The Game Begins

Sirius and the others stood not far away, quietly watching several adult pirates gang up on the brother and sister.

The siblings were both very young. The younger brother crouched on the ground with his head covered, his face full of fear.

But the older sister was full of courage.

She was only five or six years old. Unlike Sirius, she did not possess an overwhelmingly powerful Devil Fruit ability. She was merely an ordinary person, perhaps a little stronger than average. Facing several adults at once, she stood no chance of winning.

But she was still fearless.

"Don't you dare hurt Pay-tan!"

The little girl roared and rammed her head into another pirate's waist, knocking him stumbling backward.

But two fists could not beat four hands, and she was promptly kicked to the ground.

Several pirates closed in around her, and the situation instantly became dire.

But the little girl had no intention of surrendering. She grabbed one pirate's leg, opened her mouth, and bit down.

"Ah!!"

The scream instantly became shrill.

"So amazing!"

Black Maria immediately exclaimed, "Not only is she cute, she's amazing too!"

Not in terms of fighting strength, but in terms of will.

Even while surrounded by several adults raining punches and kicks on her, the girl still roared and fought back with her teeth and fists.

Perhaps the damage she dealt was not particularly effective, but her will was incomparably firm. She would never compromise, never admit defeat.

"I want to be friends with her even more!" Yamato said excitedly, turning back to ask, "Sirius, are we really not going to help?"

Sirius shook his head. "Wait a little longer."

Just then, the little boy who had been hiding fearfully to one side saw his sister being beaten up, and the fear on his face instantly turned into anger.

"Don't hurt my sister!"

His childish voice was filled with fury as the little boy lunged forward, hugged a pirate's leg, and bit down.

"Whoa! You little brat!!"

The pirate reflexively shook his leg, flinging the little boy away.

He turned around angrily and glared at the little boy, who had barely managed to climb back up. "You dare bite me? I'll kill you, you little brat!"

"Don't hurt Pay-tan!"

In the instant the pirates' attention was diverted, Ulti sprang up, snatched a Katana from a pirate's waist, and slashed his leg.

While the pirate screamed in pain, she ran to her brother's side, gripping the sword in both hands and pointing it at the pirates before her.

Her face was already covered in bruises, and the hand holding the sword trembled nonstop, but she still had no intention of moving aside.

"I'm not afraid of you!" she roared.

"You little brat!!"

The pirate who had been slashed was furious. "I'll kill you two!"

"Wait."

But another pirate stopped him. "This is making too much noise. It'll draw the others over, and Boss Kaido only brought them back today. Don't go too far!"

He shot the siblings a fierce glare. "Aren't they taking part in tomorrow's game? We can have some fun with them then."

The other pirates thought it over and raised no objections before quickly leaving.

Only after all the pirates had gone did Ulti collapse as though all her strength had left her, wrapping her arms around her brother and trembling.

What an incredible girl.

Sirius sighed inwardly after watching the whole thing.

Then he said, "Come on. We can go over now."

"Can we go make friends with them?" Yamato asked expectantly.

"I don't think this is a good time."

Sirius answered casually.

The four of them walked forward, and Ulti and her brother naturally spotted them.

The little girl who had been slumped on the ground leaped to her feet in an instant, snatched up the sword lying beside her, and pointed its blade at Sirius and the others.

"I'm not afraid of you!" she shouted.

Sirius smiled at the wary little girl. "See? I told you now wasn't the time."

Yamato pouted.

Black Maria said with a smile, "But she really is cute, isn't she?"

Sirius did not answer. He merely smiled and said, "Haha, let's go. Time to head back and sleep. We still have a big scene to cause tomorrow, and we won't have enough energy if we don't get some proper rest."

"Are you really one to say that?" Jack complained.

The four gradually walked away.

Only once even their voices could no longer be heard did Ulti finally relax.

Holding her brother, she whispered, "Big sister will definitely keep you alive here, Pay-tan."

The night passed without incident, and soon it was the next day.

After their usual morning training, Sirius and the others went to eat breakfast.

Then it was time for the game to begin.

The venue had been set inside the great Skull Head, in Onigashima's central plaza.

Even the Onigashima that would be mostly completed seventeen years later had retained a broad plaza, much less the current one.

The grounds were vast, barely suitable even as a battlefield for monsters like King and Queen, let alone for the current situation.

Thousands of pirates had gathered here. There were quite a few who had decided to risk their lives for the Okuchi-no-Makami Fruit.

But even more people stood around the outskirts of the plaza, watching this grand event.

At the center of the plaza, a platform hung in the air, connected by chains to the inner wall of the Skull Head above.

A man stood atop the platform.

"Muhahahaha!! Ready, you scum? The fun game is about to begin!"

Queen held a Den Den Mushi, and the speakers installed throughout the plaza carried his voice into every corner of the venue.

"Yeah!!!"

The pirates answered him enthusiastically.

Sirius sat on Jack's shoulder, looking up at Queen. "Didn't he say his Plague Calamity Bomb was at a critical stage?"

Jack replied, "Queen Brother loves lively occasions like this."

That made sense. Teacher Queen was a master of parties.

Sirius smiled.

"The prize is already in place!"

Queen held up a small box and laughed heartily. "Who will be the one to obtain this fruit in the end?"

He pointed down at the plaza with his right hand. "Will it be the Pillars, the backbone of our crew?"

The Pillars he pointed to immediately erupted in cheers. They were the Beasts Pirates' mid-level members, essentially minor officers.

"Or perhaps," Queen raised his finger and pointed toward the back of the plaza, where enormous figures stood one after another, "the embodiments of terror and violence, the strongest wall of the Beasts Pirates! The Numbers!"

"Hehehe! That fruit is as good as mine!"

The Numbers gathered there, each towering far above giants, burst into loud laughter.

With their enormous bodies, even their cheers and celebrations stirred up astonishing gusts of wind.

Queen shifted his gaze again. "But perhaps the final victors will be them!"

"Little beasts showing their fangs! The future stars of the Beasts Pirates!"

A beam of light from nowhere fell upon Sirius and the others, instantly making them stand out.

"Lord Sirius!!"

"Lady Oni-Hime!"

Sirius could even hear his fans cheering in the distance.

"Muhahahaha! Will these growing monsters reveal their fangs this time? Let us wait and see!"

Queen laughed heartily. "Then I announce—"

"The game begins!"

Thanks to the great Local Nascent Soul for the huge six-hundred-point reward!