"
Juka cried out in pure horror.
It was meant to be a killing blow, how did it miss?
Anyone else would have died after taking a full-power punch to the neck from Fran, but Juka was different. As a member of the Longneck Tribe, his long neck was both his greatest asset and his greatest weakness.
To compensate, he had trained his neck to be as flexible as a serpent's, allowing it to absorb and dissipate the force of heavy blows. That was the only reason he had survived Fran's strike.
However, Fran's strength had been so immense that Juka had barely pulled through. He had played dead, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and steal the victory.
Flickering with lightning, Vito appeared directly behind Juka, his face twisted in a predatory grin. "In front of my abilities, playing dead won't hide your presence from my senses!"
His Observation Haki functioned similarly to Enel's; while it lacked the same god-like range, it was more than enough to perceive the status of anyone within his immediate vicinity.
"Oh no!"
Juka's face went pale. He had let the enemy get behind him.
Vito gave a cruel laugh. His right arm suddenly bulged, deep-blue scales rippling across the skin as his hand contorted into a beastly claw.
Schlick—
The razor-sharp talons swept across Juka's long neck like a flash of lightning, leaving five deep gashes. Blood sprayed into the air.
With his throat torn open by five jagged wounds, Juka was truly dead this time.
It took a long moment for Gatz to find his voice. Finally, he roared the result of the Block F Battle Royale to the heavens:
"The winner… QUINIEL VITO!!!"