"Straw hat? Open those precious little eyes of yours and look! It's a cowboy hat!!"
"I don't care what kind of hat it is!"
Scott straightened, his eyes narrowing.
"To repair my reputation at the company, I had no choice but to sign up for this ridiculous Martial Arts Ceremony."
"And since you're my first opponent, your good times are over."
"Just wait. I'll drag you to Pier Point and use you to pad my performance record!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Boothill raised his hand and fired several shots in the blink of an eye.
Bang bang bang bang bang—!!
The bullets struck Scott squarely, punching several holes through him. Bright red blood poured from the wounds and splattered across the ground.
"..." Boothill was a little surprised by the sight.
"Company sweetheart, don't you have any fancy tech on you? Did you come here to die?"
"Hmph. Hahahahaha..."
Suddenly, Scott burst out laughing, despite the holes riddling his body.
"Straw Hat, you dared challenge a lone wolf? You don't know what you're up against."
"If I was willing to step into the ring, of course I came prepared."
Scott clapped his hands, and the drones overhead promptly dropped two iron crates.
Thud—
As the heavy crates hit the ground, Scott walked forward as if nothing had happened. Under Boothill's gaze, he opened one of them.
Apart from foam padding, it appeared empty.
Scott reached inside and pulled out a syringe.
"Bet you didn't see this coming! I had the finest minds at The Academy of Scholarly Pursuits analyze that damned Nameless's data!"
"???"
Up in the judges' seats, Yan Huan looked baffled.
"Which Nameless is he talking about?"
"You, of course, boss." Sparkle propped up her chin and muttered:
"Whatever's in that syringe looks pretty potent."
In the