"Oh, by the way."
As if suddenly recalling something, Cavendish set down the documents in his hand and looked smilingly at Meiser. "If I remember correctly, aren't you in Block D as well?"
"Yeah."
Meiser turned his head and showed Cavendish his contestant number, confirming his statement.
"Interesting," Cavendish remarked. "Seeing as we've had a fairly pleasant chat, I can give you the chance to forfeit and step down on your own."
He found this fellow rather agreeable, so offering him the chance to walk away in one piece was not out of the question.
"No need for that," Meiser replied with a chuckle. "I'm quite strong myself."
"That's right!"
Luffy held his head high and said, "He doesn't need you holding back! The championship is definitely ours!"
They had come here specifically aiming for the championship. What would be the point of having someone hold back?
"Is that so? Then never mind."
Cavendish was not annoyed; instead, an appreciative look crossed his face. He evidently liked both of their temperaments.
Afterward, Cavendish turned his gaze toward Fighting King Elizabello II and continued, "Speaking of which... do you know about the King's Punch?"
"The King's Punch?"
Puzzled looks appeared on both Meiser's and Luffy's faces. It was obvious neither of them had heard of it before.
Seeing this, Cavendish gave a helpless expression. Just how utterly uninformed were these two?
"What is that?" Luffy asked curiously.
"It's a technique belonging to that Fighting King Elizabello II." Cavendish lifted his chin, gesturing toward Elizabello II. "I've heard that by relying on this technique, he can destroy an entire fortress with a single punch.
"Some people even say this strike can defeat the Four Emperors!"
Toward the end, a trace of sentimentality surfaced on Cavendish's face, and he added, "Though there's no telling whether that's true or false."
If it truly possessed such power, defeating the majority of the competitors wouldn't be much of an issue.
It was just unknown what conditions were required to unleash this King's Punch.
Meanwhile, Luffy looked at Cavendish in shock and said, "It can defeat the Four Emperors?
"It's that incredible?!"
Then wouldn't that mean this fellow named Fighting King Elizabello II was also someone on par with the Four Emperors?
If so, snatching the Devil Fruit this time was going to be considerably harder.
Yet Luffy showed no sign of fear; instead, he grew even more thrilled.
It was much more fun that way, wasn't it!
"It's only a rumor," Cavendish said, shaking his head.
Such claims indeed circulated, but the man had never actually defeated one of the Four Emperors, so he could not confirm if Elizabello II truly possessed that kind of strength.
"It's probably total nonsense," Meiser said, rubbing his chin. "Though I haven't fought any of the Four Emperors, I've clashed with a Marine Admiral before.
"And the Four Emperors are beings capable of trading blows with a Marine Admiral without falling into a disadvantage!
"Figures of that caliber... are not something a fellow who requires others to protect him could ever defeat."
Destroying an entire fortress in a single blow?
For the Four Emperors, that seemed like standard operating procedure.
Thus, Meiser truly didn't believe this Fighting King Elizabello II was anyone particularly formidable.
"You've clashed with a Marine Admiral?" Cavendish looked at Meiser in shock and said, "You've got to be bluffing."
Monsters of that level were not beings ordinary people could mess with.
To this, Meiser offered no explanation, merely smiling back at Cavendish.
Seeing this, Cavendish interpreted it as the embarrassment of having a lie exposed.
He rolled his eyes and scoffed, "So what are you bragging for?"
After shaking his head, Cavendish turned his gaze back to the arena, sighing somewhat wistfully. "The prize this time is remarkably rich... I just don't know if Apoo and the others will show up to participate. If they come, I can take the opportunity to dispose of them along the way."
Listening to Cavendish's words, Meiser looked down at the sword-slashed Wanted Posters in his hands.
He could tell Cavendish harbored bone-deep hatred toward this group of Supernovas from the new era.
Then, as if struck by an idea, Meiser asked with a grin, "What if the Four Emperors or the Spade Pirates came here? Would you dispose of them along the way, too?"
"The Four Emperors?
"The Spade Pirates?"
Cavendish hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I'm not interested in the Four Emperors' people, but the Spade Pirates..."
Speaking up to this point, Cavendish paused, the image of Fire Fist Ace surfacing in his mind.
