The One-Slash Superman of the One Piece World

"Kyros?"

"Who's that? He's so popular… A gladiator who's won 440 consecutive matches? Sounds pretty impressive."

In the stands, Kuzan was lounging sideways in his seat, surrounded by a pile of bags stuffed with snacks he'd bought.

Seeing the surging excitement of the crowd all around him, Kuzan finally sat up straight, curiosity gleaming in his eyes as he focused on the center of the arena. Meanwhile, Yorichi was munching on a star-shaped local fruit he'd bought, equally fascinated as he turned his gaze to the ring.

Kyros.

Even after all these years, Yorichi still remembered that name.

At just fifteen years old, Kyros had become a murderer while seeking revenge for a dear friend who'd died. During his arrest, he'd even struck King Riku over the head with a blunt weapon. Just as the palace guards were about to execute him on the spot, King Riku suddenly intervened and stopped them.

Perhaps it was Kyros's fierce loyalty and devotion to his friends, or maybe it was simply the king's recognition of the young man's extraordinary talent for combat. Either way, King Riku spared his life.

However, Kyros's status as a murderer didn't simply disappear. Both murder and assaulting the king were capital crimes, punishable by death.

Instead, King Riku took Kyros to Dressrosa's coliseum, making him an offer: if Kyros could win one hundred matches, he would grant him freedom.

And so, Kyros began to unleash his astonishing potential in the arena. Through countless battles, he grew ever stronger. It took him less than six months to reach one hundred victories.

Yet even after fulfilling King Riku's promise, Kyros never left the coliseum. The stigma of being a killer was too heavy to shed. Despite his hundred victories, society still viewed him as a criminal.

Unable to reintegrate into normal life, Kyros chose to stay in the arena, numbing himself through endless combat.

Now, Kyros had amassed 440 victories. In terms of both strength and popularity, he was the undisputed star of the coliseum.

A moment later, Kyros and his opponent, the "Rampaging Sea Bear," stepped into the center of the arena.

The Rampaging Sea Bear was a towering giant, standing nearly five meters tall. He was broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, clad in heavy armor. His helmet concealed most of his face, leaving only his eyes visible. One hand gripped a spiked round shield, while the other wielded a massive battle axe as tall as an ordinary man, radiating an intimidating presence.

In contrast, Kyros was still just a seventeen-year-old youth. Yet even as a teenager, he was powerfully built, easily over two meters tall. His frame was lean but packed with explosive muscle, earning him an undeniably imposing presence.

Standing beside him, Kuzan, who was roughly the same height, looked downright scrawny by comparison.

Unlike his heavily armored opponent, Kyros wore nothing but a tattered tunic and a skirt of armored plates. In his hands, he carried a massive double-edged sword that glittered coldly under the sun's rays a formidable weapon, if nothing else.

But compared to his opponent's full armor and weaponry, Kyros's gear seemed pitifully meager. If not for the sword in his hand, he looked like he'd be begging for spare change on the street.

His appearance left much to be desired.

"Whoa… so that's Kyros? He's massive. That armor looks incredible too. No wonder he's won so many fights."

Kuzan stared at the two fighters in the arena, mistakenly assuming the armored giant was Kyros. There was even a faint trace of envy in his eyes.

After a moment, Kuzan sighed and added, "Man, if the Marines were equipped with full plate armor like that, we'd look so cool."

Yorichi cast him a sideways glance, speechless. He could only offer a half-hearted agreement.

"Yeah… that would be pretty lit."

Kuzan immediately picked up on the sarcasm in Yorichi's tone and was about to retort when Yorichi continued calmly,

"Kuzan, the guy with the axe isn't Kyros. The one with the double-edged sword is."

"I can feel it. That's one incredibly strong guy."

Yorichi narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently at Kyros in the center of the ring.

Through his Transparent World, Yorichi could clearly perceive the aura radiating from Kyros. It wasn't Haki it was something different.

Kyros's breathing was slow and steady, his muscles brimming with explosive power. Most striking of all, to Yorichi's eyes, Kyros's heart radiated vibrant, powerful life force.

