Dressrosa!

Dressrosa!

Dressrosa, the famous nation of "love and passion" in the New World.

Located in the heart of the New World, Dressrosa was a tropical island.

It was now mid-April, and Dressrosa's daytime temperature reached as high as 38°C. Unlike the unpredictable climate elsewhere in the New World, the weather here was stable—a standard tropical monsoon climate.

Long summers without winter, abundant rainfall, three harvests a year, and vegetables in every season.

The massive temperature difference between day and night made Dressrosa's fruit some of the finest in the New World, exported to other islands throughout the New World.

Its abundant resources and strong foreign trade system allowed Dressrosa's people to live prosperous lives.

On such a foundation, Dressrosa had also fostered a thriving culture. With the people well-off, they had more money to spend beyond food and shelter.

As a result, industries such as food and clothing flourished like never before in Dressrosa, even giving rise to massive money pits like the arena. And because they were wealthy enough, the girls here did not need to depend on men to survive. The confidence brought by wealth allowed them to choose the men they liked.

The "love" in the nation of "love and passion" came from Dressrosa's bold young women, while the passion came from the blood-pumping "arena."

"Dressrosa is a member nation of the World Government."

"After the Donquixote Family abandoned its people and entered Mary Geoise, the Riku Family became the new royal family here."

"The current King Riku—Riku Doldo III—has been on the throne for over a decade now, and he's done quite well."

"Even after paying Heavenly Gold and supporting those scum in the Holy Land, the people can still live like this. Dressrosa is probably the only one."

Garp's warship docked at a port on Dressrosa's eastern coast. A long wooden gangplank was lowered from the ship. Wearing a floral shirt, black shorts, and loose slippers, Garp walked down the gangplank while introducing Dressrosa's basic situation to Yoriichi and Aokiji behind him.

Compared to the officers and soldiers in Marine uniforms behind him, Garp, the vice admiral leading them, did not look like he was here on a mission at all. He looked more like he had come on vacation.

Yoriichi and Aokiji had changed clothes as well. It was too hot for long sleeves. Yoriichi did not have many clothes to begin with, so he had mooched a short-sleeved sailor uniform with "Odd Jobs" written across the back from another Marine.

He had wanted to mooch clothes from Aokiji, but Aokiji's were far too big.

As for Aokiji, he already had a summer uniform.

"Let's find the branch first and see if they have any recent news on Roger."

"Bogard, assign some men to guard every port. Keep a close watch on ships coming and going, especially pirate ships."

"Oh, right. Kuzan, Yoriichi, you two don't need to follow me."

"It's your first time in Dressrosa, so enjoy yourselves. Here, Kuzan, take the Den Den Mushi. I'll call you if anything comes up."

As Garp spoke, he pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and casually tossed it to Aokiji behind him. The other Marines behind Garp all showed envy at his words, but none of them felt dissatisfied over the "special treatment" Aokiji and Yoriichi received.

Aokiji had come aboard Garp's ship to learn in the first place. He had no authority to command the officers and soldiers aboard Garp's ship. Most of the time, he simply observed. Occasionally, when they encountered pirates, he would lend a hand. But fundamentally, Aokiji was not Garp's subordinate. At most, he was a fanboy who admired Garp.

As for Tsugikuni Yoriichi, he was not even a Marine yet.

"Vice Admiral Garp, isn't this a little inappropriate?" Aokiji took the Den Den Mushi and smiled awkwardly.

He was afraid it would look bad.

"Quit babbling."

"It's not your place to tell me how to do things."

Garp picked his nose and replied casually. Hearing that, Aokiji quickly tucked the Den Den Mushi into his chest pocket, then slapped Yoriichi on the back and said happily, "Come on. It's rare that we get another vacation."

After entering Dressrosa's town, Yoriichi and Aokiji parted ways with Garp and the others. Garp was headed for the branch, while Aokiji and Yoriichi had no destination. Once they entered the city, they simply headed wherever it was lively.

"Well, these clothes are way too conspicuous. Let's change first."

