In this tense atmosphere, the entire venue seemed to be enveloped by a nervous energy.
And now, the battle in Block D was about to begin.
The horns on the sidelines blared, as if urging everyone to get ready.
The sharp sounds from the stands reached everyone's ears, making the already tense atmosphere even heavier.
Bartolomeo and Cavendish, though full of reluctance, had no other choice.
After all, the battle in Block D was about to start, and they couldn't just keep pulling each other's hair indefinitely.
And Bartolomeo was also afraid of delaying Luffy and the others' plan.
So, the two reluctantly released their tight grip on each other's hair at the same time.
As their hands let go, a few strands of hair still floated in the air, yellow and green strands lingering and intertwining.
But Bartolomeo and Cavendish's gazes never left each other, their eyes met, sparks flying between them.
Just their eye contact alone made one feel the strong smell of gunpowder.
Their eyes clearly conveyed a signal to each other—this wasn't over!! We'll settle this score sooner or later, just you wait!
That stance, if it weren't for the match about to start, they would have directly rushed up and fought another round.
The people around them, seeing their appearance, unconsciously took a few steps back, afraid of being caught in the crossfire of their anger.
After all, both of them were tough characters among the Supernovas.
In the spacious arena of Block D, Rebecca slowly walked onto the stage with slightly heavy steps.
Various malicious gazes fell upon Rebecca.
The sunlight seemed to be diluted by this oppressive and malicious atmosphere.
Her figure appeared somewhat lonely and helpless in this vast venue.
The moment she stood still, the surroundings instantly erupted, with all sorts of unbearable insults and boos surging towards her like a raging tide, wave after wave.
Those voices intertwined, echoing in the arena, harsh and cold.
"Go to hell, Rebecca," someone shouted at the top of their lungs, their voice full of venom, as if they held an irreconcilable hatred for Rebecca.
"Heir of a filthy bloodline," another person sneered, every word like a sharp knife, stabbing directly into Rebecca's heart.
"Today, you must be executed!" someone else roared ferociously, their twisted expression, combined with these murderous words, made the entire scene even more sinister and terrifying.
"You are the shame of Dressrosa! Why don't you die with your former King grandfather!"
As Rebecca stood on the stage, listening to these mercilessly directed malicious words, her body trembled slightly, and her lips involuntarily pressed together, tears welling up in her eyes as she tried hard not to let them fall.
But a stubbornness shone in her eyes; despite being targeted by everyone like this, she still tried to straighten her back, as if silently resisting this overwhelming malice.
In the dim underground space, Luffy, separated by a cage, sat with a group of prisoners, the air around them seeming to be filled with a dull and oppressive atmosphere.
Having just eaten the bento Rebecca bought him, it should have been a rather pleasant moment.
But at this moment, everyone's eyes were drawn to the broadcast screen above the arena.
On the screen, Rebecca stood on the stage, surrounded by a surging tide of malice, all sorts of unpleasant curses incessant.
Luffy watched this scene, his usually smiling face instantly turning serious, his brows furrowed tightly, like two twisted ropes.
He couldn't help but mumble, "What does this have to do with the granddaughter? Whatever her grandfather did, it has nothing to do with her, right?"
Although Luffy's voice was not loud, his eyes were full of dissatisfaction towards those baseless attackers, and he couldn't help but think of a certain grandpa and Chinjo.
And several floors below ground, Orochimaru was taking his usual slow steps, descending the stairs towards the toy scrapyard, his figure appearing somewhat mysterious in the dimly lit passage.
Just then, the noisy chatter from above the arena reached his ears through a window. Orochimaru's narrow eyes twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a hint of playful amusement appearing on his face.
"Vile human nature always takes the unfair treatment it suffers and wantonly vents it on innocent people."
Orochimaru murmured softly, his voice echoing faintly in the silent underground space, carrying a hint of cold indifference and mockery that saw through the ways of the world.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he had long been accustomed to such phenomena, but a trace of imperceptible disgust still flashed deep in his eyes, and he continued to walk unhurriedly towards the underground.
Orochimaru stayed in this underground space, secretly planning in his mind.
Once the battle in Block D was over, all those defeated guys in the infirmary would be thrown into the abandoned repair shop.
Thinking of this, Orochimaru's mouth curved slightly upwards: "These are all Usopp's reputation points. By then, that guy Usopp will probably be overjoyed.
He doesn't need to thank him too much. I wonder if he has used the 'One Hundred Ways to Play with Sugar' that I gave him."
As his thoughts drifted, Orochimaru remembered Kanjuro's matter again, secretly thinking that he still needed to hurry and "brainwash" him.
But as soon as this thought emerged, Orochimaru's lazy streak came over him again.
He pouted, muttering in his heart: "Walking too fast feels a bit uncomfortable, and I'm too lazy to fly.
Hmm... forget it, just let nature take its course. Anyway, there's still plenty of time, so it'll be fine.
Worst case, I'll be a bit more forceful and directly drag him into Naraka's mental space, destroy his memories and reshape them.
Although the Naraka Seeing Technique essentially makes the enemy see their deepest fears, it's all part of the same principle.
His improved usage, modifying cognition, is also very convenient, after all, he used it in Water 7 before."
Thinking of this, Orochimaru was no longer in a hurry. He simply walked out to the outdoor terrace, moved a sofa from his system space, and sprawled on it, looking up at the arena.
His lazy demeanor was fully displayed, his eyes half-closed, as if the sky falling had nothing to do with him, and he kept muttering:
"What to do, so lazy, I want to just give up... Who was the great genius who invented these spiral stairs? It's so troublesome to go down underground without flying, I really want a Doffy-brand mount.
Or, take a loss... get thrown down together?... Forget it, forget it, it's too dirty... Seriously, couldn't that Kanjuro just walk over and let me brainwash him?"
Orochimaru mumbled, completely content to "lie flat" there, with no intention of acting immediately.
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