Chapter 532: This Devil Fruit Ability Is Totally Cheating

Chapter 532: Chapter 532: This Devil Fruit Ability Is Totally Cheating

"Hmm?"

Meiser, who had been lost in thought, seemed to notice something. A look of surprise crossed his face as he murmured, "Is that... Bartolomeo?"

Watching Bartolomeo emerge from the smoke and dust, Meiser was somewhat caught off guard.

That guy wasn’t taken down by that attack just now?

It seemed the barrier’s defensive power was even greater than he had imagined.

Then again, it made sense. If he hadn’t blocked the attack with his barrier, this entire area would probably have been blown away.

Heh, what an interesting Devil Fruit Ability.

"Incredible! Contestant Bartolomeo actually blocked Fighting King Elizabello II’s attack!" the announcer shouted in shock, staring at the completely unharmed Bartolomeo. "How on earth did he do it?!"

That was an attack capable of punching right through a fortress!

Just how did he pull that off?!

"Heheheh~"

Bartolomeo grinned wide and said, "I’m a Barrier Human who ate the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, so... it’s not all that surprising I can block an attack like that, right?"

"Damn it..."

Breathing heavily, Elizabello’s expression turned grim.

He was truly out of moves.

"Looks like you’re done." Bartolomeo slowly raised a finger and said, "Then let me send you on your way!"

"Barrier Crash!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the massive barrier charged rapidly toward Elizabello.

Wham!

With a single strike, Elizabello was sent flying backward, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.

"E—Elizabello II has been defeated!" the announcer yelled through gritted teeth. "The winner of Block B is Bartolomeo!"

"Damn it all...!"

Why did it have to be this bastard that won?!

Why this guy of all people?!

The announcer was thoroughly frustrated.

Unfortunately, no matter how upset he was, it wouldn’t change a thing.

"Hehahahaha~"

"Did you hear that? The winner is yours truly!" Bartolomeo laughed uproariously, looking around at the crowd. "All you bastards can go straight to hell~"

"Hehahahaha!"

Bartolomeo ignored the jeers raining down from around him, laughing all the harder.

Today, he was definitely going to claim the championship!

"Didn’t expect this guy to be the one who won," Luffy remarked, surprised.

He had thought the king with the heavy punch would win, but it turned out to be this Barrier-Barrier Fruit Ability User instead.

"That’s why Devil Fruit Abilities are such cheats," Meiser chuckled. "Without powerful Haki, there’s no way to shatter an ability like that."

Hearing this, Luffy nodded in understanding.

Without Haki, dealing with a Devil Fruit Ability User was indeed nearly impossible.

Then, he bounded over to Meiser’s side, glanced around, and said, "That old guy and Cabbage are gone now, right?"

"Cabbage?"

Meiser blinked. What kind of strange nickname was that?

Was he talking about Cavendish?

"You know, that guy with the sword from earlier," Luffy explained. "His hair looks just like a cabbage."

Meiser: "..."

Seriously, just what method did this idiot Luffy use to remember people?

Shaking his head speechlessly, Meiser said, "They’re not here anymore."

"Phew, good," Luffy sighed in relief.

He really didn’t want to keep getting chased by those two.

Luffy then hopped down from the window sill and said, "Let’s get out of here first."

Even if he didn’t know whether those two would come back looking for him, leaving was definitely the right call.

Seeing that Luffy wanted to move, Meiser said nothing more. He cast one last glance at the arena outside before following along.

Soon, the two of them arrived near the arena’s entrance tunnel.

"It hurts so much..."

"Help me... somebody help me!"

"My leg is broken!"

The wounded around them were screaming in agony, each sounding more miserable than the last.

"Are they going to get medical treatment?" Luffy asked curiously.

"Who knows," Meiser said, shaking his head.

God only knew whether this place had any protocol for treating people.

If they did, great. If not... whether these people could even leave Dressrosa alive was an open question.

Right at that moment, two staff members carrying Bellamy on a stretcher approached from down the hall, instantly catching Luffy’s eye.

"Bellamy?"

"It’s you..."

Hearing Luffy’s voice, Bellamy struggled to open his eyes and asked, "Why... why did you cheer for me?"

The two staff members stopped, clearly willing to let Bellamy finish what he had to say.

