Gladiator Preparations: The Princess of a Fallen Kingdom

"Boom!"

Ah, this...

As soon as Roman entered, he saw Luffy fighting a burly man.

"Who is this kid?!"

"Sparta has been wiped out..."

"Could he have tripped and fallen?"

"How is that possible? The person is stuck in the floor—"

Roman, dressed as a magician, was speechless. He'd only been registering for the tournament when Luffy had already taken down a star gladiator. No wonder he's the future King of the Pirates; he's so cool wherever he goes. However:

"Anyone who engages in unauthorized fighting before the competition will be immediately disqualified!"

"Huh?!"

The future King of the Pirates was so surprised that his composure crumbled in an instant, causing Roman to sigh. —That's why he wears a mask; otherwise, he's afraid he won't be able to maintain his composure.

Clang!

A giant axe flew over and slammed into the stone slab between Luffy and the arena staff.

"Fool, open your eyes and take a good look."

A man with a bare upper body, wearing a wavy-collared cape, short brown hair, and a tattoo of the number "13" on his left abdomen (symbolizing the 13th generation pillar), stepped forward, holding a Guan Dao adorned with rings.

"That burly man who started the trouble should be the one disqualified!"

Also shirtless, wearing only a green cloak, his right arm was armored, his left arm had a skull-like tattoo, and he was missing several teeth. He carried two battle axes on his back—and another was stuck in a stone slab—the man continued.

"Even though that idiot has already passed out."

The two brothers, Old Sai and Abu, from the Eight Treasures Navy.

Behind them stood a tall (five meters) and robust hunchbacked elder with a "12" tattoo near his temple (symbolizing the 12th generation pillar), whose face was kind. This was none other than Chinjao, the Great Pirates once had a bounty of 500 million.

The X-Treasure Navy are all official pirates belonging to the West Blue Flower Country.

Ostensibly, they came to seize the 'Mera Mera no Mi,' but secretly they were on a mission from the Flower Country: because enemy countries were buying large quantities of Doflamingo's weapons, causing setbacks on the Flower Country's front, they sent the three of them to sabotage Doflamingo's family's weapons factory.

A single nation can easily dispatch a Great Pirates crew with a bounty of 500 million to lead it, along with two lieutenants each worth over 100 million. Therefore, it's understandable that other sea areas look down on the East China Sea, since its bounty cap is already 30 million.

"I'm saved, thank you."

In response to Luffy's gratitude, Old Sai said:

"There's absolutely no need for thanks... Say thank you... Take your thanks back!!"

"Never mind, never mind, brother."

Abu, who was pulling the hot-tempered Old Sai from behind, tried to dissuade him while explaining to Luffy.

"Sorry, this guy's emotions are easily out of control..."

These two brothers, Abu is usually calm while Old Sai is impulsive; in battle, Abu gets impulsive Old Sai remains calm. They're quite a pair.

Okay, let's see which other 'familiar' faces there are. With Luffy as his role model, Roman, dressed as a magician, has no one to challenge him anymore. Anyway:

Whether they're dragons or worms, we'll find out as soon as they step onto the stage!

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't this a gladiatorial combat? Why do I see a king, a strategist, and soldiers?"

Faced with the sarcastic remarks of the tall and short assassin Vander Decken Brothers, Dugong, the muscular strategist of the Kingdom of Prodence, chuckled.

"Stop talking nonsense. You were sent by your own country, weren't you?"

"Compared to any weapons or fortresses, a country possessing the 'Mera Mera no Mi' is far more advantageous in both diplomacy and war!"

Therefore, many neighboring countries sent their strongest warriors here:

Suleiman, a Class A war criminal from the Battle of Tias, known as "The Headhunter," was a hero of the Battle of Tias but was exiled by his homeland as a war criminal. However, this man, wearing a tall hat adorned with skulls and ornate winged patterns and dressed in a long black coat, was still willing to wield his sword for his country.

Bounty hunters Abudra and Jet are the instigators of the 'government agency bombing incident.' They enjoy using underhanded methods to kill their opponents and are employed by an unknown force. As for their appearance, well, they have the classic villainous face that's hard to describe...

Orlumbus, admiral of the 'Yontama Maria Grand Fleet', is a pioneering adventurer known as the 'Slaughter Dominator'. He is a tall, muscular man with a bare chest and a serious expression, whose weapon is a whip. He commands Grand Fleet of over 4,300 men and 56 ships.

······

Indeed, the future members of the 'Straw Hat Grand Fleet' have gradually appeared. A quick glance from Roman beneath his mask reveals that they are all experts with strength exceeding 100 million! If it weren't for the nightmare of almost being enslaved by Sugar for life, they wouldn't have willingly joined Luffy's crew.

Of course, Luffy's strength and charisma are also crucial factors.

Because there were too many people, the gladiatorial combat was divided into four groups for a free-for-all. Group A was dominated by Burgess, Group B had the almost bug-like Bartolomeo, and Group C was, of course, Luffy's victory. So:

"Well, let me think. What experts are there in District D?"

Roman habitually touched his chin... and his mask. It seems only that Cavendish is in Sector D, and then... that's it?

"Okay, it looks like I can easily make it to the finals."

Even if Cavendish activate his second personality: 'Rommel's Sickle', Roman was confident of victory. —No matter who he was fighting, Roman had no option of intentionally losing.

However, Roman, who was talking to himself, did not expect that his very soft voice would still be heard by someone who was paying attention.

She was a slender young woman wearing a helmet in the style of an ancient Roman soldier, a green cloak, and gold shoes. Her armor consisted of only a few simple pieces covering her vital areas. Unlike other gladiators who carried both sword and shield for offense and defense, she carried only a longsword.

