"So~, we cool?"
"No"
"I don't think we have a reason to fight with each other to death"
"You don't. I just want to kill you"
"Not another chance?"
"No."
Shuunya stopped talking to Bullet and looked at Roger, who was watching the show with great interest.
They are currently in the guest room in the colosseum. Shuunya commissioned the construction of guest rooms in the colosseum for the VIPs, though he knows most of them wouldn't want to stay inside.
He just didn't expect that the first time he was going to use the room would be to convince someone not to kill him the next day.
Roger saw Shuunya looking at him with a pleading eye, but instead of convincing Bullet to go easy on Shuunya, he just said,
"What's the fun in that? Don't worry, he won't really kill you. Though it might hurt a lot"
". . . Dude, I have a job to do after all this. And don't I also need to arrange your escape?"
"Ah! About that, we made a few arrangements for Day after Tomorrow."
"Really? I assumed that you would, but I don't think it would really be helpful."
"Why?"
"The Semi Finals and Finals will be held in a different place, not in the arena, since we all know how destructive you guys can get."
Shuunya flattened an island just so these guys could fight. He also trained the filming crew to shoot everything in the perfect angles to give the right amount of thrill.
So, them being on an isolated island would make things even harder for them. Since the Navy would make a lot of traps just so they could capture these guys, and now they have a lot of space without civilians to worry about.
"Ah, it's fine. I have a very good plan for that. We'll discuss this later on, probably tomorrow. I am more interested in your fight."
". . . Can we not talk about that? I mean it's not really a problem, since I can just quit if I feel like it."
"Don't think of quitting!"
Bullet, who was keeping quiet while they were talking, suddenly spoke when he heard Shuunya wanted to quit.
"You can quit, but I want to fight you regardless."
"Fine, Fine!. I also want to test a few things tomorrow. Let's just have a fun fight"
"Hmph!"
Shuunya looked at Roger who was laughing from the side and knew he couldn't count on him. He wouldn't really die, Roger won't let that happen, and neither will Garp nor will Chinjao. There are too many interests invested in him by now.
"Well, have a good rest! I hope you guys don't make a mess Day after Tomorrow."
"Ok!"
"Like I would believe that, Idiot! It's not a problem since there are no people, but I want some people to live there soon"
". . ."
"You're planning on destroying the island?"
"Something like that"
". . . Hah~!"
Shuunya couldn't bear to talk to them anymore. He has to change his plans for the island. He didn't have much for it before, so it isn't a problem. But in the current situation of the world, land is scarce.
Shuunya came out of the room and looked at the bustling streets of Dressrosa. Even though it is dark now, there are a lot of people traveling, vending, chatting, . . . It's still very noisy.
He doesn't know which other place in this world would have such a beautiful look.
Hum~
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"We welcome you . . . "
"Day 2 . . ."
"Quarter Finals . . . "
"Exciting . . . "
Shuunya listened to Stella's introduction of the events and found no mistakes with it. She is really good with her work right now, since she was practicing for a long time, and she got used to it because of her experience from the day before.
"It looks like the fights will not be as interesting as I expected."
Shuunya looked at the person who spoke. He is a king of a neighboring kingdom. He is sulking about his loss from the Guild matches. Though it looks like he isn't close with the other Kings.
Those who are invited by King Riku are generally benevolent Kings. The fact that he is ostracized by them means there is no need for Shuunya to build such a good relationship with him.
Though he isn't exactly wrong about that.
Shuunya looked at the arena. The Matches are about to begin. The first match is Garp's match. And it is actually interesting, because Garp started snoring when he saw that his opponent couldn't even hurt him much.
Of course, he is using armament Haki, so it's not a problem to not get hurt. But the fact that he can actually sleep shows the Naked Contempt he has for his opponent. Or at least that's what it feels like to everyone.
But those who are close to him know that that's how Garp fights when it's not an interesting match. He would put in some effort if his opponent is a Navy or someone he knows, but a random pirate who is evil? Nope.
The fight went on until the Pirate couldn't stand the eyes of everyone around him and decided to give up. Poor guy is too traumatized.
But he is a Pirate so it's fine.
