Corrida Colosseum

The restaurant is left staring into the enormous crater that the blind old man opened beneath the cheating gangsters. Dust rolls through the room, plates and chairs lie scattered, and the bystanders peer down in stunned silence. The men who had been mocking him are gone, swallowed by the sudden force as if the floor itself had judged them. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Franky, and Kin'emon stand near the edge with the same shock as the locals. Nothing about the old man's appearance had prepared them for this. The crash has ended the gambling scam in one movement, but it has also exposed that Dressrosa contains people whose powers are far beyond what a casual visitor would expect. The hole in the floor becomes the first real warning inside the city: beneath the bright streets, food, music, and toys, violent forces are already moving.

The old man calmly collects his cane and walks away through the damaged restaurant. The others stare after him and ask, "WHAT THE...!? WHO IS HE..." Sanji recognizes the most obvious explanation: "AN ABILITY USER..." then wonders, "BUT WHAT SORT OF POWER..." The old man apologizes to the staff with formal politeness: "AH, I'M SORRY, GOOD SIR." He tells the claimants, "FORWARD ALL THE DAMAGE CLAIMS TO HERE..." and the staff can only answer, "OKAY..." Luffy tries to follow and asks, "BUT WHO ARE YOU!!?" Another bystander says, "YOU'RE REALLY STRONG, OLD MAN!!" The old man answers only with restraint: "PLEASE FORGIVE MY RUDENESS..." Luffy protests, "YOU... BUT NO, IT COULDN'T BE..." The stranger leaves without explanation, having proved that he is not a helpless victim at all.

The old man refuses to give his identity. When asked, he says, "...HEH HEH. WHO AM I?" then answers, "THAT I WILL NOT SAY." His reason is strange but deliberate: "...IT IS FOR BOTH OUR SAKES." Luffy, still wearing his fake beard, bumps into someone and gets warned, "HEY, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!!" The others ask, "ARE YOU ALRIGHT...?" and he answers, "FORGIVE ME..." Sanji and Zoro watch the old man leave, still uneasy. Sanji asks, "FOR BOTH YOUR SAKES!?" and guesses, "THINK HE'S SOMEONE WITH A REAL BAD REPUTATION...?" Zoro does not know either, but he can feel the danger: "EITHER WAY... HE'S NO ORDINARY GUY..." The encounter ends without a name, leaving the crew with only the fact that the stranger is powerful, cautious, and hiding himself for a reason.

As the crew moves on through Acacia, the city exposes another danger: thieves so quick they vanish into the crowd. Sanji suddenly cries, "AH!! MY WATCH!!" and another voice shouts, "MY BAG'S GONE!!" He searches himself and asks, "WHERE IS MY WALLET?" while Franky concludes, "CRAP, SOMEONE TOOK MY JACKET!!" Kin'emon says, "IT MUST HAVE BEEN HIDING FROM PLAIN SIGHT IN ALL THIS DUST AND SMOKE!!" Zoro stops cold and realizes the worst theft of all: "I'M ONE SHORT!!!" His sword is gone. Kin'emon shouts, "WHAT IS IT?" and Zoro answers, "MY SWORD'S GONE!!" The old toy soldier explains the local belief: "LOOKS LIKE WE'VE ALL BEEN HAD. A FAIRY HAS TAKEN IT ALL AWAY." Kin'emon erupts when he sees which sword is missing: "'SHUSUI' IS MISSING!!" and cries, "WHAT!!? THE TREASURE OF WANOKUNI!?"

The toy soldier describes Dressrosa's fairies with the calm of someone repeating an old custom: "SINCE OLDEN TIMES, THESE FAIRIES - UNSEEN BY THE NAKED EYE - HAVE BEEN THE GUARDIAN DEITIES OF DRESSROSA." Because of that, "WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO OVERLOOK THEIR MISCHIEF." Kin'emon refuses to accept it and screams, "STOP FUCKING AROUND!!" then, "STOP INDEED, THAT HE SHOULD!! THAT SWORD IS WANOKUNI'S NATIONAL TREASURE!!" Zoro, burning with anger, says, "HUH!? MY SWORD IS? IT'S NOT YOURS, THAT IT'S NOT!!" Kin'emon turns the loss into another challenge: "I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL, SO THAT I MAY RECLAIM SHUSUI FOR WANOKUNI!!" Zoro answers, "HMPH. THAT'S FINE, AS LONG AS YOU'RE READY TO LOSE!!" Then he locks onto the trail and snaps, "YOU'VE BEEN GREEDY... FAIRIES!!" before launching himself after the thief.

