When she heard the keywords like "Uma Musume from past eras returning to their peak condition to compete" and "wish fulfillment"—
Margaret Nearl instantly recalled an anime she had watched before crossing over—a war where heroes from different eras clashed in battle.
The Holy Grail War?
A battle of Heroic Spirits? The Holy Grail?
It did seem to match up, surprisingly.
And it actually granted wishes? Except instead of that unreliable Holy Grail, it was replaced by the far more trustworthy Three Goddesses?!
The Golden Knight Maiden was immediately intrigued.
Without hesitation, she pressed for more details.
"The legend of the Dream Cup… it's actually real?"
If that were the case, then this was absolutely a race she couldn't afford to miss.
Every historical and even legendary Uma Musume in American dirt racing history—the very best at the top of the pyramid— would all be gathered in that one race, ready to face her!
The highest difficulty, the highest stakes!
This was nothing short of—a reenactment of myth?!
After all, it was a battle experienced by Eclipse, that incredibly distant-era turf long-distance GOAT Uma Musume from over a century ago. Records about her were wildly inconsistent and hard to verify.
The era was too remote, records weren't accurate enough, and the content was so shocking that later generations struggled to distinguish what in those legendary tales was true and what was false.
Among those records unanimously deemed false, the one the public most consistently considered utterly unbelievable was the existence of the [Dream Cup].
After all, in later eras, the Dream Cup—officially organized by racing associations in various countries—was just an entertainment race for retired veteran Uma Musume.
The intensity… even a world-class champion, a few years after retirement, couldn't keep up with the simplest G1 race. In the public's mind, the Dream Cup was synonymous with entertainment racing.
On one side, there were miraculous myths and legends; on the other, the stereotypes left by real-life entertainment races. This made it hard for the general audience to take the records of the Dream Cup seriously.
But now, Seabiscuit—an incredibly famous superstar in dirt racing history—was stating over the phone: [The Dream Cup Is Real]?!
Once this news went public, the shockwaves would undoubtedly surpass the hosting of any other race in the world. It would genuinely captivate global attention, with viewership starting at hundreds of millions—an unprecedented level of interest!
After all, this was myth becoming reality.
And past legends, from Man o' War to Seabiscuit, along with other Triple Crown winners and historical-level Uma Musume… would all be eligible to compete.
Every one of them was immensely popular, not to mention they'd all gather in the same race, under the witness of the Three Goddesses, to determine the strongest among them!
A showdown with the strongest of all eras! The Three Goddesses as witnesses! And, the wish granted after victory!
This made even the usually composed Radiant Knight's heart skip a beat.
It wasn't a reaction of hesitation or fear—quite the opposite. It was a response sparked by intense interest and fighting spirit, mixed with worry that this might be false news.
"Of course, it's real."
"Even winning the [American Double Crown] under normal circumstances might not be enough to qualify. Time is tight—this is a hellish trial for you!"
"The event is next year. So, little Nearl, you've got to give it your all."
Seabiscuit's voice was full of seriousness and anticipation.
"Both I and Senior Man o' War really want… to compete against you next year. Don't let us down."
"Will you—become the next [Northern Dancer]?"
After saying this, Seabiscuit ended the call, leaving Nearl deep in thought as she set down her phone.
Next year? The truly existing, officially held second Dream Cup?!
The qualification… is somewhat difficult?
Even winning the American Double Crown under normal circumstances might not be enough to qualify for the Dream Cup?
At first, that sounded strange, unbelievable—after all, that's a Double Crown winner.
But upon closer thought, it made perfect sense. There was no exaggeration here.
Then, Nearl remembered:
Since it was the Dream Cup, it naturally selected the most qualified, powerful, and influential top-tier contenders from throughout history.
Usually, the number of participants capped at just over twenty. Even for the Dream Cup, slots were absolutely limited.
In other words—only the absolute monsters who ranked among the top twenty in dirt racing over the decades would qualify.
And so far, there were no fewer than three legendary dirt Uma Musume: Man o' War, Seabiscuit, and Secretariat. There were also several Triple Crown winners.
The number of Double Crown winners was about three times that of Triple Crown winners! Doing the math, that already accounted for over a dozen spots!
Moreover, in the nearly hundred-year history of American dirt racing, there must have been dozens of Uma Musume like [Holy Bull] and [Cigar]—
Both Holy Bull and Cigar skipped the classic races but shone in non-classic G1 races, earning recognition as no less capable than typical Double Crown winners.
On top of that, there were fillies who won the Triple Crown and others with equally impressive records!
Calculating it this way, the number of monsters who achieved results no worse than the Double Crown or American Double Crown winners—reaching such heights—over the decades of history there were definitely no less than 20 to 30, possibly even more!
