The autumn sun on the summer island was still scorching, but the breeze blowing across the sea carried a touch of the season's expected coolness.
In the competition arena of the island's inner sea, after clearing away the ship wreckage left from the previous round, the organizers spent some time setting up twelve square stone arenas.
Each stone arena was nearly the size of a football field, floating on the sea and arranged in a ring. In the center of this ring lay a single circular stone arena.
Between the thirteen stone slabs, numerous black dorsal fins broke the surface of the water, prowling about.
These were giant fighting fish specially transported from Dressrosa, renowned for their ferocity, bloodthirstiness, and aggressive nature.
Seeing this setup, Allen couldn't help but think of the Corrida Colosseum in Dressrosa. He figured Doffy must have had a hand in planning this round.
Soon, the arena was completely set up, and Allen left the camp to head to the entrance tunnel.
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
Countless fireworks shot into the sky, blooming into colorful displays. Confetti cannons fired ribbons into the air, while passionate music from the broadcast and the cheers of the pirates echoed through the heavens.
"Thank you for waiting, everyone! Next up is the carefully orchestrated grand finale of this Pirate Expo—the Water Arena Battle Royale!"
Buena Festa appeared once again on the airship above. Gripping the microphone, he spun on his tiptoes like a ballet dancer and announced passionately,
"Before the match officially begins! Let us express our highest gratitude to Boss Du Feld for sponsoring this festival! And to the Donquixote Family's..."
"Enough, Festa!!"
"Who wants to hear all that?!"
"Nobody cares! Just start the match already!"
Curses erupted from the pirates in the audience. Seeing this, Festa hurriedly finished reading his script and loudly declared,
"Next up! Please welcome the twelve contestants of our grand finale as they make their spectacular entrance!"
"Scream, everyone! Cheer, everyone!"
"The final event of the Pirate Expo officially begins now!"
"Whoa—!!"
As Festa's words fell, a volley of fireworks shot into the sky, instantly boiling the atmosphere of the entire venue!
Amidst the endless cheers, a figure slowly walked out from each of the twelve pitch-black tunnels, stepping onto their respective stone arenas.
"Red Hair!! Red Hair!! Red Hair!!"
"Lord Katakuri! I love you!"
"The Pirate Empress is here!!"
"So beautiful! I want to be the Empress's dog!"
"Shut up and get lost! As if you're worthy of being her dog!"
"Here he comes! One of the powerhouses of the old era, the World Destroyer, Byrnndi World!!"
"Look! That man has appeared!"
"The rising powerhouse of the sea! The representative rookie of the year who holds the titles of Worst Generation, Strongest Rookie, and Leader of the New Era!"
"—Demon Lion Allen!!"
"Roar—!!"
As Allen and the others stepped onto the arenas one by one, massive shouts and cheers erupted throughout the venue!
"Fuffuffuffu... So many big names have shown up. Right in the midst of the New World's chaos, I didn't expect the festival to be this lively."
"Giant fighting fish transported from Dressrosa. You didn't set up this arena, did you, Donquixote brat?"
Chinjao shot Doffy an unfriendly glare.
On the other side.
"Lahahahaha! Isn't this the apprentice brat from Roger's ship back in the day? The one who came after me with a dagger while I was running away during a battle."
Byrnndi World threw his head back and laughed. Looking at Red Hair across from him, he couldn't help but sigh,
"After thirty years, I didn't expect you to make something of yourself and ascend to the throne of the Four Emperors. It feels like just the blink of an eye to me. Time truly is ruthless."
"I heard you were frozen for thirty years. Sure enough, you look exactly the same as before. Should I say long time no see?"
Shanks smiled faintly on his resolute face. With one hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, he watched World with an intrigued gaze.
On the airship above, seeing that all the contestants had made their entrance, Festa began to announce the rules of the match.
"Everyone! The grand prize of this Pirate Expo is hidden right here in the competition venue! That's right! It's inside the belly of one of those giant fighting fish in the water!"
"I'm sure these fighting fish are no big deal for any of you, but your opponents aren't them—it's everyone else standing in the arena right now!"
"Please fight and slaughter to your heart's content, everyone!!"
Boom!!
Before Festa's voice even faded from the broadcast, a massive explosion erupted from the arenas!
Everyone turned to look and saw the two figures who had initiated the first clash: Katakuri of the Charlotte Family and King the Conflagration of the Animal Kingdom Pirates!
"Hasn't Kaido always sought to build an army of Zoan ability users? Why is he suddenly interested in a Logia Devil Fruit?"
Katakuri spoke in a deep tone, his trident locked in a stalemate with King's serrated katana, the blades vibrating intensely.
King was entirely clad in black leather armor, his cold eyes visible through his helmet.
"Mr. Kaido has his own reasons for his actions. It's not the place of anyone from the Big Mom Pirates to speculate."
Clang!!
Sparks flew as the two exerted force simultaneously, repelling each other and sliding backward.