Then, a grin spread across his face. "Though that fellow isn't as appealing to me as the new era, still... if I can defeat the scion of that Pirate King, it would certainly garner a massive amount of attention."
The Pirate King's son had made the newspapers quite a few times, so taking him down was indeed a fantastic option!
"Is that so?"
Meiser first cast a smiling glance at Luffy, and finding that the kid wasn't angry, he looked back at Cavendish and said, "Then you'd better do your best.
"That man's strength is extraordinarily formidable."
Although he didn't know the exact extent of Ace's current strength, it certainly wasn't something this guy could challenge.
At the very least, this man's presence wasn't as overwhelming as imagined.
"I will succeed!" Cavendish huffed.
Formidable?
He was even more formidable!
This time, Meiser merely smiled and said nothing further.
Then, he turned to look at Luffy and said, "How come you're not angry in the slightest, brat?"
He had originally thought Luffy would lash out in fury at Cavendish over the matter with Ace.
"I don't believe Ace would ever lose to him," Luffy said. "Besides... there's only going to be one winner in this tournament."
His line of thought was simple.
First, Ace was very strong and wouldn't be easily defeated by anyone.
Second, only one person could claim the championship in this competition, which meant he would defeat this weird fellow fair and square during the tournament!
When that time came, Cavendish wouldn't have any chance to challenge Ace anyway.
"Fair point," Meiser said, rubbing his chin.
If Cavendish were defeated here by them, he naturally wouldn't get the chance to challenge Ace, so it made complete sense for Luffy not to care.
Having understood this, Meiser said no more.
Cavendish, on the other hand, glanced curiously at Luffy and Meiser. Could these two actually know that Fire Fist Ace?
Heh, how amusing.
However... their assumption was fundamentally flawed from the very beginning!
His strength was definitively above that of Fire Fist Ace!
Thinking this, the corners of Cavendish's lips began curling upward uncontrollably, clearly savoring some pleasant future scenario in his mind.
Right at this moment, heavy footsteps approached from behind, immediately catching the attention of all three.
"Hmm?"
Looking back, Meiser felt a flash of surprise in his eyes.
If he remembered correctly, wasn't this old man called "Don Chinjao"? What was he doing here?
Could it be... he had also come over to watch the matches?
But why did he have to choose the exact spot the three of them were occupying?
He was rather curious.
"Well, well, so this is the spectator area." Chinjao chuckled as he stepped up beside the three of them, gazing down at the arena below. "You really get a clear view from here."
One had to admit, these three truly knew how to pick a spot.
"What are you doing, old man?" Luffy struggled.
Squeezed together by Chinjao, both Luffy's and Cavendish's expressions grew somewhat twisted.
Meanwhile, Meiser, perched on the window, looked at Chinjao with curiosity, silently pondering this fellow's objective.
"Ah, I squeezed you two, did I? My apologies, my apologies."
Realizing he had crowded them, Chinjao took a few paces back, then asked Luffy in a seemingly casual tone, "Speaking of which... is Garp in good health, Straw Hat Luffy?"
"Huh?"
Cavendish was instantly stunned. Who was this fellow asking about?
Luffy, meanwhile, looked at Chinjao in surprise and said, "Do you know my grandpa?"
Could he be an old acquaintance of his grandfather?
If so, he should greet him properly.
"Nani?!"
Cavendish stared at Luffy in shock. Could this kid actually be the Straw Hat Boy he had been searching for?
"Uh... well..."
Realizing what Cavendish was shocked about, cold sweat broke out across Luffy's face.
Not good, he was exposed.
Meiser shook his head helplessly. How could this idiot admit to it so easily?
It looked like this kid was going to have his hands full in a moment.
"I was once nearly killed by Garp," Chinjao said, the smile on his face fading entirely. "From that moment on, I swore deep hatred upon his grandchildren's generation."
"Hah?"
Luffy stared at Chinjao, his face full of question marks. What on earth was all this?
What did his grandpa's grudge with this guy have to do with him?
Chinjao paid no mind to Luffy's reaction and continued, "Brat, do you know?
"Back in the day, to pirates, Garp was a veritable demon.
"It was precisely because I crossed paths with that bastard that my body suffered a wound that hasn't healed in decades..."
Speaking up to this point, Chinjao instinctively touched his flattened head, a sorrowful expression appearing on his face.