"Bellamy..."

"Answer me," Bellamy panted, his chest heaving. "Why cheer for me?"

"It’s so humiliating..."

"I haven’t changed at all..."

"No, you have changed, Bellamy," Luffy said.

He could see the change in the man; otherwise, he wouldn’t have said those words before.

Hearing Luffy’s response, Bellamy’s heart trembled violently, shaken to the core.

After a moment of silence, Bellamy suddenly smiled.

It was a smile of release.

"The one who truly changed is you," Bellamy said. "That Haki of yours... it’s far beyond anything I could imagine. It makes me feel utterly ashamed of myself."

Pausing, Bellamy closed his eyes and said, "I barely have any pride left, Straw Hat."

"So..."

He looked as if he wanted to say something more, but in the end, he closed his mouth and weakly waved his hand, signaling the staff to take him away.

Luffy didn’t say anything further this time. He simply looked on, watching Bellamy be carried away, his thoughts unreadable.

A moment later, he turned to Meiser and said, "It should be my turn next."

"Not that fast."

Listening to the announcer’s voice, Meiser said, "They’ll at least need to repair the ring before the matches can continue."

How long that would take was anyone’s guess, so there was no rush.

Meiser patted Luffy’s arm and said, "Come on, let’s go check out your opponents first."

"Right!"

Luffy nodded and strode off, following Meiser away from the area.

Meanwhile, back in the tunnel behind them, Bartolomeo stood trembling, staring at the spot where the group had just been.

"Straw... Straw Hat?"

That bastard Bellamy had mentioned Straw Hat again just now... Did that mean Straw Hat-sama was actually in Dressrosa?

No... was he right here in this Colosseum?!

At the thought, Bartolomeo began to shake with sheer excitement.

In this moment, his resolve burned brighter than ever.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

After waiting for a while, Law’s group had successfully set foot on the bridge leading to Green Bit.

"This iron bridge looks pretty sturdy. It should be fine, right?" Usopp said.

"Shirorororo~"

"I think so too," Caesar chimed in. "This way, we won’t have to worry about those Fighting Fish."

Though he didn’t know what Fighting Fish actually looked like, he figured they wouldn’t be able to destroy a bridge like this; otherwise, it would have been wrecked long ago.

Just then, Law seemed to sense something and stopped abruptly in his tracks.

"They’re here..."

At those words, a shiver ran down both Usopp’s and Caesar’s spines.

Nico Robin asked curiously, "What’s here?"

Was it Doflamingo, or the Fighting Fish?

Law didn’t answer this time. He simply turned his gaze toward the sea.

That single motion was enough for Nico Robin to understand.

The Fighting Fish were here!

"Hey, look at the water!"

Catching sight of the massive dorsal fin breaking the surface, Caesar was utterly dumbfounded.

A fin that big?!

Just how huge was this fish?!

While he was still reeling in shock, the Fighting Fish suddenly burst out of the water, leaping clear over the bridge to the other side.

"I—It’s here!"

"It’s a Fighting Fish!!"

Seeing a creature nearly as large as a ship, Usopp and Caesar went completely numb with terror.

No wonder that person earlier had said these Fighting Fish could capsize ships. Seeing it in person, it was undeniably true.

"Is that a Fighting Fish?" Nico Robin remarked, watching the shadow crash back into the water with slight surprise. "I really thought it would just be a fish."

With that size, it was practically no different from a Sea Beast.

"It is just a fish," Law said flatly.

"Hey! You can’t call that a fish anymore!" Usopp shouted in panic. "That’s a Sea Beast!"

"Exactly! That’s totally a Sea Beast!"

Caesar was just as frantic, clearly terrified of these vicious-looking monsters.

"Hey, Law, you’ve got to protect me!"

Law ignored him, quietly watching the dark shadows beneath the surface of the sea, lost in thought.

"Hey, another one is coming!"

"And not just one!"

Usopp scrambled backward a step, then noticed the sturdy iron railing beside them.

"Right, this was built specifically to deal with the Fighting Fish," Usopp’s eyes lit up. "With how solid it is, it should be able to block them!"

As if to answer Usopp’s words, a Fighting Fish suddenly broke the surface and charged at them with terrifying speed.

The next second...

