In the end, aside from Shiki, who did not have to pay anything extra because he had helped transport the islands, everyone owed Lind a favor before receiving his permission to compete.
After all, Lind had prepared both the venues and the prizes himself. In a sense, Shiki and the others were coming to compete with the Oran Empire's people for resources.
Although Lind could refuse them, that would not be ideal. He might as well exchange the opportunity for favors he might need later.
As for how Whitebeard and the others would reach Oran Island in just a few days, Lind did not need to worry. The salespeople from the Oran Empire's aircraft factory had been promoting their planes all over the world.
The leaders of these factions all had private planes, so reaching the competition venue was convenient.
During the days of the junior division's elimination rounds, competitors from the various factions arrived on Oran Island one after another.
Since Lind had imposed restrictions on both Telekinesis and strength, none of those who came exceeded Admiral Candidate level. Most were also relatively young, generally around twenty.
Shiki's entrants were Mihawk and Crocodile, whom he had only recently recruited. Because their previous instruction and resources had been limited, they were only at Elite Vice Admiral level. Lind was not optimistic about their upcoming performances.
Qualifying for the main tournament would not be difficult. After all, very few people under thirty had reached Admiral Candidate level. Even most members of the Kunpeng Squad had only broken through to that level in their thirties and were competing in the later elite division.
But if the two wanted to reach the final eight and obtain Dao Enlightenment Tea, their only chance was to use the pressure of the competition to break through