The second duo stepped into the arena under the watchful eyes of the cameras. Both belonged to Big Mom's crew and had the kind of strange appearance you eventually started considering almost normal after spending enough time around the people of Totto Land.
And yet, despite their unusual looks, neither of them truly impressed me at first glance. The second even seemed like nothing more than a subordinate accompanying his superior, with no remarkable abilities or presence strong enough to catch my attention.
The first, however, should have immediately sparked my curiosity.
He was a pirate captain with a bounty of seven hundred million Berries, an amount far higher than Kenshiro's. More importantly, he had eaten the Iwa Iwa no Mi, a Logia that allowed him to create, control, and become rock.
On paper, it was monstrous.
And yet, something bothered me.
I watched him introduce himself with an arrogant smile, talking about his bounty as though it already guaranteed his victory and barely even glancing at the Heartless waiting farther away. His companion remained slightly behind him, apparently accustomed to following his orders without question.
"Seven hundred million..." I murmured.
Hades turned toward me.
"That's a lot, right?"
"A huge amount. But I don't know... there's something about him I don't like."
I didn't have to wait long to understand why.
The first few rounds went smoothly enough. The Logia was particularly spectacular: masses of rock erupted around him, stone projectiles obliterated the Heartless, and ordinary physical attacks passed straight through his body whenever he transformed.
His companion almost looked useless beside him.
The problem, however, became increasingly obvious as the rounds continued. Behind all those impressive attacks was a body far less developed than I would have expected from a pirate with such an enormous bounty.
"Ah... There it is."
I finally understood what had been bothering me.
The man was built like a twig.
Obviously, his physique itself wasn't the problem. It was what that physique revealed when combined with the way he fought. He had barely developed his physical endurance because he had always been able to let his Logia do the work for him.
"He relies completely on his Fruit," I observed.
Zeus watched as the pirate once again transformed his torso into rock to avoid an attack.
"And yet, it seems to work pretty well."
"For a short fight, yes. Not for ten consecutive rounds."
Logia abilities required enormous amounts of energy when used excessively and continuously. This man transformed his body, produced tons of rock, and launched massive attacks in every round as though his reserves were infinite.
By the fifth round, his breathing had already changed.
By the sixth, he was beginning to sweat.
By the seventh, his rock creations were visibly smaller.
His companion even tried to warn him.
"Captain, slow down a little. I can handle more of them."
"Shut up! These creatures are nothing!"
I briefly closed my eyes.
"And there's the other problem."
Hades grinned.
"Arrogance?"
"Arrogance."
The next round fully exposed their weakness.
Fifty Yellow Operas appeared on one side of the arena while fifty Red Nocturnes materialized on the other.
A hundred elemental Heartless that, individually, would have posed only a limited threat to the two pirates.
Together, they became a nightmare.
The lightning from the Yellow Operas constantly forced the captain to disperse or reform his body, while the Red Nocturnes maintained relentless pressure with their fire attacks. Every elemental dodge drained even more of his energy.
"Stop dispersing yourself!" his companion shouted.
"I KNOW!"
Clearly, he didn't.
He tried to end the fight quickly.
An enormous wave of rock erupted from the ground and swept away around a dozen Heartless. A second attack crushed several more. Then a third formation began to emerge...
And collapsed.
The captain suddenly dropped to one knee.
"What the..."
A bolt of lightning struck him.
This time, his body didn't transform quickly enough.
His companion tried to help him, but was forced to face several dozen enemies alone.
He held out for a few moments before being overwhelmed as well.
I smiled slightly.
"Seven hundred million."
Hades looked at me.
"You look way too pleased about this."
"A bounty measures the threat he represents to the Government. Not his ability to manage his stamina in an arena."
A few minutes later, it was all over.
Big Mom's duo had been completely eliminated long before reaching the final round.
Just like with Nuts, the captain's death quickly triggered a reaction.
A mass of darkness appeared in the middle of the arena.
But this time, the creature that emerged from it was far more impressive.
The Heartless had a massive body composed of black rock covered in glowing cracks. Several mineral plates overlapped around its body like natural armor, while its enormous arms were clearly capable of producing and manipulating stone.
I immediately sensed its power.
"Iwa Iwa no Mi..."
Hades gave a low whistle.
"He's better like this."
I couldn't help but smile.
"Much better."
The Fruit was exceptional.
Its user, much less so.
My shadow immediately spread beneath the creature and swallowed it before it could truly begin testing its new abilities.
I had probably just acquired one of the most interesting Heartless in my collection.
The second pirate also produced a Heartless.
This one, however, had absolutely nothing remarkable about it.
A common Heartless appeared where his body had disappeared, looked around for a few seconds, and was almost immediately claimed by Hades.
"I'm taking this one!"
I simply shrugged.
