Inside the Corrida Colosseum.
"The toys... the toys are turning back into humans!"
"What on earth is happening?"
"The toys in the arena are suddenly becoming people and animals, I can't even begin to explain this phenomenon!" Up in the commentary booth, Gatz stared in shock at the chaotic crowd, unable to fathom why the toys were transforming.
"Could it be that Sugar..." Diamante's face broke into a cold sweat, his expression turning dark and ominous. "For this to happen... what the hell is Trebol doing? Did he fail to keep an eye on her? That utter moron!"
"Ten years of our family's hard-earned achievements... all reduced to nothing! G!"
"Who could have possibly laid a hand on Sugar? Eeehh~"
"That brat is useless, but I hope she isn't hurt!"
Lao G, Machvise, and Senor Pink were all too aware of the implications. They couldn't understand who could possibly bypass Trebol's protection to harm Sugar.
They knew Trebol and Sugar were stationed in the Officer's Tower at the Underground Trade Port, backed by five or six hundred family subordinates. Even if an enemy had attacked and Trebol couldn't hold them off, there should have been a distress call or some kind of report. The total silence was unnerving.
While the Donquixote Family officers were panicking, others were equally distracted. Most notably, Rebecca had regained her memories as Sugar's power broke, causing her to burst into tears.
Suddenly, Sabo, with his metal pipe slung across his back, crouched in the center of the ring. He began tapping the ground with both hands, the thud-thud sound echoing as if he were searching for something specific.
"Everything has a core. As long as you find that core, you can break any stalemate, regardless of the situation!"
"The ring is no different; it has a core of its own!"
Sabo's words caught Vito's attention. He turned to Sabo and demanded, "What are you doing?"
A moment later, Sabo grinned. His arms turned a metallic jet-black as they were hardened with Armament Haki. "I guess I'll deal with my opponents first," he chuckled.
Without warning, he slammed his fists downward. BOOM! His fists punched deep into the stone floor of the ring.
CRACK—!
Immediately, starting from Sabo, deep fissures spider-webbed outward, nearly splitting the entire ring apart.
"This is..."
The crowd watched in terror.
In the next breath, Sabo roared, "Dragon Claw Style: Dragon's Breath!!!"
KABOOM—!
A terrifying force erupted. Visible white shockwaves surged along the cracks, followed by a thunderous roar. Thick clouds of smoke billowed as the entire ring shattered and collapsed.
Sabo's strike had seemingly cracked the very foundation of the arena. The massive pool formed a violent whirlpool, with jagged rocks of all sizes swirling within as the water level began to rapidly drop.
"There's nowhere left to stand!"
"You bastard! What did you just do?!"
The gladiators stood on the bobbing, swaying fragments of the ring, their hearts racing with fear.
"Dammit! Dammit!"
Vito cursed repeatedly, looking at the whirlpool forming beneath him with genuine alarm.
Within their respective factions, only Burgess and Lao G were non-Ability users. Everyone else relied on Devil Fruit powers; if they fell into the water, even if they didn't drown, they would lose all combat effectiveness.
"I have urgent business to attend to, so I'll be taking the prize now!" Sabo grinned at Vito and Diamante.
SPLASH—!
As if on cue, a dark-red Fighting Fish Boss surged from the water. It wore a mocking, toothy grin and bore the number '01' near its eye. Chains were wrapped around its body, and a treasure chest was strapped firmly to its back.
"There it is... found it!"
Sabo's eyes lit up with joy.
He kicked off from a fragment of the ring, launching himself like a literal arrow. In a flash, he landed squarely on the back of Fighting Fish 01.
"Don't you dare!"
Vito and Diamante shouted in unison, preparing to move.
However, because the arena's foundation was cracked and the water was rushing into the fissures, the current was incredibly turbulent. Their footing shifted violently, causing both to lose their balance.
Splash!
Diamante tumbled directly into the water. He ended up sprawled weakly across a floating rock, completely drained of strength and out of the fight.
Vito stabilized himself, looking up at Sabo on the Fighting Fish's back. He let out a furious roar.
"Bastard! Don't look down on me!"
Arcs of crackling electricity suddenly flickered across Vito's body. With a whoosh, he vanished from his spot, leaping into the air. He extended his beast-like claws and lunged at Sabo.
"Thunder Basilisk: Electric Claw!!!"
On the back of the Fighting Fish, Sabo was about to open the chest when his Observation Haki sensed the incoming threat.
He spun around instantly, his fingers forming his signature 'Dragon Claws' to meet Vito's beastly strike.
BANG—!
The beast claws collided with the dragon claws. The sheer force of the impact produced a sound like a muffled thunderclap, vibrating the very air and sending out a visible shockwave.
"What incredible power!"
Sabo felt the jolt through his entire body. He was forced back several steps, slamming into the treasure chest behind him with a thud, causing cracks to appear on the chest's surface.
"What a hard hand!"
Simultaneously, Vito felt a stinging pain in his palms. His momentum spent, he began to plummet toward the water.
Seeing that he had successfully repelled Vito, Sabo turned back to the chest. "I can't waste any more time!"
Sabo reached out with both hands, his Armament Haki-coated palms turning a dark, metallic black as he gripped the seams of the treasure chest, intending to rip it open by sheer force.
"Stop! We never intended to hand that grand prize over to anyone!" Diamante shrieked from his rock, reaching out in desperation.
Whirr—!
Suddenly, a black shadow streaked across the sky, accompanied by the eerie whistle of displaced air.
"What is that?"
Sabo froze, turning his head in surprise.
He focused his gaze and saw a black iron ball the size of a human head. It was moving at a terrifying speed, reaching him in the blink of an eye.
Instinctively, Sabo's left hand shot out like lightning, using his Dragon Claw to intercept the black sphere.
CLANG—!
The sound of metal hitting metal rang out, followed by a shockwave that rippled through the air.
In that instant, Sabo felt as if his arm was about to break. A horrific force transferred through the iron ball, knocking him off balance and sending him flying.
BOOM!
Sabo became a black blur as he crashed into the spectator stands. The impact sent a massive cloud of dust and debris into the air; stone fragments flew like bullets, killing and wounding the nearby spectators.
"Who was that?"
"Beautifully done!"
The sudden intervention left the crowd in a mix of shock and relief. Meanwhile, the Fighting Fish Boss carrying the chest dove back into the water. Sabo, who had been inches away from the Flame-Flame Fruit, had lost his chance.
Whoosh—
A strong gust of wind swept through, clearing the dust from the stands.
A massive crater, two to three meters wide and over a meter deep, now marred the spectator section. Sabo was supporting himself against the edge of the crater, his left arm still trembling slightly.
"What a powerful attack... who could it be?"
Sabo looked toward the preparation room with a grim expression.
Sure enough, two men emerged from the shadows of the entrance.
Sabo's eye twitched as he recognized one of them. He spoke in a low, heavy voice.
"The Third Commander of the Chris Pirates... Myles Dimitri!"
"So, that attack just now... it must have been the power of the Paramecia-type More-More Fruit!"