Rebecca,

She was the granddaughter of the former King Riku, the daughter of the arena hero Kyros and Princess Scarlet, and strictly speaking, she was also a princess.

This magician...

After meeting so many powerful figures, how could he still spout such arrogant words! Is he relying on something, or is he just a frog in a well?

Rebecca couldn't help but pay attention, after all, the other party was different from other well-known powerhouses; he was completely covered from head to toe, looking more like a gentleman attending a masquerade ball than a gladiator. Moreover, the other party was also in Sector D.

We must find out more about this person!

"All participants are free to choose any weapons and armor provided by the arena, as if they were not carrying any equipment."

"Wow wow!!"

Roman didn't notice the gaze behind him, partly because the person looking at him didn't seem to have any murderous intent towards him; and partly because:

"I really want Usopp and the others to see this~~"

Helmet, breastplate, shoulder armor, cape, skirt armor, boots, shield, longsword! Fully armed, Luffy looked at his outfit with satisfaction, prompting Roman beside him to raise his hand, but he ultimately resisted the urge to rub his temples.

What use are these pieces of scrap metal to you?

It wasn't that Roman was underestimating them, but these supposedly 'good' equipment were nothing more than something that could be easily crushed into a pancake by Luffy's punch. They weren't even as good as Luffy's Supreme Speed Sandals!

It's important to understand that the equipment of powerful individuals, constantly imbued with their Haki, has become something entirely different from anything else in nature. The most famous 'Black Blade' was forged by great swordsmen using Armament Haki.

"Hey, Lucy."

Roman, who rolled his eyes behind his mask, walked over.

"Your equipment is over the limit—the arena has regulations on the weight of weapons and armor."

"Oh, it's Luo... Luo..."

"My name is 'Neo,' remember that!"

"Oh, it's Neo..."

"Anyway, go ask the staff there how much armor they can keep at most."

What a troublesome captain!

As Roman sighed, Rebecca frowned in the crowd. She had witnessed the Lucy easily defeat the star gladiator Sparta, and yet this powerful figure obediently listened to this mysterious magician...

"No wonder everyone is wearing so little; it turns out they can't carry extra protective gear."

Luffy, who had left behind only a helmet and a cape, returned grumbling unhappily.

"This is a 'performance show,' what the audience is after is 'blood.'"

A handsome man, dressed in aristocratic attire and carrying roses, approached and spoke elegantly. He wore a cowboy hat adorned with fluffy trim, had shoulder-length golden curly hair covering his bangs, and was dressed in a nobleman's style.

Cavendish,

"The arena is a place to showcase humanity's thirst for blood and violence. Who wants to watch long and boring battles in armor? Only the blood of the losers can elicit cheers from the audience."

The elegant blond man casually asked a question as he tore off a petal from a rose and chewed it.

"I just saw you take down that big man in one move. Who are you?"

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent.

Although Luffy easily defeated that Sparta, in the eyes of those who were paying attention:

"Ah, my name is Luffy, and I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!"

?!

"Forget it, it's not worth getting angry about!" Roman, rubbing his forehead with one hand, began to space out nonchalantly. —Thinking about it carefully, no one would believe it anyway, right?

Sure enough, the gladiators, who had just turned around, saw the sign on Luffy's back the next second:

When!

A shield was thrown and hit Luffy on the back of the head.

"Aren't you called Lucy?!"

"Straighten your tongue and speak properly—"

"That scared me to death! I thought 'Straw Hat' Luffy was here..."

"That's impossible! I heard that Luffy is eight meters tall and has an eight-meter waist! He eats enough meat for ten people at every meal!"

This,

The rumors at sea... Although the first half is quite different, the second half is quite consistent with the actual situation.

"Oh, right."

Luffy nodded.

"I am Lucy."

·····

"Hmph, if you were Luffy, I'd destroy you right now!"

The dashing young nobleman began his self-introduction, "I am Cavendish, who entered the New World in style three years ago with a bounty of 200 million. He was nicknamed 'Pirate Noble' by the newspapers. Back then, newspapers reported on him every day, and even his Bounty Poster were snatched up by women~~"

Just as Cavendish was reminiscing about his 'glorious past,' Roman was idly looking around, mentally assessing how many of these guys could take him down in a simulated battle—?!

Brush,

With a flicker of his black cloak, Roman instantly went from facing Luffy to having his back to him! In the entire hall, only Cavendish's eyes flashed, and on the other side, Chinjao's snow-white eyebrows twitched.

Are you alright?

Roman, behind the mask, was momentarily surprised as he caught the young gladiator behind him.

"I... I'm fine, I just... twisted my ankle."

?!

"Thank you, I can walk by myself."

He helped the other person up, and Roman, behind the mask, had a black question mark on his face.

Isn't that Rebecca? She's known as the "Invincible Girl" in the arena, a master of Observation Haki skilled she can even dodge Cavendish's second personality. How could she have sprained her ankle like this?

This is not scientific!

Just as Roman was wondering if the other person's 'good friend' had arrived, Rebecca, who had just left, suddenly leaned against the wall as soon as she turned the corner in the corridor. One hand subconsciously touched her smooth neck.

So strong!

She had only intended to observe the other party up close, but in the instant the magician turned around, she not only didn't react, but even felt a long sword slit her throat!

This enemy...

In an instant, Rebecca realized that she was no match for him!

But,

Don't cry! Rebecca, you absolutely cannot give up!

The girl gritted her teeth and gripped her sword tightly. Today was her last chance—to obtain the 'Mera Mera no Mi' and defeat Doflamingo! This was the last chance for all of Dressrosa. Her mother, grandfather, the soldiers...

Bless me!

The next second, the girl, now calm, raised her head again and returned to the preparation room as if nothing had happened.