Corrida Colosseum — Finals Ring!
The starting bell for the finals had been ringing for a full minute, yet none of the eleven combatants on the stage made the first move. They remained locked in a tense, silent standoff.
Aside from Rebecca, everyone gathered here was a powerhouse in their own right. Anyone bold enough to strike first risked becoming the target of a collective onslaught.
Vito scanned the circle, a cruel smirk spreading across his face as he broke the silence. "I originally only planned to hook one fish, but it seems more than one has bitten! Since you're all here, I might as well settle this for everyone at once."
"That's none of our business. You only have yourselves to blame for making so many enemies," Diamante replied, slowly drawing the longsword from his waist with a mocking smile.
Aside from Straw Hat, the line-up included Max, Haunger, Sai... it was as if a convention of the Chris Pirates' enemies had gathered in one place.
"Cut the crap, you trendy savage!"
Vito shot a disparaging look at Diamante, his tone biting. The insult hit its mark; several of the fighters nearly burst out laughing. Upon closer inspection, Diamante's flamboyant attire did make him look exactly like a "trendy savage."
"Vito, you bastard!" Diamante's face flushed dark with rage as he roared in exasperation.
Vito merely shrugged, ignoring Diamante's outburst. He turned his gaze toward Lucy, his expression twisting into a predatory grin.
"Straw Hat, I didn't think you'd actually be brave enough to walk into the lion's den. Are you really willing to abandon your crew just for the Flame-Flame Fruit?" Vito asked with a sneer.
"My crew..." Lucy looked up, his voice low and resolute. "I'll definitely save them! And as for the Flame-Flame Fruit, I'm taking that too!"
A flash of murderous intent flickered in Vito's eyes. "You've got quite the mouth on you, Straw Hat!"
"Wiiihahaha!" Burgess let out a booming laugh, seemingly delighted by the friction between the two.
"I am the hero of this arena! If you want the Flame-Flame Fruit, you'll have to go through me first!" Diamante brandished his sword, eyeing Lucy, Burgess, Bartolomeo, and Max.
As for Rebecca, she wasn't even worth his notice.
Suddenly, lightning crackled across Vito's body. He lunged forward like a bolt, driving a fist toward Lucy. Lucy's brow furrowed as he leapt into the air, narrowly evading the strike.
BOOM—!
Vito's fist slammed into the ring, gouging out a massive crater and burying half his arm in the stone. Lucy landed on an outer section of the stage and began sprinting along the edge.
SPLASH—!
A massive Fighting Fish Boss, covered in dark red scales, erupted from the water. It sent a spray of foam into the air as it lunged toward Lucy.
"Not this one!" Lucy noted the absence of the prize on the fish's back and dodged to the side.
THUD—!
The Fighting Fish Boss crashed onto the ring, sliding uncontrollably toward the center.
"Since you don't have it, you're useless to me!"
Bartolomeo grinned, crossing his middle and index fingers. A transparent, square barrier resembling glass manifested before him.
BAM—!
The massive fish slammed into the barrier. The tremendous momentum failed to shatter the shield; instead, the impact redirected the beast, sending it sliding back into the water.
"Trying to lure out the Boss Fish with the treasure, are you, Straw Hat?" Burgess called out, reading Lucy's intent.
Machvise shook his head. "I can't let you achieve that, iin~"
With a heavy metal disc strapped to his back, he gave a light hop. His massive, muscular frame defied gravity, floating up until he hovered twenty meters in the air.
"TEN-TON VISE!!!"
Machvise roared, unstrapping the thick metal disc and positioning it beneath him. His weight surged instantaneously, and he plummeted like a meteor.
"An ability user..." Lucy looked up, feeling the violent winds generated by the falling mass. He scrambled toward the central stage to avoid the impact.
RUMBLE—!
Machvise slammed into an edge section of the ring, pulverizing the stone. A half-meter deep crater formed amidst a cloud of rising dust. Had the stage not been specially reinforced for durability, Machvise's strike would have snapped the section clean off.
"Wiiihahaha!"
Seeing Lucy only a few meters away, Burgess laughed and drove his elbow forward like a spear, thrusting it toward the boy.
In that heartbeat, Max moved.
His obsidian scepter swung out, a blurred black shadow that struck toward Burgess with the speed of a lightning bolt.
Dark Secret Technique: Night Hawk!
"Nani?"
Startled, Burgess was forced to pivot, meeting the obsidian scepter with his armored elbow.
DONG—!
The perforated steel elbow guard clashed with the obsidian scepter, producing a sound like a giant temple bell being struck.
The resulting shockwave vibrated through the air, creating a visible gust of wind that swept outward like a category ten gale. The onlookers shielded their eyes from the flying grit. Because Burgess had been forced into a rushed defense, his power was insufficient. After a second of frantic deadlock, he was blown backward.
However, as a battle-hardened veteran, Burgess twisted his body mid-air and landed safely on the outermost edge of the ring.
"Max, what is the meaning of this?" Burgess demanded, his voice laced with fury.
He wasn't the only one confused. The others stared in bewilderment, unable to fathom why Max would assist Straw Hat. Even Lucy himself looked surprised.
"I thought the Donquixote Family held this tournament with the Flame-Flame Fruit to build their reputation and recruit experts," Max said tonelessly, his eyes fixed on Vito and the Donquixote officers led by Diamante. "But now I see the truth. This tournament is nothing but a trap jointly laid by the Donquixote Family and the Chris Pirates. And your target, I presume, is the Straw Hat Pirates!"
The revelation sent a shockwave through the participants.
"Whoa, whoa, are you kidding me?" Bartolomeo gasped. "Why would the Chris Pirates target the Straw Hats?"
He was genuinely puzzled. Both crews essentially hailed from the East Blue, how could their enmity run this deep?
"The Donquixote Family and the Chris Pirates are teaming up against Luffy!" Rebecca turned pale, looking at Lucy with mounting dread.
"So, you figured it out." Vito's face darkened, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes as he locked onto Max.
Burgess was momentarily stunned, but his eyes soon darted around as he let out a boisterous laugh. "Wiiihahaha! The Donquixote Family and the Chris Pirates... two Warlords of the Sea joining forces? Now that is a grand move!"
"A trap... just as I thought." Lucy stared at Max, contemplating the situation in silence.
"Horkheimer Max, it seems you've made your choice," Diamante murmured, narrowing his eyes as his longsword began to ripple and flutter like a silk ribbon.
"There are eleven people on this stage. Five are officers of the Donquixote Family. Add Vito, and that's a team of six. Had it not been for Cavendish's little 'accident' earlier, you would have had seven people in these finals. That is why you dared to offer the Flame-Flame Fruit as a prize. It was never meant to be won. It's an unattainable bait!" Max stated calmly.
At the mention of Cavendish, Vito ground his teeth, cursing the man's name in his heart.
As Max's words sank in, the remaining fighters realized the grim reality. Out of eleven people, the Donquixote-Chris alliance accounted for over half the field. How were the rest of them supposed to compete?
Dammit, just as Max said, the Flame-Flame Fruit was a carrot on a stick that no one was ever meant to touch.
"I don't know where Burgess, Bartolomeo, or Rebecca-san stand," Max continued, his voice resonating across the arena. "But I know that both Straw Hat and I are on your hit list. As it stands, the odds are 6:1:1. If Straw Hat falls, I'm a dead man anyway. I'd rather take my chances and side with him."
"6 versus 2... At the very least, we won't go down without a fight!"