Underground Arena.
Gurd stared at Baccarat's departing figure.
Whitebeard. Admirals. Totto Land.
Ever since leaving Wano Country, major figures from various factions had appeared before him one after another. Now he'd even encountered Tesoro's subordinate, giving him the illusion that the world was somehow small.
Well, the New World was indeed quite compact.
"Mr. Gurd, staring at other women when you already have female company makes me feel rather uncharming," Stussy pinched Gurd's arm and huffed in displeasure. "That Baccarat woman had her eyes on us the moment we entered."
"Is that so?"
Gurd withdrew his gaze.
He hadn't actually noticed.
Though he'd mastered Observation Haki, maintaining it required considerable focus. Unless it was particularly strong fluctuations like killing intent or attacks, he wouldn't deliberately sense them.
Come to think of it, he was now a renowned figure himself. It made sense that various factions would have their eyes on him.
Just like the woman beside him.
"Let's go."
The underground space was vast, but its layout wasn't much different from the surface - still consisting of multiple arenas, though these were smaller, mostly octagonal cages.
The confined space of the cages naturally made the gladiators' fights bloodier, and spectators could place bets.
Stussy lowered her voice: "Every gladiator here can be purchased. If there's any you wish to buy, I can advance the payment for you."
"Thanks."
Gurd expressed his gratitude.
He did have such intentions.
Leaving aside the Flying Six for now, the community construction at Hachinosu Island would be completed soon, along with his Groudon Real Estate Company.
They were severely understaffed.
He had no plans to transfer people from the Beasts Pirates.
After his conversation with Gernica that day, the latter had all the business licenses and paperwork ready by the next morning - ridiculously efficient.
Thus, his real estate company was legitimate, at least on the surface. The people employed didn't have to be clean, but it was better if they weren't openly connected to the Beasts Pirates.
Not that he wanted to sever ties - the Beasts' subordinates could help with rough collections and enforcement, but they'd make terrible community security. Those idiots only knew how to destroy things.
Therefore, he needed to recruit a new team.
After watching briefly, Gurd soon spotted an interesting target.
A member of the Dog Mink Tribe.
The combat prowess of the Mink Tribe left a deep impression on him - not only possessing formidable physiques and electro abilities, but also the astonishingly powerful Sulong Form.
Comparable to Zoan-type Awakening!
Unfortunately, the Dog Mink in the octagonal cage wasn't particularly strong, soon beaten bloody and near death by its opponent.
Without excessive sympathy, Gurd continued browsing.
Mink Tribe. Longarm Tribe. Fish-Men. There were quite many rare species here, all priced significantly higher than human gladiators.
"Get up, you idiot!"
"Fight!"
"Kill her! Kill her!"
Suddenly, raucous shouts reached his ears.
Seeing the large crowd gathered around a distant cage, Gurd's interest was piqued. Such attention suggested formidable fighters inside.
"Let's take a look."
When he reached the cage, what he found surprised him - completely different from the intense battle he'd imagined.
Inside the octagonal cage, a thin young girl crouched in defensive posture, repeatedly apologizing, while her opponent showed no signs of stopping, instead raining down increasingly vicious blows.
Blood continuously splattered onto the ground.
But the frail girl still didn't fight back.
"Beat her to death! Beat her!"
"Get up already!"
The bettors shouted even more fiercely, with supporters on both sides.
Gurd rubbed his chin.
Such a one-sided fight didn't seem interesting at all. If bullying a little girl brought people joy, that would be too twisted.
And then there were the strange odds.
The girl's odds were lower than her opponent's!
When Stussy saw the girl, she couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.
"It's her."
"You know her?"
Gurd looked at Stussy in surprise.
Stussy hesitated slightly before nodding.
"I've seen her once before."
"..."
Gurd's eyes flickered.
Stussy's expression just now had clearly shown surprise, meaning she hadn't expected to see the girl here—implying she'd seen the girl somewhere else.
This was the Slave Arena, where all gladiators were slaves. Outside, there were two places with the most slaves:
Sabaody Archipelago.
And the Holy Land Mary Geoise!
Combined with Stussy's CP identity, the frail girl's origins became quite clear.
A Celestial Dragon's slave.
Though it was just speculation, the probability was high. And the verification method was simple—just check if the frail girl bore the Celestial Dragon's Hoof brand.
"Stussy, I want to buy her."
"..."
Stussy was taken aback, a flicker of panic deep in her eyes. Her earlier lapse had likely aroused the man's suspicion.
What terrifying intuition!
Gurd smiled gently.
"Is there a problem?"
"Of course not. I'm just curious why you'd want to buy her."
Stussy tried to change the subject.
Gurd chuckled and threw a punch at the air: "I think she's quite interesting. I can take her home and use her as a punching bag."
"..."
Stussy fell silent.
This man was truly a bastard!
"I'll be right back."
Stussy left angrily.
Gurd let out a soft sound of surprise.
Angry?
That shouldn't be the case. CP0 had done plenty of terrible things—their hearts should have long turned as cold as ice. Why would she get upset over something so trivial?
"Ahhh!!!"
The girl's clear roar rang out.
Gurd turned to the octagon cage, his gaze sharpening.
The frail girl had somehow transformed into a sharply defined Devil Muscle Man, her temperament turning violent as she savagely beat her opponent.
"Ora ora ora ora!!!"
The girl roared as she punched, her speed so fast it left afterimages. The surrounding air was stirred by her fists, battering her former tormentor until he was unrecognizable.
Finally.
Like any victorious gladiator, the girl raised both fists in triumph!
Win!
Gurd stared, dumbfounded.
Why did this girl feel so... JoJo-esque?
Just then, the crowd erupted into chaos.
"Fufufufu~~"
A familiar laugh reached Gurd's ears.
"It's Doflamingo!"
"Why would one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea appear here?!"
"Stay away from that guy!"
In less than ten seconds, the area around the octagon cage was completely empty.
"Fufufufu~~"
Mingo wore his trademark arrogant grin, hands in his pockets, swaggering toward Gurd with several family executives in tow, all of them cold-eyed.
"Long time no see, Gurd!"
"You should call me Mr. Gurd, Doflamingo."
Gurd met him with a cold stare.
What nonsense—daring to provoke him?
"Fufufufu~~"
Doflamingo approached Gurd with an increasingly twisted smile: "You're as arrogant as ever, that puts my mind at ease!"
"Get to the point if you have business. Don't waste my time."
Gurd slightly furrowed his brows.
Was this guy here for Caesar, or to cause trouble for him? The former would be manageable, but if it was the latter...
Looking for a beating, huh.
Doflamingo grinned widely.
"I heard you're entering the Central Fighting Tournament. Coincidentally, I feel like playing too. That punch you gave me back then is something I'll never forget!"
"Let's meet in the arena!"
"Mr. Gurd!"
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