If not for that bastard, how could he have been unable to retrieve the treasure beneath the ice sheet?
"Are you really Straw Hat Luffy?!" Cavendish glared furiously at Luffy. Had this bastard been playing him for a fool all along?
"No, no, no, he got it wrong," Luffy hastily insisted. "I'm Lucy, Lucy!
"Look at the name on my back!"
"Still trying to deceive me..."
Cavendish gritted his teeth and snarled, "How could anyone mishear their own name?!"
No wonder this bastard had blurted out earlier that he was Straw Hat Luffy—it turned out he was the real deal all along!
"But I..."
Before Luffy could finish his sentence, Chinjao's voice cut in again.
"Therefore, this grudge shall be repaid by you, his grandson." Snapping out of his memories, Chinjao fixed a chilling glare on Luffy. "Repaid with your life!"
"Go take that up with my grandpa!" Luffy protested unhappily at Chinjao. "What does it have to do with me?!"
"And you still claim you're not Straw Hat Luffy!" Cavendish fumed. "You just admitted you're the grandson of Marine Hero Garp!"
"I told you I'm not..."
Unfortunately, Cavendish would no longer believe a single word out of Luffy's mouth.
Drawing the rapier at his waist, Cavendish stared icily at Luffy and said, "If you truly are Straw Hat Luffy in the flesh... I will make your blood spill right here and now!"
As he spoke, Cavendish advanced toward Luffy step by step, forcing Luffy to back away bit by bit.
"I told you, don't get so worked up..."
"How could I not be worked up?!" Cavendish gripped his weapon tightly. "It took me so much effort to..."
Before he could finish, he noticed Chinjao standing behind them suddenly make a move.
"Had I known earlier that Garp had a son named Dragon alive in this world, I would never have allowed a wretch like you to be born!"
With that roar, Chinjao launched a headbutt straight toward the two of them. Startled, Luffy and Cavendish instantly darted to the side, evading the strike.
Boom!!
Looking at the massive crater smashed into the ground, both Luffy's and Cavendish's expressions shifted. This old man was dead serious.
"Hey, what happened?"
People in the distance looked over in astonishment and asked, "Why was there such a loud bang?"
"Hey, Don Chinjao has gone wild!"
"Everyone, get away from there, quick!"
Though they didn't know why Chinjao had flown into a rage, instinct told them they had to put distance between themselves and that area immediately, lest they get caught in the collateral damage.
Thinking this, the crowd quickly retreated into the distance.
However, they didn't go too far. After moving a safe distance away, they stopped to observe the situation.
"Hehehe, if they get disqualified over this, it'll be a great thing for us."
At those words, several shrewd contestants broke into grins.
Indeed, if these formidable monsters managed to take each other out of the competition, it would undeniably work in their favor.
"Hey, I told you to wait!" Luffy looked displeasedly at Chinjao and said, "This thing has nothing to do with—"
"Shut your mouth!"
Cavendish grabbed Luffy's beard and snapped, "Take off this beard first!"
"Let go of me!" Luffy struggled.
If the guy ripped his beard off, his identity would be completely blown!
"Not a chance!"
Cavendish glared at Luffy through gritted teeth. How could he possibly let go?
"How on earth did things turn out like this?" Meiser sighed.
Just how had Luffy managed to blow his cover?
His straw hat hadn't even been exposed.
Failing to understand how Chinjao had seen through the disguise, Meiser chose to ask directly.
"Hey, old man, how did you figure out who he was?" Meiser inquired curiously.
"This hatred has persisted for decades!" Chinjao said, slowly rising from the ground without looking back. "So even if he turned to ash, I would still recognize him!"
A disguise?
Such a thing was utterly meaningless to him!
"So that's how it is..."
Listening to Chinjao's words, Meiser fell into deep thought.
Earlier, Bellamy had recognized Luffy at a single glance because he had been beaten by him in the past.
And Chinjao recognized him out of sheer hatred...
In other words, anyone who had paid close attention to Luffy in the past stood a very high chance of recognizing him?
Did that mean members of the Donquixote Family also stood a significant chance of seeing through Luffy's disguise?
That probability isn't small at all, Meiser muttered inwardly.
Fortunately, no officers of the Donquixote Family had appeared here yet; otherwise, their identities might have been compromised long ago
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