"Help yourself."
The rules of this world were ultimately rather convenient for us.
Whenever an inhabitant of this world gave birth to a Heartless, it was naturally destined for me, but there was nothing stopping me from leaving it to Hades whenever I had no use for it.
That suited me perfectly.
In the area reserved for the participants, the officer accompanying Big Mom's men watched the scene with an especially grim expression.
His gaze lingered for several seconds on my shadow, where a Logia probably worth a fortune had just disappeared.
Yet he didn't protest.
He had seen what I had done with Nuts.
If the captain had won the tournament and developed a similar bond with his new Heartless, there was a good chance I would have entrusted it to him as well.
So he had no reason to accuse me of stealing his power.
The pirate had lost.
His Fruit hadn't saved him.
And no one could blame the Coliseum for the weakness of someone who had willingly chosen to enter it.
Big Mom's officer then turned toward the remaining three members of his group.
His attitude changed completely.
"Did you see what just happened?"
All three nodded.
"Then remember it. Your bounty means nothing here. Your Fruit means nothing if you're too exhausted to use it when you actually need it."
He pointed toward the arena.
"Don't try to finish every round with your strongest attack. Let your partners fight. Take turns. Breathe. And most importantly, save enough energy for the final rounds."
His gaze settled more specifically on one of them.
"And you need to be twice as careful."
The pirate in question swallowed nervously.
He possessed a Paramecia that allowed him to produce pastry cream, an ability that might have seemed almost ridiculous compared to a rock Logia.
For Big Mom, it was exactly the opposite.
"The Logia is gone," the officer continued. "Mama will be annoyed for a few minutes because a powerful Fruit just disappeared."
He stepped closer to the cream-producing pirate.
"But you produce a food resource."
The pirate's face went pale.
"Yes..."
"A food resource that Mama enjoys."
He went even paler.
"Yes."
"So if you die because you wanted to show off for the cameras, I'll have to return to Totto Land and explain to Mama why we lost a pastry cream producer in a tournament I personally escorted you to."
A heavy silence followed.
His companion slowly placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We're going to conserve your energy."
"Excellent idea."
Even from the other side of the arena, I had to hold back a laugh.
They had just lost an extremely powerful Logia user with a bounty of seven hundred million Berries. And yet, for the first time since the beginning of the day, Big Mom's officer actually looked worried.
Over a man capable of producing pastry cream.
Then again, we were talking about Big Mom's crew.
Their priorities made perfect sense.
I watched Big Mom's officer finish giving his recommendations, his attention remaining particularly focused on the pastry cream Paramecia user.
His nervousness was almost amusing.
Only a few minutes earlier, he had lost a captain with a Logia and a seven-hundred-million-Berry bounty without truly panicking, yet the idea of having to tell Big Mom that they had permanently lost a food producer suddenly seemed far more terrifying.
I let out a small laugh before stepping forward.
"Well... since you're going to be coming back every month, maybe I can offer you a slightly advantageous rule."
The officer immediately turned toward me.
Big Mom's three remaining participants did the same, while the Beasts Pirates also perked up.
Still wearing Sora's appearance, I gestured toward my shadow, where the Heartless possessing the power of the Iwa Iwa no Mi had just disappeared.
"Obviously, I'm not going to automatically return every Heartless created from your dead. The tournament needs to retain its risks, and I have no intention of turning every defeat into a convenient way to acquire a new soldier."
The officer slowly nodded.
"But I can make an exception for powers that directly correspond to your crews' specialties."
This time, even Hades gave me his full attention.
I pointed toward Big Mom's three men.
"If a member of Big Mom's crew with a Devil Fruit directly related to food dies in the Coliseum and gives birth to a Heartless capable of retaining that power, I'll let you take that Heartless back to Big Mom."
The pastry cream producer stared at me with his mouth hanging open.
So did his officer.
"You're serious?"
"Completely."
I smiled.
"Big Mom has built a large part of her territory around food. I completely understand that someone capable of producing an important resource could be more valuable to her than a fighter who's considerably stronger."
I glanced toward my shadow.
"The Iwa Iwa no Mi stays with me, though. Rocks aren't a dessert."
Hades immediately raised a finger.
"Depends on the quality of the cook."
I looked at him.
"No."
"Fine."
A few laughs spread among the participants, easing the atmosphere slightly.
I then turned toward Kaido's men.
"And since I have absolutely no intention of giving Big Mom preferential treatment, the Beasts Pirates will get an equivalent rule."
Kaido's lower-ranking officer crossed his arms with interest.
"For Zoans?"
"Exactly."
I pointed toward Kenshiro's shadow.
"If a member of the Beasts Pirates with a Zoan dies during a tournament and their Heartless retains the characteristics of their Fruit, you'll be allowed to take it back with you."