After walking along the streets for a while, Aokiji suddenly noticed that he and Yoriichi kept drawing the attention of passersby. Looking down at what they were wearing, Aokiji immediately dragged Yoriichi into a clothing store.

When the two emerged again, they had changed out of their Marine uniforms. Aokiji wore a green shirt, with only three or four buttons around his stomach fastened and his chest exposed. He wore red shorts below, and his military boots had been replaced with slippers.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi, standing beside him, was dressed more conservatively. He had changed into a white crew-neck T-shirt and zebra-striped shorts, replacing his military boots with flip-flops.

The clothes and shoes they had changed out of were stuffed into two bags, one held by each of them.

Even after changing clothes, Yoriichi and Aokiji still drew glances from passersby from time to time as they walked down the street.

It was not because either of them had some kind of domineering aura.

It was simply that Aokiji's color coordination was far too eye-catching.

Red with green—it looked like dog shit.

Who knew why that idiot Aokiji had dressed like that.

However, Aokiji was completely oblivious to it. He thought it was because Yoriichi was walking around with a cold face and a sword in hand.

Dressrosa was rich in produce, and its food culture was exceptionally prosperous. As a result, after Yoriichi and Aokiji had not walked very far, their hands were already full of snacks, sweets, alcohol, and drinks.

"Kuzan, let's go take a look over there."

"That seems to be an arena."

They ate as they walked. After a long while, they reached the center of town. An oval-shaped structure came into Tsugikuni Yoriichi's view.

This was Dressrosa's most famous arena. Its outer walls were built from limestone and bluestone, pale yellow in appearance and dotted with weathered marks, giving it a solemn, ancient feeling.

The arena was about five hundred meters long, three hundred and fifty meters wide, and nearly fifty meters tall. Countless arches lined the oval building, and people streamed in and out in a bustling flow.

This arena looked similar to the Roman Colosseum from Yoriichi's memories, but it was considerably larger.

The fact that Dressrosa could support such a money-burning establishment showed just how strong the nation's economy was.

"Oh! So that's Dressrosa's arena?"

"I've always heard Vice Admiral Garp talk about it, but I've never actually seen it."

"Let's go take a look."

The young Aokiji was also fond of lively places. Seeing the oval building Yoriichi pointed out, he immediately agreed and took the lead toward the arena.

After buying tickets, Aokiji and Yoriichi entered. The moment they stepped inside, the sight before them stunned them. The inside of the oval arena was filled with tiered stands, enough to hold tens of thousands of people.

At the very center was a fighting platform, where two "warriors" were currently battling. Around the platform ran a circular inner river, where fierce fighting fish would occasionally surface, exposing either their heads or terrifying dorsal fins.

As the battle on the platform rose and fell, deafening cheers wildly battered Yoriichi and Aokiji's eardrums.

"Whoa."

"It really is spectacular!"

It was the first time Aokiji had seen a scene like this. He could not help exclaiming, his blood surging as intense excitement filled his eyes.

Even Yoriichi's blood boiled at the cheers that pierced the heavens, let alone a young man like Aokiji.

The two had only just found seats when the battle below came to an end. A warrior in heavy armor ran out of stamina and was knocked to the ground by his opponent, unable to get back up for a long time.

The victorious warrior raised an arm and shouted, waving the spear in his hand.

The defeated warrior was dragged off the platform. After receiving a wave of applause and cheers, the victorious warrior also left the platform. At that moment, the host's impassioned voice rang out through the loudspeakers.

"Next is the battle you have all been waiting for!"

"Please welcome Dressrosa's strongest gladiator, Kyros, who has won 440 consecutive matches!"

"His opponent is Raikiri Muran, known as the Berserk Sea Bear, with a crushing record of 81 victories!"

"Now! Please welcome both fighters to the stage!!!"

As the host finished speaking, the cheers in the arena erupted several times louder. Everyone turned in unison toward the passageway on one side of the platform, chanting Kyros's name in unison.

"Kyros!"

"Kyros!"