"Hello, General!"
Upon arriving in Kuri of Wano Country, many residents of Wano Country sincerely greeted General.
General's reputation and portrait had long spread throughout Wano Country, deeply imprinted in their hearts, so they recognized General at a glance.
"Toki Amatsuki, Wano Country has arrived. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll leave first and come see you later."
"Oh, and this is some money for you. Don't lose it again."
After letting go of Toki Amatsuki, General gave her some money so she wouldn't starve, then left.
"Who is that woman? General actually carried her back. How fortunate she is! If I could be carried by General, I'd be willing to shorten my lifespan by ten years!"
"That might be another future General's wife. Don't gossip recklessly."
"She's truly fortunate to gain General's favor."
"..."
Toki Amatsuki stared blankly at the departing General, then heard the whispers around her, and her cheeks immediately turned even redder.
She quickly ran away and found a quiet place to calm herself down, then began to wander around this familiar yet strange Wano Country.
Toki Amatsuki wandered for two days.
Of course, she spent more time inquiring about this country and about General.
The more she inquired, the more shocked Toki Amatsuki became. She hadn't expected General wasn't a native of Wano Country, but came from overseas.
Furthermore, he had saved Wano Country from the abyss, and under his leadership, Wano Country was flourishing, becoming better and richer. There were almost no beggars in Wano Country, and no one starved to death in winter.
More importantly, even though Wano Country hadn't opened its borders yet, its citizens could freely enter and exit Wano Country and travel between Wano Country and the outside World.
And in the World outside Wano Country, General also possessed vast territories, hundreds of times wider than the land of Wano Country.
He even held a crucial position in the entire World.
This World Swordsmanship Competition was organized by General, inviting all Swordsmen from the entire World to participate.
General was the Swordsman most likely to win the title of World's Greatest Swordsman.
It could be said that the more Toki Amatsuki inquired about General, the more she felt that he was as great as the legendary dragon-slaying Samurai, Shimotsuki Ryuma, no, even greater than Shimotsuki Ryuma.
Which woman wouldn't be captivated by such an excellent and powerful man?
Thinking of the things General had done to her before, and the scenes of their physical intimacy, Toki Amatsuki couldn't help but blush.
"The World Swordsmanship Competition, what kind of grand spectacle is that? I really want to see it!"
Toki Amatsuki said with longing, holding a newspaper.
"Do you want to go see it? I can take you to see it."
Just then, General's figure suddenly appeared beside Toki Amatsuki.
"Oh, Nox, General, why are you here!"
Toki Amatsuki was still not used to addressing General.
"You don't need to call me General or anything, just call me by my name. Didn't you say you wanted to see the World Swordsmanship Competition earlier? I'll take you."
Saying this, General took Toki Amatsuki's hand and quickly arrived at the Battle Pyramid through the mirror space.
"Oh, and the matter of coming here through the mirror just now is a big secret of mine. You can't tell anyone."
Looking at the still shocked Toki Amatsuki, General leaned closer, staring into her eyes and said softly.
"Oh, I, I understand."
Looking at General's face so close, Toki Amatsuki's face turned red, startled. After recovering, she slowly nodded.
General discovered that this little girl, Toki Amatsuki, always reacted a bit slowly in front of him.
"This is the venue for the World Swordsmanship Competition. Let's go, I'll take you around for a day. I'll start competing tomorrow, so I won't be able to take you around then."
Saying this, General took Toki Amatsuki's hand and walked out of the secret room, beginning to explore the Battle Pyramid.
"Wow, what is this thing? It can actually be used for surveillance."
"And this, it's so delicious!"
"Oh, the stairs can move by themselves, it's amazing!"
"..."
Toki Amatsuki, having come from Wano Country 800 years ago, had never seen such a high-tech Battle Pyramid and such a prosperous scene.
She was like a little girl from the countryside who had come to a bustling city. If it weren't for General watching over her, she would probably have gotten lost here.
With General accompanying her, Toki Amatsuki had a great time playing here. All her previous worries were gone, replaced only by the desire to continue playing with General like this.
"Toki Amatsuki, I'm going to participate in the competition soon. If you want to continue playing, I'll have someone accompany you. If you need anything, just find them, and they will fulfill your requests."
General called a few female subordinates to act as Toki Amatsuki's bodyguards and nannies, to prevent her from having an accident in this unfamiliar environment.
"I'm not going to play, I want to watch your competition."
Toki Amatsuki smiled.
"Alright, then follow me, I'll arrange a private box for you."
Hearing Toki Amatsuki say this, General smiled, took her hand, and led her towards his competition box.
After a day, Toki Amatsuki had accepted General's presence. Even holding hands, she no longer blushed and lowered her head, but instead wore a beautiful smile on her face.
"Three days have passed, please welcome our esteemed contestants to the stage to draw lots and choose their opponents!"
On the high platform, the beautiful hostess held a microphone, her lovely voice reaching everyone in the audience.
"Hahaha, come on up, it's just drawing lots."
