Important Figures

"Rrrraugh!"

Baduwan Tiger let out a howl of pain.

His massive body traced a half-circle through the air and crashed down onto the stands amid the audience's horrified stares.

"Whoa! Get out of the way!"

"Run!"

"..."

CRASH!

A large section of the stands collapsed beneath him, kicking up clouds of dust.

But that wasn't what frightened the audience most.

The problem was that a simple fall wouldn't be enough to bring down a Baduwan Tiger. It would only make him angrier.

"Roar!"

A huge silhouette slowly rose through the dust, unleashing a furious roar.

Baduwan Tiger burst out of the dust. His blood had already reached its maximum temperature, greatly enhancing his physical abilities and making him incredibly fast.

His beastly eyes swept over the nobles nearby. Seeing those fleeing "little snacks" stirred the most primal hunting instinct within him.

He charged wildly through the stands. The nobles' guards couldn't stop the frenzied beast, and chaos erupted in an instant.

At that moment, the entire Arena was like a "tornado."

The outer ring was in utter chaos, but the very center—the "eye of the storm"—was particularly calm.

The slaves who had just been fleeing for their lives now stared at the stands in bewilderment, unable to make sense of what was happening.

But after a brief silence, the cold Explosion Collars around their necks reminded them that things seemed to be heading in an unpredictable direction!

Someone had actually dared to cause trouble on the Sabaody Archipelago—and even set a beast loose on the nobles?!

What kind of audacity did that take?

The slaves turned their eyes toward the man nearby, the one who had single-handedly created this "storm"—

Aiven Lindsey.

Just who was he? And how far did he intend to let this storm spread?

"Ahahahaha!"

Lindsey clenched his fists and cheered on the nobles, who looked utterly terrified.

"Come on! You've watched so many matches. You should have plenty of experience dealing with beasts by now!"

Hmm.

The watching slaves confirmed that the man really was acting like someone who loved watching chaos unfold.

They just wondered how long his calm and composure would last.

He hadn't forgotten where they were, had he? This was the Sabaody Archipelago, directly under the World Government's authority...

As expected, a sudden change came!

Just as Lindsey was getting into the show, two cold flashes suddenly streaked across the stands.

Two blades flew in from opposite sides and plunged into Baduwan Tiger's body, burying most of their length inside him!

"Roar!"

A wave of pain struck, and Baduwan Tiger let out a pained howl.

Who was it?

Who had wounded him?

He searched all around, but couldn't see a single enemy.

Then, in the very next instant, two figures darted across the stands and leaped onto Baduwan Tiger's back.

The two men wore black suits and had expressionless faces. Their movements were incredibly swift.

Each grabbed one of the blades embedded in Baduwan Tiger's back. One planted a foot on his head, while the other stood firmly over his lower back.

They both stamped down hard, pulled the blades from Baduwan Tiger's body, then aimed at his neck and abdomen and slashed at the same time.

SWISH—

SPLURT!

Baduwan Tiger was instantly cut into three pieces. Blood sprayed out, soaking a large part of the stands.

The sudden turn of events left everyone there frozen in place. It also made the corners of Lindsey's mouth lift even higher, as he enjoyed himself all the more.

"There are more strong fighters?"

Lindsey waved at the two men in suits.

"Hey, you two! Why don't you come down and play?"

"..."

Neither man replied. They simply flicked the blood from their blades.

The noble old man beside them saw this and immediately grew displeased. He didn't care at all that they had just saved his life, and shouted, "Are you two guards from the Arena? Hurry up and execute that slave!"

"..."

The two men still said nothing, but radiated an unimaginable pressure, like killing machines that had yet to be switched on.

The old nobleman's eyesight was failing. He couldn't make out what the two men in suits looked like, but still tried to keep shouting.

Just then, another noble pulled him aside and whispered something in his ear.

The old nobleman's pupils shrank. Trembling, he stammered, "Th-they're with CP?!"

The CP Organization, whose full name was CIPHER POL, was an intelligence agency under the World Government.

On the surface, there were eight organizations, CP1 through CP8. In secret, there were also special agencies such as CP9 and CP0.

To ordinary people—and even most nobles from small nations—the CP Organization represented the World Government itself!

Experts of this caliber rarely showed themselves. But now they had appeared in the Arena on the Sabaody Archipelago, and what that meant was clear.

"..."

"Wa-ro-ro-ro-ro!"

A strange laugh rang out. Then an even more bizarre-looking person emerged from a private box on one side of the Arena.

He wore a white spacesuit and had a bubble helmet that filtered the air. Rolls of fat covered his face, making him look both hideous and ridiculous.

Of course, no one would dare say that last part out loud.

For there was only one kind of person in these seas who dressed like that—

A Celestial Dragon!

The Celestial Dragons were descendants of nineteen of the twenty kings who had founded the World Government 800 years ago. They considered themselves "descendants of the creators" and enjoyed every privilege imaginable. They were, so to speak, "nobles among nobles."

They were the most domineering people in the world, yet no one dared provoke them.

Because whenever a Celestial Dragon was attacked, a Marine Admiral or CP0 had to be dispatched to protect them.

No one could have imagined that a Celestial Dragon would suddenly appear in this Arena!

Or perhaps he had been watching the matches here all along, and had only ordered his men to act when chaos broke out in the stands.

"Wa-ro-ro-ro-ro! This old man just loves energetic young people!"

The Celestial Dragon waved, and the two men in suits returned to his side, remaining on alert for danger around them.

Then the Celestial Dragon introduced himself. "My name is Saint Ecowina. Would you be interested in becoming my bodyguard?"

Celestial Dragons usually had the word "Saint" after their names.

What astonished everyone was that this Celestial Dragon had actually invited Aiven Lindsey, the man who had caused all the chaos.

"I like strong people—and I like watching them fight even more!"

Saint Ecowina raised both hands, excited. "Don't worry, I won't put an Explosion Collar on you. And as long as you're strong enough, you can do whatever you want in these seas!"

"..."

At those words, even the haughty nobles couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.

They didn't know what kind of luck the troublemaker had stumbled into, but a chance to rise to the top was right before him!

Meanwhile, Aiven Lindsey fell into thought, seemingly considering Saint Ecowina's proposal.

After mulling it over, Lindsey suddenly looked up and asked, "You say I can do whatever I want? What exactly would I be able to do?"

"Wa-ro-ro-ro-ro! Of course, whatever you want!"

Saint Ecowina cackled. "Money, women, status—you can have it all!"

"If you want, you could even tear this Arena apart, and no one would say a thing!"

"What Great Pirate Era? In front of the Celestial Dragons, it's nothing but a game of make-believe played by a bunch of commoners!"

"..."

When he finished speaking, Lindsey didn't answer right away.

He merely looked up at the Celestial Dragon and murmured in reply,

"But I can already get all those things you're offering me!"

Saint Ecowina: "..."

He froze on the spot. He couldn't imagine that anyone in these seas would dare turn down an invitation from a Celestial Dragon.

Then, in the very next instant, Lindsey spread his arms wide and laughed.

"Everything you can give me, I already have. Looks like you Celestial Dragons aren't all that impressive after all!"

Before his words had even faded, Saint Ecowina's face darkened in an instant!