While Luffy was searching for the execution platform in Loguetown, he accidentally wandered into an old, run-down bar. Inside was only a single skinny old man.
The old man had originally planned to close the bar for good today. Seeing Luffy enter, he intended to shoo him out. Unexpectedly, after chatting for a bit, the old and the young found themselves quite compatible and getting along well. They ended up talking about the past and the Pirate King, Gold Roger.
Meanwhile, in the underground fight lounge, Tom learned a fact from the purple-haired man who called himself the combat champion.
It turned out these underground fights had been held since the execution of the Pirate King, Gold Roger, twenty-two years ago. However, the identity of the person organizing them had never been revealed.
After Tom eliminated Theodore, who had already secured a spot in the finals, the pirates fighting on the arena stage began killing each other even more fiercely.
With Theodore gone, it meant one more opportunity to enter the finals had opened up. Consequently, the pirates on the stage were now fighting tooth and nail.
While Tom waited for the final round to begin, Zoro—having broken Tashigi's glasses and having no money to pay for them—was taken by Tashigi to the Marine branch office.
Not only that, the airheaded Tashigi thought the frown lines on Zoro's brow made his eyes look like those of a starving ghost who hadn't eaten for days.
Tashigi further speculated that Zoro had a gravely ill mother, or perhaps a runaway wife, with five young children at home, one still nursing. She kept talking to herself, giving Zoro no chance to explain.
After bringing Zoro to the Marine branch, Tashigi handed him a bucket and a mop, putting him to work as a chore boy. She said that as long as he worked here, he wouldn't have to worry about money, and his future days would be better.
Poor Zoro, the famous "Pirate Hunter" of the East Blue, had become a chore boy in a Marine branch. If word got out, people would laugh their teeth out.
However, after arriving at the branch, Zoro also learned Tashigi's identity: she was a Marine Chief Petty Officer, usually responsible for training the Marines here.
And so, while Zoro was biting down on one mop, holding two others in his hands, striking a three-sword style pose as he mopped the floors, he was unluckily spotted by Nami, who happened to be nearby.
Nami, carrying a large bag of clothes on her back, genuinely couldn't understand why Zoro, a pirate, was doing chores at a Marine branch. Being broke didn't mean he had to get a job like this, did it?
Elsewhere, Sanji had encountered a slender, long black-haired, smooth-skinned great beauty on the main street. In his heart, he shouted that this was the main course he had long been craving. But after following her for a bit, his habit of constantly sneaking glances at other beauties on the street caused him to lose track of her.
With no beauties to watch, Sanji could finally focus on purchasing ingredients seriously. At a fish stall, he saw a fish with tusks and grew curious. While chatting with the vendor, he saw Usopp walk by, carrying a large bag of gadgets on his back.
Initially curious why Usopp would be in an area dedicated to selling ingredients, Sanji then saw Usopp stop at a place selling eggs and heard him shout loudly, "Such cheap eggs!"
That's right. Usopp was there to buy eggs—to make Rotten Egg Stars.
But upon seeing the sign stating a limit of one carton per person, Usopp's face showed deep disappointment. Watching from the side, Sanji truly suspected Usopp was a housewife.
Some time later, the underground fights finally welcomed the final round. The six finalists stood on the arena stage.
To Tom's surprise, for the final round, the organizers actually dispatched a commentator.
"Hello, everyone! I am Loris, the commentator for this year's underground fights!" A commentator in a suit, wearing black sunglasses and with blond hair, stood in the middle of the arena stage, holding a microphone. He spoke in a loud and passionate voice. "Now, the final round is about to begin! Before that, as per tradition, I must remind the six competitors: The underground fights are a tournament held in memory of the Pirate King, Gold Roger, who passed twenty-two years ago! You must fight with all your might! Under the gaze of that King of the Sea's spirit, any act of cowardice, evasion, or deliberate defeat is shameful and will be forever spurned by the sea itself!"
Hearing the commentator's words, Tom stroked his chin in thought. As a Devil Fruit user, I'm probably going to be rejected by the sea for life anyway. Isn't what he's saying just nonsense?