Zoro bolts into the street after the unseen thief, yelling, "BUT YOU WON'T GET AWAY!!" Luffy calls after him, "HEY ZORO, WHERE'RE YOU GOING!?" but Zoro is already gone. Sanji panics because they do not have time to scatter: "HOLD UP!! WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOU TO GO WANDERING AND GETTING LOST!!" Luffy, instead of stopping him, is amused: "SOUNDS FUN, SHISHISHI!!! WAIT UP, LUFFY!!" Kin'emon asks, "HAVE YOU FOUND THE CULPRIT!? WANOKUNI'S TREASURE SHALL NOT FALL INTO THE HANDS OF ANOTHER!!" Franky, seeing the whole situation getting out of control, says, "I KNOW THIS BUNCH ALL TOO WELL BY NOW, SO IT LOOKS LIKE I'VE GOT TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. JUST LEAVE EVERYTHING TO YOUR BRO!!" A new commotion crashes through the street, and Luffy shouts, "I'VE GOT AN IDEA!!" as the group is pulled toward another lead.

The crew grabs a beaten local informant and mistakes him for one of Doflamingo's people. Luffy declares, "JUST AS I THOUGHT... YOU'RE CLEARLY ONE OF DOFLAMINGO'S MEN." Sanji and Franky tower over him and demand information: "BUT WE'RE NOT THE TYPES TO BE INTIMIDATED BY THAT FACT. SO TELL US WHAT YOU KNOW." The man pleads, "BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY WERE CAPTURED OR WHERE THEY ARE NOW...!! AND... I'VE GOT NO IDEA ABOUT THIS 'SMILE'." Kin'emon is furious that he knows nothing: "NOT EVEN A CLUE ABOUT THE 'S'!?" Franky shouts, "NOT EVEN THE 'S'...!! NOT EVEN THE 'F' IN 'FACTORY' EITHER...!! JUST WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE..." The informant has no answers about Kanjuro, the SMILE factory, or Doflamingo's secrets, and Sanji calls it a waste: "WHAT A WASTE. THIS GUY PROBABLY DOESN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT HIS OWN FRIENDS."

The useless informant points them toward a better source: the Corrida Colosseum. He says, "ALRIGHT THEN, TELL US WHERE WE CAN FIND SOMEONE WITH A LITTLE MORE CLOUT!!" and explains, "EVERYONE'S REAL BUSY TODAY SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE!!" Someone says even he has been called to the colosseum, and the hint lands: "HAVE A LOOK FOR YOURSELVES! THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS HEADING TO THE COLOSSEUM TODAY." Luffy immediately wants to go, and the informant adds, "THERE'S A BIG EVENT TODAY!! I'M SURE THE OFFICERS OF THE FAMILY WILL BE GATHERING THERE...!!" Another voice says, "RIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT...!! IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO MEET THE HIGHER-UPS, YOU SHOULD GO TO 'CORRIDA COLOSSEUM'." When Luffy asks if the delicious meat Doflamingo mentioned is there, the answer is sharper: "ALL HE SAID IS THAT IT'S SOMETHING YOU'D WANT."

Dressrosa's Corrida Colosseum rises over the city, huge and roaring with spectators. The announcer calls, "LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND TOYS OF ALL AGES!" The crowd answers with cheers and the chant "IT'S THEM!! THE THUNDER TROOPS!!" Even the toys want in: "LET US IN!!" "WE WANNA WATCH TOO!!" but a warning follows: "PEOPLE FIGHTING TO THE DEATH... IT'S NOT SOMETHING FOR CHILDREN TO SEE...!! GO HOME!!" Inside, the arena is packed. The announcer declares, "THE EVENT TODAY... WILL BE A SPECTACLE INDEED!!" The colosseum is not a side attraction but a major public event, drawing the whole country into one place. For the Straw Hats, that means Doflamingo's higher-ups may be there. For the reader, the scale of the arena makes clear that Dressrosa's entertainment is built on violence.

