"Do you have the qualifications to enter the underground fights?"
A gaunt, elderly man stopped Tom as he tried to enter the underground fight venue. The old man's face was wrinkled, and he looked frail. He scrutinized Tom closely for several minutes until Tom felt thoroughly uncomfortable before finally speaking.
"What qualifications? Is there a fee?" Tom wondered if there was an admission charge. If money was required, he wasn't sure if the money Nami had given him would be enough. That would be troublesome.
"How vulgar. Young man, why is money the first thing on your lips?" the old man said, leaving Tom dumbfounded.
Isn't this an underground fight held by pirates? Should I be talking about feelings with pirates I don't know instead of money? Or have I been around Nami too long, and her obsession with money has infected me?
Thinking this, Tom cleared his throat. "Then how do I participate in the underground fights?"
"It's simple. Defeat five test opponents, and you'll earn the qualification to participate in this year's underground fights."
The old man's words made Tom's eyes light up. Not having to pay was best.
Following the old man's instructions, Tom arrived at a place similar to a gymnasium.
In fact, a few years ago, before the Marines assigned Smoker to Loguetown, the underground fights not only required a significant fee for entry but were also held publicly.
Pirates would gather, cause a ruckus in the town, and use these matches to eliminate many opponents seeking to enter the Grand Line.
But all that changed with the arrival of the "White Hunter" Smoker. In his first year stationed at Loguetown, he captured ninety percent of the pirates who came to participate in the underground fights.
Since then, Loguetown's once-thriving annual underground fights declined severely. In recent years, they were rarely mentioned, and the number of pirates coming to participate was pitifully small—the event was almost unsustainable.
Because of this, someone produced an item highly attractive to many pirates: the prize for this year's underground fight winner would be a specially crafted belt called the "Treasure Belt."
Consequently, this year's underground fights were indeed more lively than previous years, with more pirates participating.
While Tom was obtaining his qualification for the underground fights, Zoro—searching the main street for a sword shop—encountered a severely nearsighted woman with blue short hair. Seeing a few small-time pirates ganging up on her in broad daylight, Zoro intended to help. Unexpectedly, she casually cut them all down with a few sword strokes.
Zoro stepped forward and saw the blue-haired woman dizzily stumble, her glasses falling to the ground. Zoro kindly picked them up for her. As he was about to return them, he froze completely. This blue-haired woman looked almost exactly identical to Kuina.
Crack!
Shocked and emotionally stirred, Zoro accidentally crushed the glasses in his hand.
Meanwhile, Usopp arrived at a tool shop. Under the smooth talk of the sly shop owner, he bought a large pile of seemingly useful gadgets in one go.
Such an obvious scam would only be believed by a naive person like Usopp, who loved to boast. Buying enthusiastically, he completely forgot about Tom's request.
Sanji was wandering leisurely on the main street, his eyes turned into hearts as he looked around. In his eyes, the entire street was filled with special "ingredients"—these ingredients were all beautiful women of different styles. He feasted his eyes, feeling restless with desire.
As for Nami, after parting with Tom, she entered another clothing store and bought a large bag of different outfits. Leaving the store, she sensed an abnormal change in the air; the atmospheric pressure had dropped significantly. Looking up at the sky, she determined that a heavy rainstorm with strong winds was coming soon. She returned to the shop and asked the shop owner for a large fertilizer bag to pack her new clothes.
The shop owner was curious why Nami was going out of her way—the weather was perfectly clear now, with no sign of wind or rain.
Luffy, having taken a wrong turn, was wandering elsewhere.
Smoker hadn't yet seen the latest bounty posters but had received intel that the recently notorious Straw Hat Pirates would land at Loguetown. He intended to patrol. After casually dealing with a pirate crew that had just arrived in Loguetown, Luffy came over and asked him for directions to the execution platform.
Determining Luffy wasn't with the crew he'd just dealt with, Smoker told Luffy how to get to the execution platform.
Tom was in a spacious dojo, surrounded by five people of varying heights and builds—fat, thin, tall, short. These five were this year's testers for underground fight qualification.
Upon learning that defeating all five testers simultaneously would grant direct entry into the final round, Tom did not hesitate and chose to take on all five at once.
He also learned from them that two people had already earned direct entry to the finals. Now, only the last spot remained.
In other words, at most, only three people could skip the preliminary rounds. Anyone else who came later, regardless of strength, would have to go through multiple elimination rounds to reach the finals. Tom wasn't about to let such an advantageous opportunity go to someone else. He decided to finish off the five testers quickly.