"Let me introduce this year's finalists!" The commentator held a list and spoke loudly into the microphone. "First, from the West Blue, contestant 'Leg King' Apille! Bounty: 21,000,000 Berries! With his dominant and ferocious leg techniques, he has already defeated seventeen pirates and is seen as a top seeded contender to win!"
"Next, from the East Blue, contestant Carina! A typical fiery beauty! But astonishingly, with a bounty of only 5,000,000 Berries, she managed to safely fight her way from the preliminaries all the way to the finals! What secret does she hold? Let's wait and see!"
"The remaining four contestants are quite mysterious, with no detailed information obtained. I'll briefly introduce them."
"First, the bald old man carrying a turtle shell who claims to be skilled in the Turtle Fist Style. Second, the physically robust fighter with the nickname 'Champion,' Jesus Burgess."
"The third is another female contestant, named Koala. But her origins are unknown. We can only confirm she is young. For now, we'll call her the 'Mysterious Lady.'"
"The final contestant has not revealed any information. Currently, we only know he, like contestant Carina, is a pirate from the East Blue. But judging by how he easily defeated the 16,500,000 Berry South Blue pirate Theodore, he might be one of the two famous pirates recently active in the East Blue."
By the time the commentator finished, Tom had boredly yawned several times. But the final round was finally officially underway.
When Tom and the other five stepped onto the large arena stage, the area under the commentator's feet in the center slowly rose into a platform. Then, the large arena stage suddenly split apart.
Tom and the other contestants each stood on a separate, split-off section of the stage, which now began to rapidly move and rotate.
"To make the finals more entertaining, initially, we will randomly divide the six contestants into three pairs! After that, it will be a six-person free-for-all melee!" The commentator stood on the high platform and announced. Hearing this, the pirates watching below let out waves of cheers and shouts, the scene instantly becoming extremely noisy and lively.
"Look at that old man with the turtle shell. He's so old he can't even straighten his back, yet he made it to the finals. He's really lucky."
"Idiot, don't you know? He's the one who defeated the most pirates after Apille."
"He doesn't look strong. How could he beat so many?"
"I saw it. Everyone who attacked him ended up with broken limbs, knocked out cold. The shell on his back is too hard."
Some pirates who had failed in the earlier rounds gathered together, looking at the contestants on the arena stage with faces full of unwillingness, chatting idly.
CLANG! A loud sound echoed as the six arena sections merged into three larger ones, positioned in three different directions, forming a triangular formation. Immediately, the three large platforms began to rotate at extreme speed.
"As usual, the final round will take place on these spinning platforms! Two fighters on one arena will engage in a fight to the death! Simultaneously, fighters on the other two arenas can jump to other arenas at any time to attack other competitors!"
After this brief explanation, the commentator announced the finals had begun. This instantly brought the emotions of the watching pirates to their peak. Their excited faces flushed red, shouting loudly, with all kinds of crude language pouring out endlessly.
Tom stood on the high-speed rotating arena. He noticed that while rotating, the platforms also moved irregularly. Every so often, one would slam heavily into another, emitting loud metallic clangs. Under the huge impacts, anyone on the platform could easily lose their balance.
The six were divided into three pairs. Tom was paired with Carina from the East Blue. Koala's opponent was the turtle-shell-backed old man. As for Jesus Burgess, he had already laughed loudly and impatiently engaged the West Blue's "Leg King" Apille.
Apille's upper body seemed quite scrawny, but his lower body and legs were extremely thick and powerful. A single heavy stomp on the arena could make the hard surface show fine cracks.
When Koala prepared to strike, the turtle-shelled old man lay flat on the ground, retracting his limbs and head into the shell, leaving her with a feeling of having no way to start. She withdrew her just-formed opening stance, lightly brushed aside the orange hair on her forehead, and stood quietly still.
Tom looked at Carina opposite him. She had brown skin, purple hair, delicate features, and a tall figure, looking about twenty-four or twenty-five. He spoke. "You're weak. You should jump down yourself."
