Jesus Burgess

Gladiator Island

This was an island that worshiped strength above all else. Dozens of large and small colosseums were scattered across it. As long as you were strong enough, you could be revered by tens of thousands, gain supreme status, endless treasure, and alluring beauties!

Likewise, the weak held an extremely low status here. The law would never bind those with great strength. Without a certain level of power, you might even be deprived of the right to live!

This had caused gladiatorial combat to flourish across the island. In the eyes of the people here, being a gladiator was an incomparably noble profession!

The Champion Colosseum stood at the very center of the island. It was the largest colosseum on the island. Countless people died there every day, yet even more newcomers continued to join the fights!

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome!" At that moment, a host was shouting himself hoarse inside the Champion Colosseum. "I'm Gris, the commentator for the Champion Colosseum!"

As soon as the host finished speaking, deafening cheers erupted throughout the colosseum. Clearly, the host was extremely popular.

"Today's gladiatorial lineup is truly luxurious! Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome all our valiant gladiators into the arena!" Gris shouted excitedly.

As his voice fell, one entrance after another opened in the walls surrounding the colosseum. Dozens of gladiators slowly entered. Some were empty-handed, while others carried all kinds of weapons, but without exception, every one of them radiated killing intent.

"First, let us welcome 'Wolf Fang' Fenger, who has already won nine consecutive gladiatorial matches!"

Amid the thunderous applause, a burly man confidently waved the spiked club in his hand. A crazed smile spread across his face, and his tall body was packed with muscle. At a glance, it was obvious that he was no good man!

"Next, we have the violent pirate with a bounty of twenty-four million Beli! The captain of the A Fei Pirates, 'Flying Man' A Fei!"

A thin man spread his arms wide, welcoming the frenzied screams. He looked utterly enthralled, enjoying the feeling of being worshiped.

"And finally, our last heavyweight contender! She is also a pirate, with a bounty of twenty-five million Beli! Known as 'Bloody' Mary for her extreme bloodlust!"

Mary might have been the only woman in the colosseum at that moment. She wielded a massive cleaver, its blade razor-sharp and stained with a considerable amount of dried blood.

"What a bunch of trash!"

A disdainful voice came from the audience stands. The spectators sitting beside him angrily turned to look, only to see a man who was clearly sitting in a chair, yet was so terrifyingly tall that even most people standing would have to look up at him. His gaze was ice-cold, and overwhelming dominance radiated from his eyes! A black coat hung over his back, bearing the symbol of a pirate crew:

Three bone clubs crossed to form a Chinese character-like shape. Three skulls sat atop the clubs. The two at the sides frowned slightly, looking left and right respectively, while the middle skull wore a faint smile. A patch of snow-white beard adorned it...

A man sat on each side of him. Both had extremely sharp gazes, and their clothes also bore the emblem of three skulls. Anyone could tell that they were not to be trifled with.

Everyone hurriedly withdrew their angry looks. What a joke—those three clearly weren't good people! On this island, weakness itself was a crime!

I'm sure everyone already knows that the three sitting in the stands were Teach and his two companions. They had spent a week sailing across the sea before arriving at this island. After a week of training, Shit and Fuckyou had clearly grown much stronger. Their auras had become sharper, and their personalities steadier!

That three-skull emblem was the symbol of Teach's Blackbeard Pirates! After careful consideration, Teach had decided that he couldn't keep sailing the seas while carrying his old man's emblem. Thus, he borrowed the original emblem of the Blackbeard Pirates. The only difference between his emblem and the original was that he had replaced the central skull with the emblem of the Whitebeard Pirates. This was also how Teach differed from the Blackbeard of his previous life! He had not betrayed his old man! He had not killed Thatch! Now, he was Ace's friend and Luffy's older brother! He was also a completely different Blackbeard!

"Captain, which one of them is the new member you mentioned?" Fuckyou looked at the gladiators below, his eyes filled with disdain.

"What, just because the Marines raised your bounty to fifty million Beli on account of Captain Teach, you've started getting cocky?" Shit said with a look of disgust.

"But, boss, didn't your bounty also rise to eighty million Beli because of Captain Teach? I remember you were so excited back then that you couldn't sleep properly for two days!" Fuckyou said doubtfully.

"Shut up! I've always been training hard! My strength reached the eighty-million-Beli level a long time ago, all right?" Shit's face flushed as he angrily retorted at Fuckyou.

The spectators beside Teach and the others turned pale. They watched the two pirate captains slaughtering their way across the arena, yet their own bounties were only twenty million Beli! Just how strong were those two? And how terrifying was their captain?

"Wī hahahaha!"

A distinctive laugh rang out from the arena. At that moment, smoke billowed everywhere, and the spectators in the stands widened their eyes, eagerly awaiting the scene that would appear once the smoke cleared.

"Th-this..." "Impossible!" "That's 'Wolf Fang' Fenger, who had won nine consecutive gladiatorial matches!" ...

As the smoke dispersed, the scene in the arena made everyone's pupils contract violently.

A burly man with long purple hair and a gladiator's mask had viciously planted his foot on Fenger. He raised his thick arms high, announcing his victory to everyone!

"Zeahahaha! What a fine fellow!" Teach watched the man in the arena, a trace of satisfaction appearing in his eyes. Shit and Fuckyou followed Teach's gaze to Burgess in the arena, and understanding dawned on their faces. So this guy was the new member!

In the original story, he was the captain and helmsman of the Blackbeard Pirates' first ship, a fanatical admirer of the "Yonko" Blackbeard. He was forthright by nature, yet would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He was also a Devil Fruit hunter!

"Champion" Jesus Burgess!

Teach watched Burgess laughing in the arena. His strength was still immature, far from what it would be when he became the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates' first ship. However, Teach believed that after battling powerful opponents, Burgess's strength would improve significantly!

But Burgess's current situation was somewhat unfavorable.

After seeing Burgess's strength, the two remaining pirate captains on the arena actually chose to join forces against him! Burgess was completely unafraid. He slightly bent his thick right arm, and a powerful vibration appeared around his right elbow!

"Unsinkable Ship Elbow!"

With a furious roar, thick smoke once again filled the arena. When it cleared, the two pirate captains lay on the ground with blood flowing from their noses and mouths, their eyes rolled white.

The colosseum fell silent. Then, the warriors' shouts and the spectators' screams erupted.

"Champion!" "Champion!" "Champion!" ...

Amid the overwhelming cheers, Burgess obtained the champion's golden belt! "Champion" Burgess was born!

Burgess looked at the noisy crowd, a trace of disappointment flashing across his face. He yearned to fight powerful opponents. These opponents had simply failed to satisfy him!

"Zeahahaha! Not bad, kid! How about it? Want to fight me?"

A brash voice rang out. Teach stood in the arena, staring at Burgess as Conqueror's Haki unconsciously radiated from him.

"Wī hahahaha! A powerful opponent! I accept your challenge!" Burgess looked excitedly at Teach, intense battle lust filling his eyes.

"How about we make a wager?"

"What wager?"

"If you win, I'll give you my life! But if you lose, you'll call me captain and join my crew!"