The colosseum lay in shambles.
Gunfire echoed sporadically amid the lingering smoke, while the bodies of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire painted a grim tableau of chaos.
To King Degarth, it all seemed like a farce.
The carefully curated facade of his nation—a place where pirates could be exploited for entertainment—had crumbled under the innate allure of a single Devil Fruit.
It left him deeply displeased.
Ultimately, he had underestimated the pirates' greed and lack of restraint.
All for a Devil Fruit, these scoundrels dared to defy the very army he poured fortunes into every year.
"Pirates will always be pirates—reckless, brainless fools who never think about consequences."
Degarth cast his gaze down at the colosseum, watching his elite troops pour into the entrances, sealing every possible escape route.
In total, there were ten thousand elite soldiers—enough to wipe out the lawless scum wreaking havoc in the arena.
But Degarth didn't immediately order an assault. Instead, he had the soldiers secure every exit, trapping the pirates like rats in a cage.
A broad-shouldered general clad in armor stepped up behind Degarth and spoke in a deep voice. "Your Majesty, all soldiers are in position."
"Hold them in reserve," Degarth replied.
His eyes lifted to the figure of Lafitte, weaving through a storm of bullets in the air.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Without further explanation, the general saluted and left the royal box.
He understood Degarth's intent perfectly.
The pirates and bounty hunters in the colosseum were already fighting tooth and nail over the Devil Fruit.
There was no need for the army to act prematurely. By securing all the exits, they could wait until the pirates exhausted themselves or tried to flee. That would be the perfect moment to strike and ensure none escaped.
As the general departed, Degarth's focus shifted from Lafitte to Maude, who was mercilessly cutting down pirates in the stands.
This savage spectacle of beasts slaughtering one another was something Degarth relished.
Yet, as he watched Maude's rampage, an inexplicable unease crept into his heart.
"It's just a pirate," he muttered, shaking his head to dispel the sensation.
With ten thousand elite soldiers and several of his kingdom's top fighters stationed in the royal box, Degarth was confident they could handle the unruly pirates below.
The sudden arrival of the soldiers caused a ripple of unease among the pirates and bounty hunters in the colosseum.
"What's with these soldiers?"
"What's going on now?"
Many paused mid-battle, their gazes fixed on the soldiers who exuded a chilling air of discipline and lethality.
Every exit was now blocked by heavily armed troops.
Meanwhile, Maude continued his hunt through the stands, targeting pirates whose identities and bounties he had committed to memory.
To him, anyone who didn't fit his criteria wasn't worth his time.
His blood-soaked rampage only heightened the tension among the remaining pirates, who began to realize something was amiss.
If this continued, they wouldn't just lose the Devil Fruit—they'd likely lose their lives.
Several pirates, grasping the direness of their situation, rushed toward one of the heavily guarded exits.
Bang! Bang!
The soldiers stationed there raised their rifles in unison, unleashing a volley of fire.
Though the pirates managed to shield themselves with nearby corpses, they were soon surrounded by hundreds of soldiers armed with spears.
In moments, the pirates were skewered, their bodies reduced to bloody heaps.
The gruesome display sent a shiver through the other pirates and bounty hunters, who had been too fixated on the Devil Fruit to consider the threat posed by the Ahab Kingdom's army.
Adding to their dread was the ever-present shadow of Bacardi Maude—a man who didn't play by any rules.
Faced with these two overwhelming forces, the pirates' initial frenzy began to subside.
"Is this a trap to wipe us all out?"
Lafitte, hovering in the air, surveyed the soldiers with a glint of danger in his eye.
The soldiers outnumbered the pirates five to one, but even cornered animals could bite. A head-on clash would likely end in the pirates' annihilation, though the army wouldn't escape unscathed either.
As Lafitte observed, a faction of pirates abandoned their greed for the Devil Fruit, forming groups to assault the guarded exits in hopes of breaking through.
Others, however, remained fixated on the fruit, unwilling to let go of their dreams of power.
"Interesting," Lafitte murmured, a wicked smile playing on his lips.
The Devil Fruit in his hand was bait, designed to keep the pirates trapped in the colosseum.
Now, with the Ahab Kingdom's army holding the exits, the pirates had split into two camps: those desperate to escape and those still determined to claim the fruit.
Lafitte, watching the unfolding chaos, suddenly darted toward a secluded corner of the colosseum where Jim and Bailey were trying to remain inconspicuous.
His abrupt movement drew the attention of the fruit-hungry pirates, who opened fire without hesitation.
Bullets tore through the air, but Lafitte evaded them effortlessly, landing gracefully in front of Jim.
He crushed the crystal case containing the Devil Fruit and pressed it toward Jim's mouth.
Prepared for this moment, Jim opened his mouth and took a bite without hesitation.
"Hoho…" Lafitte withdrew the half-eaten fruit, turning to face the approaching pirates with a calm, composed demeanor.
"Damn it!"
"My Devil Fruit…!"
The pirates' faces twisted in frustration and rage as they saw the fruit rendered useless.
With the fruit no longer an option, their only remaining goal was escape.
But with every exit blocked by soldiers, their path was clear—they would have to break through the army's encirclement.
Realizing this, the pirates and bounty hunters united in their desperation, redirecting their fury toward the soldiers.
The colosseum descended into an all-out brawl.
Lafitte watched the chaos with an amused smirk, his eyes flitting toward Maude, who was cutting down pirates with ruthless efficiency.
For Maude, this was the perfect hunting ground.
Sensing Lafitte's gaze, Maude turned his head and met it with a knowing smile.
Then, activating his Observation Haki to its fullest, he plunged into the fray, methodically harvesting his prey.
A new threshold of power was steadily forming.
From the royal box, King Degarthl's gaze remained fixed on Maude.
Watching the pirate wreak havoc, Degarth couldn't fathom his motives.
Why not leave the colosseum using his sky-walking ability? The fruit had already been consumed. What was keeping him here?
A chill ran down Degarth's spine as unease gripped him once more. He instinctively glanced back at the door to the box.
Around him, the gathered nobles and royalty remained engrossed in the carnage below, oblivious to his growing anxiety.
Within the colosseum, the relentless slaughter of pirates and soldiers alike marked the conflict's nearing end.
Covered in blood, Maude stood with a fierce glint in his eyes.
The rewards far exceeded his expectations.
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