Far out at sea, a ship could be seen; on it were several people wearing military uniforms. In a separate room, there was a man with a tattoo on his face; this was Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the revolutionary army.
This man was going to a specific place, the place where Ruby's Coliseum was being built.
There was a reason Dragon was heading there, and that was because he needed allies.
Currently, he was, so to speak, alone. Kuma was with the World Government helping his daughter, while Ginny had died giving birth to her. Ivankov was currently in Impel Down, hiding, and he didn't know if he'd ever get out.
The truth is, he had some people, like his commanders or even Koala and Sabo, but the former were preoccupied with their own problems, while the latter were still very young.
More than help, he needed someone he could talk to, someone who could guide him in a better direction. And that person was Dante.
He'd already had a conversation with him, something that left a lasting impression on him, especially when he learned about the island he'd destroyed in his battle against Kizaru and about how Dante managed to make it rise from the ashes so they could govern without a noble system or a world government, the closest thing to independence.
He needed to talk to him again, but he never knew where he was. The only thing he knew about him was that he was looking for a specific Devil Fruit, something that had been circulating for a year and a half.
When he learned the Devil Fruit would be at this coliseum, he knew Dante would be there, and the broadcast confirmed it.
He'd most likely arrive late, on the second day, and he knew he wouldn't be the only one going; something told him something was going to happen there.
Those were Dragon's thoughts as he watched the broadcast of a show Dante was putting on, the first day of the coliseum already over.
Dante: "She kisses you and undresses you; with her crazy dance, you close your eyes and let yourself be dragged; you let yourself be dragged (come on)." He sang in front of all the other contestants who had survived this day, guitar in hand.
Dante: "What will she be?"
Contestants: "Live a crazy life."
Dante: "And it will hurt if it really touches you." "She is your end."
Contestants: "Live a crazy life."
Dante: "She will tell you."
Contestants: "Live a crazy life."
Dante: "Live a crazy life; come on, live a crazy life."
Praises could be heard from the contestants and the audience, who hadn't left the island. Dante had taken up a stage in front of dozens of people, putting on a great show.
In the distance, Balesca and Yamato could be seen watching everything that was happening; after all, technically, they weren't on the island, so they were hiding.
Balesca: "According to what the others told me, Dante couldn't sing, and he sang terribly, and here he is, proving otherwise," he said, his mouth agape.
Yamato: "According to what he told me, he sang terribly when he was with his companions just to annoy them and make them angry, but when he was alone, just starting out, he dedicated himself to life like that so the ships would let him go with them, like a musician or a bard, as he would say, but I don't know what a bard is."
Balesca: "Now I understand when Trini said that puberty ruined his time; she was just pretending."
As they continued listening to Dante's musical performance, Balesca was struck by an existential doubt.
Balesca: "Hey."
Yamato: "Yeah?"
Balesca: "How can both music and musical instruments sound if it's just him and a guitar? I think I hear other instruments."
Yamato: "I think that device next to him helps him with all that; that's where all the music comes from." He said, pointing to a device near Dante.
Dante had purchased a music box with the system, which transmitted almost all the soundtracks of every song in existence. It cost him 250,000 LP, as it included all the songs from the multiverses, including songs outside of space-time.
Dante: "Aaow! So they came into the outway; it was Sunday. What a black day. Every time I tried to find him, there were no clues. They're behind him, and they end up never knowing who the suspect, or what to expect: mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, sounding heartbeats, intimidations."
Dante sang and danced as if he were the reincarnation of the King of Pop, because if there's one thing Dante loves more than ruining people's lives, especially bad ones, it's being the center of attention, as demonstrated by his constant drunkenness.
Dante: "Annie, are you okay? So, Annie, are you okay? Are you okay, Annie? Annie, are you okay? So, Annie, are you okay? Are you okay, Annie? You've been hit by, you've been struck by, a smooth criminal."
