"How dare this brat look down on us?"
"Hey, who are those two guys?"
"Hmm? Hmm, he's the last contestant to come in."
"What are those two short guys doing here? And how dare they laugh at us?"
"Haha, they're just two short, ugly guys."
A burly man of unusually large stature, Sparta, became furious: "I hate pretentious guys like you the most."
Sparta is a star gladiator who has won 51 matches in the arena this month.
"Hmph, two immature kids wearing masks. This is an arena, what fun is there in crushing an ant?"
"The audience only wants to see a battle between the strong. You shouldn't be here. Get out. Get out now." With that, a fist taller than Luffy slammed into the two of them.
"Hmph, is the ant talking about yourself?" Lin Qing said calmly as he looked at the incoming fist.
Lin Qing extended a finger and blocked Sparta's incoming fist, thus stopping the punch.
"How, how is this possible?" Upon seeing this, Sparta immediately swung his left hand at Lin Qing.
Lin Qing flicked his finger and struck Sparta's fist, instantly making Sparta feel as if he had been hit by Luffy's Gear Fourth punch.
He was sent flying backwards, crashing through countless walls before bursting through the space beneath the stands and landing in the seawater of the arena.
Instantly, the fighting fish that was living in the arena opened its mouth wide and swallowed Sparta whole.
"Ah, there's been a little problem, but it's alright, everyone don't worry, the match will start soon." The host glanced at them, then quickly looked away, showing no concern whatsoever for the Spartans who had been eaten.
The audience was only shocked for a moment before continuing to cheer, looking forward to the next match.
Inside the contestants' preparation room.
"Hey, who's that masked guy? Spartacus's been wiped out," a muscular man exclaimed in shock.
"How is that possible? He's one of the star swordsmen in this arena!" Another muscular man was equally shocked.
The onlookers stared at Lin Qing with their mouths agape, as if he were a monster.
"Now that I've flicked the ants away, when will the competition start?" Lin Qing said calmly as he looked around and saw the staff member who had just run over.
"Wow, Lin Qing, you're really amazing! You sent him flying in one go!" Luffy stared at Lin Qing, his eyes wide with wonder.
"You're the one who caused the disturbance. Get out of here immediately and leave the premises right now." The staff prepared to expel Lin Qing.
"What?" Luffy was extremely shocked.
"A thug who provoked a brawl before the competition—huh?" Lin Qing unleashed his full power, staring directly at the staff.
The staff member immediately screamed and was so frightened that he fell to the ground.
"What, you want me to leave without even asking? The one who started this trouble is that guy; I've already knocked him away," Lin Qing said.
"Really?" The staff member immediately got up from the ground and asked the other contestants.
"Yes, it was the Spartans who started it," the man in the white vest explained.
"I see. In that case, Sparta will be the ones to leave. Lin Qing, will you continue to compete? No problem." The staff member wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect the Straw Hat Pirates to come." said Chinjao, the leader of the Chinjao Family, a violent gang in the Land of Flowers.
Cai and Bu watched Lin Qing and Luffy silently without saying a word.
"Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, and Lin Qing, the newest member with a bounty of 500 million, what a grand lineup!" Bellamy the Hound said, licking his lips.
"Hiss!!!" A large group of onlookers were immediately shocked.
The Straw Hat Pirates? They were someone they could never hope to meet in person. And the two with the highest bounties among them.
"Luffy, Luffy, I can't go there, I can't go there. I have to win before I can see Luffy," Bartolomeo murmured, his face flushed.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you two, Luffy, you're from Division C, and Lin Qing, you're from Division A." The bikini-clad girl finished speaking and immediately left.
"The first round is an elimination tournament. Only those who survive will have a chance. The matches in area A are about to begin, not to mention areas B, C, and D afterward."
“There are over 550 participants in total, but only four winners will survive the first round. Winning is harder than climbing to heaven,” said Vasco da Gama, the strategist of the Kingdom of Prodin.
"Although the contestants each have their own goals, no matter who ultimately wins the Flaming Fruit, tomorrow's world will definitely be stirred up quite a bit. Without further ado, everyone, do your best."
Hearing Vasco da Gama's words, Lin Qing looked at him. "You're right, but tomorrow it won't just cause a small ripple in the world; it will definitely shake the entire world," Lin Qing said.
Inside the arena.
The host stood at a high point in the arena, holding a Den Den Mushi (a type of electric scooter) and conducting his duties, with two bikini-clad women standing behind him.
"I apologize for keeping you all waiting. Now I will explain the rules of the battle."
The first round involves elimination matches in each of the four zones, where everyone except themselves is eliminated.
All the contestants in each region competed against each other, and the last person standing on the field in each region was the one who advanced.
Those who fall out of the arena or die in the battle are disqualified from the competition.
Furthermore, in the sea outside the arena, there is a school of small fighting fish, a specialty of the arena, waiting for the person who fell into the water.
"Hell is both inside and outside the arena; this is the bullfighting arena. Now, prepare to begin."
