Kimagure Joka was the first to step into the ring.
His face had a cold indifference; that same expression that many of the troupe considered to be smug.
Yet no one knew the true meaning behind that face.
["Wow! First to enter the match is none other than the Hugh Antonio troupe's Kimagure Joka! How will his talent with knives translate into combat? I can't wait to find out!"]
"Joka? Dafuq?" Swiss watched Kimagure Joka nonchalantly exit backstage through those fine quality curtains.
Swiss let out a deep sigh, the kind of sigh you breathe when you appreciate that gorgeous sunrise you always expect.
"Oh, what the hell? Lezz fucking geddit!"
Swiss downed the rest of the sake bottle he was holding.
Then he uncorked the other sake bottle, downing it also.
"Ahhh!" He exhaled in satisfaction, stumbling his way out of the curtains.
["Would you look at that? Following closely behind is..?"]
"Swiss!" the drunken Swiss shouted.
The ears of Jinx twitched. Even if Swiss whispered those words, Jinx would have heard.
["Next to enter is Swiss! Who knows what kind of sexy eyes lie behind those sunglasses?"]
"You didn't have to enter just to back me up, Swiss-san. 3" Kimagure Joka placed an arm on one of his hips and leaned as if he was a model posing.
"Pfft, don't flatter yourself. Backing you up is like, 10% the reason why I entered." Swiss promptly replied.
"Oh? So you admit you are entering somewhat because of me…" Kimagure Joka giggled teasingly, "And what is the other 90%? +"
Swiss gleamed his amber eyes through his circular shades at the strangely predatorial gaze of Kimagure Joka.
'Uugh! 3'
A surge of electricity beamed down the spine of Kimagure Joka.
He did not know what words were going to follow. Yet somehow, he could sense an intention of nonsensical purposes.
That's when Swiss replied honestly,
"I don't know!"
[swiss: uhhhhhhhh…? XD]
"…Kukuku.*" Kimagure Joka laughed.
"Trololol."
"Kukukuku.~"
"TROLOLOLOLOL!"
"KUKUKUKUKU!+"
[swiss: LOLOLOL!]
Swiss and Kimagure Joka were laughing hysterically.
They leaned on each other as their legs wobbled, struggling to stand. The laughing fit had them in stitches.
They were catching their breaths and wiping the tears from their eyes as Jinx continued to introduce the other contestants.
["Who else wishes to enter?"]
"I got you now!"
To come leaping over the railing that separated the first row from the drop-down to the arena came
"Yarrrr harrr arrr! Nowhere to hide, you cackling bastard!"
Red eyes shimmered through the holes of a Greek comedy mask. Jinx fastened his black tie and took hold of his hanging microphone.
["Do my eyes deceive me?! I've seen that face before! It's none other than Captain King-Hit, the famous plunderer of the South Blue with a bounty of $30,000,000 Belli!]
The crowd spewed in applause.
"Ooo!"
"I've heard about him!"
"He's a pirate through and through!"
Captain King-Hit walked to a spot in the arena with his crew following behind.
"These bastards again?" Swiss mused.
They looked like your typical band of scalawags.
Swiss chuckled, he could not help but admire how the King-Hit pirates looked like a bunch of goofballs.
"I don't give a damn about the fruit! I just want that bastard's head!" Captain King-Hit shouted as he pointed his cutlass at Swiss.
"You want to give me head? Bruh…" Swiss said in disbelief, looking at Kimagure Joka, "Can you believe this fucking guy?"
"Hehe. ~"
["A rivalry has been introduced! Perhaps the drunken man in the island shirt crossed Captain King-Hit in the past?!"]
"Oi! Asshole! My name is Swiss!"
Before Swiss could get mad at Jinx, another bunch jumped into the arena.
"Hmph!"
To come crashing down in dramatic fashion were seven dwarf-looking men.
They were short, maybe 120 cm… Most with beards and ruffled hairstyles.
They each wore metallic belts, to which chains were connected.
Each of these seven dwarfs were connected to each other by that chain.
At the center of this chain was a dwarf with a more menacing presence.
He wore a Viking helmet and was slightly taller than his six other dwarf companions, yet albeit, he was still a dwarf.
["Incredible! Next to enter the ring is none other than the seven dwarfs of Caselotti!"]