These five testers were also pirates, boasting bounties of 15,000,000 Berries. In reality, they were just five small-time pirates with 3,000,000 Berry bounties selected by the event organizers from across the East Blue. The reason for choosing 3,000,000 Berry pirates was that the average bounty in the East Blue was 3,000,000 Berries.
The strength of these five testers essentially represented the average level of East Blue pirates.
Facing these five pirates with 3,000,000 Berry bounties, Tom couldn't be bothered with wasteful talk. He didn't even give them a chance to attack. In a matter of moments, he had them all lying on the ground.
Entering the secret venue for the underground fights, Tom found it packed with people. Various cheers and shouts mixed together, the scene extremely lively. Many people sat not far away, watching the battles on the large arena stage. Most were pirates.
The area where pirates sat was marked with their respective crew's Jolly Rogers, clearly demarcated from other crews. They occasionally shot hostile glances at pirates from other groups sitting elsewhere, looking as if they might start a big fight at any moment.
Being held underground, the place was quite dim. Spotlight beams were all focused on the large arena stage. A dozen or so pirates were engaged in a melee on it. Many crew members were cheering for their own, while some with poor character directly picked up objects and threw them at the competitors on the arena stage.
Seeing Tom walk over alone, a pirate with a scarred face (a scar over his left eye) and a tall, bulky build approached him. "You're new here, right? Want to fight me up there?"
Tom had already learned that participants could issue challenges at any time to opponents to fight on the arena stage. If both parties agreed, they could duel on the stage, completely disregarding other ongoing matches or participants.
Of course, if your opponent accidentally got taken out by someone else on the arena stage, that was just your tough luck. The other person would gain a headcount, while you might end up tragically eliminated for lacking one.
Those who fought from the preliminaries to the finals were ranked by the top three with the most knockouts. In other words, the final round would be a six-person free-for-all.
The rules of the underground fights were almost nonexistent. Once on the arena stage, getting killed was your own fault. On stage, you could attack anyone without restraint. If feeling particularly shameless, you could even team up with others to gang up on a single opponent. Hence, the underground fights were also called the "Disorderly Brawl."
"I have no interest in you. Don't block my way," Tom said, glancing at the large man blocking his path. As someone who could enter the finals directly, fighting others now was purely a waste of his time.
"Theodore, picking on people again? With his build, he probably couldn't take a single hit from you."
"Hey, kid, I advise you to run. Do you know who's standing in front of you?"
Tom saw several ferocious-looking pirates nearby mocking him coldly. He said to the man in front of him, "You're in my way. If you don't get lost, I won't be polite."
"You're an East Blue pirate too, right? From the look of you, you must have gotten one of those direct-entry slots for the finals," said the man, looking down at Tom. In terms of stature, Tom only came up to his chest.
"So what?" Tom sensed a thread of killing intent in the man's unfriendly gaze. His own eyes gradually turned sharp and cold.
"The East Blue... what a great place. The trash here is everywhere," the man said, his murderous eyes narrowing as he stared at Tom. "Do you know how many East Blue pirates I've defeated here before finding you?"
"None of my business," Tom said, picking his nose in an undignified manner. He had no interest in what this man was saying.
"Keep talking tough. I think you're just afraid to accept the challenge," the man said with a mocking tone. "This sea truly lives up to its name as the world's most peaceful ocean—completely devoid of danger. I've already defeated fifteen people. I'm guaranteed a spot in the finals. Even if you don't fight me now, I'll deal with you later."
"Let me tell you something. If I hadn't chosen not to compete for one of those direct-entry slots, you probably wouldn't be standing here talking to me right now."
The man—Theodore—had deliberately avoided competing for the direct-entry slot specifically to fight many East Blue pirates, unlike Tom.
Tom didn't even bother acknowledging him. He walked around Theodore and continued forward. He thought this guy was a lunatic, spouting a bunch of nonsense. If he had any guts, he should just attack. Then they'd see who was trash.
"Your reaction is exactly as I expected. The pirates of the East Blue today are all cowards!" Theodore looked at Tom's back and continued, "It's laughable that the former Pirate King was also from the East Blue. It's a disgrace! How can the Pirate King come from the world's weakest sea?! Surely, no one in the current East Blue is still foolishly dreaming of becoming the Pirate King, right? You weaklings from the East Blue aren't even qualified to utter the words 'Pirate King'!"
"I came all the way from the South Blue to participate in these underground fights just to tell you East Blue trash that you aren't fit to discuss anything related to the Pirate King! It's a regret, but none of the guys I took down earlier had the guts to say those three words to my face."
Theodore laughed arrogantly and triumphantly at this point. "I'd really like to meet an East Blue fool who wants to become the Pirate King. Just how stupid do you have to be to not see reality? Thinking about the face of such a person makes me want to laugh! KAAAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"
Theodore laughed wildly and arrogantly.
