Chapter 134: The False Hero

The next day.

Grand Line, Alabasta.

A band of pirates attacked a border town but was stopped by Crocodile.

Amidst the swirling sandstorm.

Countless people erupted in cheers, viewing the man before them as a hero.

"Damn it, I'm no hero~"

"Gehahahaha~"

Surrounded by the crowd, Crocodile's lips curled into a mocking smile.

What he said was indeed the truth.

Yet it could not stop the commoners around him from adoring him.

If this game of pretending to be a hero could continue forever, he might truly be written into the history of Alabasta.

He was certainly no hero.

All of this was merely a play acted out to deceive the king's trust and find the ancient weapon Pluton hidden within this kingdom.

It seems the effect is quite good now.

Amidst the crowd's embrace, Crocodile slowly departed, looking exactly like a hero who does good deeds without seeking a name.

However.

Once he moved away from the crowd, his expression suddenly turned cold; even the veins on his forehead were jumping uncontrollably.

This was because the intelligence returned from Mr. 1 last night nearly made him vomit blood.

"Mr. 1, Mr. 2, you both attacked and still couldn't take that fruit?!"

"Damn it!"

"If I lose Spandam's protection, my actions in Alabasta will very likely be exposed to the Navy."

"I must lie low for a while and wait for the timing to ripen."

Speaking thus, Crocodile picked up the bounty poster at his side. Looking at that overly young face, his eyes were filled with chilling intent:

"Young, self-satisfied, full of drive... such pirates are as numerous as carp crossing a river on this Grand Sea."

"But the vast majority of them, after entering the New World, will only face dimensional strikes from those monsters and ultimately be crushed."

"You will be no different."

"When the time is ripe, I will personally take your life."

Whoosh!

Crocodile threw the bounty poster in his hand away, turned directly, and stepped into the swirling sandstorm.

Though he was unwilling in his heart, this game of playing the hero would continue.

Until he was truly confident that, before the World Government and the Navy reacted, he would obtain everything he wanted and then withdraw calmly.

East Blue.

Raven Port.

In the arena, applause thundered.

Countless spectators stood up from their seats, letting out hysterical roars.

Their faces flushed red; they were like madmen.

This was because they had waited far too long for the coming battle.

Two days felt to them as long as several seasons.

"Finally! Finally! Finally! We've waited for this moment!"

"The slaughter between monsters from all over the world, displaying the most bloody, most cruel death match!"

"My blood boils at this very moment!"

The cheers in the stands continued for over ten minutes before slowly subsiding, yet the suppressed madness on everyone's faces did not fade with time.

Seeing this, Jango picked up the microphone and said with a hint of regret:

"I am very sorry."

"Contestant Daz Bonez has withdrawn from this match due to personal reasons; therefore, only seven people have truly advanced."

"This also means that in this round of drawing opponents, one person will have a bye and advance directly to the next round."

The audience did not feel much about this.

After all, such things happened too often; in arenas everywhere, seeded contestants withdrawing from competition at the last minute occurred.

But this would not affect their anticipation for the coming battle; indeed, everyone began to guess who would become that lucky one?!

Seeing this, Jango couldn't help but sigh with relief.

He then had the seven advancing contestants step onto the stage simultaneously to draw lots and decide their opponents.

According to the rules, contestants drawing the same number would become opponents.

Quickly.

Everyone's numbers were confirmed.

"Number 1?!"

Jinbe revealed the number card in his hand, glanced around, and his gaze landed on Dellinger.

The latter's lips curled up, revealing a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth, and he grinned ferociously:

"What a coincidence."

He flipped his hand and flashed the number plate in his grip.

It was also number 1.

Looking at the expressionless Ah Jin before him, Dellinger's gaze grew ever more bloodthirsty.

The previous battle had been cut short by Xiang Keluo's interference, but this time, no one would stop him.

He could truly bite his opponent to death!

The mere thought of the pleading look his opponent would give him sent a thrill through Dellinger's heart.

The fighting fish's instinct surged into his mind, so much so that his eyes had gone red.

Ah Jin's face remained impassive. He simply took the round ball off his iron crutch with an unhurried air, shifted his weight on the spot, and the aura emanating from his entire being was already utterly different from before.

Swift, ferocious, lethally dangerous.

"I'm destined to become the Captain's right hand — how could I possibly fall here?"

"Hoh~"

Xiang Keluo swept a glance at him, then casually looked down at the number plate in his hand.

Number 3.

His opponent was Oniser, dressed like a baby but with a figure that had long since gone out of shape.

The two exchanged a look, with little conversation between them.

Sanji, who had drawn number 2, looked at Ediou some distance away, his face full of arrogant smiles, and felt an immense pressure at once.

He had watched that opponent's battle in its entirety.

Those oddly-shaped arms had clearly been modified; the force of a single punch far exceeded a cannon shell, and was even enough to flip the entire arena.

But if he could just win this one match, he'd basically lock in a top-four finish, and one step further would earn him the Captain's promise — and then a beautiful cook or something~

Sanji swallowed hard, his whole body igniting at this moment. Wasn't this exactly what he'd been training months for?!