"I saw it. You took down Theodore easily. In terms of pure strength, I'm certainly no match for you," Carina said, flashing a smile she deemed very charming and throwing Tom a seductive glance. Unfortunately, Tom had absolutely no reaction.
Seeing Tom unmoved, his presence seemingly growing stronger, looking ready to attack at any moment, her smile stiffened unnaturally. She forced another laugh. "I'm the most beautiful female pirate in the East Blue, you know? Aren't you interested in me at all? Don't you think I'm pretty?"
As she spoke, Carina actually began taking off her clothes in front of everyone, revealing large patches of brown skin. She wore a tight short-sleeved top and a blue short skirt that only reached her upper thighs. Her actions immediately drew a wave of excited shouts from the pirates below. Many pirates' breathing quickly became heavy.
Carina tossed the clothes she had just removed down from the arena, causing a scramble among the pirates below. A victor-like smile gradually appeared on her face. Raising both arms and lifting her chest, she displayed the most appealing aspects of her figure.
At that moment, the turtle-shelled old man facing Koala poked his head out and called toward Carina, "So beautiful! Keep going!"
Tom glanced at the turtle-shelled old man. The old man's eyes were squinted into slits, fixed tightly on Carina's body, drooling profusely. The appearance was utterly lewd.
It reminded Tom of Sanji when he was being lovestruck. A thought immediately popped up in his mind: Damn, another weirdo. He and that perverted cook Sanji would make a perfect pair. A turtle and a turtle—a perfect match.
Koala had been constantly paying attention to the turtle-shelled old man's movements. The moment he stuck his head out, she clenched her right fist and fiercely swung it forward through the air. "Brick Fist!"
When Koala threw the punch, at first there was complete calm, as if nothing happened. But very quickly, a powerful shockwave erupted almost in a full three-hundred-sixty-degree radius around her. The air vibrated violently. Pirates standing close to the arena were all affected by the impact, knocked to the ground.
The turtle-shelled old man immediately retracted his head. The powerful shockwave slammed into the turtle shell on his back, but the attack seemed to have little effect. His shell remained firmly stuck to the ground, unmoving. This made Koala's delicate brows crease slightly.
At that moment, the three rapidly rotating and moving arenas happened to slam heavily into one another before quickly separating. The violent shaking made Carina, who was still posing seductively, immediately fall flat on her face, appearing extremely disheveled.
When the effects of Koala's Brick Fist manifested earlier, Tom's arena was relatively far from hers, only receiving minor impact. The wind created by the shockwave blew Carina's purple hair, and her short, narrow skirt fluttered wildly. Carina had originally intended to show off her charm, but who knew this would happen?
What made Carina even more furious was that from the moment she began taking off her clothes, Tom had seemingly never really looked at her seriously. Because Tom's attention was already on Koala.
The technique Koala used reminded Tom of the Fish-Man Karate "Brick Fist" used by Arlong's crew member, Kuroobi. He felt certain Koala was using Fish-Man Karate. But he was curious why a young human woman could use it so skillfully.
Meanwhile, Apille, fighting Burgess, had originally intended to take the opportunity to jump onto Koala's arena. But as he was about to land, he was unfortunately hit by the shockwave from the Brick Fist and sent flying back to his own arena.
Utilizing his own advantages, Apille jumped into the air again. His upper body was skinny, his legs powerful. Precisely because his upper body was extremely thin, his weight was much lighter than an average person's. This jump not only avoided Burgess's attack but actually sailed right over Koala's arena, landing on Tom's.
"You, die!" Apille's face was also gaunt, almost skeletal. He launched a kick at Tom's front from above.
Tom looked up at the attacking Apille, neither dodging nor evading. He threw a punch directly at the incoming foot. "Your legs are far worse than that curly-browed cook's. Get lost!"
Apille was knocked back by Tom's punch. The moment his right foot touched Tom's fist, he was sent flying without much resistance. In a contest of strength, he was utterly defeated.
Thus, Apille was back to entangling combat with Burgess. Over at Koala's side, the turtle shell lying motionless on the ground began to spin at high speed, flying through the air toward her with such velocity that it emitted a piercing whistling sound.
