Dragon and Caelan arrived together at the arena where they were set to fight.
All the duels that had been taking place were immediately halted due to their presence, and the largest section of the arena was cleared for them.
The audience had no complaints. In fact, they were even more excited.
This was the God Slayer, Caelan Alaric, and his opponent was Monkey D. Dragon—no ordinary man.
A clash between the two would undoubtedly be a legendary battle.
At that moment, several small groups in the crowd began to chatter among themselves.
A disheveled man in a golden suit and a lazy man wearing an eye mask casually took over a large portion of space. No one around them dared to say a word.
Because they were the Marine Headquarters' top combat power—Admirals Kizaru and Aokiji.
Sent by Fleet Admiral Sengoku to investigate the artificial Devil Fruit technology, they had arrived early in Dressrosa.
Since the auction had yet to begin, they weren't in active duty mode. It was only natural for them to visit the most famous arena in Dressrosa to gather information and observe the local customs.
But neither of them expected that, while slacking off, they would stumble upon something massive.
The leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon, was going to fight Caelan. This was big.
"It's Dragon. Long time no see."
Kizaru adjusted his sunglasses and spoke with some emotion.
He, Dragon, and Akainu had all been first-generation students under Zephyr. At the time, they were hailed as the Navy's strongest new generation. He and Dragon had even been close friends.
Back then, everyone believed the three of them would become the next generation of admirals. No one expected Dragon to defect and join the Revolutionary Army, leaving countless Marines disappointed.
Luckily, Aokiji, who came in during the third term, turned out to be another monster, which helped ease the regret among the Marine brass.
"Tsk tsk. Garp's son actually wants to challenge Caelan in a one-on-one duel. He's got guts."
"As I recall, you, Akainu, and even Garp weren't a match for Caelan, right?"
Aokiji leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, speaking with a lazy tone.
It had been more than a month since his battle with Caelan, but he still remembered that iron-hard body and regeneration stronger than even Kaido's.
Later, when he saw Caelan's God-Slaying Spear in the East Blue, his perception was refreshed all over again.
"Yeah, yeah. It's pretty terrifying to be killed once and then come back to life immediately."
Kizaru recalled the scene, a hint of shock still lingering in his expression.
Even without a Devil Fruit, to revive from death… That kind of vitality surpassed even awakened Mythical Zoans.
"To dare face Caelan alone, Dragon's either gotten stronger or just bold."
"But if he dies here, old man Garp will probably go mad."
Aokiji sighed, clearly not optimistic about Dragon's chances.
After their three admirals had each taken a turn fighting Caelan, it became clear—unless they fought together, there was no chance of victory.
Dragon going in alone? Admirable spirit, but foolish execution.
"I don't think Dragon will die. They're fighting in a public arena, after all. It's likely not a fight to the death. At most, he'll take a few hits."
Kizaru analyzed optimistically.
He had never heard of any major conflict between Caelan and the Revolutionary Army. Honestly, the chances of an alliance were greater than a real grudge match.
"Let's hope so. Otherwise, Garp will have to wait for news of his son's death."
Aokiji shrugged casually.
He had always gotten along well with Garp. He didn't want to see the man fall apart over his son.
"Yeah."
Kizaru nodded.
Then, glancing around, he sighed. "There are a lot of big-name pirates here. Seems the lure of artificial Devil Fruits is stronger than expected."
"The Big Mom Pirates… Their top commander Katakuri is here. There's also Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District, the Shipping King, the Loans King…"
"There are quite a few," Aokiji agreed, "but the real heavyweights haven't shown up yet."
He scanned the crowd, unimpressed. His focus remained on the two figures in the center of the arena.
To Marine Admirals, these pirates were small fry. The only real threats were the Yonko, should they appear.
Right now, none of this was enough to distract them from watching Caelan fight Monkey D. Dragon.
…
Elsewhere in the arena, members of the Big Mom Pirates were also watching intently.
"A battle between Yonko-level fighters doesn't come along often."
Katakuri stood with arms crossed, gaze locked on the center of the arena.
"Big Brother, is Caelan really as terrifying as the rumors say?"
Smoothie asked curiously.
In her eyes, Katakuri had always been the perfect image of strength. To see him this serious was rare.
"I don't know."
Katakuri replied honestly.
He'd never seen Caelan fight in person, so he couldn't confirm whether the rumors were true or exaggerated.
After all, Caelan had only debuted months ago, yet already had a track record of defeating a Warlord, facing Admirals, and even fighting three at once.
Even Big Mom didn't rise that quickly.
It sounded too ridiculous to be true.
"This battle with the leader of the Revolutionary Army should show us what he's really capable of."
Katakuri's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
He needed to know whether Caelan's power lived up to the hype.
It would also help determine how they should approach the artificial Devil Fruit auction.
"Got it, Big Brother."
Hearing this, Smoothie widened her eyes and locked her gaze on Caelan in the center of the arena.
He looked only about two meters tall. Compared to ordinary people, that was huge, majestic even.
But in the New World, where many are three or four meters tall, he seemed… almost delicate.
Was this the man who'd shaken the entire world?
Smoothie was deeply curious.
…
At the same time, the kings of the underground world were also focused on the arena.
This man dares to auction artificial Devil Fruit technology? How confident must he be?
"You better be as powerful as the legends say."
Some of them muttered quietly, malice undisguised in their eyes.
If Caelan turned out to be weaker than rumored, they wouldn't even wait for the auction. They'd take him down on the spot.
And even if his strength was limited, they wouldn't mind banding together to make a move.
…
In the center of the arena, Caelan and Dragon stood face-to-face in an unusually peaceful atmosphere.
"Personally, I think it would've been better to do this in private."
Dragon glanced at the packed stadium and twitched at the corners of his mouth.
"My auction is starting soon. This is a necessary show of deterrence."
Caelan replied, completely at ease.
There were no ordinary spectators in the audience today.
Some were after the artificial Devil Fruit tech. Others came with various intentions.
Though Caelan wasn't afraid of them, if they did cause trouble, cleaning them up one by one would be a pain.
Picking them off one at a time was inefficient. But wiping them all out at once would cause misunderstandings. That was annoying too.
"…I suddenly don't feel like fighting anymore."
Dragon sighed wearily.
He had already paid 100 million Berries just for a signature. Now he was being used as a demonstration tool. The whole thing was disheartening.
Besides, exposing his full strength in public went against his policy of quiet, behind-the-scenes development.
"That won't do. We've come all this way."
Caelan smiled.
"Yeah… since we're here."
Hearing that, Dragon no longer hesitated.
Now that they were here, they might as well fight.
His reputation as Revolutionary Army leader would also boost the morale of his comrades.
"Please."
Caelan extended his right hand, inviting Dragon to strike first.
"Then I won't hold back!"
Dragon returned the gesture with a fist clasped in his palm, serious and focused.
(To be continued.)
***
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