The crowd watching the show was going wild watching Dante's dance moves, since there's a reason the King of Pop was so well-known and acclaimed, not only for his songs but also for his dance style.
The irony is that Dante didn't know he was being recorded; this is because no one was openly filming him, but Ruby had several cameras filming the entire island.
She had noticed Yamato and Balesca's presence, but she didn't care; once Dante was under her control, they wouldn't be able to do anything.
Yamato, Balesca, and Dante also knew about the cameras, but as long as they didn't see his key moves, it would be fine, since the two are very elusive, and they need Dante for their show, so they won't do anything to him.
What Dante didn't expect was that the surveillance cameras would also be used to broadcast his show, allowing several people to watch him dance and sing.
...
Dante's POV
Dante: "I see." I said, holding a den den mushi. I was talking to Balesca; we couldn't see each other face-to-face, but we could because of the snail. I didn't know if they had anything to intercept the call, but honestly, I don't care; this is something only a strong person can do: ignore the consequences and bad ideas.
Balesca: "Well, they talk as if they both have and don't have the Devil Fruit."
Dante: "I mean, we're at maybe, maybe not."
Balesca: "I think it's more likely they don't have it, but I don't really know. What do you say?"
Dante: "We're already here, so let's go all the way."
Balesca: "Well, if that's your decision, but I have to warn you about that woman."
Dante: "About Ruby?"
Balesca: "No, about Adelina, that woman has the Devil Fruit of hypnosis. She can control people's minds with the first touch she makes; if she touches you, you're lost."
Dante: "Thanks for the information; I'll keep it in mind."
Balesca: "She also said he was your nephew; this information isn't relevant."
Dante: "Nephew? From what I knew, Ares's sister is still in Mary Geoise, living her good life."
Balesca: "I don't think she's a World Noble; she has traits more like someone from Wano."
Dante: "Wano, tell me what she looks like."
I asked Balesca for descriptions of this Adelina. Once they're finished, I can conclude something.
Dante: "I see. She must be my mother's sister, not my father's; therefore, she must be from the Kurozumi family, just like me."
Based on what I knew, my mother has red eyes, and Adelina also has red eyes; by default, plus a few details, I was able to arrive at that conclusion.
I must have been one of those people who fled the country after the disaster the Kurozumi family wreaked in Wano; she must have left that country with my mother.
Dante: "It doesn't affect our plan at all. Let's continue as if that information didn't exist."
Balesca: "Understood, see you." And with that, I ended the call.
I stared into space; something inside me told me something wasn't right, that something would happen, but I didn't know what; I could only wait for the next day and be as prepared as possible.
...
We're currently in the semifinals. The remaining contestants are a familiar-looking oni, a pirate who, from what I understand, is a supernova, and a samurai. If he's from Wano or something similar, I have no idea, since he's in a trance, which suggests he was under the thumb of that woman who's supposedly my aunt. And finally, there was me.
I was standing there staring at my opponent, oddly enough, the samurai.
He was holding two swords, which would make him a dual-sword wielder if he were Zoro.
This time, I didn't have a sword but a spear, a Tonbogiri, an ancient Japanese spear, which cost me about 150,000,000 LP. I've always liked spears, and knowing I had both swords, I decided to buy a spear—a good one, but not too expensive, to save money.
This Tonbogiri is a Final Fantasy spear, just like my sword, in this case from FFXI.
The more recognized, both personally and within the franchise, and the more powerful and unique the weapon, the more expensive it will be for the system.
The high price was mainly due to the fact that it came from a Final Fantasy game; otherwise, it would cost much less. Damn capitalists.
Announcer: "I hope you've rested after the previous fights; we begin the semifinals with the fight between two of the four finalists of this coliseum."
The spectators cheered and screamed, eager to see mutilated bodies and blood, lots of blood.
I just stared into my opponent's eyes, empty, soulless eyes; for me, it wasn't much different from fighting an undead.