Kenshiro instinctively looked down at Nuts.
The dark surface beneath his feet rippled slightly.
"Whether it's as powerful as Nuts or much weaker won't make any difference. If they belonged to the Beasts Pirates and possessed a Zoan, Kaido gets the Heartless."
The lower-ranking officer stared at me for a few seconds.
"Even if it's a rare Zoan?"
"Even if it's an Ancient Zoan."
I paused briefly.
"Even a Mythical Zoan, if Kaido is crazy enough to send someone with a power like that into the easiest tournament."
The man smiled.
"Kaido-sama might appreciate that rule."
"That's exactly the idea."
I wanted both Emperors to have a reason to continue respecting our agreement. Giving them a guarantee regarding the powers that formed the very core of their crews made the monthly tournaments much more appealing to them without removing the risks for the participants.
Big Mom's officer nevertheless raised a hand.
"And what if the Heartless doesn't retain the power?"
I shrugged.
"Then there's nothing I can do. I'm giving you back what appears, not something that no longer exists."
He immediately accepted that clarification.
"And the Heartless belongs to Mama after that?"
"Yes. I'm not going to summon it back three weeks later because I suddenly decide I want it."
That answer seemed to satisfy him completely.
His gaze returned to the pastry cream producer.
"You heard him?"
The pirate quickly nodded.
"Yes!"
"Good."
The officer crossed his arms.
"That still doesn't mean you're allowed to die."
The poor man's smile disappeared.
"...Yes."
Kenshiro snickered softly.
His own superior immediately smacked him lightly on the back of the head.
"Don't laugh. You just showed us exactly why this rule is useful too."
Kenshiro placed a hand over his shadow.
"I'm not complaining."
Hades then walked over to me.
"So, if I'm understanding this correctly: food for Big Mom, animals for Kaido?"
"That's deliberately oversimplified, but yes."
He adopted a mock-thoughtful expression.
"And what if one of Big Mom's guys has the Cake Zoan?"
I remained silent.
Zeus sighed.
"A cake isn't an animal, Hades."
"I'm checking for loopholes in the rules! It's important!"
I shook my head before turning my attention back toward the cameras.
The most interesting part was that this conversation had also been broadcast.
Kaido and Big Mom would therefore learn about the new rule directly, without needing to wait for their men to return.
On Onigashima, the reaction probably wouldn't be difficult to predict. A way to preserve his men's Zoans even after their deaths fit perfectly with Kaido's obsession with his animal army.
And in Totto Land...
I glanced one last time at the pastry cream producer.
Big Mom had essentially just received an insurance policy for her living food resources.
Something told me she would appreciate that rule far more than the possibility of recovering the rock Logia I had just kept for myself.
I calmly returned to my place.
"There. Now you can keep dying with slightly fewer economic consequences."
Hades placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Sora..."
"What?"
"I'm so proud of you."
I pushed his hand away.
"Send in the next team."
His grin immediately widened.
"WITH PLEASURE!"
Big Mom's three remaining pirates exchanged glances.
The pastry cream producer, meanwhile, suddenly seemed torn between feeling reassured by my new rule...
and deeply worried by the realization that, in his captain's eyes, his Fruit might actually be worth more than his life.
On Onigashima, Kaido was still watching the broadcast alongside several of his men. Nuts' death hadn't particularly surprised him; every participant had accepted the risk before entering the arena. However, seeing the Heartless born from his former power enter Kenshiro's shadow had immediately caught his attention.
When I announced that any future Heartless born from Zoan users belonging to the Beasts Pirates would automatically be entrusted to them, Kaido remained silent for a second.
Then his enormous grin widened.
"Worororororo!"
His laughter echoed throughout the room.
"Excellent!"
Queen, sitting nearby, adjusted his glasses.
"That's definitely much more advantageous than expected. Even when one of our Zoan users fails, we don't necessarily lose their power completely."
Kaido grabbed his gourd.
"Exactly!"
He looked at Kenshiro and his shadow on the screen.
"And if those Heartless keep growing stronger alongside their partners, it gives my men a second chance to become stronger even after they die!"
Queen crossed his arms.
"It also makes ordinary Zoans more worthwhile to send. We can test their users without risking the complete loss of their abilities."
Kaido nodded vigorously.
"Sora keeps his word."
His gaze settled on my image.
"As long as he keeps this up, no one touches Kyuka."
He took a long drink before grinning.
"And next month, five more will participate."
Queen sighed.
"I'll prepare a list."
"Not the strongest ones!"
"Yes, yes, I understood you the first time."
Kaido burst out laughing again.
"Worororo! I really like this tournament!"
At Whole Cake Island, the reaction was even more enthusiastic.
Big Mom had watched with growing irritation as her seven-hundred-million-Berry captain wasted his stamina before dying to the Yellow Operas and Red Nocturnes.
