"Cyrus?"
"Who's that? He's so popular, a swordsman with 440 consecutive wins. He sounds impressive."
In the audience, Aokiji reclined on a seat, bags of snacks at his feet.
Seeing the surging crowd around him, Aokiji sat up curiously, his gaze fixed on the center of the arena. Meanwhile, Yoriichi, who was enjoying the five-star-shaped specialty fruit he'd bought, also gazed at the center of the arena with great interest.
Cyrus.
Even after all these years, Yoriichi still remembered this man.
At the age of 15, this guy, seeking revenge for the death of his best friend, became a murderer. While being captured, he even attacked King Riku with a blunt instrument, successfully hitting him in the head. Just as he was about to be shot dead by the guards,
King Riku suddenly stopped his men.
Perhaps because of Kyrus's loyalty and loyalty, or perhaps out of pity for his exceptional fighting talent, King Riku spared Kyrus's life.
However, this did not change Kyrus's status as a murderer. Both murder and the attack on King Riku were serious crimes punishable by death.
King Riku then brought Kyrus to the arena in Dressrosa and promised him freedom if he could win 100 battles.
Kyrus, possessing exceptional talent, began to realize his talents in the arena, his endless battles making him stronger and stronger. In less than six months, he achieved 100 victories.
Having fulfilled King Riku's promise, Kyrus remained within the arena. Because the identity of a murderer was so detestable, even his 100 victories did not change Kyrus's status as a murderer.
Unable to integrate into society, Kyrus remained in the arena, numbing himself with battle.
Until now, Cyrus has won 440 battles. Whether in terms of strength or popularity, he is the top existence in the arena.
After a while, Cyrus and his opponent "Violent Sea Bear" walked to the center of the ring.
Violent Sea Bear is a giant who is 5 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a big waist. He is wearing armor and a helmet that covers his face, leaving only the eyes exposed. In one hand, he holds a round shield full of spikes, and in the other hand, he holds a long axe as tall as him, which looks quite oppressive.
Cyrus is still a 17-year-old boy, but this boy is tall, more than 2 meters tall, with a well-proportioned figure, but the muscles on his body are extremely developed, which can be called majestic.
Compared with him, Aokiji, who is about the same height as the other, is just a "thin dog".
Unlike his opponent, who was fully armed, Cyrus was only wearing a tattered cloth, but he wore a skirt armor on his lower body and held a double-edged sword in his hand. In the sunlight, it shone coldly, making it a good weapon.
But compared to his opponent, Cyrus's equipment was too simple. If it weren't for the sword in his hand, he would look terrible if he went out
to beg .
"Wow~ That's Cyrus, so burly, and the armor on him looks very impressive. No wonder he can win so many games."
Aokiji looked at the two people in the ring, mistaking "Violent Sea Bear" for Cyrus, and said with a hint of envy in his eyes. After a pause, Aokiji suddenly sighed, "It would be so cool if all our navy could wear this kind of full armor."
Yoriichi squinted at Aokiji, speechless for a moment, before agreeing, "That must be Taikura."
Aokiji heard the sarcasm in Yoriichi's words and opened his mouth to say something when Yoriichi continued, "Kuzan, the one with the axe isn't Kyrus, the one with the double-edged sword is."
"I can feel that he's a very powerful guy!"
Yoriichi narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Kyrus in the center of the ring.
In Yoriichi's transparent world, he could clearly see the "qi" emanating from Kyrus—not domineering aura, but rather "qi."
Kyrus's breath was long and deep, his muscles brimming with explosive power. Most importantly, in Yoriichi's eyes, Kyrus's heart was brimming with energy.
This energy was comparable to that of the upper-rank demons in the Demon Slayer world.
The energy of a human heart could rival that of a demon! Yunichirō dared to say that if Cyrus were placed in the Demon Slayer world, there would only be one person and one demon who could surely defeat him.
That person was Yunichirō himself, and that demon was the Demon King Muzan who died under his sword.
"With a double-edged sword?"
Aokiji was slightly taken aback by the words, a bit surprised. However, he didn't doubt Yoriichi's judgment. Aokiji knew that Yoriichi's perception was not limited to simple Observation Haki. His friend seemed to have mastered a different kind of perception, able to discern his opponent's strengths and weaknesses.
During the time Yoriichi and Aokiji were talking, the host had already gone on a ramble, mainly introducing the two fighters in the arena, but also to stall for time.
As mentioned earlier, the arena was Dressrosa's largest money-spinning treasury. Visitors could place bets on their favorite fighters to win.
The delay was mainly to give people time to place bets.
"Hey, Kuzan, do you have any money left?"
"Go bet on Kyrus to win. Consider the winnings my early repayment to you,"
Yoriichi suddenly said to Aokiji beside him. Upon hearing this, the latter smiled and shook his head, sternly refusing, "What are you thinking? It might be a vacation, but I'm a marine. How could I possibly be gambling?"
Aokiji's words startled Yoriichi; it was the first time he'd heard of such a Marine rule. He vaguely remembered that the Marines' future World Recruitment would recruit a general who was both an actor and a gambler, and also a blind man.
"That's a real missed opportunity to make money," Yoriichi said, unconcerned, leaning back in his chair and enjoying his fruit.
Soon, the referee announced the start of the fight, and the entire arena suddenly fell silent.
After the referee's announcement, Sea Bear and Cyrus didn't engage. Cyrus, sword in hand, glared coldly at his opponent. Sea Bear, on the other hand, paced around Cyrus, seemingly searching for a flaw, ready to strike at any moment.
After a few seconds of stalemate, Sea Bear finally gave up his patience. Kicking off with both feet, he charged towards Cyrus. Despite its massive size and weight, Sea Bear was no slouch. In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of Cyrus and delivered a powerful strike with his shield.
The spikes on the shield gleamed coldly, undoubtedly rendering Cyrus incapacitated instantly.
Just as the shield was about to strike him, Cyrus leaped up, leaping directly over Sea Bear's head. A somersault in mid-air, he slashed his longsword across the back of Sea Bear's head. "
Duang!!!"
The sword and helmet collided violently, the crisp sound of metal clashing resounding throughout the arena.
Cyrus, having completed his mid-air slash, landed behind Sea Bear, who continued to strike with his shield. A few seconds later, as if losing its support, his massive body collapsed to the ground.
"Bang!"
After a loud bang, "Sea Bear" fell to the ground, and amid the cheers of the referee and the audience, he was unable to stand up again. The fully armed "Sea Bear" was knocked down by the poorly equipped Cyrus with a single blow.
The terrifying strength directly ignited the enthusiasm of the audience, and cheers poured into the ring.
"Oh! That's amazing!" Aokiji sighed softly. Although he said so, his tone was very flat.
Cyrus is very strong, but he is just at the level of an ordinary person.
"I like him very much!"
"Kuzan, let's get this guy to the navy?"
"I think it would be more interesting to practice with him than with you!"
Although Cyrus's strength and speed were very average, neither in the eyes of Yoriichi nor Aokiji, he was beyond the category of "ordinary people".
But Yoriichi admired Cyrus's swordsmanship very much. The swordsmanship honed in battle was enough to arouse Yoriichi's interest. It would definitely be very interesting to fight with him.
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(End of this chapter)