章 200: The Bonus Round

I hadn't paid much attention until the last round.

The two participants who happened to be fighting had some pretty good understandings of Armament Haki. However, I think that was the extent of their abilities.

Their movements was so slow that it almost felt like I was watching the match in slow-motion. However, compared to the other fights, this was probably the best fight that I had seen so far.

"THE WINNER OF THE THIRD CONTEST HAS BEEN DECIDED!!!!"

The arena continued booming with cheers as they all waited to hear what else Buena Festa had to see for himself.

"NOW, WE ARE NOW ENTERING THE BONUS ROUND!!! ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN: THE TWO WINNERS OF THE LAST THREE CONTESTS FROM THE PEOPLE'S SIDE WILL NOW JOIN THE FOUR CONTESTANTS ON OUR SIDE FOR A FREE FOR ALL!! THE LAST ONE STANDING WILL WIN THE PRIZE!!!"

The arena boomed with cheers in anticipation for the bonus round.

"I think that's a bit much, why didn't you simply do a 1-vs-1?" Stussy asked curiously.

"More money on the table. The odds become slimmer if there are multiple splits within the betting pool, meaning more money for me."

"A greedy man to the end, I can't expect anything less." Stussy replied, "Just remember our agreement."

"I know! I know! Half will be given to you as per the agreement. There's no need to cause trouble," Buena replied.

Stussy didn't say anything else and continued drinking some wine.

"When's the bonus round going to start?" I asked lazily.

"We're going to give the contestants an hour long break before we start it. So the battle will begin a little bit before dusk."

"Can't you just wait until the next day? I don't get why you want the fight to last the entire day," Stussy asked curiously.

"Timing, I don't like holding these festivals any longer than a two or three days. I feel like the Marines begin fussing whenever it reaches that period. So I want to leave the last day for the people to do what they want to, and then leave before the end of tomorrow," Buena confessed.

"Who said that there's honor among pirates?" Stussy remarked.

"Don't you mean honor among thieves?" I asked.

"Same thing."

"Anyway, the competition won't start till later. So you guys are free to roam about," Festa replied.

"I want to go to where the competitors are staying. I want to have a talk with our precious crewmembers," Stussy requested sweetly.

"Sure! Just know that I still need them for the bonus round so don't hurt them!" Festa replied.

"I wouldn't dare!~" Stussy replied curtly.

Buena, Stussy and I slowly got up before leaving the room. I quickly lit a cigarette before I left, so I was enjoying a quiet smoke while Buena led us to the lower floors of the arena.

Stussy on the other hand, was humming a tune while passing some gawking pirates. She ignored them and kept walking enthusiastically after Festa.

"What a beauty! Who is she?!"

"Hold my beer, I'm gonna go talk to her..."

"Stop, you moron! Can't you see that she's with Festa?!"

Wherever Festa went, the crowded people would split like Moses split the Red Sea. It made getting to where we needed to go to very convenient on our side.

We finally made it to the floor where the competitors had been resting in. We slowly passed the cubicles of Carla, Mont. Fiore, Bubble Jack, and finally...

"Ms. Stussy!!" Ken shouted as he rushed over with Pato following hot on his heels.

"I can explain! I-"

Ken met the cold gaze of Stussy and froze.

"What already had happened has already happened. You better have something to show at the end of this....or else," Stussy said menacingly.

Ken quivered as he slowly nodded and backed away from her slowly. Sure enough, Stussy had become the disciplinarian of the Division.

"As for you, Pato," Stussy turned her icy gaze at Pato.

"I'm very disappointed, you know?~ " Stussy began, "I thought that you'd be fine on your own, but I was clearly wrong~..."

"You're not! It was just a mishap! I won't let it happen again!!" Pato immediately knelt on the ground and bashed his head against the ground.

"Alright,~" Stussy relented, "but when we get back on the ship. We're going to have to increase your training, okay~?"