So… on the surface, Margaret Nearl was definitely in a precarious position!
Time-wise, when the event was held next year, Nearl, Sunday Silence, and Easy Goer would still be classic-year fillies, likely having just completed their classic races not long ago.
Whereas those past senior Uma Musume with excellent records and high status had basically run for no less than two or three years, some with even longer careers.
In comparison, the Radiant Knight, still in her classic year with only a year of racing experience, was at more than just a slight disadvantage.
It was practically… having to compete with them for a mere twenty slots in an extremely short time—with only half, a third, or even a quarter of the time their senior counterparts had in their lengthy careers!
The difficulty was downright infernal!
After all, this was America, the center of the dirt racing world, not some Japanese dirt or turf circuit! Many Uma Musume with dirt talent from around the globe would come here to compete.
For example, the proud, petite Uma Musume from Canada, [Northern Dancer], who once swept through Canada in her rookie year before campaigning in America.
Then, that noble, arrogant, and dominant girl won two of the American Triple Crown races, stunning the world.
To some extent… in the eyes of the outside world, current Margaret Nearl resembled that Canadian monarch Northern Dancer more than she did Man o' War or Secretariat.
Because Nearl, identity-wise, was from the obscure, fallen noble family of Nearl in the knightly nation of Poland.
One from Canada, one from Poland—both places looked down upon by the proud American Uma Musume scene.
It was a perfect match with Northern Dancer back in the day!
No, Northern Dancer had excellent bloodlines, truly worthy of being called nobility, a prince or princess-esque bloodline. It was just that the Uma Musume training standards in Canada at the time were lacking, which led to her being underestimated.
But Poland's training standards were even worse than Canada's back then, and worse than Japan's too—a truly third-tier and beyond place.
To the outside world, the Nearl family was an obscure minor family that couldn't produce any famous Uma Musume—way too obscure. So Margaret Nearl's rise should theoretically be even harder than Northern Dancer's!
From family to training environment, to the tight one-year countdown to the Dream Cup… putting it all together, even a legend like Seabiscuit couldn't help but sigh at the hellish difficulty.
"Senior Seabiscuit wants me to become the second [Northern Dancer]?"
The golden-haired knight girl didn't nod in agreement. Nearl didn't think she should become some second coming of Northern Dancer.
Even being called the second Secretariat or the third or fourth Big Red… held no appeal for Nearl.
Rather than inherited titles, Nearl preferred to make the name [Radiant Knight] renowned throughout the world, becoming a title that even future legendary Uma Musume would aspire to.
"Senior Seabiscuit made it clear that even winning an ordinary Double Crown might not be enough."
"It needs to be an extraordinary victory, or perhaps… [the Triple Crown]?!"
Nearl was well aware of her time disadvantage. After all, past Double Crown seniors didn't just have American Double Crown wins; they mostly also raced through their older-horse years and had additional GI victories.
That's why Seabiscuit emphasized that an ordinary Double Crown wouldn't suffice—it had to be a historically significant Double Crown, or even the American Triple Crown, for a classic-year Uma Musume to break through and secure one of those twenty-plus spots.
Faced with this extremely difficult, nearly impossible challenge, Nearl felt no fear. Instead, she maintained a calm yet confident smile.
Opponents like the Easy Goer and the dark monster Sunday Silence—all were monsters not to be underestimated.
Even after the classic Triple Crown, there was Ruffian, aiming for the Fillies' Triple Crown and closely tied to a certain black-hearted young doctor, who would challenge the classic Triple Crown winner to a [head-to-head showdown]!
In young Nearl's eyes—
"That's exactly what makes it challenging."
Mission Schedule: Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe — American Triple Crown!
The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was already done. Only the Arc remained before her campaign began!
Everything would start with Platinum's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!
--+--
Several days later.
Europe, at the Sea Family estate.
Urban Sea, currently acting as mother and head of the Sea Family, looked at her eldest daughter, Galileo.
And beside Galileo, another younger, highly poised, somewhat handsome black-haired girl.
That girl was eating snacks, showing no nervousness in the presence of senior Galileo or family head Urban Sea. She seemed full of confidence, blatantly unafraid of criticism before two heavyweight figures of the Sea Family.
Why? Simply because with her track record, any prestigious family worldwide—even the super prestigious family Man o' War came from, which had produced legendary Uma Musume—wouldn't dare criticize her.
As the youngest… and most promising monster of the Sea Family, her name was quite ordinary: [Frankel].
If Sea the Stars could be called a once-in-a-lifetime talent, then she was the ultimate dream of every prestigious family and trainer over the past century, the highest culmination of European breeding!
Such praise wasn't exaggerated, because Frankel, still in her classic year, had already swept through Europe's mile races.
No, not just swept—she was constantly challenging historical records in mile races.
