Her outfit was extremely revealing. Aside from a breastplate and a loin guard, most of her body was exposed. Rather than serving a defensive purpose, her armor seemed designed only to preserve the last traces of modesty, which, in Redfield's eyes, was utterly meaningless.
And she was Rebecca, the granddaughter of King Riku, the former ruler of Dressrosa, and one of the direct victims of Doflamingo's schemes.
Her mother, Scarlett, was killed by Diamante, while her father, Kyros, had been turned into a toy soldier and forgotten by the world. To give Rebecca the ability to protect herself, Kyros had no choice but to teach her how to fight.
But clearly, Rebecca was not the fighting type by nature. She had no advantage in strength whatsoever and could only compensate for her weaknesses with techniques.
After Doflamingo seized power, Violet, because of her Devil Fruit ability, became an officer within the Donquixote Family. Aside from her, the rest of the royal family and their loyalists could do nothing but cling to life, forced to fight as gladiators in the Corrida Colosseum for the entertainment of others.
If the people of Wano Country were to see this, the Kozuki family and their retainers would realize that the Beasts Pirates' methods were, by comparison, already exceedingly gentle. After all, there was no fundamental enmity between the Beasts Pirates and the Kozuki family, nor were the Beasts Pirates the original royal family of Wano Country. Kaido himself cared little for such matters.
But Dressrosa was different. Many years ago, before the World Government was even founded, Dressrosa's royal family had been the Donquixote family. It was only after they left for Mariejois as Celestial Dragons that the Riku family became the new rulers of Dressrosa.
In Doflamingo's view, he was merely taking back what had once belonged to him. Combined with his personality, it led things to develop this way.
Doflamingo, unlike Kurozumi Orochi, didn't rule through oppression, yet neither did he employ any gentle means. If not for Violet's useful ability, Doflamingo wouldn't have even bothered keeping the royal family alive.
Under Doflamingo's rule, the Colosseum became a place where people could die. Rebecca, who was already at a disadvantage in terms of strength, also possessed a personality that didn't want to harm others.
In such circumstances, she chose to fight with her back to the edge of the arena, knocking her opponents out of bounds to disqualify them.
Even if she wore sturdy armor, a solid hit could still cause her serious injury. So she chose to discard all unnecessary protection, lightening the burden on her body to maximize her agility.
"Pato, do you think I used to be too much of a loner? I've suddenly realized that there are quite a few interesting people in this world. Apart from all the disgusting emotions, I've met a few fools here and there, but lately, I've been meeting a surprising number of them."
"I don't know, Boss Red. We've only known each other for a little over a year, but ever since that incident in Trans Town, you really have changed a lot."
"Only a year, huh? Feels like such a long time. So, little girl, you're after the power of the Quake-Quake Fruit?"
Redfield's Observation Haki was extremely capricious. Whenever he wished, he could perceive most people's pasts and thoughts in an instant.
It was precisely because so few people could hide anything from him that he had developed such an aloof personality, finding it difficult to meet comrades who truly matched his interests.
During the brief moment Rebecca was still stunned by Spartan's inexplicable fall, Redfield had already skimmed through her memories and heart, learning why she had entered the Corrida Colosseum in the first place.
To obtain the power of the Quake-Quake Fruit, and defeat Doflamingo.
In response to this, Rebecca silently nodded, then said, "Old man, aren't you the same? At your age, you are still yearning for that fruit. Come to think of it, Whitebeard was also quite an old man. No wonder this fruit has such an appeal to old people."
"Yeah, Newgate could still pull off feats like that at such an old age. Hopefully, there'll be more people here worth me lifting a hand."
Redfield flexed his arm lightly. By now, he had come to terms with his aging body. Since Whitebeard, a man of his own era, had been able to shine brilliantly even in his twilight years, there was no reason he couldn't do the same.
"You're called Rebecca, right? I have a question, that statue over there, who is it of?"
"That statue? It's of Kyros, the legendary gladiator of the Corrida Colosseum. Three thousand matches, not a single defeat, and only one injury. They say he was active in this Colosseum up until twenty years ago.
But then, he suddenly disappeared. No one remembers him anymore, and nobody knows anything about him. It's as if he's nothing more than a made-up legend."
"I see. There really is something wrong with this country."
For Redfield, other people's pasts usually played like a slideshow in his mind. But in Dressrosa, that slideshow had failed to load more than once.
