The Bailie Island, ruled by the God Plap, Sky Fighting Arena.
In the previous battle, Shuma easily defeated the dozen or so fighters with bounties of about ten or twenty million in the Blue Sea by using his high speed and fierce attacks. Amid cheers and surprise from the audience, he deservedly won the championship of this Heavenly Battle.
So Mikuru, who was on the platform, ran up to the cloud platform and, together with Shuma, was invited by someone to the waiting room for a hearty meal and a short rest. Then, the Mad Monk Urouge on the main platform issued him a one-on-one challenge.
Shuma had come to the Sky Fighting Arena with the intention of obtaining food from the Sky Island, heard the shouts from the Sky Fighting Arena. He scratched his head in confusion at first, but the cheers from the audience inexplicably ignited his passion. He returned to the Cloud Platform and mindlessly accepted the challenge.
"Pirates from the Blue Sea."
Urouge stood on the other side of the platform, hoisting the enormous pencil behind him onto his shoulder. He looked at Shuma, who was much shorter than him, and grinned. "I've encountered some Blue Sea pirates who came to Sky Island before. The strongest Blue Sea claimed to have a bounty of 30 million. I don't know if that's high or low, but anyway, this guy was pretty weak... You should be stronger than him. Let me enjoy the thrill of battle."
"My name is Shuma." Shuma completely ignored Urouge's words, rubbing his index finger under his nose in a nonchalant manner. Then, a fierce, bloodthirsty flame ignited in his eyes. "Your udon noodle ingredient is much larger and seems much stronger than the others. Although I don't know why you want to fight me, I won't lose! Roar!!"
"Such fervent fighting spirit... truly admirable!" Urouge flung off his black monk's robe, revealing a well-defined and muscular physique. "I will defeat you with all my might, and then head to the vast Blue Sea to find even stronger opponents."
"Hehe." The Raptor Boomerang that was spinning on Shuma's fingertips flew towards Urouge like a leaping sprite.
The Raptor Boomerang, forming a silver disc shape in the air, approached Urouge in the blink of an eye.
Clang!!
Urouge calmly hoisted the huge black pencil off his shoulder, blocked the approaching Raptor Boomerang in front of him, and deflected it to the left with a crisp impact. Clearly, the pencil weapon, which could withstand such a powerful force without deforming or breaking, was not made of ordinary materials.
Then, with the force of a tiger or leopard, he strode forward with the weight of a mountain, rapidly approaching Shuma. His huge black pencil was raised, ready to be swung at any moment.
Geppo!!
Seeing his opponent charging towards him, Shuma suddenly leaped into the air, catching the Raptor Boomerang that had veered off course and was now flying back. Although he was usually carefree and easygoing, his combat intelligence was second to none on the ship. Seeing his opponent's burly and powerful physique, he immediately conceived the idea of a protracted battle. His previous boomerang throw was also to test his opponent's strength, and now he was even more certain of this idea.
" Flying Swallow Shadow Blade!"
Shuma used Geppo to stop in mid-air, and then shot out the boomerang in his hand again. Like a swallow spreading its wings, it turned into a blur and suddenly swooped down.
Urouge parried again with his giant pencil, but this time Shuma's power was clearly much stronger than the initial probing attack. This attack made Urouge stagger slightly and take a step back.
However, Urouge was no pushover. As Supernovas pirate who would be able to rival the Sweet Commander two years later, he understood Shuma's attack method in the blink of an eye. Shuma wanted to use a turret-like approach to attack him from a distance, engaging in a war of attrition, rather than a head-on melee.
But while he was quick to react, he wasn't known for his speed, and he was inevitably outmatched by Shuma was constantly darting through the air and launching boomerangs.
As soon as Shuma throws his boomerang, it returns to his hand in the blink of an eye, only to be thrown again. Moreover, he doesn't stay in one place; after each boomerang throw, his body moves constantly, predictively appearing in another location.
The high frequency and force of the attacks put Urouge at a disadvantage from the start of the battle. He could only use his giant pencil to constantly block and defend, like a kite being flown, always being pulled away just as he was about to get close. Despite this, a faint excitement began to rise within him, as if an invisible current was spreading from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and a bright light appeared in his eyes... It had been a long time since he had encountered such a powerful opponent!!
Mikuru, watching the fight in the arena from the terrace connected to the reception room, stuffed sashimi into his mouth while shouting indistinctly, " Shutaro, go for it! Beat that big guy to a pulp... Ugh, this sashimi is so chewy, so delicious!"
"You're from the Blue Sea, right? You're... Mink Tribe?"
Suddenly, a shirtless man appeared beside Mikuru.
Hearing the voice beside her, she immediately recoiled, taking a large step back. Turning around with a chill, she stared at the man before her. "Who are you?!"
This man... he walks without making a sound! That's incredibly dangerous!
"I am God Plap rules over this Bailie Island." Prap looked calmly at Mikuru. "Don't be nervous, little girl. I just want to ask about some things in the Blue Sea."
"What... do you want to ask?"
Having spent years navigating the seas as a thief, Mikuru's vigilance was inevitably much higher than that of the average person. Faced with Prap, who was able to approach her silently, she immediately stuffed the delicious sashimi in her hand into her mouth, no longer daring to continue eating leisurely, and swallowed it all in one gulp.
"We haven't seen anyone from the Blue Sea on this island for six years... I just want to ask you about someone." Prap pulled out a photograph. "Have you seen this person?"
"... What do you mean by taking out your selfie?!"
"Hmm...?" Prap turned the portrait over to examine it, silently put it back, and then took out a photograph of a man. The man in the photograph only showed his profile. "His name is Xilo Frans, and he's a businessman."
"Carrying his own photo with him, how strange..." Mikuru muttered to himself before glancing at the photo, shaking his head. "I don't know this person."