Shuunya suddenly realized that he doesn't have a good impression of Pirates in general. While that sounds normal, he is very grateful to Edward for bringing him out of Wano and had a good impression of them.
Sure enough, pirates are really bad. I was not affected by them at all and don't have any negative relation with them, but after living in this country for a while, I find them revolting.
The next fight is much simpler. Chinjao is only focused on getting his head back to it's cone shape, so he simply knocked his opponent out of the ring in a single blow.
Chinjao here is much stronger than how he was in the original timeline. Not only is he in his prime, he is also motivated because he knows his head is going to get fixed, though in a very 'peculiar' method.
Shuunya looked at Roger coming on to the stage and knew that it's time for him to go get ready for his match. So he simply bid farewell to the ones he knew around him and went to the waiting area.
He saw Garp and Chinjao having a staring contest. It's expected considering they will be fighting soon. Although a deal was made, they aren't very happy about it . . . Well Chinjao isn't.
Bullet on the other hand is just sitting on the bench, hanging his head down and fiddling his hands, deep in thought.
Dude are you actually getting ready to fight ME?! Even though you know how strong I am?!
It's a good thing I didn't say something like 'I'll remember this' when I was leaving yesterday night.
"Are you ready? I mean, you don't need to, since I am very weak. You know that too."
"I want to hold your head in my hand and smash it into the ground. Then I will kick it until it breaks the stage."
". . . Okay~"
Beware of these hands, Check!
Though he fights mostly with his hands, beware of the opponent's moves? Isn't that obvious?
Shuunya then stood there in silence while Bullet continued to do his own thing until Roger came in carrying his opponent in one hand.
Looking at how he is currently, Shuunya is sure that he is knocked out because of Conqueror's Haki. Roger probably got tired playing with him, or the Guy might have just started talking about how he would achieve Glory after the match.
"They're calling us."
". . ."
Both the opponents didn't speak after that. They just walked into the ring to start their fight. Frankly, Shuunya doesn't want to take a risk yet. It's not his style to fight without contingencies.
But he knows that all the plans he made would just be flattened like a fly in front of Power. And although Shuunya is strong, he isn't strong enough.
"START!!!"
Bullet burst Conqueror's Haki right at the beginning towards Shuunya. Shuunya almost tripped under the pressure, he is even close to getting knocked out.
Seeing Shuunya's troubles in withstanding his Haki, Bullet sneered. He then proceeded to taunt him, "Weren't you so confident in facing us yesterday? Where is your courage now, huh?"
Shuunya isn't focused on Bullet's taunts right now. He found a very crucial problem with him. It's not as if his Will is strong enough.
The problem is that his will isn't large enough. He made up his mind to help others because he doesn't want them to suffer like him. And later, even under doubts he held on and was satisfied with the results.
But it was never his 'wish'. All of this points to one crucial issue. He is doing things because he thinks that's what he is supposed to do, not what he wants to do.
He has his own wishes. He isn't some selfless saint born to save the troubled world, he is sure of that. He is constantly hypnotizing himself using the moral value he learned in his previous life.
What he is doing right now isn't his dream, it's his responsibility. He is doing it because you might not follow your dreams, but you have to follow your responsibility.
He hates how Oden just left Wano without considering what would happen in the country after his departure. But he admires his character a lot after spending decades as his retainer.
.
Shuunya couldn't hold on any longer. He just closed his eyes and accepted his fate. He is not an adventurer, and he prefers stability. He would rather not take risks if it guarantees his safety.
Bullet looked at Shuunya and knew what he was thinking. He is really angry about Shuunya at this moment, even disgusted by him. He never thought that someone who stood up to a fight between Garp and Roger would be a great opponent. But now he is extremely disappointed.
"You Trash!! Is this all you are capable of?! What are you dreaming about now?! All that confidence and no matter."
Shuunya knew Bullet wants him to collect himself for the fight, but he just can't seem to pull himself together. This isn't how he thought the fight would end.
NO!
Shuunya now understands why his Will is strong enough but not large enough. He is confident about the changes he can bring, and plan out in advance. He is confident because he managed Kuri to become the best place to live besides the Capital.