It was as though the people here had certain memories sealed away, memories even he couldn't see. The gladiators inside the Colosseum were especially affected.
As long as it was related to this statue, the memories seemed to be inaccessible. This strange phenomenon piqued Redfield's curiosity even further.
Just then, the manager of the Preparations Room walked over. Spotting the unconscious Spartan, he glanced around before asking, "What on earth happened here?"
"No idea. He just collapsed all of a sudden. Maybe he was too weak?"
"Come on, old man, don't joke around. Spartan wouldn't just faint for no reason. Did anyone see who he was fighting with?"
After quietly asking around, the answers were all the same. Spartan had attacked someone, then suddenly passed out himself. In the end, the matter was left unresolved.
After the manager left, laughter and chatter filled the Preparations Room.
"Hey, Rebecca, bet you're happy to see that guy get what he deserved!"
"Yeah, he's been bullying you all this time. Too bad he won't be continuing today."
Amid the mockery of the crowd, Rebecca bit her lip in silence. Seeing this, Redfield, who had already glimpsed her memories, began to have some thoughts.
"You're weak, but unlike the others here, your heart's different. I can at least acknowledge that much. So, Rebecca, how about it, any interest in going out to sea with me?"
"I'm getting old, and having someone on board to lend a hand doesn't sound so bad. What do you think, Pato?"
"I've got no objections, Boss Red. Whatever you like."
Aloof Red, the Red Count, a man who had once stood at the peak of an era. Now that he had come to understand his own heart, he held absolute confidence in his strength.
He wanted companions who were strong and whose inner character he could respect. More than strength, he valued their inner qualities.
And though Rebecca was weak, she was qualified in this regard.
"Old man, you're joking, right?"
"I'm not. Though I haven't fully decided yet, If you become one of my crewmates, I might even help you take down Doflamingo."
"You probably don't know how powerful Doflamingo really is. You'd best not get involved in this matter so lightly."
Rebecca had managed to stop Spartan but still had no idea just how terrifying Redfield's power truly was. She didn't realize that his words were not a jest.
As a pirate who acted purely on his whims, Redfield was perfectly capable of following through, simply because Rebecca's actions caught his eye a few times, and that was enough to spark his interest.
"Anyway, you're in B Block too, aren't you? Then the qualifiers for B Block will be just you and me. Let's see how things go from there before making any decisions."
The moment he spoke, the laughter in the Preparations Room grew louder, but Redfield paid it no mind and instead walked toward the arena, leaving Rebecca dumbfounded.
"I never said that I'm a contestant from B Block."
"All right everyone! After a long wait, B Block's battles are about to begin! Let's see who our contestants are tonight! The Arsonist Damask, the Sorcerer Mummy, Army Commander Rolling Logan!"
"Oh, and a rare beauty among the Colosseum's gladiators, the Phantom Princess, Rebecca!"
All the previous fighters, regardless of their titles, were met with cheers when they appeared, only Rebecca was met with nothing but insults from the entire crowd when she stepped onto the arena.
"Go die, Rebecca! Make sure you get hacked to death today!"
"Go die, you beast from the Riku family!"
"You really aren't popular, huh. Even so, you don't hate these people? Don't you want to kill them all?"
Redfield was the only one willing to speak with Rebecca. The other contestants, not wanting to be dragged into the trouble, distanced themselves the moment they entered the arena.
"It's… all Doflamingo's fault. They're all innocent."
At that moment, the audience's tone suddenly changed, a character they adored had appeared.
"Oh! He's here! One of the top officers who helped our nation's king Donquixote Doflamingo save this country, the man who manages the competition in the Corrida Colosseum, our hero, Mr. Diamante!
To demonstrate fairness, Mr. Diamante will also take part in the elimination round!"
Gatz's voice went hoarse from excitement. Amid the cheers, Diamante took the microphone and theatrically stepped to the center of the arena.
This grouping's results meant the arena was full of fighters with flashy names but little real power, allowing Diamante an easy path to advance.
And with Rebecca, a convenient target of hatred, present, the crowd loved nothing more than a hero defeating a villain.
With Diamante's arrival, the atmosphere in B Block of the Corrida Colosseum peaked, and the battles began.