That vitality rivaled the Upper Moons of the Demon Slayer world.

A human heart with the vitality of a demon. Yorichi was certain that if Kyros existed in the Demon Slayer world, only two beings could reliably defeat him.

One was Yorichi himself.

The other was Muzan Kibutsuji, the Demon King whom Yorichi had slain.

"The one with the double-edged sword?"

Kuzan blinked in surprise, clearly taken aback. Yet he didn't doubt Yorichi's judgment. Kuzan knew that Yorichi possessed perception abilities far beyond simple Observation Haki. His friend seemed to have an entirely different kind of sensory talent that allowed him to measure the strength of others.

While Kuzan and Yorichi chatted, the announcer had been rambling on, filling the arena with chatter. He was giving lengthy introductions for both gladiators, but it was also an intentional stall.

As previously mentioned, the coliseum was Dressrosa's biggest money-making machine. The spectators here could place bets, gambling on the victory of their favored gladiator.

All that stalling was just buying time for people to place their bets.

"Hey, Kuzan. Do you still have any money left?" Yorichi asked suddenly.

"Go bet on Kyros to win. Whatever you win, just consider it an advance repayment of the money I owe you."

Kuzan laughed and shook his head firmly. "What are you thinking? Vacation or not, I'm still a Marine. There's no way I'd get involved in gambling."

Yorichi blinked, taken aback. This was the first time he'd learned that the Marines actually had rules forbidding gambling. He vaguely remembered that, in the future, the Navy would recruit an admiral who was both an "actor" and a "gambling addict" not to mention being blind.

"Man, that's a real missed opportunity to make some money." Yorichi didn't press the issue, simply leaning back in his seat and enjoying his fruit in a leisurely manner.

Before long, the referee stepped into the center of the arena and officially announced the start of the match. Instantly, a hush fell over the entire crowd.

As soon as the signal was given, neither the Sea Bear nor Kyros moved immediately. Kyros gripped his sword with both hands, fixing his opponent with a cold, unwavering stare. Meanwhile, the Sea Bear circled Kyros cautiously, seeking any potential opening and preparing to launch a devastating strike at any moment.

Seconds stretched in tense silence.

Finally, the Sea Bear could no longer restrain himself. He dug his feet into the ground and exploded forward, charging at Kyros like a cannonball. Despite his massive size and heavy weight, the Sea Bear's speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance, thrusting his spiked shield toward Kyros in a brutal slam.

The spikes on the shield glittered wickedly. There was no doubt that if Kyros took that hit directly, he'd be out of the fight instantly.

Yet just as the shield was about to connect, Kyros suddenly leaped high into the air, flipping gracefully over the Sea Bear's massive head. In mid-air, he twisted his body and swung his massive sword downward in a savage strike aimed at the back of the Sea Bear's skull.

CLANG!!

The blade collided violently with the Sea Bear's helmet, the shrill clash of metal on metal echoing through the entire arena.

Kyros landed lightly behind his opponent, sword still poised.

The Sea Bear froze, still holding the stance of his shield strike. Several seconds passed before his towering body seemed to lose all strength and crashed to the ground in a thunderous impact.

BOOM!

Dust rose in a cloud as the Sea Bear collapsed. No matter how much the referee called out, he could not stand back up.

The fully armored Sea Bear had been felled by a single strike from the lightly equipped Kyros.

The sheer display of power sent the crowd into an immediate frenzy, cheers flooding the arena like a roaring tide.

"Whoa. That was pretty impressive," Kuzan murmured, though his voice remained rather flat despite his words.

Kyros was strong, but in Kuzan's eyes, he was still operating on a fundamentally human level.

"I really like this guy!"

"Kuzan, how about recruiting him into the Marines?" Yorichi said suddenly, leaning forward in excitement.

"I'm sure sparring with him would be way more interesting than sparring with you."

Kyros's strength and speed might still fall within the realm of normal human limits, at least in the eyes of both Yorichi and Kuzan.

But what Yorichi truly admired was Kyros's swordsmanship. That skill, honed through relentless combat, was more than enough to pique Yorichi's interest.

A duel with Kyros, he thought, would be truly exhilarating.