“Now, only two remain in the arena. Who will emerge victorious?”
“The giant makes his move, launching the first attack! But…”
“A beautiful dodge! The ‘Dual Swordsman’ avoids the massive spiked club and lands a powerful strike, defeating the giant!”
“The winner of the first match, undefeated in 37 bouts, is the ‘Dual Swordsman’!”
In the Bullfighting Arena, the fierce battles continued even after the Human Path had left. Excluding the absent Rebecca, forty-nine gladiators fought fiercely for nearly an hour until a victor emerged—a dual-wielding swordsman who stood alone. Diamante announced his impressive record loudly to the audience.
Amidst the roaring cheers, Diamante controlled the atmosphere, previewing the next match and its contestants. Meanwhile, on the Donquixote Family’s exclusive platform, the leader of Dressrosa sat with a frown.
“Violet hasn’t shown up… Jora!” The king of Dressrosa, sitting above all the spectators, turned and said, “Call her Den Den Mushi!”
“Who dares say I’m Boa Hancock!” Jora, who was watching the match, first shouted, then quickly responded, “Yes, young master.”
She retreated into the tunnel to avoid being seen and disturbing Doflamingo, then began contacting Violet. Three minutes later, Jora returned to the platform and whispered in Doflamingo’s ear, “I called Violet three times, but she didn’t answer.”
“A girl forced to work for me in exchange for her father’s life—what game is she playing now?” Doflamingo’s face was dark, but his smile made it hard to tell whether he was genuinely angry or amused, “Mobilize all our lackeys and bring her to me.”
Jora replied, “Oh ho ho ho~ Young master, you’re really worried about little Violet. But do we need to deploy all our soldiers just because she’s temporarily missing?”
Gladius, sitting behind them, answered for his master, “This is the tournament’s final day. Since its inception seven years ago, it’s been a family tradition to gather today. Even a second’s absence breaks our family’s rules!”
“Fuffuffuffu… Well said. And without enough manpower, her ability will play us for fools.” Doflamingo laughed twice, then turned to the last top executive, “Pica, you take charge. Get to her as fast as you can through the rocks and bring her back.”
Doflamingo looked up at the sky, his grin widening, “What is the princess who lost her country trying to do behind my back? Fuffuffuffu… I have a bad feeling.”
Although Doflamingo spoke seriously, his increasingly maniacal grin showed he didn’t truly care. It was just a mockery of the weak and ignorant.
As the heated tournament continued and the Donquixote Family made minor moves, the Human Path also progressed according to plan, steadily approaching Sugar…
In complete darkness, the Human Path stood.
Unsurprisingly, the Human Path was taken by a group of medical personnel into a secret room, where a trapdoor sent him falling into an endless abyss. After a long descent, he landed in the deepest underground scrapyard.
The environment there was like the A-rank illusion, the Darkness Technique—utterly pitch-black. Without a single source of light, not even the Rinnegan could see through it. Feigning blindness, Nagato controlled the Human Path to appear lost and panicked, groping around naturally.
Soon, Nagato sensed something enveloping the Human Path through the chakra emitted from the black rods. Feigning ignorance, the Human Path allowed the sticky liquid to ensnare him.
The liquid clung to the Human Path’s back, rapidly pulling him up. He was pulled into the light after a few seconds in the air.
Unlike a normal person, who would find even a hint of light blinding after total darkness, the Human Path, being dead, had no such reaction. Upon entering the brightly lit room, he immediately took in his surroundings.
A grotesque, filthy man was enveloped in a thick, sticky liquid that looked like a coat. In front of his large figure stood a cute, clean little girl.
They were none other than Trebol, the top executive, and Sugar, the crucial special executive of the Donquixote Family!
“Where am I?” The Human Path feigned confusion, then appeared surprised upon seeing the two in the room, “You’re Trebol! And this…”
Acting perfectly, the Human Path lowered their guard.
“Suh-suh-suh…” Clinging to Sugar, Trebol approached the Human Path, “This is Sugar~ Our family’s most mysterious executive. Aren’t you honored to meet her?”
“So…” As they drew closer, Trebol’s snotty face almost touched the Human Path’s. He sneered, “Become a toy now!”
“That won’t happen.” As soon as they were within reach, the Human Path’s confused, bewildered, and surprised expression turned cold. He reached out for Sugar with his right hand!
Trebol’s work was always sloppy. He never used enough adhesive to restrain someone, just enough to immobilize them fully. This time was no different, allowing the Human Path to reach for Sugar easily.
Besides Trebol’s inherent flaw, his confidence as a top executive and reliance on Sugar’s ability made him complacent.
After all, repeatedly turning people into toys was monotonous. Underestimating them and watching them become obedient toys was a great pleasure.
“Underestimated indeed.” Trebol wasn’t the only one with this thought; Sugar shared this malicious joy, though she always had a touch of irritation. “Form the contract…”
Sugar confidently reached for Nagato’s hand. As they touched, their abilities activated simultaneously—the Human Path turned into a toy, but Sugar…
“Suh-suh-suh…” Not noticing anything amiss, Trebol proudly leaned close to the Human Path-turned-toy and said, “Now you’ve ‘disappeared’ from the world. Even I won’t remember you, working here forever…”
Before he could finish, Trebol was shocked to see the Human Path gradually returning to normal. His memories related to the Human Path also slowly came back!
“You bastard, what did you do?” Trebol, forgetting his playful demeanor, surged his sticky liquid to bind the Human Path tightly.
“Human Path, Soul Layer Stealth.” The Human Path let Trebol restrain him, releasing Sugar’s small hand as the little girl collapsed softly to the ground.
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