Kurohige

"This went smoother than I thought."

Resting in a massage chair, Eiji was surprised that Tesoro didn't play any dirty tricks on him.

Based on Lin Fan's memories, Tesoro often cheated in his casino so that gamblers would lose and eventually borrow money from him with very high interest. When they couldn't pay their debts, he would turn them into slaves. The Straw Hat crew fell into this scheme.

"Tesoro may be cunning, but he's not stupid. He knows who he can provoke and who he cannot."

Eiji guessed the reason Tesoro hadn't played any dirty tricks while he was gambling was because of his strength. Furthermore, there was also Rayleigh, who possessed terrifying power.

"So far, there are still no clues about the pink-haired girl who always appears in my dreams."

Closing his eyes, Eiji could only vaguely see the other party's figure. Her face appeared blurry as if some force was preventing him from seeing the woman's face.

"Well, there's no point in overthinking it. If it's meant to be, we'll meet sooner or later."

"Since there's no age limit for drinking alcohol in this world, let's head to the bar."

Not wanting to dwell on the mysterious woman in his dreams, Eiji stood up from the chair and began looking for a bar.

❀❀❀

In a luxurious bar inside Gran Tesoro's largest casino, Eiji sat alone, observing a shimmering glass of wine in his hand.

Loud music, disco lights flashing, accompanied by men and women dancing without any inhibitions.

"Bitter. I don't understand why adults like drinking alcohol so much."

After tasting a little, Eiji didn't want to drink it anymore. For him, sweet drinks like milk and fruit juice suited his taste better.

Seeing people dancing to the rhythm of the music, he didn't want to stay long at the bar and left.

Eiji walked through the main street filled with game booths and gamblers. People cheered around the roulette table, shouting in excitement or disappointment as they lost or gained fortunes. Amid this commotion, he continued walking, unaffected by the noise around him. His face remained cold, his steps slow but deliberate.

"Where to next?"

Finally, he arrived at Gran Tesoro's underground fighting arena—a place where fighters tested their abilities. Here, for most, honor and wealth were at stake. But for Eiji, it was just another thing he wanted to observe, with no specific goal in mind.

As he entered the arena, a fight was already underway. Two fighters brutally beat each other amid the cheers of the audience.

"OHHH---"

"Don't lose, I bet my money on you!"

"Kill him already!"

One of the fighters, a large man with a Zoan Devil Fruit, knocked his opponent down with a single hard blow, causing the audience to erupt in victorious cheers.

"..."

Eiji stood in the corner, watching the fight with indifferent eyes. He didn't care who won or lost.

"Zehahahaha... My luck is good today; my target showed up without me having to search hard."

Hearing that iconic laugh, Eiji knew who it was without needing to turn around. Nevertheless, he turned back.

Two large men stood at the entrance.

The first man was big because his body was round, with relatively slim limbs. He had protruding lips with some broken teeth, a crooked prominent nose, and a very large and hairy chest and torso. His long, thick, wool-like black hair fell behind his neck, under a black bandana. He also had a black beard growing around his jaw.

The second man had a dark complexion with an impressive height, a long face with a sharp nose, thick lips constantly sucking on a large cigar, and a wide, prominent chin with a flat tip.

The captain of the Kurohige Pirates, Marshall D. Teach.

The vice-captain of the Kurohige Pirates, Shiryu.

"Target? Who? Could it be me?"

Facing Kurohige, who had taken the Yonko status after Shirohige's death, Eiji remained calm without a hint of panic.

"Seeing you enjoying yourself in Gran Tesoro after causing chaos in Mary Geoise, your Devil Fruit must be quite powerful. In that case, I'll gladly take it, Zehahahaha..."

Kurohige grinned widely, staring at Eiji as if he were prey.

"Hufttt... Don't underestimate him, Teach. We still don't know what Devil Fruit he ate." Shiryu exhaled smoke, showing caution.

"Is that so? Try if you can."

From Kurohige's words, Eiji immediately knew that the other party's goal was to steal a Devil Fruit!

What Kurohige didn't know was that Eiji wasn't a Devil Fruit user. Eiji didn't bother correcting this misunderstanding. Coincidentally, he needed an opponent to test his Busoshoku Haki.

Eiji looked at him expressionlessly, then raised his right hand. In an instant, a light blue Busoshoku Haki coated his hand.

"Hmph. Just Haki? Do you think that's enough to face a Yonko like me?"

Without warning, Kurohige attacked with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi, causing the arena floor to shake violently.

A devastating shockwave hit Eiji, shattering the floor around him. However, as the dust cleared, he stood unharmed, protected by his powerful Haki coating.

"That's Yonko Kurohige!"

"His opponent is the Chaosbringer!"

"Run for your lives!!!"

The audience in the arena was distracted by the commotion. Both were famous individuals in the New World, so they immediately recognized their identities.

Someone shouted, and people began fleeing the arena as fast as they could.

"Now this is interesting." Kurohige murmured.

"Need my help?" Shiryu asked.

"No need, let me test the strength of this so-called Chaosbringer." Kurohige declined.

*WHOOSH*

They moved simultaneously. Kurohige launched a full-power attack, combining the Yami Yami no Mi and the Gura Gura no Mi, creating destruction around them.

However, every time Kurohige attacked, Eiji calmly dodged or parried using Busoshoku Haki, without needing to use the Limitless Technique.

For Kurohige, this was no ordinary fight. He could sense something strange about Eiji—a power different from his previous opponents. Although no emotion showed on Eiji's face, Kurohige knew this man was more than just an ordinary fighter.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

*SWOOSH*

With a single swipe of his Busoshoku Haki-coated hand, Eiji struck Kurohige back. For the first time, a look of surprise appeared on Kurohige's face.

"Ptui, that hurt. Kamiki Eiji, you underestimate me if you think you can defeat me without using Devil Fruit powers."

Spitting on the ground, Kurohige felt insulted and angry that his opponent only used Busoshoku Haki.

He was most skilled at dealing with Devil Fruit users, and he hated Haki users because the Yami Yami no Mi wasn't very effective against them.

"Is this the strength of a Yonko? So weak." Eiji said without changing his expression.

"Zehahahaha... You'll regret looking down on me, you brat."

Mocked by a much younger opponent, Kurohige was furious.

Earlier, he had only wanted to test his opponent's strength, not using the full power of the Gura Gura no Mi. Even so, the underground fighting arena was now severely damaged. This showed just how terrifying the Gura Gura no Mi's power was!