Chapter 44: The Coliseum Breached! The Truth of the Toys!
The Port of Dressrosa.
After Garp walked away toward the Royal Palace, the port fell into an eerie mix of silence and chaos.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, three figures transformed into three runaway chariots.
"Charge! To the Coliseum!"
"SUPER! Witness the power of the Franky Tank!"
"You guys in front, move."
Luffy took the lead. His legs acted like springs, bouncing rapidly across the rooftops of buildings.
Franky moved his massive mechanical legs, bulldozing straight through the streets. Any obstacle blocking his path was smashed aside.
Zoro followed at the rear. His pace didn't seem fast, yet he always managed to cut through the most complex city blocks via the shortest distance.
The Corrida Coliseum.
The massive circular building sat like a giant beast coiled in the center of the city.
"That's the place!" Luffy saw the target and shouted excitedly.
He didn't look for an entrance.
He stretched his legs backward to their limit.
"Gomu Gomu no..."
"Rocket!"
BOOM!
Luffy's entire body shot out like a cannonball, flying straight toward the thick outer wall of the Coliseum.
Behind him, Zoro and Franky followed close behind, smashing toward the exact same point in an equally barbaric manner.
CRASH!
A deafening noise rang out.
The sturdy outer wall of the Corrida Coliseum exploded as if hit by a meteorite!
Countless stones mixed with dust blasted into the interior of the arena.
The fierce battle currently taking place inside the ring paused for an instant.
All the gladiators stopped their movements, looking in astonishment at the massive hole that had been forcibly broken open.
"Wh... What happened?"
"Is it an earthquake?"
"No! Someone broke in!"
"Who is so bold! Daring to run wild in Lord Joker's territory!"
"Oh my god! What is that!"
On the commentary platform, the announcer Gatz was screaming in agitation. The sudden change caused the script in his mouth to fall out.
He adjusted the camera on his helmet, aiming the lens at the dust-filled hole.
The dust cleared.
Three figures appeared before everyone's eyes.
"Straw Hat Luffy!"
"And Pirate Hunter Zoro!"
Gatz's voice, sharpened by extreme panic, echoed through the entire Coliseum via the loudspeaker Den Den Mushi.
"He... He broke in!"
After a brief moment of dead silence, the entire Coliseum erupted.
"Straw Hat Luffy? The one worth five hundred million!"
"Kill him! That five hundred million Berries is mine!"
"And the Pirate Hunter! He's worth four hundred million too!"
"We're rich! This is a gift from Lord Joker!"
"Forget the tournament! Kill them!"
Hundreds of fierce pirates and gladiators in the arena instantly saw red.
They abandoned their original opponents.
Like sharks smelling blood, they surged frantically from all directions toward the trio.
"Oh! So many people here to welcome us?"
Luffy looked at the crushing black tide of people, an excited smile appearing on his face.
He stretched both arms backward, expanding his chest. Armament Haki instantly coated his limbs.
"Gomu Gomu no..."
"Grizzly Magnum!"
BOOM!
Two pitch-black fists, resembling the arms of a giant bear, smashed into the crowd with unmatched impact force.
The dozens of pirates at the very front didn't even have time to scream.
Their weapons, their armor, and their bodies were blown away instantly, as if they were made of paper in the face of this pure violence.
A large clearing was created instantly.
amidst the chaos—
A female gladiator with a single ponytail, wearing golden armor and holding a shield, was knocked to the ground by the shockwave of the battle.
Before she could get up, a giant pirate holding a massive spiked club leapt high into the air with a savage grin, smashing the club down.
The massive shadow completely engulfed her.
Despair was written all over the female swordswoman's face.
CLANG!
A crisp sound.
Zoro's figure appeared in front of her without anyone noticing.
He didn't even draw his sword.
Using only the scabbard of the Wado Ichimonji, he effortlessly blocked the heavy, powerful spiked club.
"What?"
The giant pirate couldn't believe his full-force strike was blocked so easily.
Zoro twisted his wrist.
A clever force transmitted through the scabbard.
The giant pirate's massive body instantly lost its balance, stumbling backward.
Zoro followed up with a backhanded strike with the hilt of the scabbard, knocking precisely against the back of the giant's neck.
Thud.
The giant pirate's eyes rolled back. His massive body crashed to the ground, completely unconscious.
The female gladiator, Rebecca, stared blankly at the back of the man in front of her.
She recognized that iconic green hair. She recognized the three swords at his waist.
Pirate Hunter Zoro.
Straw Hat Luffy.
Figures from the newspapers had appeared before her in the flesh.
The despair in her heart seemed to be torn open by a ray of light.
She scrambled over to Luffy, collapsing on the ground. Unable to suppress her emotions any longer, she cried out loud.
"Please!"
"Save this country!"
Rebecca's voice was choked with sobs as she intermittently told her story.
Luffy paused.
She began to recount how Doflamingo usurped the throne ten years ago.
She spoke of how her mother died in the riots.
She spoke of how those who resisted were turned, one by one, into toys that could not speak—and were forgotten by everyone.
The entire country lived under a massive lie and a shadow of terror.
"If a bad guy is doing bad things, of course I'm going to handle it!"
After listening, the smile on Luffy's face vanished.
A fire of rage burned in his chest.
"No wonder Sabo said he wanted to liberate this country!"
He raised his head. His gaze bypassed the chaotic battlefield, locking firmly onto the high platform in the center of the arena.
A luxurious, gem-encrusted treasure chest sat quietly there.
Inside was the prize of this tournament—a Devil Fruit not recorded in the encyclopedia.
Just as he was about to rush over—
"Zehahahaha!"
A figure resembling a mountain of meat crashed to the ground, blocking his path.
The ground trembled violently from his landing.
The newcomer was shirtless, his muscles knotted, wearing a face of arrogant laughter.
Blackbeard Pirates, Captain of the First Ship, "The Champion" Jesus Burgess.
"Straw Hat! That fruit belongs to our Blackbeard Pirates!"
"Move!"
Luffy's answer was simple and direct.
His body suddenly arched.
His skin turned red instantly, and billowing steam rose from his body.
Gear Second!
BANG!
The ground beneath Luffy's feet exploded.
He turned into a red blur, going straight for Burgess.
"Hado Elbow!"
Burgess grinned savagely.
His massive elbow was wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki. He met Luffy's fist head-on.
BOOM!
The collision of fist and elbow unleashed a shocking airwave, peeling a layer off the surrounding ground.
On the other side.
"Fluttering flag, fluttering cape!"
"I am the Supreme Officer of the Donquixote Family, Diamante!"
A tall, thin man holding a long sword appeared in front of Zoro.
The ground beneath his feet rippled softly like fabric.
Zoro grinned, biting the Wado Ichimonji in his mouth.
"Just right. I'll use you to test my blade."
"Franky Shogun! Transform!"
In the center of the battlefield, Franky laughed loudly as he completed his transformation.
A massive steel robot brandished a laser sword thicker than a human being!
He unleashed a one-sided massacre on the surrounding pirates who had lost their minds to bloodlust.
"Taste my General Cannon!"
The battle entered a fever pitch in an instant.
Explosions, roars, and the clash of metal merged into a violent symphony.
This massive noise acted like the eye of a storm, dragging the attention of all Dressrosa firmly to this location.
Garp's plan was being executed perfectly.