Chapter 423: Sanji Severs His Past, Hawkins

More importantly, these three were clearly standing with Barret—meaning the rumor that Barret had joined Gao Wen’s group was likely true!

If even his Round Table Knights could easily produce four warriors rivaling the Four Emperors, how far had their leader, Knight Gao Wen, truly gone?

Recalling his past defeat, Kaido instinctively clenched his spiked club.

Clang—!

The blade sheathed.

Ryderfield’s aura of dominance slowly receded; his gaze settled on Barret and the others, his eyes filled with insatiable greed.

Like a hunter thirsting for blood!

No!

He had always been the hunter—and he truly craved blood.

“Interesting.”

Ryderfield spoke with deep implication, then sat down on the spot, clearly unwilling to fight here.

Kaido glanced at him, then retracted his own turbulent aura.

The tense atmosphere in the arena vanished entirely.

But what remained for everyone was an unspeakable oppression, and awe.

Can I really still fight against such a monster?

The instant Kid asked himself this question, he felt a strange sensation—as if he had been humiliated.

Since his debut in the South Blue, he had swept all before him, once believing he was close to the pinnacle of the world.

But only recently, when he witnessed the War at Marineford firsthand, did he realize how childish he truly was.

Three months of brutal training had earned him nothing more than the right to stand here.

And nothing more than that.

He looked around.

Aside from the listless Moria and the blustering Vinsmoke-Gatz, everyone else radiated a suffocating pressure.

The oppression born of an unbridgeable gap in power.

At this moment.

He even felt a pang of envy for Hawkins—someone who didn’t have to come here, didn’t have to witness the chasm separating him from these monsters!

They weren’t even beings of the same dimension!

Yet right then.

A bright laugh reached Kid’s ears; he turned toward the sound.

There stood Luffy, transformed beyond recognition, arms behind his head, leaning casually against the wall.

“Heh!”

“If I beat everyone here, then knock Gao Wen flying, I’ll become Pirate King, right?!”

Are you joking?

Fight a monster like that?

Kid wanted to say that.

But seeing Luffy’s confidence, sensing the aura radiating from him—equal to that of the monsters here—he felt a lump in his throat.

“You…”

“Yo~”

"Saxi doesn't care~"

“Kid!”

Kid’s lip twitched; a nameless fire surged in his chest:

“I’m the one who’s going to become Pirate King!”

The words escaped his lips.

Kid suddenly felt lighter inside; he looked up at Luffy—but only grew angrier, and sneered:

“Tch—!”

“Ahahahahahaha—!”

Luffy’s laughter echoed through the contestants’ preparation area.

Sitting in the corner, Gatz felt a wave of irritation but dared not show even a hint of discontent.

Though brief, the earlier standoff had revealed one truth to him.

Among all the contestants here, he was likely the weakest.

Vinsmoke’s prized battle suit meant nothing against these monsters.

He’d probably be defeated by a single blow.

The gap was dimensional—and Gatz knew his place.

But what he truly couldn’t accept was the golden-haired figure standing shoulder to shoulder with Barret—equally powerful, equally radiant!

“Sanji…”

Gatz shook his head, his heart churning.

He still remembered how, two years ago in Water Seven, Sanji had been powerless against him—yet in just two years, he had reached the very peak of the seas?

What a joke!

“Impossible!”

“Absolutely impossible!”

Gatz sat in the corner, gripping his battle spear with stubborn determination.

I won’t be wrong. I can’t be wrong.

Gatz’s heart churned—but no one in the arena noticed him.

The audience around them had nearly erupted; countless spectators stood, gripping the railings, screaming at the top of their lungs!

“The finals haven’t even started, and already these monsters are radiating such heavy tension!”

“Just a brief standoff shook the entire arena—can you imagine how intense the coming battles will be?!”

“It’s not safe to stay in the stands! Even the shockwaves from their fights could kill you!”

“No wonder Britannias demanded all spectators sign liability waivers before entering!”

“But, but, but…”

“To witness a battle like this—I have no regrets in life!”

Whoosh—!

Cheers surged like a tidal wave; the crowd’s emotions soared without limit.

Zango, seeing this, skipped the warm-up entirely:

“Since the audience demands it, we’ll skip all meaningless formalities!”

“Let me reiterate the rules one final time!”

“The Martial Arts Tournament crowns only the strongest! Use any means—ambush, assassination, poison, or outright domination—anyone who remains standing at the end is the victor!”

“Now, for the Round of 16: random draw, two-on-two matches. First match…”

“Number 7 vs. Number 15!”

“Begin!”

From the shadows of the contestant zone, two golden-haired figures emerged—one tall, one short.

Gatz stood to one side, gripping his spear in one hand.

Even if hope was slim, he was here now—he had to gamble everything to fight!

Thinking this, he slowly raised his head toward his distant opponent—and his breath froze:

“Sanji…”

“Ah.”

Sanji’s expression was calm; he didn’t even look at Gatz, only glanced toward Zango on the podium, his brow slightly furrowed:

“Boring guy.”

“I no longer need such methods to sever my past.”

“After all…”

“I have only one identity now: member of the Round Table Knights, chef aboard Knight Gao Wen’s ship!”

Shhh—!

Sanji pulled open a black canister.

A flash of white smoke—and he was clad in Invisible Black armor.

Due to years of training, Sanji’s height had increased significantly compared to his original timeline—he now stood over two meters tall.

His frame had grown much more muscular, yet remained perfectly proportioned.

Paired with the Invisible Black armor, it radiated overwhelming pressure!

In the arena.

The two stood in silent confrontation, awaiting the final signal to begin.

But the audience seats had exploded into chaos!

“That’s… Invisible Black?!”

“And his opponent is Vinsmoke-Gatz, leader of Germa 66?!”

“Isn’t that a manga character?!”

In the audience seats.

Among them were many from the North Blue, who had grown up with the story of the Sea Warrior Sola, making it nearly a collective memory of their generation.

Naturally, they would not forget the main antagonist!

“The Sea Warrior… is real?!”

In the audience seats.

Drake and Hawkins exchanged a glance, each seeing in the other’s eyes an inexplicable stirring.