"Damn right!"
A tall (considering…), proud, astute-looking dwarf wearing small circular spectacles decreed. He had the presence of a learned fellow.
The leader of these seven dwarfs, he was known as Saha
Saha raised his arms grandly, to which his six companions followed suit.
"We shall claim this fruit for ourselves! That way, we can take a break from the mines!" Saha rallied.
"Hooah!" The other six dwarfs shouted.
[WANTED
DEAD OR ALIVE
SAHA
$77,000,000 BELLI]
Underneath his white Greek comedy mask, Jinx had to hold back the saliva.
He could sense a good show from a mile away.
["The seven dwarfs of Caselotti led by none other than Saha has entered the fray! Who else dares come forward?"]
"Count us in!"
Next to drop into the stage were a duo familiar to Jinzo.
"Oh my, not those scum bags…" Jinzo cringed.
["Ah! Who could not recognize the famous Bonnie and Clyde pirates! As far as petty heists are concerned, they are the prom king and queen!"]
"Damn it! Count me in!"
In came a hooded figure. Underneath his shroud was a face only recognized by the Hugh Antonio troupe.
"Furio?!" Vivienne Tara, Gorgeous George, and Hugh Antonio cried from backstage.
"Oh? +" Kimagure Joka mused.
"That's right, you bastard! I'm going to kill you here and now before you do any harm in the world!"
Furio had come to a conclusion.
After watching Kimagure Joka so effortlessly copy his knife routine, he became certain that Kimagure Joka was a deviant.
If you asked Furio, he'd cite a lot of reasons.
'He's crazy!' is the kind of thing Furio would tell you, 'Nuts beyond belief! Take one look in his eyes and you will see!'
Luckily for the 180,000 crowd watching, the famed and professional announcer, Jinx, knew exactly who Furio was.
After all, it was Jinx's job to know.
"Kukuku, it's not healthy to hold a grudge, Furio-san. 3" Kimagure Joka said.
"Can it, you bastard! You die today!" Furio responded.
["Would you look at that! The adept knife juggler, who used to be a part of Hugh Antonio's circus, has joined the match! And he seems to have a bone to pick with Kimagure Joka! Give it up for… FURIO!"]
The crowd cheered. They could not help it. Jinx's voice was too riling.
"Ah jeez, this is starting to get a bit convoluted…" Swiss sighed as he scratched the side of his head.
Unfortunately for Swiss, the gift kept on giving.
"Count us in!"
A thunderous crash was heard as two figures heavily jumped into the arena.
When the dust cloud around them cleared, the silhouettes of two men could be seen.
They were tall and wide men, with square chins and shoulders. Their torso and upper bodies were huge, but their legs were small.
Yes, they skipped leg day…
"Lukukuku!" The twin brothers laughed. They had haircuts that reminded Swiss of Elvis Presley.
Tied to either of their skinny legs were balls and chains.
It was as if they were prisoners, yet the way they moved around with these heavy and deadly balls and chains latched to their ankles…
You could tell they were well and truly free.
Well and truly in control.
["This just gets better and better! It's the Roller Twins, Tahi and Rua!"]
"That fruit is ours!" The Roller Twins said in unison. Tahi and Rua looked identical. The only thing separating them was the fact that Rua was wearing earrings.
Tahi and Rua flicked their legs, hurling the heavy balls and chains attached to them.
The impact of the metal balls crashing against the floor sent an intimidating message.
[WANTED
DEAD OR ALIVE
TAHI
$41,000,000 BELLI]
[WANTED
DEAD OR ALIVE
RUA
$39,000,000 BELLI]
The crowd cheered.
Under his mask, Jinx licked his lips.
'Who's next to enter?' he happily theorized.
"Fuck it!"
That's when a timid-looking brown man wearing a black beanie and a thick brown jacket jumped down into the ring.
"I don't care anymore! My name is Aleven! If I'm going to go out, I'll go with a bang!"
["Amazing! We are even starting to get some no-names entering the deathmatch! Good on you, Aleven! Who else wants to join?"]
Swiss chuckled. At this point, watching all these scrubs join…, he thought him winning the Devil Fruit could be a realistic possibility.
That was until…
Thousands of no named thugs entered the ring.
They kept pouring in until there were at least 10,000 people crammed in the arena.
