Thanks to reader ~恩`ゐ伱坏~ for the 100-coin tip!
Also, since the story has finally passed 3,000 bookmarks (after a whole month—it wasn't easy), there will be three updates today.
Two in the afternoon. Marineford. The Arena.
The Arena was the name of a large Plaza behind the Marine Headquarters fortress, not an arena in the Underworld.
Marine Headquarters had plenty of personnel, and plenty of Plazas.
Some were used purely for training, others for assemblies. Then there was the Plaza known as the Arena.
No one knew how many years ago that name had caught on. By now, everyone had forgotten its original name and simply called it the Arena.
It was, after all, perfect for fighting.
The area was wide open and sparsely populated. The nearest Town to the east was several miles away, and there were no buildings nearby. It stood apart from the Headquarters complex.
With conditions like those, the Marines naturally considered it the best place for sparring.
No matter how fierce the fighting got, there was no need to worry about innocent bystanders.
At that moment, a gaunt figure sat cross-legged at the center of the Arena. A long sword lay across his legs, rising and falling with his breathing.
Several figures stood in the spectator seats to Hansa's left.
Among them were the officers serving as referees. But there was also former Admiral Zephyr, Vice Admirals Momonga and Haisoken, and the Marine Navy Hero Iron Fist Garp.
The One Piece World had been relatively peaceful these past two years. The Yonko were untouchable, the Shichibukai were off-limits, and the new pirates weren't nearly as monstrous as the batch that would take to sea the year Luffy did. Branch bases could handle most matters, leaving the officers with plenty of free time.
When Momonga