Showdown! Swain's Strength!

With Swain's victory, the people in the stands immediately turned their guns around and began cursing Kurk.

After all, some had bet their entire fortunes. With Swain winning this match, they were naturally going bankrupt.

Those who had initially tried to make a fortune by betting on Swain regretted it even more.

"That kid's this strong?"

The few people who had first encountered Swain looked at one another.

"He seems to have only just come of age."

One of them said in astonishment.

And so,

Swain began his streak of victories. No matter what opponent he faced, he dealt with them using nothing more than a light punch.

One match after another.

Until he reached seventeen consecutive wins!

That was also the gladiatorial arena's rule. After winning seventeen matches, one had to stop and wait to fight the previous consecutive champion.

"Next match, Kaido versus Isofu!"

As the host's voice fell,

the arena erupted!

At last, the match they had been waiting to see!

"Two consecutive champions fighting? This seems unprecedented!"

Someone said in surprise.

This storm had begun to change with Swain's appearance.

Isofu narrowed his eyes as he watched Swain resting.

It was as though he wanted to see through this opponent.

Yet that seemed exceedingly difficult.

"He's definitely going to be a troublesome opponent!" he said after some thought.

Swain, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed, without the slightest sense of facing a formidable enemy.

He even went to the betting counter and placed a hundred-thousand-Beli bet on himself.

He was very confident he could win this match!

He had long since estimated Isofu's strength.

He was probably somewhere between a Marine Rear Admiral and Vice Admiral, strong enough to beat half a Vice Admiral.

But to defeat him? He would probably need the level of an Admiral.

Though he had yet to fight an Admiral, he believed he was slightly inferior to the Three Admirals, but not by much.

He was also confident that within two years, he would definitely surpass the Admirals!

As he entertained these random thoughts, the match had already begun.

Both contestants had earned the audience's recognition through their duels and built reputations of their own.

The cheers from the stands split into two sides: one chanting "Isofu," the other chanting "Kaido."

"Begin!"

With a wave of the host's hand,

Isofu struck first. He used Teleportation to appear on Swain's right, then charged up an elbow strike, seemingly intending to render Swain unable to fight.

But Swain had already predicted his movements. He simply tilted his body in the opposite direction and easily dodged it.

Isofu did not lose heart. Instead, his attacks became even fiercer.

Watching Swain get pressed back, the spectators supporting Isofu shouted even harder, as though that could grant Isofu greater strength.

"Tiger Charge!" A tiger-shaped current of air began gathering behind Isofu.

His hands also turned jet-black. It was clearly Armament Haki.

He pounced at Swain with nimble speed, like a true beast of prey.

Swain stopped dodging as well. He turned his hand into a palm and struck at an angle toward his opponent.

"Ape Palm!" A giant ape-shaped current of air appeared behind Swain as well. This was a fighting technique he had learned from Woli.

He intended to fight with pure hand-to-hand combat.

Their first direct collision sent a powerful shockwave spreading in every direction, instantly blasting away nearby spectators.

Whoosh! A sound tore through the air. Isofu held on for only a few seconds before falling into a disadvantage, driven several meters back by Swain.

"As expected, he's strong!" Fine sweat had already formed on his forehead. Clearly, Swain had put him under tremendous pressure just now.

"You're no match for me!" Swain stood calmly in place.

Their exchange just now had not injured him in the slightest.

"The winner hasn't been decided yet. Don't get too smug." Isofu threw another charging punch through the air.

The resulting shockwave shot toward Swain.

"Trivial trick!"

Unhurriedly, Swain threw a punch through the air as well.

Its force crushed his opponent's attack with devastating ease.

Isofu teleported to Swain's upper right again and launched a sweeping kick, which Swain blocked with his right arm.

His repeated attacks were all effortlessly neutralized by Swain.

Taking advantage of an opening, Swain punched him in the chest, making him cry out in pain and drop to his knees.

The entire arena fell silent, clearly captivated by the fierce battle between the two.

But after Swain's punch, the audience erupted once more.

They shouted, "Kaido! Kaido! Kaido!"

Isofu was furious. Ever since becoming a Marine, everything he had done had gone smoothly. When had he ever suffered such a crushing blow?

"You forced me to do this!"

Isofu roared. His body began to change. A long tail grew from behind him, his palms and body swelled larger, and even his face turned into that of a tiger.

This change on the stage made many people cry out in alarm.

"What's wrong with him? How did he become like that?" someone asked in confusion.

"He must be a Devil Fruit user!"

"Only Devil Fruit users can become like this, and it looks like a Zoan!" Naturally, there were sharp-eyed people in the audience who recognized it.

After all, Devil Fruit users had appeared in the gladiatorial arena in previous years as well.

"I am the user of the Tiger-Tiger Fruit."

"I'll give you a chance. Surrender! I don't want to kill innocent people indiscriminately."

Isofu and Swain faced each other on the stage, though Isofu's tone was rather arrogant.

"You're that confident?" Swain asked.

His expression remained calm and composed.

"Keep talking tough, then! I gave you a chance, but you didn't appreciate it." Isofu leaped into the air above Swain.

His sharp claws reached down, aimed directly at Swain's head.

He was so fast that the sound of air tearing could be heard.

If those claws came down on an ordinary person, they would probably burst apart like a smashed watermelon.

Yet the scene Isofu wanted did not occur. Swain used the same simple move as before, merely raising a single finger to meet him!

However, there was a trace of Haki on Swain's finger!

The shockwave produced by their clash was even stronger than before, cracking even the nearby railings.

Swain pressed down again with force, sending Isofu flying backward.

He dragged across the ground for three or four meters before coming to a stop.

"How is this possible?!" Isofu found it utterly unreal!

Yes! Utterly unreal!

He could not understand why this ridiculously young boy before him was so strong!

He had never even heard of someone like him.

Had he appeared out of nowhere??

Though he had not been injured in that exchange, the Zoan Fruit's defensive power was terrifying!

The thought of retreating had already arisen in his heart. There was no point in continuing this fight.

"No need to fight to the death!"

He had originally intended to raise his hand and surrender.

Surrendering was allowed in the gladiatorial arena,

but how could Swain not know what he intended to do?

This was the first Devil Fruit user he had encountered since setting sail, and Isofu was fairly strong as well.

Given time, he would definitely become a Marine Vice Admiral, and one of the stronger Vice Admirals at headquarters.

That was excluding Garp, of course. He was a legendary powerhouse!

Swain smiled, looking harmless enough.

In an instant, he appeared behind Isofu and swept his leg, kicking him flying before he could even hit the ground.

He moved at extreme speed, punching him into the air again. He threw more than thirty consecutive punches, keeping Isofu in the air the entire time!

A complete crushing defeat!

Even as a Tiger-Tiger Fruit user, Isofu had no ability to fight back against Swain.

The audience fell silent!

Even the host stopped commentating, staring at the scene before him in stunned disbelief!

"You're really tough. My hands are starting to hurt from hitting you." Swain said as he rolled his wrists.

Isofu lay on the ground with his eyes rolled back, unconscious and foaming at the mouth.

He desperately wanted to say: Could you let me use Tekkai before we fight again?

But Swain knew his movements, not his "inner voice."

He kicked him off the stage.

Only then did everyone finally come to their senses.

The young man before them had won! And in an exceedingly simple manner.

The crowd began going wild over the battle.

Nearly ten thousand people in the arena shouted Kaido's name.

"This match goes to Kaido!"

"Tonight's auction goes to Mr. Kaido!"