One Piece: Reborn in God's Valley

Dressrosa, Corrida Colosseum.

This place had now become the liveliest location on the entire island. Countless tourists considered it a must-visit spot in Dressrosa.

Although the casino was just as packed, gambling was ultimately the exclusive domain of gamblers. It didn't carry the same excitement and all-ages appeal as the Colosseum.

Thanks to the marketing genius of Feld, the arena now offered more than just thrilling matches, it allowed spectators to place bets like a sports book.

Even Morgans couldn't resist the temptation. He set up a local branch of his newspaper to cover each competitor's debut and predict match outcomes.

And surprisingly, the newspaper sold extremely well, becoming the second best-selling publication in Dressrosa.

"Woohoo! Walton, kill that bastard! I bet on you to win today!"

In the stands, a middle-aged man waved a banner bearing Walton's name and cheered loudly. Clearly, he was a devoted fan.

Boom!

Spurred on by waves of cheers from the crowd, Walton fought even harder. After sending a pirate flying with one punch, he struck a variety of victory poses for the audience.

"Kyaa!! I love you, Lord Walton!"

Female spectators screamed wildly at the sight, some too excited to even speak.

Today's fighters were fairly average in skill, none particularly impressive. Of course, this was mainly because the arena hadn't yet attracted strong fighters due to its current fame.

Feld and Ashen had already discussed this. Once the transformation of Dressrosa was complete, they planned to offer rare treasures as championship prizes.

Only then would they attract real powerhouses. No one would agree to be treated like a show monkey if there was nothing to gain from victory.

One hour later, in the Grand Garden.

This area had already been designated by King Riku as exclusive territory for the Helgrave Pirates. A scaled-down palace had been constructed at its center.

Although it lacked the grandeur of King Riku's royal palace, anyone who stepped inside would be stunned by its opulence.

Because the Grand Garden stood significantly above ground level, a spiral staircase had been built around the large cylindrical structure to make access easier.

At this moment, a three-meter-tall, chubby man was scrambling up the stairs in a panic, as if fleeing some kind of terrible fate.

"Stop right there, you heartless pig!"

"Today we have to kill this two-timing scumbag!"

Behind Walton, several beautiful women wielded various weapons and gave chase, as though they had a blood feud with him.

Faced with their relentless pursuit, Walton didn't even dare talk back, he simply bowed his head and ran for his life.

"Hmph! We'll let him off this time. Next time, he won't get away so easily!"

Having chased him all the way to the Grand Garden, the women finally gave up. The area was designated off-limits by Riku, they didn't dare break the rules.

"Whew! Those women are terrifying…"

Having finally escaped, Walton let out a long sigh. Even after a day of arena matches, he had never felt this exhausted.

"Serves you right! That's what you get for messing with them. Sooner or later, a woman will be your downfall!"

Parnell, who was busy training nearby, couldn't help but gloat at Walton's sorry state.

"Heh! You're just jealous! But envy won't get you far. Cold-hearted guys like you will never understand a girl's heart!"

These two were like enemies from a past life, every meeting began with sarcasm and mockery.

At the same time, on the Calm Belt's Twin Islands, a groundbreaking experiment was underway.

The two islands had now been physically connected, with the shallow trench between them filled in.

This newly created flatland was used to test the take-off and landing of the airship.

Hovering in the sky above was a massive pufferfish, over a hundred meters long. Upon closer inspection, its mouth, eyes, and gills had all been carefully stitched shut.

A special valve had been installed at what was once its rear, allowing precise control of the gas inside.

Attached beneath the pufferfish was a rectangular cabin, large enough to hold around thirty people along with supplies.

Thud!

The airship landed gently, and three people emerged: Ashen, Tesla, and Lafitte.

"Well? How's the cabin, Tesla? Did I do a good job?"

Dan, who had been waiting anxiously on the ground, asked nervously.

"Of course! If it weren't for you, my design wouldn't have come together so quickly."

Tesla didn't hold back his praise. Dan's craftsmanship was spot-on, he could build anything once given detailed instructions.

"And using a sea pufferfish as a gas bladder was genius! I never expected it to have so many benefits."

Tesla continued to praise Dan's creativity, clearly impressed.

Over the past two days of testing, Tesla discovered the pufferfish's sealed skin provided excellent gas retention, and its internal bone structure made it resistant to small-scale gunfire.

Also, the creature's pectoral fins had been preserved. These fins could retract against the wind to reduce drag, or extend to catch the wind and boost speed when flying with the wind.

This seemingly simple feature saved a ton of fuel and significantly increased the airship's carrying capacity.

The vertical tail fins also enhanced the ship's stability.

"Hehehe! Glad it's useful! I am a fish-man, after all, I know sea creatures better than anyone!"

Blushing from all the praise, Dan modestly played it off.

"Alright, Dan. No need to be so humble, everyone's seen your talent.

Make sure all the supplies are packed into the cabin before nightfall. Tomorrow, we depart!"

Ashen, seeing that the airship was now fully functional, laid out the next step of his plan.

"Captain! We're going on another journey?"

Lafitte lit up with excitement at Ashen's words.

"Of course. We've had peace for two whole months, it's time to move."

Ashen had been waiting all this time. Now that the airship was ready, he could put his next move into action.

In recent days, the newspapers had stopped mentioning the Roger Pirates.

The world assumed they were laying low and building strength, but Ashen knew better, those missing reports meant Roger and his crew had entered the final, mysterious sea.

"So… where are we heading next, Captain?" Dan asked curiously. He was still new to the crew and full of questions.

"Sky Island."

Upon hearing that, Dan was a bit shocked, but not overly emotional.

Tesla, however, stood frozen for a long time before finally saying with teary eyes:

"Thank you… Captain."

"Thank me? You're one of the Helgrave Pirates, how could I not understand you?"

Ashen waved off the thanks and turned to Dan again.

"After Sky Island, we'll head to Water 7 and bring your brother to the New World. He's about to be in danger."

"Ah! Thank you, Captain!!"

This time, it was Dan who couldn't contain himself.

"I told you, stop saying thank you. Get moving!"

"Yes, Captain!!"

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