Baboon King

Ali weakly asked another question. "Surely you aren't really planning to challenge the champions from the previous tournaments? Let me make one thing clear: only martial arts experts and fighters are allowed to issue challenges here."

Moke smiled when he heard that. "Who doesn't know a few martial arts moves? Where do I sign up?"

"Uh...?"

Ali and everyone around him turned to look at him. After all these years here, this was the first time they had encountered a swordsman entering a fighting competition.

This was getting interesting!

Everyone had a taste for gossip. One by one, they looked at Moke, their eyes gleaming.

Ali finally realized it too. The guy before him was serious.

He immediately said, "Please come with me. I'll take you there right now."

Led by Ali, Moke soon arrived at the very center of Champion Island. A massive bell stood there!

Ali said, "As long as you ring this Champion Bell, the champions on the island will hear it. Once they do, they'll appear. But let me remind you one more time: once you ring it, there's no backing out. More importantly, you must use martial arts to issue your challenge. Otherwise, if you break Champion Island's rules, all the fighters on the island will gang up on you."

"Interesting..."

Moke walked over without hesitation.

"Hey, hey, hey, look! What's that swordsman doing?"

Someone quickly noticed Moke's actions, his face filled with shock.

"Is he going to ring the Champion Bell?"

"He must be here to cause trouble!"

"Exactly. A swordsman challenging a fighting champion? He's practically asking to die..."

"Tsk, tsk, it's been a long time since anyone rang the Champion Bell. Who cares whether he's a swordsman or a fighter? Either way, there'll be a spectacle to watch..."

"Uh... that's true. And a swordsman who dares ring the Champion Bell has to be at least a Swordmaster, right?"

Moke ignored what they were saying and walked straight over. Then he kicked it.

"Dong..."

The deep toll of the bell echoed throughout Fighting City.

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn over. No matter what they had been doing, they all stopped and looked toward the center of the city, where the Champion Bell stood.

"Someone challenged the champions?"

Their eyes lit up one after another, and many of them rushed toward the city center. Anyone who rang the Champion Bell would fight in the arena beside it.

"Boom..."

Over on Moke's side, someone descended from the sky. The tremendous impact blasted a huge crater into the ground.

The newcomer was a burly giant nearly four meters tall, standing before Moke. He wore only a fighting vest, and his muscles bulged all over his body.

But Moke could tell that these were not the useless muscles built for show. They were the source of terrifying strength...

"The strongest champion, Baboon King..."

Everyone froze for a moment before crying out in alarm. They had recognized the man before them as the strongest champion among all the previous winners of the past hundred years.

"It's over. That guy's finished."

"It's Baboon King... Oh god! That swordsman is too unlucky. He's rarely shown himself these past years."

"The strongest champion? Baboon King?"

Moke looked at the man before him, and his eyes could not help but brighten. Even Jesus Burgess, his target this time, did not have such a title.

He wanted to see just how strong this guy was.

Taking advantage of his height, Baboon King looked down at Moke. His gaze fell upon the two swords at Moke's waist, and his brows immediately furrowed.

Still, he confirmed it first. "Did you ring the Champion Bell?"

Moke nodded.

Baboon King's expression changed instantly as he roared, "Kid, are you here to stir up trouble on Champion Island?"

"It's over, it's over. Baboon King is getting angry..."

"Tsk, tsk... There'll be a good show today."

"Hurry and buy tickets... They'll be sold out soon. Then you won't even get to watch the fun."

The quick-witted people had already sprinted toward the arena ticket booth.

Moke merely smiled calmly. Then he raised a hand and aimed his index finger at Baboon King. "Flying Finger Pistol!"

A Spear Wave shot forth at incredible speed, reaching Baboon King in the blink of an eye.

Baboon King narrowed his eyes, somewhat surprised. "The Navy's Six Powers?"

As he spoke, he acted as though he had not seen the Spear Wave at all. He stood there perfectly upright until it was about to hit him.

His body gave the slightest shake, and a shockwave surged from him, directly shattering Moke's Spear Wave.

"Hasshoken!"

A glint flashed through Moke's eyes. He was somewhat surprised as well.

"Tsk, tsk..."

Baboon King gave a strange laugh. "You've got some knowledge. I won this move in a bet with Chinjao ten years ago."

Then his tone shifted, and his expression became meaningful. "But you're an interesting kid too. A dual-sword swordsman who also knows the Six Powers is a rare sight. Still, since you know martial arts, you're not breaking the rules."

"A bet?"

Moke paused slightly, immediately catching the key point.

Baboon King burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! I'm not just a fighting champion, I'm also a gambling king. I win every bet and have never lost a single one. So, are you interested in having a wager with me?"

Moke was intrigued as well. "What are we betting on?"

Baboon King said, "I arranged a bet with an old friend, and the time is almost here. If you lose, guard Champion Island for me for a year. How about it?"

"I'll lose? Hahaha... cough, cough..."

Baboon King seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world and burst into loud laughter. But he immediately realized something, stopped laughing, and covered it up with a cough.

"Then how about this? If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me."

Moke could not help but laugh. "Then if you lose, join my pirate crew. How about it?"

Baboon King froze. Then the look in his eyes changed as he stared at Moke. "Kid, you didn't come to Champion Island specifically for me, did you?"

Moke said, "I came here for someone else. You're an unexpected bonus."

"An unexpected bonus?"

Baboon King laughed and said meaningfully, "You're an unexpected bonus for me too. If I win, I'll have a Shichibukai guarding Champion Island for me. Hahahaha..."

"Uh?"

Moke was dumbfounded. So this guy had recognized him from the start!

He wanted Moke to guard Champion Island while he went out to gamble with his old friend.

But... "You're that certain you can beat me?"

Baboon King said, "Under normal circumstances, I might not be able to defeat you. But the rules here only allow fighting techniques and martial arts, so you can't use your swordsmanship or your Logia Devil Fruit powers. That cuts your strength by more than half... If I still can't beat you like that, joining you wouldn't be unacceptable!"

"Hahaha..."

Moke also burst into laughter. "Then let's find out..."