General was the first to walk onto the high platform.
"Gyahahahaha, I'm so looking forward to it, who will be my first opponent!"
Then, Golden Lion and others also walked up together.
"Oh, they've appeared, they've all appeared!!"
"Great Pirates, they're all Great Pirates, I'm actually seeing them in person!"
"Nox, Nox, I love you, I want to have your monkey babies!"
"..."
When all sixty-four contestants were on stage, there were bursts of enthusiastic cheers from the audience below.
Even Toki Amatsuki was cheering for General in the private box, but her voice was too faint and was drowned out by the crowd before it even left the box.
"Hahaha, I'll draw the first lot."
General said, walking to the dark lottery box, reaching in and taking out a ball with "10" written on it, indicating that General's number was 10.
"I'll go second!"
Just as Golden Lion was about to step forward, Roger walked up one step ahead of him, reaching into the black box to feel for a ball.
You couldn't use Kenbunshoku Haki when drawing lots. Everyone present was a master, and if anyone used Kenbunshoku Haki, they would definitely be detected. So no one wanted to lose face in front of the whole World, and they all honestly followed the rules.
"64!"
Roger drew the number 64.
"Gyahahahaha, Roger, you cut in line, and now you've drawn the last number."
"Gyahahahaha, move aside, it's my turn!"
Golden Lion couldn't help but mock Roger after seeing his number.
Soon, the 64 contestants confirmed their numbers under everyone's gaze.
The numbering rules represented the order of battles: number 1 fights number 64, number 2 fights number 63, and so on.
After the first round, the winners advanced to the top 32, then redrew numbers and had another round of matches.
The following matches were the same, successively selecting the top 16, top 8, top 4, top 2, and the first place winner!
"The lottery numbers have been confirmed. Please proceed to your respective arenas according to your numbers."
After the draw, the beautiful hostess's voice rang out again.
The 64 contestants began to go to their respective arenas according to their numbers. The 32 matches were held simultaneously. Otherwise, if they were held one by one, it would take who knows how long to finish the first round.
General arrived at the arena on the fifteenth floor of the Battle Pyramid, and a person also walked out on the opposite side!
"I am Tsugikuni Yoriichi, please enlighten me!"
A strong middle-aged man said with a resolute face.
"I am Nox, please enlighten me!"
General smiled.
He was lucky, he met a Grand Swordmaster in his first match.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi, a Grand Swordmaster from an Allied Nation in the first half of the Grand Line. General had personally confirmed his identity as a Grand Swordmaster before.
When the match began, Tsugikuni Yoriichi attacked first. He knew that against General, he had to seize every opportunity, otherwise, there was only defeat!
"Phantom Sun Red!"
Tsugikuni Yoriichi's Sea Abyss Sword Intent surged on the black blade covered in Busoshoku Haki.
With a single slash, it was as if the rising sun had descended upon the World, but the next moment, such a grand rising sun was actually extinguished by this single slash!
"Good Sword Intent!"
General couldn't help but praise Tsugikuni Yoriichi's Sword Intent. This kind of all-destroying Sword Intent was the first he had ever seen.
Every Grand Swordmaster's Sword Intent is unique, which is the valuable aspect of a Grand Swordmaster.
This Sword Art Tournament was not only to establish General's reputation, but also to allow him to witness more Sword Intent and prepare for the advancement of his own Sword Intent.
As he spoke, General's Sea Abyss Sword Intent surged, and the abyss of the great Sea hanging high in the sky appeared behind him.
"Sea Abyss · Sea Swallowing Sun!"
If Tsugikuni Yoriichi's Sword Intent was the power to destroy the great sun, then General's Sword Intent at this moment was the deep abyss of the great Sea that could swallow the sun.
As the two swords met, the Sword Intent surged endlessly, and the tangible aura of the ultimate Sword Intent collision spread in all directions.
"Even a single type of Sword Intent is still terrifyingly strong!"
The moment the two swords touched, Tsugikuni Yoriichi felt the power of the Sword Intent that almost crushed him. The opponent didn't even use Busoshoku Haki, yet the pure Sword Intent made it difficult for him to resist!
"Your sword should be more than this, come on, attack with all your might!"
General struck Tsugikuni Yoriichi flying, and after he hit the arena wall, he said proudly.
Even if he only used a single type of Sword Intent, he could still overpower ordinary Great Swordsmen. This was his strength as the World's Greatest Swordsman!
"Then I couldn't ask for more!"
After Tsugikuni Yoriichi pulled himself out of the wall he was embedded in, he grinned, and the Sword Intent on his body became even stronger, as if he was a monster born only to destroy everything.
"Azure Sky!!"
Carrying the black blade, he rushed forward in an instant. At this moment, Tsugikuni Yoriichi seemed to have entered a berserk state, and the power of destruction was elevated to a higher level. His berserk posture greatly increased his strength!
"Well met!"
General was very interested when he saw this move that used berserk Sword Intent to enhance one's strength.