The prize is announced with theatrical reverence. The speaker says, "FOR TODAY'S EVENT, THE KING HAS ENTRUSTED TO US... A FABULOUS AND RARE PRIZE, INDEED!!" Then he describes the fruit's owner: "THE MAN... THE MAN WHO LOST HIS LIFE TWO YEARS AGO IN PARAMOUNT WAR AT MARINEFORD!!" The crowd understands the name: Ace, "THE SECOND SQUAD LEADER OF THE LEGENDARY 'WHITEBEARD' PIRATE CREW AND THE SON OF THE PIRATE KING HIMSELF." His power is remembered as terrifying: "HIS BLAZING FIST COULD PIERCE EVEN A BATTLESHIP... HE COULD RAZE A TOWN, TRANSFORMING IT INTO A LIVING HELL." Now, "HIS POWER - IN THE FORM OF A DEVIL FRUIT - HAS BEEN REBORN INTO THIS WORLD!!" The cloth is pulled away and the fruit is revealed: "TO THE WINNER OF THE FIGHT GOES THIS FORBIDDEN FRUIT!! BEHOLD!!"

The announcer names the prize: "THE MERA-MERA NO MI!!!" The colosseum explodes in cheers. People shout, "AMAZING!!!" and "UOHH HHH!!" while another voice explains, "IT'S A DEVIL FRUIT OF THE STRONGEST CATEGORY - THE 'LOGIA'!!" The announcer tells the audience, "WE'VE GATHERED IN THIS COLOSSEUM A NUMBER OF BIG NAMES FROM THE NEW WORLD!!" They are there "TODAY, AT THE BEHEST OF OUR KING..." but not every fighter is ordinary. Someone asks, "ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE 'DONQUIXOTE FAMILY'!?" and a voice answers that the gladiators are of a different class than usual. "IF YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE IT, THEN TRY!!" the announcer says. "BUT WE'RE NOT HANDING OVER THIS RARITY THAT EASILY!! FOR THE ONES WHO WOULD RECEIVE YOUR CHALLENGE...!!" The arena is being turned into bait for anyone who wants Ace's power.

The Donquixote Family's fighters are introduced one by one as the crowd erupts. The names crash across the page: "SENOR PINK!!" with the crowd screaming "SENOR PINK!!"; "DELLINGER!!!!" as Dellinger grins; "LAO G" with his severe old face; and "MACHVISE!!!" with Machvise beaming beneath the huge lettering of his name. These are not anonymous colosseum guards. They are named officers and combatants of Doflamingo's organization, placed directly between the challengers and the Mera Mera no Mi. Their introduction confirms that the tournament is not a fair public game but a controlled stage built by the Donquixote Family. Anyone who enters for Ace's fruit will have to pass through Doflamingo's own people.

The colosseum's hero appears last. The crowd calls, "SHOW US A GOOD FIGHT!!" and "LET'S GET THIS THING STARTED ALREADY!!" The announcer presents him as "MR. DIAMANTE!!!" and "OUR COLOSSEUM'S HERO!!" The entire arena roars, "DIAMANTE!!!!" and "DIAMANTE-SAMA!!!" Luffy, watching from the side, finally understands the bait. He sees the fruit and says, "ACE'S... MERA-MERA NO MI!?" Someone asks, "YOU THINK YOUNG MASTER WOULD TELL SUCH A POINTLESS LIE!?" and the answer is clear: the prize is real. Doflamingo has placed Ace's power in the Corrida Colosseum and put Diamante at the center of it. For Luffy, this is no longer just a mission to find Doflamingo's factory or rescue Kanjuro; the memory of Ace has been turned into a challenge he cannot ignore.

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