After steadying himself, Katakuri conjured two mochi donuts out of thin air behind him. Two massive arms formed entirely of mochi and coated in Armament Haki extended from the donuts, their fists striking fiercely toward King!
Boom!! Boom!!
King spread his wings, transforming into his half-Pteranodon form. His figure surged forward like a bolt of black lightning, causing the mochi fists to miss and smash two deep craters into the ground.
"Imperial Flaming Wings!!"
King gathered crimson flames at the tips of his wings and flapped them, unleashing countless flying slashes infused with scorching fire!
A crimson gleam flashed in Katakuri's eyes. His future-sight Observation Haki completely saw through the trajectory of his opponent's attack.
Swish!
Faced with the dense barrage of slashes, Katakuri's gaze darkened as he leaped forward. His body rapidly wove through the slashes, which easily tore through the stone slabs as they grazed the ground.
At the same time, his arm turned into mochi, rapidly compressing to generate flames. With a fierce swing, his Haki-coated fist shot out like a rocket!
"Grilled Mochi!!"
The flaming mochi fist was fast and powerful. The moment King saw the attack, he immediately changed direction to dodge, only to be shocked to find that the strike was aimed exactly where he was dodging!
'He saw through it...'
Seeing the attack already upon him, King hurriedly raised his arms to block.
Bang!!
The flaming mochi fist landed a direct hit, knocking King back. His feet dragged across the ground for over a dozen meters before he forcefully pushed the fist away with his arms.
"That absurd defense is as astonishing as ever," Katakuri said grimly.
In the distance, Allen watched their battle with great interest.
One possessed overwhelming Observation Haki and a Special Paramecia fruit ability comparable to a Logia, with an endless array of techniques.
The other had the unique constitution of the Lunarian Tribe, stacked with the power of an Ancient Zoan, giving him a clear advantage in strength and speed.
As pillars of their respective Emperor's crews, their battle fascinated him. However...
At this moment, he probably didn't have the luxury to focus on others.
Splash!
The sea surface burst open with a massive splash, and a gray-skinned Fish-Man shot out of the water, tearing through the air like an arrow!
"To think you dare call yourself the strongest of the new generation! Let me test if you're truly qualified for that title, Demon Lion Allen!"
Allen looked toward the voice, sizing the man up before saying calmly,
"If I remember correctly, you're the captain of the Deep Sea Pirates, the Megalodon Fish-Man, [Sea Dragon Daryl]."
"Chahahaha! You've got a good eye, but unfortunately, that won't save your life!"
Daryl sneered, baring two rows of sharp teeth. His cheeks puffed out as he rapidly spat three consecutive water blasts from his mouth!
"Iron Water Cannon!!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The three water blasts flew at the speed of cannonballs, shooting toward him from three different directions.
Allen brought his fingers together into palms and waved his hands in what looked like slow motion, but was actually so fast it left afterimages.
"Tai Chi Cloud Hands."
His palms precisely sliced along the edges of the water blasts' trajectories. Spinning in place, Allen dodged one blast while his hands guided the other two in a circular motion, hurling them right back!
Boom!! Boom!!
The water blast Allen dodged slammed into the ground, blasting a deep crater and sending rubble flying violently. Its power was surprisingly absurd.
At the same time, under Daryl's panicked gaze, the other two water blasts shot back at him!
He hurriedly clenched his fists and punched forward, shattering one blast into countless splashes of water, but the second blast slammed into his chest, knocking him back!
Stumbling as he landed back on the ground, Daryl gritted his teeth to steady himself, then looked at Allen with a grave expression.
"Water manipulation... I've long heard that you're a master of various martial arts. Have you mastered Fish-Man Karate as well? However, there doesn't seem to be a move like that in Fish-Man Karate."
"That move just now wasn't Fish-Man Karate," Allen said calmly. He spread his legs into a half-squat, resting his arm by his waist and clenching his fist. The moisture in the air gathered toward his hand as the corners of his mouth curled up. "But I do know it."
"Fish-Man Karate: Vagabond Drill!!"
Bang!
With a shout, Allen stomped fiercely. The ground cracked, spreading like a spiderweb, as his figure suddenly accelerated and shot forward!
Arriving in front of Daryl, he thrust out a palm coated in intense Armament Haki from a distance, and the moisture gathered in his palm instantly erupted!
"And you said it wasn't Fish-Man Karate!"
Daryl shouted in exasperation, hastily raising a palm to meet the attack!
Bang!!
The violent collision of their palms sent out a powerful shockwave. A massive amount of moisture burst forth, blanketing the surrounding space in a layer of mist.
"Not bad."
Allen observed his opponent with interest and couldn't help but ask curiously,
"A Fish-Man's greatest advantage is the sea. Becoming an ability user would rob you of your ability to move in water. You're probably not here for the Devil Fruit, are you?"
"You guessed right. Two years ago, just like you, I entered the New World as a Supernova with a bounty of 230 million Berries."
Daryl curled his lips into a cold sneer.
"Just a few months ago, my latest bounty reached 390 million Berries. Brimming with confidence, I attempted to challenge an Emperor."
