“This is the New World Central Fighting Tournament? Are all the contestants idiots?”
Gaponov found it strange. Even though he was a lone wolf, he had encountered many opponents on his way here. Those people often used their numerical and firepower advantage, forcing him to crouch down to avoid getting hit in the legs by the barrage of bullets.
At the same time, he had to deal with sneak attacks from behind. But in this Central Fighting Tournament, all the opponents attacked him head-on, with no one attempting to sneak attack him. This allowed him to smoothly pass the preliminary rounds.
The preliminaries were a chaotic free-for-all, so no one noticed that every person who planned to sneak attack Gaponov was intercepted by Isuka. This newcomer displayed combat strength far above the average level of the preliminary rounds.
The rules of semi-unrestricted combat only restricted the means of attack, not where to hit. As long as you didn’t kill anyone, there were no restrictions. Using her own speed and the power of her Bullet Punch, Isuka dealt heavy blows to most of the contestants in the arena.
The chaotic semi-unrestricted combat of the preliminaries was anything but pretty. Hair-pulling, eye-gouging, all sorts of bizarre techniques were rampant. The purpose of the preliminaries was to eliminate most of the opportunists.
In the chaos, it was inevitable to be attacked, but Scizor’s steel armor was nearly the toughest of all, so Isuka wasn’t much affected.
At this moment, she had already retreated near Delia, whose wings were vibrating at high speed to dissipate the heat generated from the battle.
Delia’s fists were already covered in blood. She was far more ruthless than Isuka, and even with just her fists, she left many people with head injuries and bleeding. The unstable alliances had already distanced themselves from Delia.
Those who were truly strong were somewhat prideful and disdained to join forces with others at this point, preferring to take down their opponents alone and claim the championship. The remaining people were not enough to change the situation.
“How did the test turn out?”
The smile on Delia’s face was genuine, showing she enjoyed this kind of fight. The scar on her face appeared a bit more menacing under the smile, but Isuka didn’t find it frightening.
Compared to a fierce appearance, those who were beasts in human form were even more terrifying.
“It should be real. But that guy seems a bit dull. I’m not sure if he can make it through the solo battles.”
“Don’t worry about that; we can help him. But if we do, we’ll need to make some arrangements.”
…
After the preliminaries ended, Delia went to a taller building on the island, using binoculars and her ability to see through objects to monitor Gaponov’s movements.
There were free rooms prepared for the contestants on the island. The organizers weren’t short on money, and the New World Central Fighting Tournament itself was a money-making opportunity. On the seas, everything related to tournaments could be tied to money.
Compared to the profits brought by these contestants, everything else was just a drop in the ocean.
“Good evening, Boss King…”
While monitoring Gaponov’s movements, Delia sent the information to King. She didn’t have 100% certainty; otherwise, she would have bypassed the chain of command and reported directly to Arceus.
“You’ve already received the next two months’ salary in advance. Don’t even think about asking for more advance.”
Delia’s views on money were the exact opposite of Mandrell’s. If Mandrell is the ordinary person with the most savings among the Beasts Pirate, she was a stark contrast.
Yamato, Tesoro, and Kojiro are no longer considered ordinary people—one is a second-generation heiress, and the other two have additional income through business.
Mandrell’s savings were there for emergencies, while all the top-ranking Numbers were all essentially Delia’s creditors. Her year could be divided into two parts: borrowing money and repaying money. The prize money and gambling earnings from this tournament were exactly what she needed.
“Boss, don’t be so heartless, okay? Besides, I’m not asking for an advance on my salary. Oh, and I’m not borrowing money either.”
“Cut the crap, you have one minute.”
King was used to Delia’s banter by now. If it weren’t for the fact that she was still reliable, he would have hung up the phone a long time ago.
“Geez, Boss, you’re still so boring. You’ll be single for life at this rate. I think I’ve found something that might be Lord Arceus’ plate.”
“Really?”
“More than 70% sure. We just used that crude method to check it.”
“Wait for me there and keep an eye on it. And next time, start with the important stuff instead of so much nonsense.”
“But you…”
Delia was just about to retort that it was King who had led the conversation to this point, but King had no intention of listening further and hung up the phone. It seemed he was already on his way.
He knew the schedule of the New World Central Fighting Tournament and also Delia’s current location.
Arceus and Shayna had just set sail recently, leaving Yamato to stay behind in Wano Country again. So, King didn’t contact anyone but instead spread his wings and transformed into his Beast Form, flying off into the distance.
With the flames behind him extinguished, King soared toward the island at his peak speed. At Aerodactyl’s full speed, he would reach Delia’s location within two days.
As for Delia, who had just been hung up on, she was currently “visiting” someone else’s room, though her methods were a bit rough.
…
“What… what exactly do you want?”
“Nothing much. Just wondering if you could forfeit tomorrow’s match? There’s always the revival round, so you can try your best then.”
“Are you kidding? Do you know how long I’ve been preparing for this tournament? Even if you’re the reigning champion, you can’t just…”
At that moment, there was a sudden clatter in the room. Delia had accidentally knocked something to the floor. It wasn’t a bomb or anything like that, just an ordinary scroll.
When she picked up the scroll, she “accidentally” undid the clasp. As the scroll unfurled, it revealed a pirate flag’s picture—the flag of the Beasts Pirates.
“Oh, sorry about that. What were you saying just now? I didn’t quite catch it. Would you mind doing us this favor?”
Delia brushed off the dust that had stuck to the scroll and slowly rolled it back up in front of him, making sure he got a clear look at the flag.
“Well… I suddenly remembered that I caught a cold just now, and I’m not feeling well. I really can’t compete tomorrow…”
“That’s more like it. Let’s cooperate for everyone’s benefit. And remember, don’t go blabbing about this. I know your situation quite well.”
“Haha… yeah, you’re right. I never saw you…”
Delia’s smile didn’t put him at ease at all. That flag reminded him of Delia’s other identity. Besides being the reigning champion, she was also an officer of the Beasts Pirates. Showing the pirate flag meant that this wasn’t just her personal matter.
Offending the Beasts Pirates over a single match was far worse than simply choosing to enter the revival round and fighting again.
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