"…This…"
Watching the swarm of crocodiles tumble off the cliff and plunge into the sea, Robin's pupils shrank slightly as she stared at the figure that had already crossed the swamp.
In that brief moment just now, she had clearly sensed a strange, eerie aura spreading across the grassland.
But it had appeared and vanished too quickly.
By the time she reacted, the crocodiles had already fled.
Even so—
She was certain.
That had been Arashi.
"Hey, what the hell is going on?!"
While Robin was still stunned, the kingdom guards stationed outside the thorn barrier also noticed the bizarre scene. Seeing that all the crocodiles had disappeared into the sea, the leading officer stepped forward and shouted at Robin:
"What did you do?! Why did the crocodiles suddenly run away?!"
Arashi, who had just stepped past the grassland, instinctively looked up, speechless.
"What does that have to do with me?!"
"Damn it… report this to the Sheriff immediately!"
The officer clearly wasn't expecting an answer. After glancing once more at the vanished crocodiles, he picked up a Den Den Mushi and reported loudly:
"Sheriff, the crocodile obstacle we set up has suddenly fled into the sea!"
"It's fine. That was only the first obstacle."
A voice tinged with eerie malice came through the Den Den Mushi. Before the officer could respond, the call was abruptly cut off.
Hearing that voice, Arashi's eyes narrowed slightly.
The first obstacle?
So there were more to come.
Good.
That made things more interesting.
Arashi blinked, then called out:
"Robin, time to move!"
"Yes, Mr. Arashi."
Robin lightly stepped forward, skimming across the ground like a dragonfly before landing beside him.
"Go, go, go!"
Without even sparing the guards a glance, Arashi took off again with Robin following close behind.
—
Along the 400-kilometer coastal marathon route—
Obstacles were placed every few dozen kilometers.
Each checkpoint was guarded by over a dozen soldiers.
Among them, the fifth obstacle was the most eye-catching.
Because it was built along the coastline—
It was a natural barrier.
To proceed, participants had to cross a cliff connected only by two steel cables.
Below the hundred-meter drop—
Roaring waves crashed violently against the rocks.
One slip—
And it would mean certain death.
This wasn't a marathon at all.
It was a survival trial.
Guarding this checkpoint were only three people.
Two soldiers—
And one man.
He wore a black top hat, dressed like a theatrical performer, holding a cane in his hand. His lips were painted in exaggerated red, giving him the appearance of a grotesque clown.
Lafitte.
The Sheriff of Ilusia Kingdom.
The organizer and mastermind behind this marathon.
A man known as the "Demon Sheriff" of the West Blue.
A user of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: White Dove.
"Sheriff, it seems there are quite a few strong contestants this year."
One of the guards standing beside Lafitte glanced at the empty road ahead and spoke cautiously:
"Could there really be Devil Fruit users among them?"
"There definitely are."
Lafitte flicked his fingernails lightly, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
"But doesn't that make it more interesting?"
"Even if there are Devil Fruit users, they won't be anything special. Truly powerful ones wouldn't bother with such a trivial game."
"But I like it."
"I love hearing the desperate screams of contestants during this race."
"Tens of thousands of people… imagine if they all died along the way."
"What a magnificent spectacle that would be."
Hearing this, the two guards broke into cold sweat.
"Sheriff… if there are Devil Fruit users, then ordinary contestants who can't pass the obstacles will just give up. The casualties shouldn't be that high…"
"Give up?"
Lafitte slowly turned his head, staring at the guard with a chilling smile.
"This time… there is no such thing as giving up."
"Because those who quit—will die even more miserably."
—
At the same time—
Arashi and Robin arrived at the second obstacle.
Looking at the scene ahead, Robin couldn't help but speak:
"Mr. Arashi… this isn't a marathon at all. It's clearly a survival trial. If anything goes wrong, a lot of people will die…"
In front of them stood a steep cliff rising directly from the sea.
To continue forward, they had to climb it barehanded.
But before that—
They had to jump into the sea.
It was clearly designed to target Devil Fruit users.
Even for strong ones, the crashing waves below posed a real threat.
After all—
Devil Fruit users were helpless in water.
"Mr. Arashi… h-how are we supposed to get across?"
Robin looked at the waves crashing against the cliff, feeling uneasy.
Her abilities were well-developed, but seawater was still her weakness.
Arashi turned to her and asked casually:
"Do you have a knife?"
"A knife?"
Robin blinked, then replied helplessly, "Why would I carry a knife… oh—wait, I did buy a fruit knife at the market earlier… will that work?"
She took out a small fruit knife and handed it to him.
"That's enough."
Arashi barely glanced at it before taking it.
Then—
Facing the towering cliff amidst the raging waves—
He swung.
A crescent-shaped slash burst through the air, tearing across space before sinking into the cliff—
And in the next instant—
The massive rock face was cleanly cut in half—
Like tofu.
Then it collapsed straight down with a thunderous crash.
Extra chapters are already prepared… waiting to be unleashed.
Get early access on Patreon:
patreon.com/c/DreamWriterStudios
Want more chapters? You decide the pace:
✨ 10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
🔥 200 Power Stones = Another Release
Your support fuels the journey.
The stronger your backing… the faster the story unfolds.