The First Life-or-Death Battle

"Is that so?" Saint Charmak said smugly. "As long as I bring out this shoe, the Amazing Kid will do anything for me. Actually, I bought a woman who was his lover. To find her, he even became a slave and entered Mary Geoise. What a bargain—buy one, get one free! Hahaha! Don't blame me for not warning you. This guy is a woman killer. I brought him here specifically to kill your women."

Saint Charmak was a very honest man. There was no need to ask; he told them everything himself.

"Then you'll have to bet that woman of his, as well as all your wives," Saint Jalmack's Son demanded greedily. "Otherwise, even if I win this guy, the chain will still be in your hands. Do you take me for a fool?"

"You! Hmph, fine!" Saint Charmak was surprisingly open-minded. "I'm already tired of playing with them anyway."

Saint Charmak was actually a very generous Celestial Dragon.

The two sides reached an agreement and pressed their fingerprints onto the contract.

The host publicly announced that the main event to follow would be the Gorgon Sisters' first life-or-death battle!

At once, a group of Celestial Dragons became as excited as if they had been injected with stimulants. Rosward had put up a good fight, and they couldn't afford to fall behind. Out of spite, they started throwing in hundreds of millions at a time. Someone had secretly looked into it. In truth, there weren't many people betting on the Gorgon Sisters to win. Saint Jalmack's Son's money made up half the total—five billion. As long as they won, Saint Jalmack's Son would lose enough to vomit blood. There were plenty of people on this side anyway. Each person only had to put up a few hundred million, and losing wouldn't matter.

Soon, after a proper rest and adjustment, the Gorgon Sisters entered the arena.

Next came the challengers. First was Rosward's usual mount, Captain Dais. His muscular body stood eight meters tall, and he carried a giant battle-ax as he emerged from a massive twenty-meter-high gate, large enough for a giant to walk through upright. The ax was already larger than an ordinary door panel, and its shadow alone was enough to cover Hancock's delicate body.

Dice bent down and dropped to one knee before the Boa Sisters. "Although we have no grudge against one another, my brothers are all in the slave arena now, so I'm sorry. Even if you're just young girls, I won't hold back. Just think of me as a beast."

"We're the same," Hancock replied, standing heroically between her two younger sisters. Marigold and Sandersonia had transformed into towering Snake Princesses, their long tails winding across the ground for seven or eight meters. Marigold gripped a heavy spiked club, while Sandersonia carried a great saber. Both were oversized weapons that only a large gladiator could wield.

Hancock, meanwhile, was carrying a weapon for the first time—and it was a bow and arrow.

Tesoro, who appeared next, was a completely different kind of fighter.

He was a handsome two-meter-tall man dressed in a pink suit, dragging a microphone with a stand in one hand. He suddenly broke into a tap dance, moving forward as he danced. Then he stopped before the three sisters like a perfect gentleman and bowed elegantly.

Everyone was stunned. What was this guy here to do?

"This song is for you, three beautiful ladies." Tesoro snapped his fingers, and exciting music immediately rang out through the venue.

Tesoro suddenly began to sing while tap-dancing. His singing voice was incredibly captivating, and his dancing was exceptionally suave.

A wave of cheers erupted from the stands. Several old women even came over to ask whether they could buy the boy and simply stop the battle. It would be such a shame if his face got injured.

The Boa Sisters had never seen singing and dancing like this before. Their serpentine waists began swaying happily to the beat without them realizing it, and their tails gently slapped the ground. Even Hancock was completely absorbed.

Saint Jalmack's Son's expression was extremely solemn. No one knew what he was thinking.

Saint Charmak threw his head back and laughed. "Don't blame me for not warning you. I already told you this boy is irresistible to women!"

When the song ended, Tesoro suddenly took three roses from inside the cloak behind him. "These are for you. Although we'll be fighting to the death in the next moment, at this moment, I'm still your Tesoro."

The two Boa sisters happily accepted the roses. Ever since they had become Snake Princesses, they had been met with fearful gazes everywhere they went. Apart from Saint Jalmack's Son, no one had ever flattered them.

Hancock proudly refused. "I'm sorry, but I won't accept gifts from anyone except my master."

At that moment, the ground trembled slightly. A burst of cheers suddenly erupted from the stands. He was here—Snowman Butcher Machio, the terrifying wanted criminal who had killed more than a thousand people!

A huge foot stepped out of the gate first, so enormous that it looked like a small boat.

Then came a gigantic furry hand. A fifteen-meter-tall snowman covered in white fur and wearing sunglasses appeared in everyone's sight as a freezing wind whipped through the arena. Those two feet alone were four meters long. Getting stepped on by him would leave no room to dodge.

Saint Jalmack's Son was stunned. Not only was it a real snowman, it was also a Devil Fruit user.

However, Saint Jalmack's Son had complete confidence in the Boa Sisters. After all, the people of Amazon Lily were no pushovers, and they had also obtained the power of Devil Fruits.

The gong sounded, and the battle began.

"Explode!" Tesoro suddenly shouted as he hurled the roses Hancock had refused toward her.

With a thunderous boom, all three roses exploded at once, and burning petals flew in every direction. The blast wave actually blew a huge crater into the ground.

Yet the Boa Sisters were completely unharmed. The scales covering their bodies were like sturdy fortresses, protecting Marigold and Sandersonia, while their intertwined snake tails firmly shielded Hancock behind them.

Scale Enhancement—the scales strengthened with Haki, combined with the powerful defense of the Marine Six Styles technique "Iron Body" taught by Cairns, as well as some techniques from "Vajra" that Saint Jalmack's Son had painstakingly instructed them in—had become the two Boa sisters' signature defensive technique: Scale Enhancement!

"Those flowers were so beautiful," Marigold sighed. "I hadn't even finished looking at them."

Sandersonia opened her mouth, revealing two sharp fangs. Her long tongue flicked in and out as she considered whether to dissolve Tesoro directly with venom. However, Saint Jalmack's Son had instructed them not to kill Tesoro. For some reason, Saint Jalmack's Son had taken a liking to him and wanted to recruit him.

Tesoro knew nothing about the betting taking place in the stands. For the woman he loved, he would use any despicable method available.

Captain Dais launched his attack at the same time. With a roar, he brought the giant battle-ax down toward Marigold. Although a snake demon's body was exceptionally tough, Dais's strength was no joke either. If he didn't fight with all his might, all twenty-odd of his captured brothers would lose their heads.

"Lightning Flash!" Marigold's seemingly fat and clumsy figure vanished in a blur. She immediately swung her enormous spiked club at Dais from behind.

Dice desperately twisted aside, yet he managed to keep up with Marigold's speed. After dodging, he instantly swung his ax back. The blade and club collided, sending sparks flying everywhere.

Dais forced the battle-ax downward with all his strength and roared, "I'm sorry, little girl, but now that victory will be decided by strength, our contest should end here. Because when it comes to strength, I, Dais, have never lost!"