In Europe, the most followed races were the two premier distances: middle distance and mile. Unlike Japan, which favored middle and long distances.
Sea the Stars was incredibly close to legendary status.
So was Frankel.
And while the middle distance scene was fiercely competitive, with Pegasus Platinum also in the mix, Sea the Stars' path to legend was challenging.
But among turf mile monsters, there was only one. Frankel's ascent to the top was practically effortless.
Not only that, she even had the potential to achieve the great feat of [Mile GOAT], becoming a truly perfect Uma Musume!
She could also display the Pegasus's signature effortless acceleration, having pulled off huge wins by kicking early from mid-pack, shifting gears from behind to storm to the finish multiple times.
Tactics? Didn't know, didn't need to know. Just accelerate and win.
So, Frankel paid close attention to Platinum, who had an even freer running style than her, considering her a similarly intelligent, wise, and excellent senior!
Also because Frankel was so dominant, sweeping European miles without contest, the current European Uma Musume scene preferred discussing Platinum and Sea the Stars.
Compared to the undisputed, undefeated sole mile monarch, the outside world naturally preferred discussing the other two middle distance kings who would soon battle it out in the upcoming Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!
"By the way, where's Big Sis Star?"
After swallowing a mouthful of dessert, the handsome girl looked up and asked.
"She's still training."
"Platinum in the King George was ridiculously strong. It put a lot of pressure on Little Star."
Galileo immediately answered.
"Little Frankel, who do you think has the better chance?"
The seemingly lazy Frankel didn't hesitate, trusting her senior's judgment, and voiced her instinctive assessment.
"From what I feel, it's probably 60-40 or 40-60."
"Who's the 60?"
Galileo pressed, curious about this monster junior who had always clung to her.
Since childhood, Frankel had been attached to her and didn't seem as clever or quick as her little sister Sea the Stars, instead focusing solely on racing.
But from training to racing, Frankel's performance was no worse than Sea the Stars', and she had monster intuition. Galileo trusted her, believing Frankel's judgment was better than hers or Urban Sea's.
After all, she was just an ordinary world-class Uma Musume, and her mother Urban Sea at her peak in the Arc was barely world-class.
But Frankel, still in her classic year, was already nearly a mile legend, potentially challenging for GOAT status. Who else to believe if not Frankel?
That intuition and judgment, based on absolute strength and talent, had to be highly credible.
"Platinum."
Hearing this, both Urban Sea and Galileo frowned slightly.
"I can sense the King George wasn't Platinum senior's limit! Even though Big Sis Star has an extraordinary physique, she might still be at a slight disadvantage."
Then Frankel gave another reason for the possible 40-60 split.
"The Arc… is famously known for potentially turning into heavy ground, right?"
"Big Sis Star inherited Auntie's affinity for heavy ground and has home advantage. If it's heavy or very heavy, that could increase her chances."
"Basically, good ground vs. heavy ground would tilt the odds differently."
That was the answer Frankel gave based on her judgment.
Hearing this, Urban Sea's expression turned somewhat complex.
Urban Sea, back in the day, was once an unknown Uma Musume, and she excelled on heavy ground.
So, before the Arc, she prayed at the statue of the Three Goddesses, hoping for heavy rain.
And in the end… it actually rained! Urban Sea transformed into a heavy-ground demon and won as a super dark horse!
Now, her daughter might also be at a slight disadvantage, needing heavy ground conditions for her best chance?
Galileo turned to Urban Sea and said something that made her stiffen.
"Mom, how about… you go pray for rain again?"
"Believe in your sister!"
Urban Sea shook her head without hesitation, the noblewoman voicing her refusal!
But the next moment, Urban Sea stood up, planning to later head to the square where she remembered praying for rain.
As for what she intended to do, it went without saying.
No helping it—after all, Sea the Stars was her daughter.
--+--
A short while later.
Only Galileo and Frankel remained in the living room.
The young Galileo put her hands on her hips and couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
"Platinum… that monster is getting scarier and scarier."
"I heard from some friends that Harbinger has been seen at more than one Uma Musume hospital."
As the [Monarch of Charm], Galileo, in today's highly competitive Europe, might not be the fastest runner…
But when it came to social skills, she could easily leave even historical-level Uma Musume in the dust. Every prestigious family had her good friends, including the Coolmore group.
In terms of intel, Galileo didn't need to mobilize the Sea Family's resources; the information she got was no less than what most Uma Musume prestigious families had.
A genius like Harbinger, from a prestigious family that undoubtedly had its own dedicated doctors, not only went to an Uma Musume hospital but visited more than one!
The situation was obvious—it couldn't be a check-up, and it wasn't just some minor injury.
Probably, the injury was at least somewhat serious, possibly taking a month or more to recover training-wise, hence visiting multiple hospitals to confirm and find a suitable treatment plan.
