One Piece: A Warlord's Path

Chapter 866: Chapter 866: Plans and New Rivals

Inside the preparation room, Cavendish sat with his head slumped, looking like a wilted eggplant. He remained deathly silent, staring at the floor.

Dimitri and Vito, however, were livid. Their faces were dark with fury as they hurled a barrage of insults at him, their spit flying so wildly that it dotted Cavendish’s face.

"You moron! You absolute dimwit!"

"What the hell were you doing out there?"

"Falling asleep in the middle of a match? Are you an idiot?!"

"And that bastard Hakuba! Why didn’t he finish off Rebecca too? Letting a lowly princess of a fallen kingdom stumble into the finals... has that monster forgotten how to kill?!"

In the previous block, Cavendish had unexpectedly transformed into his alter-ego, Hakuba. He had unleashed god-tier swordsmanship that swept the entire field in an instant. Only Rebecca, who had managed to awaken her Observation Haki, had barely dodged a single strike.

Logically, even if she had evaded the first blow, she shouldn’t have been able to dodge the next. However, immediately after striking at her, Hakuba had fallen back into a deep slumber, leaving Rebecca as the only conscious person left in the ring.

According to the tournament rules, only the one left standing is the victor. Thus, Rebecca had quite literally taken the win from the sleeping Cavendish’s hands, securing her spot in the finals despite the jeers of the dissatisfied crowd.

Dimitri and Vito were nearly popping blood vessels; they had essentially handed a victory to an outsider on a silver platter.

"Enough. What’s done is done," Dimitri growled, giving Cavendish one last scorching glare before turning to Vito. "Vito, you’re in the final block. No matter what happens, you must make it to the finals."

"I know," Vito said with a grimace. "Flash Blade Gergiel Haunger is in my group. Once I take him out, the rest is smooth sailing."

Dimitri’s expression grew solemn as he recalled something. "Watch out for Straw Hat. There are only two blocks left. If he’s snuck in under a disguise, he’s either in Block E or he’s with you. Be careful."

At that, Cavendish lifted his head, his voice certain. "Straw Hat... based on my observations, the contestant who entered as Number 0556, Lucy, that’s him. He’s in the next match, Block E."

Dimitri and Vito’s eyes lit up simultaneously.

"Good. The plan is already in motion," Dimitri said, lowering his voice. "The Marines led by Fujitora and Doflamingo are already engaged in a fierce battle at Green Bit against Trafalgar Law and Roronoa Zoro."

"According to the latest intel, Law and Zoro are trying to buy time. It seems they want to stall long enough for Straw Hat to seize the Flame-Flame Fruit in the finals," Dimitri added with a cold smirk. Since he hadn’t entered the tournament, he had been acting as the primary contact with the Donquixote Family.

"A Marine Admiral and a Warlord like Doflamingo? Law and Roronoa are no match for them," Vito chuckled savagely.

"Vito, you draw the attention in the ring. Cavendish, you and I will remain in the shadows. If the situation spirals out of control, we’ll step in to turn the tide," Dimitri instructed, adjusting the plan slightly since Cavendish had been eliminated.

He paused, his tone turning heavy. "Furthermore, the Captain is currently rushing to Dressrosa from Beasts Pirates territory. If we can’t kill the Straw Hats quickly, we stall them. Hold them until the Captain arrives!"

"Whatever happens, we cannot let the Straw Hat crew escape again!"

"Heh... understood. Leave it to me!" Vito grinned, revealing a mouth full of jagged teeth.

"Fine, I understand," Cavendish nodded. He reached for a wet towel from a staff member and silently began wiping the spit from his face.

...

"Block D was certainly... eventful! Though the conclusion was unexpected, the sacred rules must be upheld!"

On the commentary platform, Gatz spoke loudly into his Den Den Mushi microphone. "The good news is the stage sustained minimal damage, so we can proceed immediately! Contestants for Block E, please enter the arena!"

Inside the prep room, the Block E fighters began to move.

"Alright! It’s finally my turn! I’ve been dying for some action, shishishi!" Lucy (Luffy) pumped his arms, a wide, excited grin on his face.

"Lucy, is it? I look forward to facing you in the ring."

A calm, detached voice came from behind him. A man wearing a silver half-mask that covered his nose and mouth walked up beside him.

Lucy looked at him curiously. The man was tall and slender, standing roughly two meters high. He wore a white greatcoat with gold trim over black trousers with silver embroidery. His chest was bare, and silver hair flowed down to his waist. At his hip hung a hand-and-a-half sword in a brown sharkskin scabbard.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked, his brow furrowing as he sensed the man’s strength.

"Just call me Carlo. That is the name I used to register," the man replied cryptically. "But... I hope you can walk out of here alive."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Lucy felt an instinctive prickle of unease.

"Exactly what it sounds like." Carlo gave Lucy a deep, meaningful look before walking toward the arena.

The stage was already swarming with contestants, many of them famous.

"Look at that short but incredibly powerful man! That is the strongest warrior of the hill-country Kingdom of Morelia—the Dwarf, Bara!!!"

"And over there! The man with the worst reputation in the underworld, an elite assassin known for killing both his targets and his employers! The Eight-Armed Assassin, Zexil Thomanson!!!"

"We also have the mastermind behind last year’s World Government leak, the Evil Hypnotist, Pubert!"

"And of course, we can’t forget ’Two-Faced’ Diad Kane! One of this year’s Supernova pirates and the perpetrator of the Laury Port incident. He once single-handedly blocked the gates of a Marine Branch and slaughtered over a thousand soldiers! He carries a bounty of 200 million Berries!"

Gatz was in high spirits, introducing the famous fighters with infectious passion. The crowd’s fervor reached a fever pitch.

"Bara-sama! Crush those weaklings!"

"Go for it, Thomanson!"

"Start it already! I can’t wait!"

The spectators screamed and waved their arms in a frenzy. Finally, all contestants were in place. The iron bridge connecting the stage was retracted. The match had begun.

Ding—!