Chapter Head Serialization・Lovesick Serialization Temporarily Paused Five ・
Cavendish gazed out toward the village.
The wooden toy boat had dropped to the ground. Mari'an crouched down, curiously reaching for it.
In the corner behind her, Annie, now clean of the graffiti, was tightly hugging her daughter Amoline, sobbing uncontrollably.
…
Originally...
The tournament was scheduled to have eight preliminary rounds today, four in the morning, four in the afternoon. There were a total of 1,542 contestants, and each round was supposed to select one winner to advance to the next stage.
From those, eight Swordsman elites would advance to tomorrow's quarterfinals.
Tomorrow morning would feature the quarterfinals, four matches. Then the semifinals in the afternoon, two matches.
And the final showdown, for the title of "World's Strongest Great Swordsman", was to be held the morning after.
That… was how it was supposed to go.
But instead…
In the very first preliminary match this morning,
Everything was turned upside down.
Due to the Devil Fruit ability of the contestant Chopperna Giorno, all the weapons, swords and blades, belonging to the 199 contestants in the ring with him, as well as those of the 1,342 contestants waiting in the following seven matches, were almost entirely forcibly taken, drawn into the sky, and arranged into an enormous sword formation.
Then… Like a monsoon of blades, they came raining down.
Once.
Twice.
This unbelievable Swordstorm unfolded before the eyes of those present in the arena, and also the countless viewers watching across the world on live broadcast screens.
"Damn it… how…?" A Swordsman pinned to the ground by two blades lay bleeding, his face full of fear and unwillingness. "I couldn't dodge it… even at my speed, I should've dodged that…"
Was a rain of swords terrifying?
Not really.
For anyone brave enough to enter this Swordsman tournament, danger was expected.
As long as you had your blade in hand, it wasn't that scary.
But… The blades falling from the sky were their own.
Faced with a dense, storm-like barrage of falling blades, all while unarmed, even the strongest Swordsmanes were helpless.
What's worse, it felt like the swords had eyes. Each one struck with terrifying accuracy, as though they were targeting the vital points.
Even if they tried to dodge, it was as if their bodies moved right into the path of the blades instead. That sensation, of being fated to be struck, was what truly shattered the spirit.
But in reality…
Even for Liam, with his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), covering such a massive range with so many targets, was impossible.
He could only predict the movements of a small portion of the targets. But even that small portion was enough.
Because panic spreads like wildfire.
The screams, the sound of blades slicing through air, the splash of blood, the bone-deep familiarity of flesh being cut, all of it overwhelmed the Swordsmanes.
In the pool of blood, one Swordsman pinned to the ground looked around. What he saw were countless others sharing his fate, wounded by their own blades, impaled, and pinned to the ground.
Most had completely lost the ability to fight.
Even those with lighter injuries were too shaken to react. Bleeding and dazed, they stared at the sea of blades, mentally replaying the terrifying scene that had just happened, unable to return to their senses for a long time.
How… could there be someone like this…?!
Out of over 1,500 contestants, he, by himself, eliminated more than 1,200 in mere moments.
Even for viewers watching through a screen, the impact was immense.
The massive arena was filled with countless swords stuck into the ground, and sprawled across the floor were over a thousand defeated contestants.
Even through the screen, one could feel the heavy, suffocating air of slaughter.
Liam, as if unaware of the intensity he had caused, simply clapped his hands and looked toward the tournament host in the distance.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa… That's intense, man!"
In a VIP suite, Tesoro, decked in giant gold chains and rings on every finger, pointed at the big broadcast screen on the wall in surprise.
"He injured over a thousand contestants in one go, that's already the vast majority. Can this even be allowed?!"
Crocodile, lounging nearby with a cigar in his mouth, gave him a sideways glance.
Tesoro's tone wasn't one of outrage or shock, but rather playful amusement.
As their eyes met, Tesoro smirked.
With his Gold-Gold Fruit, Tesoro could create unlimited wealth with just a bit of effort.
He had the funds to hire anyone he wanted, from the World Economic News agency to even the Shichibukai.
But…
In front of kings of the Underworld, or great pirates like Crocodile, his raw power still left something to be desired.
You can't let the other side think you're unsure of your own strength. Tesoro lounged casually on the sofa, lifting a golden wine glass as he smiled and said,
"He's thrown the whole tournament schedule into chaos, and now there's so much less news to report. Morgan must be tearing his feathers out, huh? Isn't this a problem?"
Crocodile withdrew his gaze and replied coolly,
"They call him 'Big News' Morgan… but what could be more 'Big News' than this kind of spectacle?"
"A hundred ordinary preliminary matches couldn't deliver something this grand."
Tesoro took a sip from his glass, then set the golden goblet down, crossed his legs, and clapped his hands with a chuckle.
"So… no punishment for this… hmm, Chopperna Giorno, right? Not going to eliminate him?"
He thought:
It'd be better to just carry that cursed Giorno off the field and kick him back to West Blue where he came from! But even with that thought in mind, Crocodile wasn't about to lose face in front of this nouveau riche showoff who had popped up from who knows where,
He still had the pride of a Warlord of the Sea (Shichibukai).
"Don't really care…" Crocodile exhaled a puff of smoke. "That Morgan guy definitely won't want this kid to drop out. So… there's no need to eliminate him."
He looked at the big screen, where an emergency wave of doctors and nurses had rushed into the tournament venue, currently hauling off over a thousand injured contestants…
Crocodile's expression curled into a faint, cruel smile at the sight of such carnage.
"Clearing out all that useless trash… didn't that save everyone a lot of trouble?"
As the chaos on the scene gradually settled and order was restored, the number of Swordsman contestants still able to continue was down to about 300.
Among these 300, quite a few had also been injured by Giorno's sword rain, but after being asked directly, they all confirmed their injuries wouldn't affect their ability to keep fighting.
Because there were now so few contestants, the tournament organizers decided on a new plan: All 300 remaining contestants would be placed on the main stage simultaneously, in a single massive battle royale to determine the final Top 8.
Chopperna Giorno, Kujo Jolyne, Hawk Eyes Mihawk, the Charlotte sisters, Shiryu of the Rain, and other powerful great Swordsmanes took to the ring one after another.
Each of them found their own position on the stage,
Giorno stood beside Jolyne
The Charlotte sisters stood together
Around Mihawk, a wide area was left empty
Around Shiryu, another large space cleared itself naturally...
Some participants watched others intently, gauging strength. Some simply stared off into space, indifferent. Some gripped their reclaimed swords, eyes closed, honing their fighting spirit.
At the signal from the host, the audience in the stands and watching from the live broadcast screens all saw,
A sudden flash of sword light across the entire stage.
Boom. Boom. Boom…
Countless bodies hit the ground.
And in that moment, only a handful of people remained standing on the arena stage,
Each with blood slowly dripping from their blades…
Giorno. Mihawk. Charlotte. Shiryu…
Who else would survive…?
"We can't do this!"
"Throwing all these insane, overpowered monsters onto one stage for a free-for-all?! There'll be no way to even have eight people left when it's over!"
That chaotic, brutal battle royale… didn't actually happen.
Because backstage, in the tournament command room, the referee panel was already in a heated debate over exactly this issue…
(End Of This Chapter)
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