"Heh heh…" The 10,000-strong band of hardened scum cackled.
Swiss looked around at the thousands of people participating in the deathmatch against him and cursed his luck, "Bruh, are you fucking serious!"
That's when the call of friendship could be heard.
"Oiiii, Swissan!"
Next to arrive came Jinzo, Grit, and Raito. Each decked out epically in their smooth suits.
Grit's black hood flapped in the wind, as well as the long flaps of Raito's ninja headband and the black suit jacket draped over Jinzo's shoulders.
"Ayeee, you bastards, how good of you to join us!" Swiss happily said.
Jinzo giggled, "Hehe, we could hardly leave you hanging, Swissan."
"For real?" Swiss asked with hopeful eyes.
Raito nodded immediately, "Of course!"
Grit begrudgingly shrugged his shoulders in a way that could be read as 'yes, for real'.., or '?'..
Despite this vagueness from Grit, Swiss smiled warmly. He felt grateful to have such great companions.
"Trololol. Maybe with you bastards, we can take on 10,000!"
Swiss company posed like badasses alongside Kimagure Joka.
["My my! Who would have thought we would get such a turnout! And look at how terrible they all look! Without a doubt, these are the toughest of all South Blue!"]
"Wooooo!" The crowd cheered with great anticipation, unable to endure the suspense any longer.
["And so, ladies and gentlemen, how about we get this 10,000 strong battle royal underway!"]
Jinx said this and pointed to the imperial booth, awaiting the signal from the king of Jam Land; James Shelby.
James Shelby put down his whiskey glass and stood from his comfy leather chair.
But just as he was about to give the signal for the match to start…
"WAIT!" Saint Lazlo cried.
"Hmm?" James Shelby grunted.
"I want to win the fruit also!"
"But honey, who will you send?" Saint Lauren asked her husband.
That's when an alarm rang.
*BRRRRRRRNG!*
"I'm awake!" A voice shouted as an alarm clock was shattered to pieces.
"There he is. Oi!" Saint Lazlo called.
The woken man yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
His gray hair, his dark gray suit, and overcoat…
"There you are, fool! Get down there and win me that fruit!" Saint Lazlo ordered.
"Huh? Arefool?" The man in the dark gray suit mumbled.
"Oh my!" A Shelby henchman gasped.
"Is that…?" An attractive waitress tried to say.
"Admiral Strife." James Shelby asserted, "Will you be entering the deathmatch?"
"Excuse me?" Admiral Strife stretched in his seat, "Is that some kind of breakfast?"
"What are you talking about! You do as we celestial dragons tell you! And just look! There are pirates down there!"
Saint Lazlo continued listing the many reasons why Admiral Strife had to participate.
"Okay, okay… Sheesh. I don't exactly follow, but I'll go with the flow.. But only because there are criminals down there."
Admiral Strife yawned as he walked through the imperial box and jumped down into the arena.
"!"
He landed with a heavy and intimidating thud.
["THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"]
"Ugh, how bothersome. I wish I didn't take the promotion to admiral. All I am is just a government dog…" Admiral Strife groaned.
["FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ROYAL JAM HISTORY, WE HAVE A MARINE ADMIRAL TAKING THE STAGE!"]
All 10,000 in the arena glared at the marine admiral.
Admiral Strife paid no mind.
He walked confidentially towards them with a charismatic grin before opening his mouth and saying
"You rang?"
"!"
What followed was the deafening sound of the crowd.
And the loud proclamation from Jinx signaling the start of the match.
["BEGIN!"]
—
[ssyffix: Yo.]
[ssyffix: Your friendly author here :p]
[ssyffix: I decided to have the author notes now included at the bottom of the chapters.]
[ssyffix: this is because if this story ever gets put on other websites, I want my words to be included in the 'pirated' versions (pun sorta included?). Sadly, Webnovel's features does not oblige this, so here I am.]
[ssyffix: Thank you all very much for the support over this journy thus far :) I have been having a lot of fun writing OPO.]
[ssyffix: Life been getting pretty busy as of late. I was lowkey addicted to writing this story for a while. It pains me I can't release daily chapters right now. Just know that there is a lot of passion going into this, so I will be back writing in earnest when I can!]
[ssyffix: See ya in the next chapter! 3]