"Well said, Theodore! Make those East Blue idiots understand how far they are from the rest of the world!"
"With your level, you still dare to call yourselves pirates? You still have the face to talk about the Pirate King? Have you no shame?"
Several pirates who seemed to be with Theodore threw a few liquor bottles in Tom's direction.
Clang! Clang!
The bottles shattered at Tom's feet. Deep red wine flowed from the broken glass, spreading under the soles of his shoes.
"I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
That was a phrase Luffy often said. Tom remembered the utterly confident expression on Luffy's face when he said it. Hearing Theodore's words, Tom's fists clenched tightly.
"Who told you... you've already made it to the finals?" Tom, with his back still to Theodore, turned around, flexing his fists. "Since you said all that, let me tell you something too. On these seas, the one thing never in short supply is unexpected events! Defeating fifteen pirates guarantees you a spot in the finals? Don't make me laugh. You've just been eliminated!"
"Who here can eliminate me? You?" Seeing Tom's expression turn serious, Theodore revealed a ferocious expression. "I am Theodore the Berserker from the South Blue, with a bounty of 16,500,000 Berries! What are you, to speak to me like that?"
It couldn't be helped. All the former 10,000,000+ Berry pirate crews in the East Blue had been defeated by the Straw Hats. Theodore now fancied himself the big fish in a small pond.
Theodore and his crew, having arrived in Loguetown only this morning, had never even heard of the Straw Hat crew. His information was still stuck on thinking the strongest pirate in the East Blue was the 20,000,000 Berry "Saw-Tooth" Arlong.
"Come on then! Let me see what you're made of!" Theodore tore off his upper garments, revealing well-built muscles, bulging block by block—clearly a power-based fighter.
People nearby noticed the commotion around Tom. Some had already stopped watching the intense battles on the arena stage, turning their attention to Theodore.
"That guy, relying on his skills, is stirring up trouble again."
"Damn it! If only we were stronger... Even though we're in the East Blue, we're still pirates too!"
"Keep your voice down! Be careful you don't get our whole crew wiped out!"
Small pirate crews in the distance whispered among themselves, their looks at Theodore full of resentment, clearly having suffered his bullying before.
"You're too noisy. Shut up!" Tom's figure flashed. Using Silent Step, he appeared in the blink of an eye before Theodore, who was still showing off his muscles. A heavy punch landed squarely in Theodore's stomach.
Theodore's tall, sturdy body curled up like a shrimp. His thick hands clutched his stomach as he let out a painful scream. Having taken the heavy blow, his eyes now bulged out, a look of terror on his face as he stared at Tom. "You... you..."
"Really never learn. I told you to stop talking!" Tom's fist savagely smashed into Theodore's face, shattering his nose bridge. "Don't spout that self-righteous nonsense and embarrass yourself! I'm also a pirate from the East Blue. What are you going to do about me saying the words 'Pirate King'? I'll even say it: Our captain will definitely become the Pirate King in the future!"
BOOM!
The towering Theodore was sent flying by Tom's punch, flung straight out of the entrance of the underground fight venue. He slammed heavily against an outside wall, cracking it with several deep fissures.
Thud!
Theodore then collapsed to the ground, unable to get up again.
"All talk, but couldn't even take two punches from me." Tom glanced at Theodore's companions, who had been extremely mocking earlier. Seeing them all retreat in fear, he found it rather boring. Turning, he brushed off his pants and continued walking forward.
"He took out Theodore with just two casual punches..."
"When did the East Blue produce such a strong pirate?"
"I've heard about the Straw Hat crew... Could he be one of them...?"
The surrounding pirates speculated among themselves, but none dared approach Tom. He soon arrived at the lounge reserved for those qualified for direct entry into the finals.
Once Tom's figure disappeared from sight, the pirates who had suffered under Theodore and his crew earlier grinned viciously one by one, turning their gazes upon them. Without Theodore, their luck had run out.
Soon after, the broad underground chamber echoed with the screams of Theodore and his men.
In the lounge, Tom once again saw the orange short-haired person he had encountered earlier. This person had a fair face, a slightly pointed chin, and very bright eyes—more like a woman. She met Tom's gaze briefly, then sat to the side by herself, closing her eyes to rest.
"WEH-HA-HA-HA-HA!"
A burly man with purple long hair, wearing a wrestler's mask, suddenly burst out laughing, addressing Tom. "I saw that! Your fists have power!"
"But, the one who will ultimately win this fighting tournament is me! Because I am the true combat champion!"
Around this man's waist was coiled a golden, gleaming belt...
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T/N :
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