NOVEL WEB Chapter 141: Another Challenge
The entire Alabasta port became boisterous. Countless powerhouses wanted to defeat Burgess and seize that Baron medal. Watching the surging crowd, Burgess felt his blood boil. He felt as if he was back on Stoa Island, in the finals of the fighting championship.
"Wehahaha! Come on, you scum! Become my defeated foes!" Burgess laughed wildly. The feeling of being the center of attention had returned. His fists were already itching for a fight!
Soon, someone jumped onto the ring to challenge Burgess, and a fierce battle instantly erupted between them. Watching the exhilarating fight, Ryokugyu and Zoro felt a bit antsy.
"Your Majesty, please open a few more rings. I want to go up and defend a ring to fight," Zoro said, watching Burgess punch his opponent flying.
"Oh? Who else wants to go down?" Kael looked at Zoro and the various Barons with interest.
"Your Majesty, I don't have a Baron medal yet," Laffitte stepped forward.
"My reputation isn't big enough yet," Whirlwind Erick also spoke.
"Then count me in. I just happen to want to hone my swordsmanship," White-haired Saga also stepped forward.
Van Augur, being a sniper, wasn't suited for this kind of ring match, and Bege, a storage officer with immense wealth, also didn't speak. It wouldn't be good if he was defeated by an unknown powerhouse and lost hundreds of billions of Berries.
"Then let's have 1 more Viscount challenge ring, and 3 Baron ring matches!" Kael instructed Ryokugyu, while also throwing a Baron medal to Laffitte. "Perform well. If you disappoint me, I will take this medal back."
Kael gave Laffitte a meaningful look. This guy was hiding his strength. His Devil Fruit ability was most likely a Mythical Zoan. After all, a regular Animal-type wouldn't survive in the Blackbeard Pirates. Laffitte even secured the position of Captain of Ship No. 5. According to the rule that the longer a character's ability is hidden, the more impressive it is when finally revealed, Laffitte is not simple.
"I will not disappoint Your Majesty."
Laffitte maintained his calm, professional smile, steadily caught the Baron medal, and confidently hung it on his chest.
"Ahahaha, no problem!" Ryokugyu jumped off the Exile Emperor and quickly set up 5 more rings around. This made the entire port even more boisterous.
"3 Baron rings! 1 Viscount ring!"
"Great! That means there's more than just 1 Baron medal on Burgess's ring!"
"I thought 1 Baron medal wouldn't be enough for us to fight over!"
"Now the opportunity is here again! Charge!"
"Who's that guy? Get him, another lucky guy with no reputation like Burgess!" A large number of powerhouses from the Grand Line went crazy.
However, compared to the already famous Viscount Zoro, Baron Erick, and Baron Saga, the success rate of challenging the lesser-known Burgess and Laffitte was higher. Besides Burgess's ring having the most challengers, the next most popular was Laffitte.
"There's also an Earl and Marquis ring!"
"The defender is Piercing Marquis Ryokugyu!"
As the last large ring appeared, countless shouts echoed through the port once more.
"Ahahaha! As long as you defeat me, you can become an Empire Duke. If you can fight me to a draw, you'll directly become an Imperial Marquis!" Ryokugyu said. "Even if you're defeated by me, as long as your strength is recognized, I can apply to His Majesty for the title of Earl."
Ryokugyu, like Burgess, greatly enjoyed being the center of attention. He stood on the large ring he had carefully created, accepting people's admiration. He was pleased even if no one came to challenge him. That meant he was too powerful for anyone to dare to challenge. Especially when he saw reporters taking pictures, Ryokugyu struck a handsome pose.
Watching the flamboyant Ryokugyu, the newly joined Spartan felt a bit unaccustomed. After all, in the New World, he tried to keep a low profile.
"Don't mind him, that's just how he is," Fujitora said calmly to the new Marquis. He had no intention of participating. Fujitora's Observation Haki had already scanned the entire port, and he hadn't found any hidden top-tier powerhouses.
"Spartan, arrange your clansmen onto the snail warship and the White Iron King. I happen to want to return to the Goa Empire for a trip," Kael said. He didn't pay too much attention to the battles on the rings below, nor did he spot any familiar strong faces. Previously, Ryokugyu and the others had swept through a round of pirates, which led to fewer powerful pirates daring to come here.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Spartan replied gratefully. Once his clansmen were settled, he could fight for Kael wholeheartedly.
Kael had now completely risen to power. They could walk unhindered in the Grand Line, unlike when they were weak and cautious when they first set out from the East Blue. After Tashigi's warship went to Marineford, keeping the snail warship and the White Iron King by his side seemed to lose its meaning.
They could now traverse the Grand Line directly back to the East Blue. Kael wanted to transport all the spoils and money inside Bege back to the Goa Empire first, to free up space to load the gold from Sky Island. It should be known that on the battlefields of Wano Country, Kael and his crew had captured a lot of firearms and weapons, plus the huge indemnities from the 2 countries and the Eight-Treasure Marine Corps' great treasure. Now, Bege's internal castle and the Exile Emperor were basically full of stuff. Even the White Iron King and the snail warship had a lot of items.
Crocodile, that veteran Warlord of the Sea, also had considerable assets, making Kael even richer. Crocodile's money, after being lent to Buggy the Clown, allowed Buggy to establish the foundation of the Four Emperors Cross Guild. Now, Kael's 3 ships were truly filled with money and treasures everywhere, so they had to return to the Goa Empire to process them. He also wanted to test the effectiveness and safety of the Seastone warship.
Spartan's 3 dilapidated sailing ships didn't have many people, less than 200, and 1 White Iron King could accommodate them all. When these boys and girls saw the military supplies, weapons, provisions, and treasures piled everywhere, their eyes widened in amazement. Had they boarded a treasure ship? Upon learning that they could each choose new clothes from the supplies and select their own weapons, these little ones were extremely excited. One by one, they put on new clothes, transforming into new soldiers of the Goa Empire.
The news of the Goa Empire opening a conscription ring competition at Alabasta port quickly spread throughout the nearby sea areas. The next day, it even appeared in Morgans' World Economic Journal. The news of the Goa Empire having its third Marquis spread throughout the world. Especially Kaiou Mouretz, Islewan Atmos, Who's-Who of the Tobi Roppo, and General Star Snack, who were all named by Houspartan the Fist Slayer, were questioned by their own crew members about the truth.
As these powerhouses responded with dark faces, the entire New World boiled over. They never expected that this Spartan was truly a formidable individual with genuine skill!