Pato flinched at the word training. However, there was nothing else that he could say, he slowly followed Ken back into their cubicle with his head down. Almost making me feel bad for the little guy.

"Do you have an issue of what I did?" Stussy turned to ask me.

"Why would I? I-"

"You're on vacation, right. You've been taking this vacation to heart, huh?"

"Pretty much," I replied.

"Are you all done? Because we still have quite a bit of ti-" Buena was rudely interrupted by Bubble Jack.

"So this is the Storm Dragon..... To think he'd make an appearance all the way down here. What am I supposed to say?"

"Bubble Jack, don't push it. Just get back into your cubi-" Buena was interrupted again by Bubble Jack.

"Shut up. I'm not talking to you," Bubble Jack said as he slowly walked up to me.

Stussy didn't do anything and watched the scene with a smile on her face as the man stood face to face with me.

"I want to make a wager with you, do you accept?" Bubble Jack asked.

"Depends on what the terms are," I replied.

"If I win, I want to join the Whitebeard Pirates," Bubble Jack replied.

"Okay, and if you lose?" I asked.

"I'll.....I won't lose!" Bubble Jack replied.

"That's not how wagering works," I commented aloofly.

It was clear that Bubble Jack hadn't clearly thought this situation through before he approached me.

"What about me?" A woman's voice echoed from behind us, "Would you be willing to wager me, instead?"

"As long as you put up something valuable, I won't mind," I replied.

"Then, for the price of my freedom. If I win this wager, I want to join the 0 Division of the Whitebeard Pirates!" She immediately announced.

Stussy's eyes flashed with surprise as she looked at the woman.

"What's with pirate's obsession with joining the Whitebeard Pirates? y'all think that we're a charity or something?" I asked curiously.

"No, but I know that joining you means that I will be in a safer position," Carla replied.

"Well, your freedom isn't mean much to me if all you're doing is seeking asylum. I also don't like slaves so try again," I replied.

She looked downwards as she furiously thought about the possible offers that I could have been interested in.

"How about this~" Stussy proposed, "We can offer a spot on the Division whoever wins the tournament!"

"Think about it! We not only get the Devil Fruit on our side, but we can also get the strongest between the three of them there! It's a perfect opportunity!" Stussy remarked.

"Hmm....That doesn't sound too bad. If Ken and Pato manage to win the battle, we'll get the Devil Fruit anyway. So I think that it's a perfect opportunity," I muttered, "I'll call the old man, do you have my transponder snail?"

"Always do!" Stussy smiled while pulling out my trusty transponder snail. I petted its head a bit before dialing Whitebeard's number and waiting for him to pick up.

"What is it, brat?! Are you finally coming to visit?"

"Not really, I want your permission on something, Old Man."

"Out with It then, I have better things to do!"

"What better thing do you have to do other than picking up this phone call?"

"Brat!!!"

"Fine, Old man, I'm in the Pirate festival; and I have the opportunity to acquire a devil fruit user to the crew. Are you cool with that?"

"Hmm....It depends. Who do you have in mind?" Whitebeard asked.

"Well, that's the thing. The winner is going to acquire the Devil Fruit. So I want to recruit the winner."

"GURARARARARARA!!! ARE YOU USING MY BANNER AS SOME FORM OF PRIZE?!" Whitebeard boomed through the line.

"It's better than using it for charity. We're pirates remember? We take the best option left on the table," I replied.

"Hmph! That Devil Fruit better be worth it. Also, come back and visit me, you brat!" Whitebeard responded.

"Sure, I'll come over after the festival," I replied.

With that I hung up the call before turning to the three contestants.

"You heard the Old man, winner gets a spot in my Division. So how about it?"

I looked at Mont. Fiore, who happened to be eaves-dropping into the conversation. It looked like someone as ambiguous as him also didn't want to miss an opportunity of this magnitude.

All three of them, including Mont. Fiore, immediately nodded before I turned around and left. Things were beginning to get interesting.

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