That day, the long-prepared Coliseum Competition was held as scheduled.
The long streets were teeming with people.
Crowds who had come from outside the island, drawn by the competition's fame, weaved between the shops along the streets, bringing profit and laughter to the residents of Dick City.
Looking around, one could see colorful ribbons "fluttering" everywhere, supported by wooden frames.
As the long-awaited opening ceremony of the Coliseum Competition began, nearly every gaze in the city was focused on the enormous coliseum at the center of Cross Street.
Amid this atmosphere, the gloom hanging over East Street finally began to lift somewhat.
"I'm taking that Devil Fruit!"
"I've been waiting forever! Zehahaha!"
"An unprecedented grand prize..."
Those who had come for the championship prize were all fired up, arriving at the coliseum early to register.
Luo and Bepo also arrived outside the coliseum and joined the crowd.
"Captain, it's so lively here!"
Bepo excitedly watched the noisy crowd around him.
He was tall and stood out among the crowd, rather like a crane among chickens.
Soon, the people nearby noticed Bepo's presence and could not help looking over.
"A bear-type gladiator..."
Someone carefully sized Bepo up.
Among them, an experienced gladiator was also observing him.
After determining that Bepo was a gladiator, the veteran instinctively used several common standards to assess Bepo's overall combat strength.
"His size barely makes the cut. What a shame about all that fur—I can't see his muscles. His strength should be decent, but as for his intimidation... zero points."
The veteran glanced several times at Bepo's glossy, adorably innocent eyes and silently reached his verdict.
When beasts confronted one another, the intimidation provided by a ferocious appearance was also an indispensable factor in determining victory or defeat.
In the veteran's eyes, setting aside his size,