"Rolling Logan, Army Commander of the Majiatsuka Kingdom, is displaying his signature move, Rolling Cradle! The arena is being thrown into disorder by him!"
"They say his grip strength reaches a full five hundred kilograms; if he grabs you, your bones will be completely crushed!"
Logan's Rolling Cradle consisted of grabbing an opponent and rolling on the ground with them, a technique extremely effective on such a small stage, but conspicuous the Logan seemed to irritate Diamante.
"You're hogging the spotlight, this is my stage, Corrida Glaive!"
Diamante stepped into Logan's path, flourished his cloak, and met him head on. The cloak looked light as a feather, but the moment it came into contact with Logan, it sent him flying.
Diamante was the Flag Human of the Paramecia-type • Ripple-Ripple Fruit, able to make any object he touched become light like cloth, while the material itself remained unchanged.
Though his cloak appeared light, it was actually made of heavy steel, and thanks to his power, it could instantly return to its original state. So, Logan was easily sent flying out of the arena.
"Mr. Diamante! He actually made a move so quickly. I thought Logan had the ability to advance, but what a shame. In front of our hero, he had no chance to fight back at all!"
"In the meantime, the cursed Princess Rebecca has also quietly sent many enemies flying with her Backwater Sword Dance!"
The audience displayed a shift even more dramatic than that of Busan Library, constantly alternating between cheers and boos, and eventually, led by someone unknown, they all unified into a single chant. [TN: This meme comes from the 2022 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) held in Busan, South Korea, where the double standards of Korean spectators drew criticism.]
"Lord Diamante! Finish Rebecca off quickly!"
"Yes, Lord Diamante, kill that hateful woman!"
"Hahaha, Rebecca, you really are hated."
"These are the shouts of the audience. With so many people shouting this, it'd be difficult for me to do nothing, but don't worry, by Doffy's orders, I'll only make you suffer a little for now."
As he spoke, he pulled several confetti cannons from his coat.
The Corrida Colosseum prohibited the use of long-range firearms, bows, and crossbows, but Devil Fruit abilities were allowed, and so was throwing handheld weapons.
The confetti cannons Diamante created with his ability skirted the very edge of the rules; whether it counted as a violation or not was entirely up to interpretation. And as the host of the Colosseum, Diamante clearly enjoyed certain privileges.
To play it safe, no real powerhouses had been assigned to B Block. Thus, Diamante intended to finish off his opponents as quickly as possible, otherwise, compared to Katakuri and others, he would look like trash.
"Death Enjambre!"
A flurry of tiny paper fragments filled the air above the arena. As Diamante deactivated his ability, the paper instantly reverted to its true form, transforming into a rain of spiked iron balls that came crashing down.
"It's here! Mr. Diamante's signature move! Looks like he's planning to wipe out his enemies in one go! In this tiny arena, that's a devastating attack...wait! Who's that old man?!"
Diamante shielded himself from his own indiscriminate attack using his folded iron umbrella. The others weren't so lucky. In such a confined space, the only safe zone was outside the arena.
Under the threat of the spike rain, many contestants chose to forfeit, while the few still standing cried out in pain. Yet Rebecca remained completely unharmed. Beside her, Redfield had opened his umbrella, creating an absolute safe zone beneath its frame.
"Rebecca, you've underestimated your own strength. Even with the Quake-Quake Fruit, I'm afraid you won't be able to achieve your goal."
The umbrella looked plain enough, but the Haki imbued into it was strong.
"Well, this actually makes things easier, fewer people to deal with. From here on, just watch."
With a slight twitch of his arm, Redfield deflected the last of the spike rain. His umbrella snapped shut, and before Diamante could even react, Redfield was already standing before him.
The tip of the umbrella traced a gleaming arc. Diamante's cloak made from a special alloy and clothing were instantly sliced open. From the tip of the umbrella, Diamante felt an overwhelming sense of death.
"Impossible! My armor, how could it be destroyed so easily?!"
"Armor? As a little parlor trick, it's not bad, but that's all it is. You'd probably be very eye-catching as an event clown."
"What did you say?!"
Enraged at being called a clown, Diamante swung his sword furiously, yet every strike missed. Redfield evaded each one with effortless grace; not even a single strand of his hair was touched.
Redfield's movements drew gasps of astonishment from the entire arena, while Gatz frantically rifled through the tournament records. He had absolutely no idea who this old man was.
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