CLANG!

"Wh—?!"

Seeing the iron railing effortlessly warped and dented by the beast, snot flew out of Usopp’s nose in sheer terror.

"Hey! The railing can’t hold them off at all!"

Nico Robin’s expression darkened. Looking at the warped bridge, she murmured, "Can we really reach Green Bit safely?"

Just a single Fighting Fish possessed such terrifying power. What about a whole school?

What would happen if the entire swarm below attacked at once?

As the realization struck her, Nico Robin’s gaze turned increasingly grim.

"Don’t worry, they’ll find a way," Law said, pointing at Usopp and Caesar.

Usopp: "???"

What did he mean, they would find a way?!

"You’re one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, you handle this!" Usopp roared with a Shark Mouth.

"No, I can’t fight right now," Law said flatly.

"Huh?!"

Usopp stared at Law, his mind practically exploding with question marks. What did he mean, he couldn’t fight right now?!

What kind of nonsense was this guy spewing?!

Law paid no mind to Usopp’s reaction. He simply pointed toward a charging Fighting Fish and said, "Here it comes."

"Damn it, just you wait!"

Knowing full well this wasn’t the time to argue with Law, Usopp decisively drew his weapon.

"Special Attack: Green Star!"

"Skull Exploding Grass!"

Whoosh—

BOOM!!

Watching the massive Fighting Fish get blown away by his blast, a triumphant grin broke across Usopp’s face.

"Hahahaha! Did you see that? That’s the power of the great—"

"Another one’s coming!"

"Eh?"

Hearing Caesar’s scream, Usopp instinctively looked back, his face instantly twisting in terror.

At this distance... it was too late to use his weapon!

In the next moment, dozens of arms sprouted across the bridge—Nico Robin had activated her Devil Fruit Ability.

"Gigantesco Mano: Spank!"

WHAM!

A colossal hand slammed violently down, swatting the massive Fighting Fish right out of the air.

Feeling the sheer impact against her limbs, Nico Robin frowned. "So tough."

So these were Fighting Fish?

Formidable indeed.

"Nicely done, everyone," Law said, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.

"Is now really the time to be saying that?!" Usopp bolted forward, legs pumping as he yelled, "We need to get out of here right now!"

Against this many enemies, standing their ground to fight was pointless. The only smart choice was to push through as fast as possible.

The others understood this as well and quickly followed behind Usopp, rushing forward along the bridge.

"Damn it, another one!"

"Special Attack: Tenfold Exploding Star!"

Whoosh—

The explosive pellets shot forward and instantly expanded, swelling to ten times their original size in the blink of an eye before slamming heavily into the incoming Fighting Fish.

BOOM!!

The blast blew the creature completely off course.

"Hmm?"

Sensing the disturbance behind him, Law glanced back at Usopp in astonishment. What kind of ability was that? It could make bombs grow bigger?

"Long-Nose-ya, what kind of ability is that?"

"Ah, I’m a More-More Human who ate the More-More Fruit," Usopp grinned. "I can freely amplify inorganic objects."

Law: "..."

Hearing Usopp’s words, Law stumbled, nearly falling flat on his face.

What did he just hear?

The More-More Fruit?

As in the Devil Fruit of the World Destroyer?

Wait, why would a Devil Fruit like that fall into the hands of the Straw Hat Crew?!

That was a legendary Devil Fruit!

’Just what kind of absurd dumb luck does this Straw Hat Pirates crew have?!’

For a moment, Law was entirely at a loss for words.

"Seriously, isn’t your Straw Hat Pirates’ luck a little too ridiculous?!" Caesar shouted, staring at Usopp in disbelief.

Just look at what the Straw Hat Pirates had!

Not only did they have a Ship Spirit, they had a Logia Devil Fruit Ability User, and now a legendary Devil Fruit popped up too... Seriously, what kind of freakish luck was this?!

"Hahahaha, our luck is just that good!" Usopp said, lifting his chin proudly.

Even if he didn’t fully understand it himself, their Straw Hat Pirates’ luck was indeed far better than anyone could have imagined.

The sheer number of Devil Fruit Ability Users among them was proof enough of that.

"Hey, stop spacing out, here they come again!" Nico Robin called out.

What were they doing daydreaming at a time like this?!