Annajia

Early that morning, Luo Ya arrived at the arena early, eager to verify the extent of his progress. He was fascinated by this feeling of growing stronger every single day.

This was also why Luo Ya never tired of the monotonous training and meditation; if there were a progress bar for schoolwork, where every bit learned filled a segment, the number of people who loved to study would likely double.

Aside from Luo Ya, the other three semifinalists included Annajia from the Flower Country, who had been the first to win her match, and two young men from the Norberto Kingdom's city guard.

The two brothers were built like Schwarzenegger.

Luo Ya had originally thought he could get a little warm-up before the final against Annajia, but he hadn't expected both brothers to forfeit.

Upon asking, he learned that besides the match where Luo Ya had blown Brownbeard away, Annajia's methods were also extremely brutal. While not as lethal as fighting Luo Ya, her opponents had all suffered severe injuries, requiring at least half a year of recovery.

The two brothers had put their heads together and decided that since they couldn't win anyway, they might as well let the two of them fight in the final.

The spectators at the scene were thrilled upon hearing the news, eagerly anticipating this championship battle.

Luo Ya and Annajia slowly stepped onto the ring. Today, Annajia was wearing a black, slim-fitting cheongsam, paired with black silk stockings and high heels, which accentuated her curvaceous figure.

Before Luo Ya could continue to admire her, the referee announced the rules, and the match officially began. Both of them launched their attacks at the same time.

Luo Ya's pitch-black dragon claw struck toward Annajia with a sound of tearing air, while Annajia raised her right leg high to meet him head-on.

Bang! The scene Luo Ya had envisioned, where he would seize Annajia's right leg, did not occur. Instead, he was sent reeling back two steps.

Luo Ya shook his numb left hand and hurriedly crossed his arms to block a side kick from Annajia.

Pfft! With no time to worry about the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, Luo Ya hardened his hands with Armament Haki, extending sharp, claw-like tips.

He met Annajia's spinning kick that followed her side kick.

This woman's leg techniques were exceptional, and combined with her long, slender legs, they kept Luo Ya on the defensive, leaving him in a state of being beaten passively.

Furthermore, Hasshoken possessed a powerful, diffusive shockwave; in other words, it was a special way of exerting force that could break through defenses by focusing on a single point.

This was why even though she had kicked Luo Ya's arms, the impact still caused him internal injury.

Under Annajia's storm-like assault, Luo Ya was completely suppressed, forced to defend incessantly.

Several times he tried to close the distance for melee combat, only to be kicked away.

Front kicks, side kicks, high whip kicks followed by spinning back kicks—the few attacks he managed were all blocked by her arms. By this point, the match had become a one-sided beating of Luo Ya by Annajia.

The cheers from the audience were constant; after all, a beautiful woman who could fight was naturally more popular than a lunatic like Luo Ya, who was always blowing people's heads off.

This isn't working; I have to go all out! Luo Ya thought, condensing Haki to the left side of his head to tank a high whip kick.

Bang! A dull thud echoed.

Even with the protection of Haki, Luo Ya was kicked until he was dizzy and nauseated. Forcing himself to stay conscious, he formed his left hand into a claw and tightly gripped the long leg that had struck his face.

"Finally caught you." As Luo Ya spoke, he pulled hard with his left hand and viciously clawed toward Annajia's face with his right, the pitch-black Haki swirling around his fingertips.

Whether Annajia would lose her ability to fight if this counterattack succeeded was unknown, but she would certainly be disfigured.

Annajia, however, did not panic in the face of danger. She exerted force with her trapped right leg, crossed her arms to shield her face, and bent her left knee. A massive amount of Haki and Hasshoken vibrations condensed at her knee, slamming fiercely into Luo Ya's abdomen.

"Ugh!" Luo Ya was knocked to the ground by the knee strike. Combined with the whip kick to his temple earlier, he could no longer hold it back; he braced his hands on the floor and vomited a large amount of blood mixed with food scraps—one could vaguely tell he'd had steamed buns for breakfast.

Annajia shook the blood from her arm. "If you surrender now, there's still time to see a doctor. Given your physique, your internal organs should only be bruised, not ruptured."

Luo Ya wiped the blood from his chin. "My skills aren't up to par. Heh, I surrender." As he spoke, rolling black flames ignited on his body, and he stood up as if nothing had happened.

Annajia was stunned. "What kind of Devil Fruit is this? Have all your injuries healed?" She reached out to touch Luo Ya's chest.

"It's useless. If we keep fighting, I'll just get beaten up, and it's too frustrating to just take hits without being able to retaliate." Luo Ya complained while swatting away the small hand wandering over his body.

"The champion of this Bare-Hand Fighting Tournament is Annajia from the Flower Country!"

"Annajia is amazing!" "What a cool kicking technique!" "Goddess, I want to have your children!" "I could watch those legs for years!" "I'd be willing to be the Pirate King if it meant I could marry Annajia!" "You really don't want to suffer at all, do you."

As the referee's voice fell, the cheers from the audience hit like a tsunami, though they seemed to be mixed with some rather strange remarks.

Following this, King Brunen announced a nationwide banquet to celebrate the birth of the champion! Amidst the gaze of the masses, he presented Annajia with the championship prize: a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.

As for what kind it was, given Luo Ya's knowledge, he wouldn't recognize it unless it was an exceptionally powerful fruit.

Of course, this was also because he had no intention of eating a fruit himself; otherwise, things like Devil Fruit encyclopedias were relatively common.

After receiving the fruit, Annajia was invited by King Brunen to the palace for the banquet, while losers like Luo Ya were left to wander back to their hotels to eat dust.

"Please wait, Mr. Luo Ya. King Brunen has also invited you to the palace for the banquet. Please come with me to bathe and change first." A guard in armor called out to Luo Ya.

Luo Ya scratched his head. "Fine." He followed the guard into the arena's locker room to wash up and change into the new clothes they had prepared.

After all, his original outfit was covered in footprints, bloodstains, and bits of food; it was definitely beyond saving.