There was even a small chance it could be a fracture, tendonitis, or other serious injury.
In short, the injury definitely wasn't minor.
In other words, another super monster had been pushed to injury by another super monster in a race!
"The Big Red Monster Secretariat pushed Sham to near retirement."
"Platinum—who knows what kind of injury she'll inflict on Harbinger, who's no less capable than Sham."
"Anyway… this year's Arc is pretty dangerous."
Galileo made a decision without hesitation.
Avoid the race!
Play it safe!
This wasn't fear, but… no need for that!
As an older sister, she didn't want to gang up on Platinum—she couldn't do that.
Also, she didn't want to clash with her little sister over the championship.
So avoiding the race was pretty reasonable… right?
"Speaking of which, if it's the Arc, the world's number one turf race!"
"Dr. Lin… he'll definitely come, right?!"
Galileo refused to believe that Dr. Lin, who had been partnered with Platinum for a year, would have no interest in the Arc.
Even if he didn't plan to stay in Europe long-term, he'd at least come for the Arc, right?
So by avoiding the race, she could not only escape being beaten up by her little sister and Platinum in turns, but also have a chance to get close to Dr. Lin again! Why not?
As Galileo happily muttered to herself,
Frankel, who was still eating snacks in front of her, seeming lazy and uninterested in anything beyond racing, twitched her ears slightly, as if taking in some important information.
After finishing the next piece of food, the straightforward girl looked up at Galileo.
"Sis, want me to help buy tickets?"
Galileo nodded immediately.
"Yeah, please. Get two tickets."
Hearing the number, Frankel nodded.
"Should I hold onto them? Give them to you when we enter…"
Before Frankel could finish, Galileo frowned slightly, puzzled.
"Why would you hold them? If you give them at entry, how would I give one to Dr. Lin?"
Instantly, Frankel froze in place.
Then she gazed gloomily at the senior sister who usually doted on her.
The girl, who seemed lazy and uninterested in anything beyond racing, immediately thought of something.
'Is it… that [Dr. Lin] Big Sis Star always talks about?'
Coming back to her senses, Frankel pressed further.
"What about me?"
"You watch with Mom, so buy two more tickets."
Galileo said without hesitation.
Dr. Lin will definitely come!
She's going to seize this opportunity!
Sorry, Little Star!
Little Star will be down on the turf, racing against Platinum.
And she'll be up in the stands where Little Star is, on a date with Platinum's former contract partner…?
That thrilling thought made Galileo's breathing quicken slightly just imagining it!
'Dr. Lin, you have to come!!'
--+--
Several days later.
America.
Lin Anran was in his room, taking a phone call.
"Excuse me, are you the [Dr. Lin] that Platinum mentioned?"
"Yes, that's me. And you are?"
"Harbinger."
A brief exchange was underway.
As expected by a certain platinum-ranked individual, after getting injured and hitting dead ends at several well-known Uma Musume hospitals, Harbinger had no choice but to reluctantly call Platinum not long ago to cancel the training race.
In the end, that powerful girl who flashed like a meteor got the number Platinum gave and contacted Lin Anran.
First, injuring an Uma Musume to the point of a broken leg, then turning the injured Uma Musume into a patron? How did it become a full service chain?
It sounded somewhat black-hearted, making this black-hearted young doctor's expression turn complex.
But in reality, even without Platinum, Harbinger's fragile legs would have gotten injured anyway.
"I'll send you my medical records from the hospital examination shortly."
"Please see if there's a way to treat it. If possible…"
"Could you come to Europe to provide treatment for me?"
"If perfect recovery is achieved, don't worry about compensation…"
Harbinger made a lucrative offer to Lin Anran.
Sincerity—very sincere!
As a holy hand filled with benevolence and care for young fillies, Lin Anran felt obligated to help Harbinger.
Besides, the Arc was coming up soon.
Other races could be missed, but the Arc… that was definitely worth watching live.
Lin Anran had previously been based in American dirt and Japanese turf. Even proud America, which looked down on many European turf G1s, held the Arc in high regard.
As for Japanese turf, needless to say, there was a saying there: a Japanese Uma Musume could enter the Japanese Hall of Fame with just one Arc win, a single G1 victory!
Influenced by both, and with the Arc being the race before Nearl's Dream Cup campaign (the American Triple Crown) and the final race of Platinum's latter schedule, there was no reason not to go.
After some thought, Lin Anran gave his answer.
"Alright, don't worry."
"I will go to Europe!"
When he thought of the Dream Cup, Lin Anran suddenly paused.
Wait a minute…
'Can Platinum participate in the Dream Cup?'
--+--
T/N: THE ONE PIECE IS REALLLLLL
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 70+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.