Announcer: "On the right side, we have Ren, the samurai of the underworld, a swordsman who never hesitates, who always fulfills his missions to the letter, a killing machine. On the left side, we have Dante, the great hero, a title given to him by the people he helped in his time as an adventurer, or at least that's what he says."
I'm a little bored with this guy; I have no idea how he knows so much about me. In the last fight, he called me the guy who's been with over a thousand women; that's going to be a problem for me when I get to Celestia, and the worst part is, it's not far from the truth. There were a few years when I indulged in extreme debauchery; the only thing I'm thankful for is that I don't have any STDs.
(Note: STD = STI).
I spun the Tonbogiri around my body, as if it were a drum major, to get it into an offensive position.
My opponent drew his two swords with inhuman fluidity.
Announcer: "And without further ado, let the fight begin."
And with that, Ren launched himself at me with two energy slashes, which I dodged by moving my body in a zigzag motion.
Quickly, he reached where I was and, with a parallel slash of both swords, attempted to attack me, but I defended myself by using the Tonbogiri horizontally to block the attack.
Before he could do anything else, I used my strength to throw him back about 2 meters, and the moment he fell to the ground, I launched an attack.
As the two swords and the spear collided, Ren was thrown backward, allowing me to follow immediately.
Ren could only defend himself against the consecutive attacks I launched; I gave him no chance to counterattack. This is the advantage when you are faster and stronger than your opponent; if it weren't for the other side's Haki, I would have already defeated him.
The announcer was talking about the fight, but I paid no attention, as to me he was talking nonsense.
I raised my spear to quickly spin it and slash vertically at my opponent, who barely managed to block. Ren used all his strength to get the spear off him, which he managed, only to receive a kick from me directly to the chest, sending him crashing into the wall.
The moment he was against the wall, I threw the Tonbogiri straight at Ren's diaphragm; he managed to block with one of his swords, but it wasn't over yet.
With great momentum and speed, I launched myself horizontally at him, and the moment my feet touched the Tonbogiri, I used all my Haki, imbuing it with Haki and Internal Destruction, and leaped at him with almost all my strength, causing Ren's sword to shatter and burying my spear in his chest.
The spear pierced through him and destroyed a large portion of the wall, leaving the area where the spectators were and the entire side of the wall in ruins.
I fell not far from where Ren was. I saw him try to attack me with his remaining sword, so I quickly grabbed my spear and slashed diagonally, tearing through his diaphragm and parts of his intestines.
Despite all the blood pouring from his body, Ren reacted as if nothing had happened and tried to restrain me, but I was faster.
Dante: "This is my way of giving you freedom, puppet," I said, not knowing if he was able to hear, but I didn't really care if he was or not.
And with the Tonbogiri, I cut off his head, causing his attack to stop, and he fell to the ground, both his head and the rest of his body.
Announcer: "And the winner is Dante, the great hero," he shouted, sending the crowd into a frenzy again. Maybe he has a Devil Fruit that makes people go crazy, since they never stop; it's as if they have infinite energy.
I ignored everything and returned to my cell to wait for the final match.
Third-person POV.
Dante's victory could be seen on a large screen.
Ruby sat watching all this, legs crossed, biting her nails.
She saw how strong Dante was; she knew that if his plan failed, everything would go to hell, the entire island would be in ruins, and no one would be safe, except for those two women, whose whereabouts she didn't know right now. She considered using them as hostages, but they managed to hide before she could act.
Ruby: "Do you think you can beat him?" she said to the four people next to her.
Franco: "One on one, there's no arguing; he'd destroy us in seconds, but if the four of us fight, there's a chance."
Hogan: "Our teamwork should mask our weaknesses and disadvantages, but from there," as she said this, she looked at one of the four members, the only woman in the group, "we'll have to use Priscilla's final card."
Ruby looked at Priscila, knowing what her Devil Fruit does; only she can defeat Dante with her awakened fruit.
She stood up and looked for something in some cabinet where a lot of icy smoke was coming out. From there, she took out three vials with a red liquid inside and threw them to Priscila.
