Archer and Mimic, the Host Being Challenged

After briefly reminiscing about the past, Babanuki returned to the arena once he had recovered. Although he had lost, this wasn't Hueco Mundo, where a top 10 losing would instantly drop them to the triple digits. Here, it would just be swapped with the challenger's number.

If you're not satisfied with your new number, then fight your way back up—that's why ranking battles often last several days. The higher your rank, the longer these battles take. For example, Jack and Elizabeth were still locked in a fierce battle.

Moreover, their battlefield kept expanding, but that didn't mean the other fights stopped. Unintentional AoE attacks were inevitable in fights, so it is impossible to create an entirely safe environment.

The battles further down the rankings ended more quickly. Once you got past 60, most of the fights were between Gifters and regular Ability Users. Speed, for instance, was currently in this range.

Her lower half was black and white, resembling a centaur, but the stripes made it clear she has zebra's ability.

As for the centaur form, it was Queen's real research achievement—his drug could trigger new transformations in Devil Fruit users.

Compared to the traditional beast forms, some members preferred this centaur form, especially the women. Speed and Maria were prime examples.

On the Plain Terrain, Speed galloped on the grassland, occasionally firing arrows in another direction while dodging her opponent's arrows.

She was fighting No. 60, a Gifter with the ability "Mimic," a move with exaggerated upper and lower limits.

As the name suggests, Mimic allows him to copy his opponent's moves. Whatever move the opponent can use, he can use the same move next.

Unfortunately, this wasn't a game where Mimic lets you unleash the opponent's move at full power, or even instantly defeat them with some one-hit KO special effect. Mimic only copies the appearance of the move, not its essence.

Although it can copy moves to a degree of 80-90% accuracy, there's no mastery behind it, so he can't use any derived techniques.

Additionally, due to physical limitations, he can't Mimic anything that exceeds his own capabilities.

Whitebeard's quake techniques or Kaido's Thunder Bagua? Forget it. To Mimic such techniques, it would require even more stamina, and in some cases, one would need to be physically superior to even use them.

If he had that kind of strength, he wouldn't need to Mimic others at all. Plus, Mimic has a time limit, which keeps his ranking stuck in a middle area.

Even if Arceus used Judgment numerous times right in front of him, his body wouldn't be able to handle using the move.

But defeating him meant a certain level of self-improvement, which is why No. 60 faced a flood of challengers every year.

After a bout of trading shots, Speed seemed to have found a way to counter him. Instead of maintaining a distance and continuing to fire at her opponent, she realized that her opponent had copied her archery skills, leaving her with no apparent advantage. Every arrow she shot was intercepted.

Also, archers face a harsh reality: their arrow supply is limited.

"Girl, your quiver must be out of arrows by now! So what will you do next?"

As he taunted her, he kept firing arrows at Speed. Mimic was a versatile move, even letting him create weapons using his own stamina, similar to Setsuna's Aura arrows. These Mimicked weapons were sometimes even more superior than the original weapons.

However, much like Baccarat's Metronome, the copied things have a limit due to stamina and the user's own abilities. If he Mimics someone's swordsmanship, he might only get an ordinary blade to swing, and not replicate a famous sword.

Seeing Speed begin her charge, he fired a volley of arrows. He chose the plains because his strength depends on the opponent's abilities, making this terrain more suitable for him. But for a cavalry unit, the plains are also an ideal place for a charge.

Moreover, Mimic has a drawback: after copying a move, there's a long cooldown period, making it unusable for a while. Currently, the skill he obtained is locked onto archery.

Speed didn't say anything as she sprinted forward. She removed the bowstring during her charge and held one side of the bow in her hand. Just because an archer runs out of arrows doesn't mean they lose their fighting ability.

At times like this, an archer will show the enemy what it means to be elite. Using the momentum provided by the Zebra Fruit, Speed changed her combat style and used her bow like a saber, demonstrating the advantage of cavalry.

Although she didn't have a mount, since she was part centaur, it technically made her a cavalry unit.

The battle for archers was far from over, and Speed was just one example. On another part of the battlefield, the strongest archer of the Beasts Pirates was also fighting.

Many people used bows, but if you had to pick the strongest, it would undoubtedly be Setsuna. Usually, she participated in these battles as a defender, but this time, she was the challenger.

...

"Hey, hey, hey... I'm the host! Have you ever seen anyone challenge the host? Boss Kaido! Are you just gonna let this happen?"

Queen never expected danger to come like this. With Kaido and Arceus standing behind him, he didn't believe anyone would plot against him in this situation. He figured all he had to do was commentate in the arena and enjoy another peaceful day.

But now, he was being challenged.

Queen tried to make a complaint, but it was pointless. Setsuna had every right to challenge him, and in Kaido's eyes, Queen had no reason to refuse.

Kaido could accept a subordinate losing, but he couldn't tolerate one afraid of fighting.

"You're the only Calamity left here, if not you, then who else should I challenge?"

"But... you never seemed interested in this position!"

"Oh, I wasn't at first, but everyone else is so busy. It feels wrong for me to just stay idle, so I figured I should move around a bit."

If it had been Zeraora, he would probably find her tone cute, but Queen had already seen through her act—"two-faced" was practically written all over her face.

Except for the initial one or two challengers, no one dared to challenge Setsuna and Mandrell later on. Their positions were the most secure during this period, while everyone else's ranks fluctuated. Their strength made their positions unshakable.

So, Setsuna was genuinely free now.

"Are you sure this isn't just because Zeraora went off on a mission, and you're annoyed that I'm still here?"

"Of course not. The kids are watching, and I can't be too idle. If you have no objections, let's get started."

As she spoke, the power of aura gathered, forming a bowstring, then in her hand appeared a special arrowhead. Seeing that arrowhead, a sense of unknown dread washed over Queen.

"Wait a minute! Isn't that a Seastone arrowhead?!"

"Oops, I didn't hear anyone say I couldn't use it."

"I'm disqualifying you!"

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