"What do you make of this?" Sword King Scar asked in a low voice.
Barrett slowly walked to the grandstand and looked down at the arena.
The swordsmen in the arena began their preparations, some closing their eyes to rest, others quietly glancing around, hoping to glean information about their opponents.
A chilling glint flashed in Barrett's eyes.
"Something's wrong!"
"Indeed, something's wrong. Ye Chen's swordsmanship is exquisite... Since he agreed to participate, he shouldn't miss the time... Could something have gone awry?" Scar calmed down, thought about the problem, and furrowed his brow.
Logically speaking, their plan this time was extremely secretive. Besides their most trusted confidants, no one else in the pirate crew would know.
As for the Imperial Leader, he certainly wouldn't know, so Ye Chen should have arrived.
Where exactly did things go wrong? Did Ye Chen simply not want to come?
Or...
"No matter what, since he's not coming, then you publicly announce that the Imperial Leader disregards the World Swordsmanship Tournament. This way, the Imperial Leader will stand as an adversary to all swordsmen in the world." Barrett said in a deep voice.
Although they knew it wouldn't be very useful, Ye Chen had stood them up for the grand banquet they had meticulously arranged. They couldn't just let it slide; they had to at least annoy the Imperial Leader a bit.
Scar paused, then understood. 25
If this news were to be announced publicly, only one situation would arise: the Imperial Leader's captain's reputation would decline across the seas.
As a legendary Grand Pirate, Ye Chen had accomplished too many mythical feats, so his reputation among pirates was immense.
If they could damage the Imperial Leader's captain and the Imperial Leader's prestige, they wouldn't hesitate for a moment. However, damaging his reputation alone would ultimately be a drop in the bucket for the Imperial Leader's captain himself.
Moreover, as a flourishing pirate crew at its peak, such a blow wouldn't be very significant to the Imperial Leader.
Therefore, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"No problem, I'll go execute it now!" Sword King Scar said in a low voice. He walked out with measured steps, but the former nonchalance was gone, replaced by a sharp, sword-like aura.
This terrifying sword intent seemed capable of cleaving everything between heaven and earth.
Barrett watched Scar's retreating figure, sighing softly.
"...The world's greatest swordsman, indeed."
...
The moment Sword King Scar appeared on the platform, the atmosphere around him ignited.
In the arena, numerous swordsmen raised their heads, their gazes filled with battle intent, fervent passion, or worship as they looked at Sword King Scar.
The world's greatest swordsman possessed such prestige.
"Everyone, I am deeply honored that you have traveled far and wide to participate in the World Swordsmanship Tournament! The time for the competition has arrived, but there have been a few small unforeseen circumstances."
After Sword King Scar spoke a few words, he cut to the chase, glancing down twice. Noticing a slight stir below, he nodded with a satisfied smile.
"What happened?" someone asked, puzzled.
"In today's tournament, one person has yet to arrive at the arena!" Scar stated indifferently.
The scene erupted in an uproar.
"Who else hasn't arrived?" a swordsman asked, displeased.
Those who dared to sign up for the competition all considered themselves skilled swordsmen, worthy of being called sword masters. The thought that someone could be so arrogant sparked anger in their hearts.
"This person is the captain of the Imperial Leader's pirate crew... Ye Chen!"
The last two words seemed to carry immense weight, and the arena fell into a profound silence.
Everyone present exchanged glances, their faces hard to read.
The Imperial Leader Ye Chen... They hadn't expected it to be this person.
But...
Even if the other party was a legendary Grand Pirate, they shouldn't disrespect the Swordsmanship Tournament like this.
Sensing the dissatisfaction among the crowd below, a cold gleam appeared in Scar's eyes, and a faint smile played on his lips.
This was the situation he wanted: to incite the animosity of everyone present against Ye Chen.
The Imperial Leader's strength was indeed formidable, but the people before him were not simple individuals either; they were all swordsmen of high caliber.
If they were in the Marine Headquarters, they would likely be Vice Admirals or even top-tier Rear Admirals.
Inciting the animosity of these people towards Ye Chen was also a gain for him.
"Since the Imperial Leader Ye Chen doesn't value the World Swordsmanship Tournament and is absent after registering, I will, on behalf of the tournament, declare Ye Chen an unwelcome person..."
"Now, prepare to begin the preliminaries."
Scar's voice held a hint of reluctance. Even though he had stirred up the animosity of these people towards Ye Chen, he was still furious deep down.
This time, the four underground kings and Charlotte Linlin had been summoned. The thought of having to explain to Charlotte Linlin later gave Scar a headache.
"Alright, now... the competition officially..."
Scar spoke halfway, then his words suddenly stopped. He abruptly looked up at the sky.
His expression turned solemn, a mixture of two incredible complexities within that solemnity.
It seemed to be a hint of joy, yet also a hint of fear, intertwined into a complexity that was impossible to describe with words.
"What kind of aura is this?" Barrett's expression also suddenly changed.
From the sky, a free-spirited, boisterous laugh echoed.
"Has the competition started? It seems I'm late, but the participants in your Swordsmanship Tournament are far too weak, aren't they?"
Accompanying the unrestrained and audacious laughter, a terrifying aura descended from the sky, crushing the entire arena.
In the venue, all the swordsmen broke out in dense cold sweat behind their backs. They could only barely keep themselves from falling.
"Conqueror's Haki... His Conqueror's Haki has reached such a terrifying level? As expected of a king who rules the seas..."
Sweat also appeared on Scar's forehead, feeling an unspeakable pressure.
He looked up at the figure that had suddenly appeared: Osiris's sky dragon, gently flapping its wings, and the smiling youth standing proudly on the sky dragon's head.
The entire arena, apart from the 217 swordsmen who had come to participate, all the spectators were instantly knocked out by the first wave of this terrifying Conqueror's Haki.
Most of the remaining swordsmen could only hold on for a short time, then their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed.
Only a few great swordsmen, renowned across the seas, managed to remain standing.
"Imperial Leader Ye Chen, you are too presumptuous! This is a swordsmanship tournament, yet you openly release Conqueror's Haki to knock out contestants. Do you intend to become an enemy of all swordsmen across this vast sea?" Scar's voice was ice-cold.
"An enemy? What a joke. I'm merely raising the standard of your so-called Swordsmanship Tournament."
Ye Chen laughed loudly, then with a wave of his hand, a gravitational pull of Banshō Ten'in suddenly unleashed, snatching Yurick and casually stepping on him.
"I think you all should know this person!"
Yurick fell to the ground, his body cold.
Although Yurick had anticipated that his betrayal might be exposed, he hadn't expected Ye Chen to use such a direct and decisive method, throwing him directly before the Alliance.
Sword King Scar didn't react for a moment.
But behind him, Barrett saw Yurick and his face suddenly turned ugly.
"This scoundrel! How dare he betray me?"
Barrett gnashed his teeth, his black Armament Haki enveloping his entire body. Body King Barrett suddenly kicked and shattered the massive grandstand, charging towards Ye Chen with terrifying force.
Since it was already exposed, it was time to make a move...
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