Ruby: "I wanted to use them, to be able to clone them someday, but it's no use if we die today, so if everything goes to shit, use them."
Priscila: "Whatever you say, boss."
The last member looked at the vials and commented.
???: "Don't tell me what they are," he said, staring at the labels on the frozen vials.
Ruby: "Yes, it is exactly what it is."
???: "And how did you get it, boss?" he asked.
Ruby: "It's not that difficult to raid World Government laboratories. All I can say is luck." She said haughtily. "Hogan, Franco, Priscila, and Edgar, leave. I want to be alone to think."
The four just nodded and left.
Ruby watched them leave only to look back at the screen.
...
Dante's POV
Announcer: "Dear viewers, we're finally in the finals of this great coliseum." Cheers were heard from the crowd watching all this. "Before we begin, we thank everyone watching and supporting us. Now, let's start on the left; there we have Usagi, the Bone Destroyer, a maniac who likes to torture and destroy his opponents piece by piece, bone by bone."
I saw my opponent, Usagi. It was funny that his name means "rabbit" and he's an oni, and for some reason I feel like I know him from somewhere. It's like Hogan, the weird guy no one knows.
Announcer: "On the right side, we have Dante, the hero, who can destroy both admirals and deaths with his gaze."
I feel like kicking that guy in the ass.
I saw Usagi get into an attack position; I did the same. I don't want to waste any more time. I just want to get out of this place.
Announcer: "Without wasting any more time, let the fight begin."
At that moment, I saw Usagi about to launch herself at me like a locomotive. I used Soru to disappear from her sight.
I saw her open her eyes, only to see my attack; she managed to dodge it at the last moment.
Dante: "Not bad," I told her, only to slash with the Tonbogiri, causing her to defend herself with her club, throwing it far away in an arc. Once in the air, I slashed at her several times, which she deflected. But with the last attack, I managed to parry her weapons, which left her open. Twisting my body with my spear, I slashed at her, sending her tumbling backward, leaving a diagonal cut across her body that started bleeding profusely. "But you still have a long way to go."
Usagi looked at me with red eyes, and like a berserker, he began to attack me without thinking.
I just sighed, realizing this wasn't a fight anymore; from what I saw, this was the first time he'd been damaged, and that was something he couldn't accept, driving him crazy.
Dante began dodging Usagi's attacks with lightning ease, something that was driving him even crazier, and that madness reached its peak when I saw my expression.
He was so calm and relaxed, as if he were relaxing on the beach with a sunset and a sweet, cold drink.
I grew bored of dodging, so I jumped back and quickly stabbed Usagi three times: once in the elbow, once in the knee, and once in the eye, destroying it in the process.
He just screamed loudly as he fell to the ground on his knees, clutching his eye, where blood was oozing out.
I'd seen almost every fight of this kind; he killed all his opponents in brutal and sadistic ways, and that, in my eyes, was beyond saving.
Before he could recover, I got behind him and put him in a wrestling headlock by his neck.
He tried to break free, but my strength was greater than his, and with a swift movement, I grabbed his head and turned it 180°, causing his head to face the same direction as his back.
Usagi only spewed a large amount of blood from his mouth and fell to the ground dead.
(Note: Just like Omniman killed the warrior woman in the Invincible animated series.)
Silence reigned in the coliseum.
Announcer: "As expected of Dante, the great hero, defeating his opponents like mere ants in record time. Ladies and gentlemen, we have the winner of the coliseum, and that is Dante." He shouted as if speaking slowly was a hobby.
The crowd erupted in shouts, cheers, and applause.
I just stared at Usagi's corpse, for whom I felt nothing, and that was the worst part for me, seeing people's lives as if they were just a game. I could only lament inside, because I felt that if I left this guy alive, I would make many more innocent people suffer, something very different from why I killed Ren.
While the crowd celebrated, I just wanted to take a shower because I felt so dirty. And so I left the coliseum, hoping it would all end here.