G-5 Base, Live Broadcast Plaza.
At this moment, the plaza could no longer be described as merely "lively", it was practically a boiling magma hell.
Dozens of massive projection screens floated in the air, displaying the brutal battles across all ten zones in a full 360-degree, no-blind-spot view for hundreds of thousands of spectators.
The air was filled with the smell of beer and fried chicken, the scent of sweat, and most intoxicating of all, the smell of burning money.
"Ladies! Gentlemen! And even those gamblers who've lost everything but their underwear!!"
On the commentary stage, Rehn had already changed into his third outfit of the day, a dazzling red tailcoat woven with pure gold threads that practically blinded people under the sunlight.
Waving a thick stack of the latest battle reports, his plump face flushed purple-red with excitement, he roared:
"The situation has now entered the most thrilling phase, 'mad dogs fighting over scraps'!!"
Pointing wildly at the big screen, his voice blasted through the plaza's top-tier sound system:
"Look! The red beams are decreasing! And what does that mean? It means the qualification slots are being locked in one by one!"
"All you hesitant, observant, turtle-like contestants hiding in the bushes! What are you waiting for?!"
"There's no time left! If you don't fight now, you'll go back to being nobodies earning a few thousand Berries a month, too poor to even afford meat!!"
His words acted like a stimulant, not only exciting the audience but also piercing directly into the minds of contestants through the island-wide broadcast system.
"ROAR!! Kill!!"
"That token is mine!!"
"For a spot in G-5! For Sanji's meat!!"
....
Fourth Zone, "Labyrinth" Mechanical Ruins Island
This place, once an abandoned experimental site of Vegapunk, was filled with giant gears, rusted pipes, and maze-like steel corridors.
Now, it had become a colosseum of pure human greed.
BOOM!!
A pirate fired a massive rocket launcher, laughing wildly.
"Die! This is a 'G-5 surplus rocket launcher' I bought on the black market for 50 million Berries!"
The missile exploded among a group of bounty hunters, but before he could celebrate, a shadow dropped from above.
"Heh… nice weapon, but your brain's lacking."
A clown-dressed man pressed a remote.
Click.
Mechanical bear traps snapped shut, crushing the pirate's ankles.
"AAAAHHH!!"
"War is deception, idiot."
The clown looted his gold token and weapon, but then,
"Too bad! The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!"
A camouflaged brute, with a "chameleon fruit", smashed him with a hammer from behind.
BOOM!
Instant defeat.
"HAHAHA! Mine now!"
Back at the plaza, the crowd exploded.
"That twist was insane!"
"I'm tipping that hammer guy one million Berries!"
"No, I'm donating for the clown's medical bills!"
Rehn grinned at the skyrocketing donations.
"This is traffic! This is GDP!"
...
Seventh Zone, "Abyss" Underground Caverns
A completely different kind of madness unfolded.
A man walked in blinding light, literally covered in floodlights like a walking lighthouse.
He wore a custom luxury combat suit and held two gem-studded laser guns.
"Come out, poor people!!"
"I'm the son of Count Zack, a West Blue tycoon!"
"Hand over your token, I'll transfer you 100 million Berries on the spot!"
"Attack me, and I'll vaporize you with this 1-billion-Berry 'Germa Tech Laser Destroyer'!!"
Enemies rushed him.
"Defense system, Money Shield!"
A glowing barrier repelled all attacks.
"Attack system, Money Storm!!"
Coins shot out like bullets.
"DA-DA-DA-DA!!"
"AAAAHHH!"
"Getting killed by money?!!"
"THIS is the power of wealth?!"
Rehn laughed.
"That's our latest product, 'Idiot-Proof Survival Kit'! Only 500 million Berries! One-time use but worth every cent!"
"Put the purchase link on screen!! Limited sale!!"
...
First Zone , "Cliff" Wind Valley
Meanwhile, an Oscar-level performance unfolded.
An old man staggered weakly along a cliff path… holding a gold token.
"I'm too weak… someone help me…"
Three pirates ambushed him.
"Hand it over, old man!"
They grabbed the token,
"BEEP!"
The old man stopped groaning.
His face twisted into a sinister grin.
"That… is the sound of a timed bomb."
"WHAT?!"
BOOM!!!
The fake token exploded into sticky glue.
"AHHH! I'm stuck!"
"My eyes!!"
The old man leapt up like a monkey.
From his coat, he pulled out three real tokens.
"Young people these days… too naive."
"This is… the victory of acting!"
He flashed a peace sign to the camera and skipped away.
The crowd roared with laughter.
"This old guy is evil!"
"Was that fake token also sold by G-5?!"
Up on the high platform, Renzo chuckled.
"Interesting."
Rehn reported, "He's 'Thousand-Face' Jack, a notorious con artist."
"Talent."
Renzo nodded.
"If he qualifies, assign him to intelligence. He'll be useful."
But suddenly.
RUMBLE!!!
A deep, world-shaking roar echoed from the Sixth Zone, "Swamp."
Renzo froze.
He slowly sat up.
On the screen, a massive, burning meteor was falling from the sky.
"…That blind guy…"
Renzo's mouth twitched.
"Is he trying to sink the entire island?!"
....
30 Chapter, [email protected]/DaoistJinzu