Chapter 233: Diamante
Corrida Colosseum.
Although the competition inside had already been going on for quite some time, the ticket gate was still crowded.
The spectators were full of anticipation, holding snacks in their hands as they lined up in an orderly fashion to enter.
Today was a special day.
It was the king's celebration.
And it was also the day the Colosseum reopened.
For the citizens of Dressrosa, who were already accustomed to the Corrida Colosseum, watching blood-pumping battles was enough to ignite their passion. For the nobles, it was a way to pass their dull and tedious time.
To them, the Colosseum was practically a blessing.
They had lamented its destruction for quite a while.
Now that it had reopened on such a special day, they naturally could not wait to enter.
Because of that, the flow of people today was unusually large.
Many who had arrived early still found themselves standing at the back of the line, because others had come even earlier.
There were also some who tried to cut in.
But the Thunder Soldier Squad responsible for guarding the area was not to be trifled with.
That was why the area outside the Colosseum remained peaceful.
Considering that the matches inside the Colosseum were too bloody and violent, almost everyone present was an adult.
Because of that, the boy standing in the middle of the crowd looked especially out of place.
He seemed to be only in his early teens.
His skin was as fair as snow, enough to make any woman envious. Although his pitch-black hair did not quite match his skin tone, it did not ruin the overall impression.
What made him even harder to ignore was the weather.
The morning air was still slightly chilly, and even adults needed coats to block the cold wind.
Yet this child wore only a thin, light garment.
The craftsmanship looked expensive, but still...
Wasn't he cold?
"It's a pity he lacks a bit of masculine aura. If not for his Adam's apple, I wouldn't have realized he was a boy."
"To look like that at such a young age... In a few more years, even I might be charmed by him."
"How does he keep his skin so fair and tender? It's really enviable."
"I wonder whose child he is."
The bored people in line began discussing the child who had suddenly appeared.
They lowered their voices, thinking they were quiet enough not to be heard.
But every word reached Axel's ears.
The noisy sounds in the queue were converted into neatly arranged sentences in his mind.
Axel knew exactly what they were saying.
He simply could not be bothered to pay attention.
The small commotion soon attracted the attention of the Thunder Soldier Squad.
Two members walked over.
They were not toys, but humans.
Both carried rifles on their shoulders, wore tall hats, and were dressed in standard red uniforms.
"You cannot enter," one of them said. "According to the regulations of the great King Doflamingo, the Colosseum has an age limit. You are not old enough."
"Oh?" Axel responded softly.
"Where are your parents? Have them take you ba..."
Just as the Thunder Soldier reached out to touch Axel, he found that the figure in front of him had disappeared.
It was not the kind of disappearance that happened in an instant.
It felt more like the boy had faded away bit by bit.
The guard looked at his companion in disbelief.
His companion looked back at him with the same astonished expression.
From the surprised looks of the people nearby, it was clear that the child had indeed been standing there.
Yet for some reason, he had vanished.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "A... a fairy?"
The moment that voice rang out, almost everyone remembered another name this island and country once had.
The Country of Love, Passion, and Fairies.
"He really did seem like a fairy..."
That exquisite appearance.
That mysterious disappearance.
Didn't it fit people's imagination of a fairy almost perfectly?
The fairy who had shocked everyone had not actually left.
Axel was still standing in the same spot.
It was just that no one could see him anymore.
The human eye relied on light to perceive objects.
All Axel had to do was use Reflection to divert the light around him, and he could make himself invisible to everyone present.
Although he could have forced his way in, doing so would be equivalent to alerting the enemy.
So he chose this method instead.
The commotion in the line lasted only a moment before it was suppressed by the Thunder Soldier Squad.
Soon, everyone began entering the venue in an orderly fashion once again.
Axel also walked in step by step.
However, he did not walk in line.
He walked outside of it.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
He did not deliberately suppress the sound of his footsteps.
But at this moment, no one noticed them.
Even if someone did glance over, they would only think they had misheard.
Inside the Colosseum was a circular arena with a round stage at the center.
Surrounding the stage was a pool filled with Fighting Fish, extremely ferocious creatures famous for their aggression and tenacious fighting strength.
Once a contestant fell from the stage, they would face the pursuit of those Fighting Fish.
One could imagine the fate of someone whose strength had already been exhausted in battle when faced with such creatures.
And that was exactly what made the Corrida Colosseum famous.
Gatz, the live announcer of the Corrida Colosseum, was a man wearing a spotted helmet and armor-like clothing.
"Lord Diamante has knocked down another opponent!"
His passionate voice echoed throughout the arena.
"That makes fifteen contestants in a row! Is there truly no one who can defeat him?"
Standing in the middle of the stage was a man wearing a fringed hat.
Two red vertical stripes crossed his face, running from his forehead to the corners of his mouth. He wore brightly colored clothes, leaving his chest exposed.
This man was Diamante.
In front of him lay a man who was already unrecognizable, his entire body covered in wounds pierced by sharp weapons.
Diamante did not even look at the crushed opponent before him.
He simply kicked him toward the edge of the arena.
Splash.
The Fighting Fish in the pool swarmed over instantly.
In just a moment, blood spread through the water.
There was no need to look further to know the man's fate.
He had most likely been completely devoured by the Fighting Fish.
The spectators outside the arena howled wildly.
The madness of the Colosseum drove them into a frenzy.
Here, the rules were different from the outside world.
This was a world of blood and sin.
And everyone was intoxicated by it.
"Can no one truly defeat Lord Diamante?" Gatz shouted again.
The audience responded in unison.
"Diamante!"
"Diamante!"
"Diamante!"
As the center of everyone's attention, Diamante grinned cheerfully.
"Since you all put it that way, I'll accept it."
What he accepted, of course, was the claim that no one could defeat him.
If an ordinary person acted this arrogant, it would surely cause dissatisfaction.
But with Diamante, it had the opposite effect.
The cheers of the audience.
The lowered heads of the contestants.
The Fighting Fish swimming hungrily around the stage.
All of it seemed to prove one thing.
Diamante had the strength to say such words.
At this moment, the Colosseum itself seemed to exist only as his backdrop.
"For Doffy, I will never lose."
Diamante raised both hands, showing off himself and the name he spoke.
Doffy.
Donquixote Doflamingo.
.....
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