Pirate: Hades! ( One Piece)

Chapter 298: Sword Tournament (1)

Due to the large number of participants in the Sword Tournament, just two rounds of the Elimination Round lasted a full eighteen days.

Through continuous, day-and-night battles.

The official roster of participants for the Sword Tournament was finally determined.

One thousand and twenty-four Swordsmen, having overcome numerous obstacles, proved their strength and became participants in the Sword Tournament.

Each of their photos, along with their numbers, names, or codenames, were compiled into data cards and displayed on the large screen inside the Sky Arena for everyone to see.

The true Strongmen had not yet made their move.

However, the performance of some Swordsmen also sparked heated discussion.

The highly anticipated Swordsmen were also the so-called star players, who were previously unknown but gained attention through the battles in the Elimination Round.

Their appearance brought some unknown possibilities to this Sword Tournament.

Especially in the second stage of the Elimination Round, after eliminating a group of weaker individuals in the first stage, the intensity of the battles rose by more than one level.

It also brought spectacular battles to the vast majority of ordinary people and those with weaker strength in this World.

It is worth mentioning that these one thousand and twenty-four Swordsmen were all Sword Masters who had reached the Iron Cutting Realm.

The number seems large, but when considering the entire Great Sea, it is entirely possible.

There are quite a few formidable Swordsmen on the Great Sea, and there are also numerous Sword Dojos on the Great Sea, constantly supplying the Great Sea with Swordsmen.

Even in the Kronos Kingdom, gathering a few dozen Sword Masters is not difficult.

There are quite a few people who practice swordsmanship.

Furthermore, on a large stage like the Sky Arena, there are many who break through and become Sword Masters.

Being able to stand out from tens of thousands of Swordsmen, these Swordsmen all possess considerable strength.

However, even among Sword Masters, the gap in strength is quite obvious: combat awareness, swordsmanship realm, physique, Two-Color Haki.

All aspects determine the strength of a Swordsman.

To become the World's Strongest Swordsman, strength must be all-encompassing, without any weaknesses.

The competition restricted the use of Devil Fruits, a rule that was also recognized by many powerful Swordsmen.

Some young Swordsmen exhibited astonishing strength.

If they were to become Pirates, they would undoubtedly become the new generation of Pirate Supernovas this year.

Many famous or unknown Swordsmen had spectacular performances in the continuous battles.

Knowledge related to Swordsmen also became known during the Sword Tournament.

Many people did not know that seemingly ordinary Swordsmen were divided into so many different styles.

Their battle styles were also diverse.

Even a single element style included many types such as flame style, lightning style, and ice style.

With the sword in their hand, they could use elemental strength that only Ability Users could typically employ.

Some less famous Sword Dojos also gained reputation due to the excellent performance of their members in the Sword Tournament.

To obtain great strength, many people flocked to these dojos to seek tutelage.

It is conceivable that the number of Swordsmen on the Great Sea will increase in the future.

Powerful Swordsmen will also continuously emerge.

These are all effects brought about by the Sword Tournament; swordsmanship has begun to flourish.

Undoubtedly, the Pluto Pirates, who organized and hosted the Sword Tournament, and "Pluto" Hades, will gain the friendship of the vast majority of Swordsmen.

Many Swordsmen from the Kronos Kingdom underwent training in the Sword Tournament.

However, the one who truly needs attention is Zoro.

This is a great opportunity for Zoro.

Stuck at the peak Swordsman realm for many years, when it comes to actual battle, some Great Sword Masters are not his match.

And the Sword Tournament is the opportunity for him to break through this bottleneck.

The same goes for most Sword Masters.

Sparring and battling with Swordsmen of different styles helps them improve their strength and deepen their understanding of swordsmanship.

Breaking through to Great Sword Master is even more extremely difficult; only two or three Great Sword Masters might emerge from a hundred Sword Masters.

This bottleneck has trapped countless people, preventing them from achieving breakthrough throughout their lives.

Besides the realm itself being profound, it requires opportunity and also luck.

It's not something that can be achieved through arduous training and comprehension alone.

Battling against powerful Swordsmen is the best method.

As important members of the Kronos Kingdom, they were perfectly clear about the secrets and key points of becoming a Great Sword Master.

However, understanding is one thing, and achieving breakthrough is another.

In a few more years, Zoffy will abdicate.

Before that, Zoro needs to fill Zoffy's position.

The Kronos Kingdom has a tradition of having two pillars of the kingdom throughout the years; it doesn't feel complete without one.

Compared to Titan, Zoro is still quite lacking.

As long as he achieves breakthrough and becomes a Great Sword Master, years of accumulation will suddenly erupt, pushing his strength to a powerful degree in a short amount of time.

After experiencing eighteen days of the Elimination Round, the Sword Tournament truly began.

Continuous battles left many people physically and mentally exhausted, especially in the second round of the Elimination Round, where the resistance each person faced greatly increased.

The Kronos Kingdom also couldn't perfectly control the matchups of these Swordsmen; some Swordsmen were hiding their strength.

Inevitably, some Swordsmen with good strength, who could have definitely entered the main stage of the Sword Tournament, were unfortunately eliminated.

This is unavoidable; luck is also part of strength.

Especially when encountering Great Sword Masters with terrifying strength, they didn't even have the ability to resist.

Those with better temperaments might play around with you.

Someone like Shiki would basically end the battle with a single slash.

However, he didn't feel bored, because during the Sword Tournament, he noticed many powerful Swordsmen he hadn't known before.

The more time passed, the more expectation he felt.

There were even Swordsmen who still hadn't exhibited their true strength.

The Pluto Pirates couldn't possibly possess everyone's intelligence.

However, as the Tournament progresses, they will eventually be exposed one by one.

Three days; all Swordsmen will have three days of rest.

Restoration of stamina, condition, injuries, and weary minds.

The Pluto Pirates also needed to repair the venues that suffered minor damage due to the battles.

However, not many people could cause such damage, especially when those Strongmen were still hiding their strength.

Nevertheless, the venues still required minor repairs.

The Sticky Candy Fruit had already been delivered to Charlotte Linlin.

Her efficiency was very high; she directly used the metal and rocks provided by the Pluto Pirates to create a special Homie.

It was named Hephaestus.

Hephaestus had decent strength, showing that Linlin didn't just go through the motions.

However, for Hades, its only role was to repair the damaged venues of the Sky Arena.

(end of chapter)