Only Luffy, staring at the number 4 plate in his hand, wore a thoroughly disinterested expression:

"Huh?! So I got a bye?"

Zoro had originally wanted to continue his game on the finals stage, but in the end never got the chance, and felt a pang of regret.

Xiang Keluo curled his lip:

"You advance without fighting — count yourself lucky!"

"You don't understand a swordsman's heart."

"……"

Xiang Keluo thought of Zoro's performance in the preliminaries, and his mouth twitched:

"Boring."

……

As the drawing of lots concluded, the matchups were finally set.

Zango picked up the microphone, looked at the audience, and announced excitedly:

"The first match of the Martial Arts Tournament finals!"

"Ghost Person — Ah Jin versus Fighting Fish — Dellinger!"

The moment the words fell, two figures shot out from the contestant seats simultaneously, landing in the arena as if by teleportation, facing each other.

The surrounding stands immediately fell silent, then an instant later erupted with a roar like mountains and tidal waves.

"It's them!"

"The two who instantly defeated everyone in the first preliminary match and threw themselves into a death battle, ignoring the rules!"

"One is a powerful pirate who has just made a name for himself in the East Sea, the other is the champion of Dressrosa's Corrida Colosseum!"

"A battle between these two… simply!"

One man clenched his fists tight, his whole body trembling with excitement, because he had been captivated by that unfinished battle between the two.

Now the very first match was a showdown between these two — how could anyone not be thrilled?!

"Who from this group will advance?!"

Someone posed the question; after a few seconds of thought, the person beside him answered:

"It should still be Dellinger."

"He's already taken the championship in the Corrida Colosseum, so here he should—!"

Boom!

With a thunderous roar, the chatter in the stands cut off abruptly.

All because, in the arena—

The fighting fish's horn and Ah Jin's twin crutches had already slammed into each other head-on. The entire arena trembled from the impact, and the shockwave that escaped made the water surface explode outright, scattering into droplets that rained down.

Swoosh!

Droplets like a curtain of rain soaked both men's clothes, bringing a chilling cold.

Yet not as cold as Dellinger's heart at this moment.

The smile at his lips grew ever more savage, because the opponent before him had let him taste the thrill of slaughter.

He could fight with everything, no need to worry about killing the opponent — no, we came here to kill in the first place!

Upon realizing this—

Dellinger's gaze grew ever more ferocious.

He retreated a step, pulling back dozens of meters, then in an instant vanished from the audience's sight, and slammed into Ah Jin like a bolt of lightning.

His speed was even several degrees faster than during the initial clash between the two!

"Was he hiding his strength back then?!"

"It's just that."

"Compared to that fellow, you are ultimately too slow!"

Ah Jin's tone was indifferent.

Within the perception of Observation Haki, the direction of Dellinger's impending attack had already been predicted.

The iron crutch in his hand rotated slightly, its tip thrusting out like a spear, even dragging a sound of tearing air through the sky!

The next instant.

Ding!

The high-heeled shoe collided with the iron crutch, yet neither party retreated; instead, the clash grew only more intense and faster!

Sparks flew in all directions, and explosive force scattered wildly!

The crowd seated in the stands, even though they could not clearly see the process of the duel between the two, remained unable to suppress the frenzy within their hearts.

Countless people directly erupted into deafening cheers!

Here, they were witnessing the most cruel and bloodiest death match of humanity!

Before the projection screen.

Donquixote Doflamingo watched the two fighting fiercely in the arena, and especially when looking at Dellinger, his eyes carried thick astonishment:

"Has Dellinger become stronger again?!"

"With such a speed of growth, even I cannot help but feel uneasy."

"After all, it seems no one in the family has possessed such power at this age!"

"If these two win that Devil Fruit and the three hundred million Berries at the Martial Arts Tournament, what will Knight Gao Wen's reaction be?!"

"Fufufufufu—!"

As he spoke.

Before Donquixote Doflamingo's eyes, he seemed to already see Gao Wen's face wearing an expression as if he had eaten shit, and for a moment, he could not help but feel a surge of delight in his heart.

Buru Buru—!

The Den Den Mushi on the table rang at this moment, and after being connected, a low voice came from the other end:

"Young Master, it is me."

"Vergo?!"

Donquixote Doflamingo frowned:

"What matter is so severe that you bypassed the informant to report directly to me?!"

Previously, to avoid exposing Vergo's undercover identity, the transmission of intelligence was always conducted through intermediaries; once anything seemed amiss, Vergo could quickly cut ties on his end.

This sudden change also made Donquixote Doflamingo realize the severity of the situation.

Vergo said Solemnly:

"I also just received the news; the former Marine Admiral, Black Arm Zephyr, has already departed from Loguetown, heading toward Raven Port."

"His target is directly Knight Gao Wen."

"Unlike Hanafuda, even though Zephyr has grown old and lost an arm, his own combat strength still ranks among the top within the Marines."

"This time, there is absolutely no possibility for Knight Gao Wen to escape unscathed."

(End of Chapter)