The cheers from the audience rose and fell in waves, and countless spectators waved excitedly.
"The first round of the special event in the Bullfighting Arena, the elimination round of 138 people in Zone A, begins. Ding—" The bell rang, and the people on the stage immediately began to fight.
Lin Qing quietly found a spot on the edge of the room and sat down, yawning as she took out the dessert Sanji had made for Nami from the Thousand Sunny.
Lin Qing ate her cake while watching the battle unfold before her.
"Come on, guys, it'll be your turn after I finish this cake," Lin Qing muttered to himself.
Chapter 160 Annihilation
"Hey, look, there's a guy wearing a mask eating cake over there."
"What? Someone's actually eating cake on the ring?"
"Damn it, we came to watch the duel, not to watch this guy eat cake."
"Kill him, kill the person who ate the cake."
The audience spotted Lin Qing and immediately began to hurl insults at him.
"Wait, that person looks so familiar, but I can't remember who it is."
Lin Qing hasn't appeared in the latest news either; it's just the wanted notice for his previous trip abroad, so it's normal that they don't recognize him.
Soon, the shouts of the audience were noticed by the contestants fighting on the stage, and they all looked at Lin Qing.
"Damn it, how dare you be so arrogant? We're fighting here and you're eating cake?" A burly man abandoned his opponent and charged at Lin Qing with his knife.
"Another guy who's just asking for trouble." Those who had witnessed Lin Qing's actions in the preparation room earlier watched with schadenfreude.
"That guy is Lin Qing from the Straw Hat Pirates, with a bounty of 500 million Berries. He's actually participating in the competition." One of the contestants recognized Lin Qing after seeing his wanted poster.
Immediately, everyone who didn't know Lin Qing's identity exclaimed in surprise, except for Zishas Bashas, of course.
Burgess is a subordinate of Blackbeard, one of the newly crowned Four Emperors. He possesses great strength and a disdainful gaze. In his eyes, Lin Qing is nothing to worry about.
"You bastard, prepare to die." The burly man's broadsword appeared above Lin Qing's head; one strike would bring a bloody scene.
"Don't disturb me while I'm eating dessert." Lin Qing looked up and glared at him. "Clang!" The burly man's broadsword fell to the side, and he collapsed unconscious in front of Lin Qing.
"What happened? What did Lin Qing of the Straw Hat Pirates do?"
"That guy glared at me, and Marbas fell to the ground."
"Did he use a Devil Fruit ability?"
Lin Qing continued eating the cake, and the audience watched with great excitement as Marbas slashed at Lin Qing.
However, instead of seeing the scene they expected, they saw Mabas faint, and immediately resumed his cursing.
As for the other contestants, they all gave up on Lin Qing, subconsciously ignoring him and finding other opponents to fight.
"Lin Qing is so relaxed, he's even eating cake. He doesn't seem to be in a competition at all." Nami smiled as she watched the competition.
"Oh my, seeing Lin Qing eating cake makes me a little hungry," Robin said with a smile.
"Damn it, Lin Qing! Those cakes were made for Nami and Robin, and you dared to steal them?" Sanji was furious and cursed at Lin Qing.
Lin Qing heard this too, glanced at Sanji, then raised the cake in her hand as a gesture before continuing to eat. Seeing this, Sanji became even angrier.
"Wow, I didn't expect there would be someone eating cake in the arena. Uh, he, he's actually Lin Qing, the newest member of the Straw Hat crew." The host immediately recognized him.
The entire audience immediately recognized Lin Qing, and the expressions of some special individuals in the audience all changed drastically.
However, Lin Qing continued eating cake, and the onlookers, getting bored, turned their attention to the arena.
Before long, a large number of people fell on the stage, leaving only a few dozen people still able to fight.
"How can that guy be so strong?" A contestant, holding a sharp sword, knelt on the ground, panting.
"Hahaha! Hay, Stoia!" Stoia, also known as Bashas, grabbed two contestants and lifted them above his head, shouting.
"That man in the paper bag mask is ridiculously strong. Is there really anyone who can beat R. Stoia?" The host's words ignited the atmosphere in the audience.
A series of deafening cheers erupted, completely oblivious to the fact that Lin Qing was eating cake.
"Hey, there's a tough guy in Zone A." The other contestants in the preparation room on the high platform all looked at Bazars on the ring.
"Who is it? Who is it? Could it be Lin Qing?" Luffy kept jumping up and down behind the crowd, trying to see into the arena.
The scene returns to the arena, where a dozen contestants, seeing how ridiculously strong Barthus was, began to form an alliance to take him down together.
Several men swung their chains and ran up to Bashas, then put the chains around his body.
Their necks, waists, left and right hands were all bound by iron chains, and the group of strong men immediately used all their strength to tighten the chains.
"He can't escape now, you guys hurry up and attack."
At this moment, everyone present who was still able to fight attacked Bashas, including several heavyweight giant contestants.