"As for the result..."
"Hah!"
Bang!
Daryl exerted force in his arm, trying to push Allen away, but Allen deflected the power and delivered a kick to his abdomen, sending him flying.
Screech—!
Daryl's feet hit the ground, skidding for dozens of meters. After steadying himself, he reached up and tore off his shirt, revealing a hideous scar that ran across his entire upper body. He laughed,
"As you can see, we suffered a crushing defeat. In fact, we almost got killed without even seeing the Emperor's face, hahahaha!"
"Fortunately, we escaped by jumping into the sea. Our Deep Sea Pirates are entirely made up of Fish-Men and Merfolk. No one can catch us in the water, so we luckily managed to survive."
"In the face of behemoths like the Four Emperors, the strength of us rookies is simply too insignificant. At that moment, I profoundly understood this truth."
A hint of emotion flickered in Daryl's eyes as he stared at Allen, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold smirk.
"However, after seeing your and the Straw Hat kid's performance in the Summit War recently, I wavered again."
"We're both rookies, so why were you able to shine so brightly in a war of that caliber? Especially you!"
"Do you know what the rumors in the New World are saying right now? After Whitebeard's death, everyone is saying you're the most likely person to ascend to the position of Emperor."
Daryl's eyes suddenly flared with anger. Bending his legs, he pushed off with explosive force and charged forward!
"Bullshit 'Strongest Rookie'! Bullshit 'King of the New Generation'! You're just a newcomer! The New World is far more cruel than you can imagine!!"
"Today, I'll test you! Let's see if you're qualified to bear the title of the strongest!"
Daryl roared furiously, unleashing his Armament Haki to its limits and coating his entire arm. He threw a ferocious punch straight at Allen's face!
"Fish-Man Karate Secret Art: Demon Brick Fist!!"
Facing Daryl's full-power strike, Allen neither dodged nor evaded. He didn't even make a move to block, simply watching the incoming fist expressionlessly.
"Shaori..."
Bang!
The fist landed a direct hit. However, to Daryl's shock, there was no solid sensation of impact.
There was only an invisible Haki flowing like water, softly deflecting the Haki on his fist.
And his own physical force, striking Allen's hard forehead, slipped off as if hitting a stalk of wheat swaying in the wind.
Allen's head tilted back, and his upper body leaned backward with it, his entire figure spinning once in the air.
'This is... deflecting force! No, even my Haki was deflected!'
A look of astonishment appeared on Daryl's face, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Just as the two were about to pass each other, Allen's feet touched back down on the ground. He suddenly reached back and grabbed his opponent's ankle!
With a violent yank, he hurled Daryl over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground!
Bang!!
At the critical moment, Daryl gritted his teeth and hurriedly wrapped his hands around his head to protect the back of his skull. His back smashed heavily into the ground, creating a deep crater!
"Puh-wah—!!"
Daryl's expression twisted in pain as he opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Allen pulled his arm back, bending his elbow to gather power.
The moment Daryl regained his senses and performed a kip-up to bounce off the floor, Allen's eyes turned ruthless. With a loud shout, he unleashed a ferocious elbow strike!
"Surge・Elbow Strike!!"
'This is...!'
Daryl's pupils shrank in horror as his mind instantly recalled the technique used by the pirate named Burgess in the previous round.
'But how does he know it too?!'
This unbelievable thought flashed through Daryl's mind in an instant. The next second...
Boom!!
A terrifying shockwave erupted from Allen's elbow strike, blasting into Daryl's abdomen and piercing straight through his back!
"Puh-wah—!!"
Daryl agonizingly spat out another massive mouthful of blood. His eyes rolled back, his vision went black, and he instantly lost consciousness. His body flew dozens of meters away before crashing to the ground.
The shockwave that pierced through his back plowed a deep trench into the floor, extending all the way to the edge of the arena a hundred meters away.
Rumble—!!
The next second, the entire stone arena floating on the sea snapped in half along that trench and drifted apart.
The unconscious Daryl happened to be lying right at the fracture. He could only let his body fall into the sea, sinking continuously.
"A fight doesn't need a reason, but if you're fighting for something, your reason is a bit too boring," Allen said dismissively, turning around and walking away.
Strong and handsome rookies were just prone to jealousy. There was nothing he could do about it; Allen felt he probably wouldn't be able to escape this curse in this lifetime.
...
On the other arenas, some people were already engaged in fierce combat, while a few contestants stood at the edges, luring the fighting fish to breach the surface and attack so they could determine if they were the target holding the treasure box.
There was no need to slice them open; the fighting fish containing the treasure box had a special mark on its forehead, making it recognizable at a glance.
Allen was pondering if there was any method to quickly locate that specific fighting fish when suddenly, the clear sky inexplicably darkened a bit.
"Hm?"
Confused, Allen instinctively looked up, just like everyone else in the arena.
He saw a rain of cannonballs falling from the sky, like dark clouds pressing down on a city—a dense, overwhelming mass that was astonishingly thick!
...