"Since you insist on staying, I'll have to take you out first," Tom said to Carina, who was still standing dazed in place. He felt dragging this out was disadvantageous. Koala alone already gave him pressure. Better to secure one knockout first.
"I'm so beautiful, and you still want to attack me?" Carina put on a pitiful expression.
"You're beautiful?" Tom frowned, scanning Carina up and down. Seeing this woman in revealing clothing, constantly blinking at him, he said very seriously, "Stop lying. My eyes aren't for decoration. You're not pretty at all."
"What did you say? What female pirate in the East Blue is more beautiful than me?" Though angry, Carina's remaining rationality made her keep her tone restrained.
"Your skin is worse than Nami's. Your face isn't as pretty as Nami's. Your figure can't compare to Nami's. Your eyes aren't as lively as Nami's. Your legs aren't as long as Nami's. Your hair isn't as good-looking as Nami's." Tom picked his nose, sincerely saying to the dumbfounded Carina, "To be honest, I think you're actually quite ugly."
"You... you what?!" Hearing Tom's words, Carina was so angry her blood surged. An unnatural flush appeared on her brown face—she was clearly overwhelmed by anger.
Moreover, Tom's words reminded her of Alvida, whom she had encountered a few days prior. That woman, who used to be ugly and fat with a face full of freckles, had reappeared before her transformed into a great beauty far more beautiful than herself. Carina had instantly gone mad with jealousy and fought Alvida, only to be quickly defeated. Alvida, having eaten a Devil Fruit, was no longer the same as before.
Alvida hadn't killed Carina in the end. Instead, she had ruthlessly mocked her former rival. For Alvida, letting Carina live to feel jealousy was more satisfying than killing her.
Most importantly, Tom's earlier words made Carina recall the taunts Alvida had thrown at her days before. Just like Tom, Alvida had belittled nearly every part of her body.
Why did that fat cow Alvida get to become so beautiful!
Recalling these deeply unpleasant memories, Carina, always known for her extreme jealousy, grew increasingly furious. Her body swayed, and she actually fainted from rage, collapsing on the arena.
Then the three arenas collided again. Carina, lying near the edge, rolled right off. As she fell, the turtle-shelled old man who had been locked in stalemate with Koala suddenly leapt over and grabbed the falling Carina.
BOOM! A loud sound echoed as Koala's rapidly rotating and moving arena slammed into the old man's turtle shell. He and Carina were sent flying far away, both completely losing their qualifications to continue competing.
If not for the old man's turtle shell being hard enough, he and Carina would have been smashed into meat paste by the colliding arena.
With Carina and the turtle-shelled old man gone, Tom looked toward Koala on the opposite arena. Coincidentally, Koala also looked over.
Earlier, Koala had been unable to break free from the turtle-shelled old man and was growing somewhat anxious. Wanting to end this quickly, she took the initiative to attack Tom.
Not wanting to waste time either, Tom also jumped toward her. Thus, Tom and Koala, jumping almost simultaneously toward each other's arenas, exchanged a quick punch exchange in mid-air.
Koala was petite but possessed great strength. Her fist was one size smaller than Tom's, yet she still sent Tom flying.
Tom flipped several times in the air and landed on Burgess's arena. Before he could steady himself, Burgess's huge fist was already smashing toward his back.
Tom barely avoided a side sneak attack from Apille, only to face Burgess's attack from behind. Unable to dodge in time, he could only quickly turn and barely assume a defensive stance, taking Burgess's punch head-on.
BOOM!
Tom was sent flying by Burgess's punch. As he flew off the arena, he saw another arena crashing toward him. Using his right wrist launcher, he shot a line that latched onto that arena, swung through the air in an arc, and landed back on a platform.
"You guys really aren't bad!" Tom said. As he spoke, the multicolored flashing spotlights above happened to shine directly on him. Looking at Burgess and Koala, his jet-black pupils gradually turned blood-red...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T/N :
Support me and Access 25 chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/GodFic