But he isn't confident enough whether he can truly bring those changes. Sure, when he is asked about it, he can confidently say he can. And he himself thinks he is sure of it. But subconsciously, he doesn't think so.
I just can't believe it took me 30 years to fully make up my mind, damn.
Shuunya slowly stood up under the pressure brought by Bullet. He even started to feel relaxed. The will required to stand up against the entity that almost controls the world is very strong.
He found out that his spirit has gotten much better after he collected himself together. He even has many new ideas on how to deal with the next situation. Shuunya then burst out 'Conqueror's Haki' of his own simulation.
"I-Impossible. How can you grow so quickly?! You have even awakened your Conqueror's Haki?!"
Bullet is shocked to discover the changes in Shuunya. He could not believe that someone who was struggling to stay awake under his Haki not long ago could actually clash with him?!
Not only Bullet is shocked. Even Garp and Chinjao are also shocked. They didn't really expect Shuunya to have King's Qualification. However, Roger just looked at the scene smiling.
But Shuunya himself knows that he didn't really awaken any Haki. He is just using a very strong all directional spiritual shock. Since he has a physique coming from the Cardinal world, he isn't capable of awakening it all. He just has a much stronger spirit.
Adding to the fact that he is living his second life, his soul is much stronger too. He is just simulating something similar to what Bullet is doing with the help of Al. And he is sure that he can't do it without Al.
Bullet stopped unleashing his Haki and Shuunya stopped releasing Spiritual Shock. Bullet no longer is disdainful of Shuunya. He thinks that this match is going to be wonderful.
He wanted to say something but Shuunya spoke first,
"I WANT to fight you"
". . ?"
"I won't admit defeat without fighting. I will try my best to defeat you. I WANT to fight right now."
". . . That's what you're supposed to do . . . What are you even saying now?"
"No, it's fine. Forget about it. I just wanted to say that."
Shuunya is very pleased with himself at this moment. He realized that just planning everything ahead isn't always the best option. It makes you vulnerable when all of them fail. He realized that he also needs to be able to adapt to situations on the go.
He was much better when he just met Oden about a decade ago. Planning Kuri and making everything work just dulled his spirit. Now, he just wants to let everything go and enjoy the moment.
Bullet looked at Shuunya with a hint of admiration. Although he doesn't understand what Shuunya spoke about right now, he noticed the change in Shuunya. That spirit is the spirit of adventurers.
He had long disliked Shuunya because he looked like someone who would use tricks to win a fight. Or rather not fight at all, and convince his opponent to a truce, even if it means to lower his head slightly. And Shuunya really is that kind of person.
Bullet gradually let his madness take over. He didn't have a proper fight in a long time, and he is itching for one. Although he slightly admires Shuunya now, that doesn't mean he doesn't want to break his bones.
Bullet rushed towards Shuunya and hit him with a punch. Shuunya also clashed fists with him for a moment before getting knocked back in an instant. He realized that although his will has strengthened, his body is still weak as shit compared to Bullet.
Bullet followed up on attacking Shuunya with a downward kick. Shuunya rolled to side quickly. He almost couldn't keep up with Bullet, and this is considering that he is going easy on him.
Bullet thought that Shuunya too is hiding his strength looking at Shuunya's indifferent face. But Shuunya just trained his control over his face for decades because he was working as an official.
Bullet reached out his hand to grab Shuunya's leg while he is escaping, but Shuunya suddenly disappeared.
Shave~!
Bullet ignored the gasps from the audience and looked at Shuunya who is on the opposite side of the arena. The two of them stared at each other.
Garp and Roger are impressed by Shuunya's move, especially Garp. Because they saw Shuunya perform Shave mid-air, without any support. Shuunya combined Moonstep and Shave to create such a technique.
This is a very difficult move to perform even for many experts in the Navy, and Shuunya did it perfectly. And based on what he knew, he probably learnt it on his own.
Bullet stopped playing, and in an instant, he arrived in front of Shuunya and held out his hand, grabbing Shuunya's head. He then lifted Shuunya up and smashed it in the arena.
He stood that way for a second waiting for something, then doubtfully retracted his hand to look at the person below who was nearly unconscious wondering why he wouldn't show his full strength.