"USELESS!"
Several Homies around her jumped.
"Seven hundred million, and he gets himself killed because he doesn't know how to conserve his energy?!"
Perospero wisely remained silent.
Then the Heartless possessing the Iwa Iwa no Mi appeared.
Big Mom frowned when she saw me absorb it into my shadow.
"He's keeping the Logia?"
"It appears so, Mama," Perospero replied.
Her expression immediately darkened.
Losing a captain was already irritating.
Watching his Logia join Sora's forces afterward was even worse.
Then came my new announcement.
When she realized that every Heartless born from a food-related Fruit belonging to her crew would now be handed over to her, her anger vanished almost instantly.
"Mamamamamama!"
Perospero smiled.
"A particularly advantageous rule for us."
Big Mom leaned toward the screen.
"So if my cream producer dies..."
"His Heartless would be handed over to us if it retains his power."
Big Mom's smile became enormous.
"Perfect!"
Her reaction confirmed exactly what the officer at the Coliseum had already understood.
The rock Logia was extremely powerful.
But Big Mom already had plenty of powerful fighters.
A man capable of continuously producing a food resource useful to Totto Land occupied a much more important place within her organization.
"Sora understands business," she declared with satisfaction.
Perospero nodded.
"He also granted Kaido an equivalent rule. Both sides therefore have an incentive to continue respecting the agreement."
"Mamamamama! As long as he gives my producers back, I'm happy!"
She suddenly pointed at the screen.
"But tell those three idiots to win anyway! I didn't give them permission to die!"
Perospero smiled slightly.
"I believe your officer is already giving them exactly that message, Mama."
The atmosphere at Marine Headquarters was radically different.
No one particularly cared about the pastry cream producer.
Every eye was fixed on my shadow.
More precisely, on the spot where the Heartless that now possessed the power of the Iwa Iwa no Mi had just disappeared.
Sengoku had straightened in his seat.
Tsuru had lost her usual relaxed expression.
Even Garp had stopped eating.
Sakazuki was the first to break the silence.
"A Logia."
No one answered.
He placed both hands on the table.
"He just acquired a Logia."
A vice admiral quickly checked the available information on the deceased pirate.
"Iwa Iwa no Mi. The ability to create, control, and transform into rock. The user had a bounty of seven hundred million Berries."
Sakazuki spun toward him.
"I know what a Logia is!"
Garp was still watching the screen.
"The guy wasn't very good with it."
Tsuru gave him a look.
"That isn't the problem, Garp. Sora is far beyond the level of that idiot, and he can now use that power however he wants, or even use it to make a deal with another Emperor."
Sengoku slowly nodded.
"Furthermore, the Heartless can operate independently, and we have no idea what its limits are since it was born from the Fruit itself."
That remark caused another silence.
Sakazuki straightened.
"So not only can Sora accumulate Devil Fruits in the form of Heartless, but he could potentially distribute them among his allies."
"Potentially," Sengoku emphasized. "We still don't know exactly what conditions need to be met."
"He still has one now!"
This time, no one tried to downplay the problem.
Tsuru calmly continued.
"And Kaido has just received a guarantee that the Zoans of his men will be returned to him in the form of Heartless. Big Mom gets the same thing for her food producers."
She gave the officers a few seconds to understand the implication.
"Sora has just given both Emperors another reason to protect his tournament."
Sengoku slowly exhaled.
The situation was becoming much more complicated.
Destroying the Coliseum was already probably impossible.
Intervening on Kyuka now risked provoking both Kaido and Big Mom.
And every new tournament could potentially produce Heartless with increasingly dangerous abilities.
Garp finally broke the silence.
"So my idea of sending Marines just got even better."
Sengoku slowly turned his head toward him.
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
Garp grinned.
"Because now I want to know what happens if a Marine with a Devil Fruit wins."
Sakazuki frowned.
"We are not sacrificing a Logia just to conduct an experiment."
Garp burst out laughing.
"See? Now you want to join the discussion too!"
"That is absolutely not what I said!"
Tsuru lightly massaged her temple.
Sengoku closed his eyes.
For a few seconds, Marine Headquarters returned to something resembling normality.
Then Sengoku opened his eyes again and looked at the screen.
His expression became serious once more.
"Find a way to contact Sora."
The room immediately fell silent.
"We need to know the exact conditions required for the Marines to participate in the next public tournament."
Garp grinned triumphantly, and even Sakazuki didn't protest.
(Author's Note: I'll try to finish another chapter quickly for tomorrow, or Monday at the latest, but it's difficult. The Wi-Fi connection where I am isn't great, and I have to type the code in again every hour TT. The Iwa Iwa no Mi comes from ideas I got from "Marcus_Hembree.")