The Man Who Was Fooled by Kaido

For the members of the Beasts Pirates, especially the core members stationed in Onigashima and Wano Country, the appearance of Arceus' plate had already been etched into their minds. That hexagon, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, was considered the best way to rise in rank within the Beasts Pirates.

Mandrell was the best example. To this day, the Numbers had undergone several rounds of reshuffling, but Mandrell still firmly held the No. 1 spot, which was closely tied to his luck.

At this moment, Delia's eyes no longer saw the other contestants; her eyes were only focused on that one person.

There were many armored individuals here, and they all prioritized practicality over flamboyance. The object that seemed to be a plate was positioned on the front of his body, perfectly covering the vital areas of his upper body.

Since this was the New World Central Fighting Tournament, which had no weight classes, contestants of all sizes and races were present in the arena. Whether they were large, muscular men, seemingly petite women, or the Longarm Tribe or Longleg Tribe—races that were rare in the outside world—they were all here.

"Should we inform Onigashima?"

"Let's wait. This tournament won't end anytime soon. Since that guy has entered the competition, he's definitely aiming for the championship. We need to confirm if that thing is real first."

It's possible to come up empty when fishing, and the search for plates has often been full of unexpected surprises. Sometimes, they even encountered fakes. However, apart from Kurozumi Orochi, who openly dared to fake it, finding the wrong thing doesn't have much impact—though it's still not ideal.

They didn't have a plate radar with them, so to test it, they had to rely on a familiar, old-fashioned method.

"Isuka, go and test it out in a bit. Attack that plate with your full strength. If there's not even a scratch, then it's most likely real. After that, you'll assist that guy and observe his strength. Make sure he doesn't drop out of the competition, and do whatever you can to help him advance."

Delia had no recollection of seeing that person before. If he was a contestant with any skills, she would have at least some impression of him, so he was likely a newcomer, and his strength was completely unknown.

If he were to lose and drop out from the tournament early, it wouldn't be good if something unexpected happened.

In theory, as long as the tournament wasn't over, he wouldn't leave this place. Also, the verification method was well-proven.

It was Kaido's tried-and-true method—if it can't be broken, it's the real deal. Given Scizor's explosive power, ordinary rocks or metal wouldn't be able to withstand her attack.

As for why Delia didn't do it herself, she was up against the entire arena of contestants, all of whom took her, the reigning champion, very seriously.

If she directly approached the newcomer, it would only seem suspicious.

The two of them successively transformed. They weren't the only ones with abilities present. For Zoan-type Devil Fruit Users, this semi-unrestricted combat was paradise. When it came to enhancing their physical abilities, Zoan-types were the strongest.

Elemental attacks from Mythical Zoan were also restricted in this semi-unrestricted battle, so they only benefited from physical enhancements.

"Let's see if you people have picked up any new tricks in the past year."

The Beasts Pirates had many martial artists among them, and Delia was one of them. The championship prize was one of her goals, but she relished the joy that battle brought her even more.

A few sparks of electricity flashed beneath her skin. Electrical attacks were restricted, but using electricity to stimulate her cells and enhance her explosive force was fine.

The rules of this tournament have many loopholes. Aside from the explicitly forbidden things, everything else was open for exploitation.

As the battle commenced, a large number of contestants began to get eliminated. While Delia was getting attacked from all sides, Isuka had already turned into a red blur, with most people only able to catch a glimpse of a red streak.

...

As the fight progressed, Isuka began searching for the right moment to strike. Also, she realized that Delia had made a misjudgment—the strength of that person seemed to be quite impressive.

Or rather, the thing on his chest had an exceptionally remarkable defense.

In a way, this person's armor technology was different from that of ordinary people. The plate wasn't fixed in place but was slotted.

It didn't just serve as a heart protector; he had even created special slots on his arm guards, allowing the plate to be slotted onto his arm, functioning as a handheld shield.

"It's useless, useless! This is the armor material that even the Emperor of the Sea dreams of having. With this, you can never break through my defense!"

Blocking yet another attack, he noticed that the plate didn't have a single scratch, and a wild grin spread across his face.

Kaido's stated reason for seeking the plates was to create the world's hardest armor, but to this day, in countless battles, Kaido had never worn any armor.

However, no one really questioned the truth of that reason. The World Government had even voluntarily traded for plates, not knowing that this stone had a significance beyond its hardness.

But many people on the seas believed Kaido's given reason, and those who did made different choices. Sasaki used a plate as a gift to join the Beasts Pirates and became a core member.

But this person was different. Since this was something even the Emperor of the Sea desired, why not keep it for himself? Perhaps with this, he could become the new Emperor of the Sea.

"Shield Charge!"

Using the plate as a weapon, he almost transformed into a berserker, charging at his opponent with the plate in hand. As he saw the enemy's fist coming toward him, his expression was full of disdain.

"It's useless, this kind of attack is useless against me. Remember my name—Mighty Gaponov! I will become the strongest!"

He hadn't been in the New World for long and was still full of ambition. With the defensive power of the plate, he had even defeated quite a few pirates of the New World.

Gaponov was also a lone wolf, with a bounty of 90 million Berries. His goal in participating in this tournament was the substantial prize money, which he planned to use to search for new plates and fulfill Kaido's "dream" of creating indestructible armor before him.

At this moment, he felt a series of blows landing on the plate. Judging from the force of the impact, this attack was much stronger than the previous ones. More importantly, he hadn't even noticed when the person attacking his "shield" had appeared.

"Good thing it's an idiot. With that kind of speed, they should've attacked from the side..."

The plate could only protect half of his body. Against such a fast opponent, whether they attacked his legs or from the side, it would've been difficult for him to respond. But the opponent chose the most foolish method.

What baffled him even more was that the red figure inexplicably retreated right after attacking.

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