Bartolomeo began to doubt his life.
His barrier was supposed to be invincible.
But the pain in his stomach forced him to clearly realize that his barrier had betrayed him again.
This was already the second time!
He still remembered the first time he had experienced something like this. It was back in Loguetown, before he witnessed the glorious execution-platform moment of his idol, Straw Hat Luffy.
Back then, he had encountered that man in black.
With just one look, that man had nearly destroyed him.
As for Sabo, who had punched Bartolomeo until he almost vomited, he showed no embarrassment at all. Instead, he merely raised a finger to the brim of his hat.
"Sorry, but I can't let you have the Float-Float Fruit."
After Bartolomeo's defeat, there was no longer any suspense in Block B.
Even the king who had spent ages charging his King Punch was defeated by Sabo.
The King Punch was powerful, yes, but its charge time was long, its startup was obvious, and its recovery was huge.
Against a true martial arts expert, it was easy to either take him down before the punch was released, or avoid the frontal impact and defeat the exhausted user afterward.
Watching Sabo strike an MVP victory pose in the arena, Ozz found the whole thing a little boring.
He would not bother watching Luffy's match next.
Something more interesting seemed to be happening elsewhere.
No one noticed that the figure who had originally been in the commentary booth slowly vanished from the spot.
...
Elsewhere.
A massive yet somewhat battered giant ship was sailing across the routes of the New World.
It moved like a divine vessel on patrol.
Pulled by colossal Sea Kings, even the ripples it stirred up became waves large enough to overturn ordinary pirate ships.
"Hahahahaha!"
Sadgeo, whose head was wrapped in bandages, sat happily on the deck, drinking with the people aboard and holding a banquet.
At this point, many different races could already be seen aboard the Noah.
A large number of Fish-Men, some Longlegs, Longarms, a few Giants, and even two Minks.
Who knew why, but Sadgeo seemed to carry some kind of destiny with him. Along the way, he kept encountering all sorts of races.
Some he protected with strength. Some he subdued with force.
His followers and the races under him were slowly increasing.
"Captain Sadgeo is amazing! Even a Marine Admiral wasn't his match!"
"And we have colossal Sea Kings escorting us. Even if a massive Marine fleet came, they wouldn't be able to withstand a direct charge!"
"Yeah! I heard that during that Marine encirclement, one Sea King swallowed the meteor summoned by the Admiral!"
Whether because of Sadgeo's ambition, his strength, or his pursuit of freedom, the races following him gradually began to acknowledge him.
An ordinary Giant, about half Sadgeo's size, laughed and said,
"Speaking of which, Captain Sadgeo's size would probably count as an Ancient Giant in Elbaf, just like King Harald!"
Sadgeo, who closely resembled Joy Boy, laughed loudly and mingled with his subordinates.
Inside the cabin.
Several Fish-Men carried food into a huge room.
"Princess, we've brought you food."
Shirahoshi looked at them and did not react much. She simply nodded.
Although her life aboard the Noah was quite comfortable, and the people on the ship treated her with great respect, she did not like this kind of life.
The Fish-Men noticed Shirahoshi's mood and felt pity for her.
They were Neptune's trusted retainers, so naturally they considered Princess Shirahoshi's wellbeing.
"Princess, if you truly dislike this life, we may have a way."
"A way?"
Shirahoshi blinked innocently at them. A moment later, her eyes dimmed again.
It was not that she could not leave.
It was that she could not leave for Fish-Man Island's sake.
After all, half of Fish-Man Island was now nominally under Sadgeo's protection.
"We understand your concerns..."
Seeing Princess Shirahoshi like this, the Fish-Men continued speaking. Sweat appeared on their faces, as though they were nervous.
"But we saw an opportunity. The Noah will be heading to Green Bit next. That's top-secret information Captain Sadgeo obtained not long ago. Apparently, the Tontatta Tribe lives there."
"Green... Bit?"
Princess Shirahoshi tilted her head, seemingly confused.
"Green Bit is beside Dressrosa. We heard Mr. Ozz is there recently."
These Fish-Men were well-informed. They often read the newspapers and knew about the Float-Float Fruit incident that had been causing a stir lately.
"Yes, yes!"
"Mr. Ozz likes you so much, Princess. He'll definitely have a way!"
...
New World, beside Dressrosa.
Green Bit.
Law and the others arrived there at this time.
They had captured Caesar and come here to negotiate with Doflamingo.
If Doflamingo wanted Caesar back, he had to voluntarily give up his position as a Warlord of the Sea.
Law had arrived.
But Doflamingo had no intention of giving up that position.
The statement he had released earlier was fake.
He was one of the core members of the younger generation. How could he willingly give up his bond with Ozz and the others?
So Law was ambushed.
"Fufufufufu!"
"Law, you're still so naive."
On the other side, Law was utterly shocked.
"How is that possible? You can even revoke the order to abolish your Warlord status? Haven't you Warlords and that man already fallen out with the World Government?"
This exceeded his expectations.
"Fufufufufufuhahaha!"
Hearing such naive words, Doffy laughed wildly with arrogant delight.
"You still don't understand, Law. Even if you've obtained a Warlord position, there are differences between Warlords."
"The relationships between those at the top of the world have never been about simple life-and-death hostility. They are built on exchanges of interest."
Ryokugyu also appeared on Green Bit.
Countless trees grew wildly, covering every inch of land in sight. The power of the forest strangled everything without pause.
Even minor experts like Doflamingo and Law were temporarily forced into a difficult defense.
"This environment really does put me in a good mood."
Ryokugyu liked Green Bit's environment. It was all primeval forest.
But Doflamingo had no time to argue with him. He charged toward Law.
Ryokugyu also helped from time to time, with the forest constantly creating obstacles. In only a short while, Law was pinned to the ground.
But just as Doflamingo was about to kill Law, Ryokugyu stopped him.
The two faced each other.
"What?"
"My mission is to arrest him. As a former Warlord, Trafalgar Law has allied himself with Straw Hat Luffy. I'll take him back and imprison him."
"After all, he's a Warlord too."
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