The coming battle at the Corrida Colosseum set the night ablaze. A feverish Flame burned in every heart, and the deafening cheers swept across the sea, as though they might carry that passion to every corner of the world.
Even with the spectator stands empty, Gatz felt a heat unlike anything he had known before.
He sprang to his feet, gripped the microphone, and continued, "Now, let me explain the rules of the battle!"
At the same time, a Den Den Mushi turned its eyes and projected the scene onto the platform at the center. A thick, black Iron Pillar stood in the middle, its steel hardness stark beneath the lights.
Heavy iron chains were fastened around the Iron Pillar. One end of each chain was secured to it, while the other was wrapped around the officers the residents knew all too well.
"The rule of this battle is that there are no rules!" Sparks of madness flashed in Gatz's eyes. "Any weapon and any means of attack are allowed. Whoever is still standing when everyone else can no longer fight will be the winner! And..."
"As you can see, the officers who just fought are covered in wounds. Those lying over there have even stopped breathing..."
Stopped breathing?
Didn't that mean they were already dead?
The uproar quieted a little. People looked at one another, unable to understand why there were dead bodies on the platform.
As if he understood their doubts, Gatz turned the camera toward Crocodile. "But that isn't the end! Now, allow me to introduce the man behind this contest: Lord Crocodile, Supreme Commander of the Undead Legion!"
The Undead Legion?!
At the name, the residents remembered the terror they had suffered before. The slaughter carried out by those dead soldiers was a nightmare the entire