บท 241: Old Gladiator
"So, Hamsterball, do you know what kind of devil fruit the final prize is?" Cherry asked once Bartolomeo quieted down.
"She gave me a nickname-! Ah, of course I know! Doflamingo advertised it heavily among Underworld information dealers. A lot of idiots were annoyed about the short notice for such an infamous devil fruit." Bartolomeo said.
"Don't keep me in suspense, just tell me already." Cherry said impatiently.
"It's the Drill Drill Fruit!" Bartolomeo chimed, then waited in expectation for her reaction.
Cherry was wholly unimpressed. "Drills? Really? That's it?"
"Ah, I see that you're unfamiliar with it. To keep it brief, where Whitebeard's Quake Quake Fruit is said to possess the power to destroy the world, the Drill Drill Fruit is said to possess the power to pierce any defense and even the heavens themselves! The founder of the Happo Navy apparently killed a fleet admiral back in his day using that fruit." Bartolomeo helpfully explained. "I wanted to get it because it might be a hard counter to my barriers, but I can help you get it if you want it?"
'Ah, so this isn't just to lure in Chinjao, but myself as well. Anyone who has access to a lot of information and has been paying attention to me would be able to infer that I might want a devil fruit for my spear. A drill that can pierce the heavens, if it lives up to that fame, would be the perfect choice.' Cherry thought to herself, then started to chuckle. 'How angry would Franky be if I can get my hands on it? A robot with a drill to pierce the heavens is every boys' dream.'
"I don't need your help, just fight with all you've got. If you come up against me, then I'll give a practical lesson in fighting dirty. How about that?" Cherry gave him a toothy smile.
Bartolomeo let out a girlish little squeal before directly fainting. Cherry caught him as he fell and gave a small shock to his mental sea to wake him up.
"Alright, Hamsterball, show me to the waiting area. I want to have a look at the competition." Cherry said.
Bartolomeo gladly led the way to the waiting area where most of the fighters were hanging around and hyping themselves up for the coming battle.
Cherry had to wonder why so many weaker individuals had even bothered to participate. Even if they got a lucky break in the qualifier rounds and proceeded into the real tournament, surely they weren't delusional enough to think they could win the whole thing.
"Hey you! What's a skinny woman like you doing here, this is a serious life or death fight! You're insulting all the warriors who fight and die here everyday with your presence!" An idiot approached her with a look of disdain on his face.
Before Bartolomeo had a chance to play white knight and get himself disqualified for starting a fight outside of the arena, Cherry stepped forward to confront the idiot gladiator directly.
"What, do you want to fight-?" The gladiator was interrupted by Cherry as her hands flashed, tracing fingers along his skin and jabbing at pressure points.
"What's going on over here?! You better not be fighting outside of the arena or you'll be disqualified!" One of the organizers raced over with a couple of armed guards.
They were dumbfounded when instead of a potentially violent confrontation, they found one of the gladiators looking like he was in heaven. "My old injuries don't hurt so much, and I feel as flexible as I did in my younger days!"
"That's my massage arts at work, friend. You looked stressed, so I gave you a special service, one warrior to another." Cherry spoke with a passive expression, bowing slightly to show respect but without being submissive.
This was an act to go along with her disguise. Nightmare was to be a serious, respectful, and kind woman. Basically the exact opposite of Cherry.
"I see! I apologize for my rudeness before. Because of you, I feel that I can fight at my best in the coming battle!" The idiot proclaimed loudly.
When he saw that people around him were murmuring to themselves, he realized he might have just given away the advantage he just received. Sure enough, some curious gladiators approached Nightmare to see if they could get some of that special service for themselves. Only those who were less sure of their victory came forward however, while the more confident and cunning among them were unwilling to subject themselves to a possible trap. After all, there were many kinds of devil fruit in the world, Nightmare might be sabotaging them for all they knew.
Nightmare made a lot of friends helping gladiators with old injuries or who were just getting on in years to get back to proper fighting shape. Bartolomeo grit his teeth in jealousy, but ultimately he didn't want to accidentally reveal Nightmare's true identity. He just had to take solace in being the only one in the know about it.
The foreign contestants stayed far away from Nightmare and some talked among themselves about what they thought of her. Most of them knew that Nightmare was someone to watch out for just by watching the way she moved.
A large brute of a man wearing a paper bag over his head and the name tag "Mr. Store" was getting excited knowing that Nightmare would be in the same block as himself. He had been worried that the qualifiers wouldn't be any fun.
A woman by the name "Cherry Cherry P. Sakuruda" had the funny feeling that she was being watched. Unbeknownst to her that wasn't just a feeling but the reality. She could only blame her bad luck for having a name so close to the name of the woman the Doflamingo family was on the lookout for.
A gladiator wearing a full helmet and the name tag "Ricky" watched Nightmare curiously. He had enough sense not to trust the woman's "special service", but was seriously considering taking the risk anyways. This wasn't a fight he could afford to lose and any edge he could gain was necessary. Ultimately he made his way over to her.
"Are you still offering your massages?" Ricky asked, simultaneously hoping she would say both no and yes.
Nightmare met his gaze through the slits in his helmet. "Anything for an esteemed elder such as yourself."
Ricky almost flinched. He questioned himself about whether the young woman knew his true identity. He saw no recognition in her eyes, but he did see pity in them.
Nightmare got to work and seemed to know his old aches and pains even better than he did. After a moment she spoke up "This tournament is important for you, hm? Enough to gamble your life?"
Ricky considered her for a moment. "I've lived long enough. Better to risk what's left over for a good reason."
"Is that so? Well, don't be so hasty to die. You could still win this thing." Nightmare said, putting the finishing touches on Ricky's lower back muscles.
Suddenly Ricky felt a ball of warmth enter his body from Nightmare's hand and envelop his heart. Before he could jerk up in alarm, Nightmare's hand went to his shoulders and held him down with a strength that he wouldn't expect from her thin arms.
"Whoa there, haven't finished your shoulders yet. After this you'll feel like a billion Beri, I promise." Nightmare said in a soothing voice.
While Ricky was wracking his brain about how to get out of this without making himself look like the aggressor, Nightmare's words seemed to come true. That warmth in his chest expanded and filled his body with a strength he'd never known before.
Nightmare's hands left his shoulders and she gave him a wink. "I gave you an extra special service that I didn't give the others. Good luck in Block B, maybe I'll see you in the finals?"
As Nightmare walked away, Ricky's mind was blank, unsure what was going on and if he should do anything about it. Then his mind produced a memory from a couple of years ago. He had been watching a broadcast of the execution of someone, he couldn't remember who, then Whitebeard had shown up and wrecked Marineford. Before the old pirate joined the fight in earnest, a young woman had done something to him that made him fight like a young man again.
Ricky's eyes widened in disbelief. If his thoughts were the truth, then perhaps there was someone in Dressrosa who could defeat Doflamingo and return it to its previous peace.
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