The two prisoners within the cage had already come to blows. Page, a hulking brute over two meters tall with a broad, upturned nose, boasted a bounty of 108 million berries. Krivat, with his jutting brow and menacing features, was worth slightly more at 113 million berries.
The only unfair aspect of this gladiatorial spectacle was that each prisoner entered the arena shackled with Seastone cuffs. Fortunately, neither of them were Devil Fruit users.
The raw clash of flesh was captivating. Massive fists and sharp teeth served as weapons, though more often than not, the Seastone shackles themselves proved the most reliable.
"Bang!" The battle reached a fever pitch. Page launched himself into the air, his fist aimed squarely at Krivat.
The simple, brutal impact of flesh on flesh generated a shockwave. The colliding fists resonated with a thunderous boom, the air between them compressed, then explosively released.
"Boom!"
Cracks spiderwebbed across the cage floor. Krivat leaped backward, his breathing slightly labored, his gaze hardening as he assessed Page.
...…
"Nyehehehe…" Wilder briefly glanced at the ongoing fight, then returned his attention to the repulsive thug before him, a cold, arrogant smirk twisting his lips.
"Gurgle…!" Veins bulged on the man's forehead, a forced smile plastered on his grim face. "Is this why you stepped down here? Huh?"
"Drop dead!" The scarred man suddenly erupted, pulling a hidden dagger – where he'd gotten it, who knew – and lunging at Wilder.
"Splurt!" Blood blossomed. The scarred man froze, his eyes widening, slowly drifting down to his abdomen. Five fingers were buried deep within his gut.
Wilder's sinister smile remained unchanged. He withdrew his hand, then abruptly seized the scarred man's head. His muscles rippled, his body hunching slightly as he drew back his arm.
"Whoosh!" The scarred man was flung away like a macabre cannonball.
"Burst Stream: Bullet!" Wilder held his hand out, palm open, shouting at the airborne figure.
"Tut-tut-tut!" Swamp erupted from his palm, tracing an eight-or-nine-meter arc through the air. Suddenly, bullet-shaped projectiles shot forth from the swampy curve, aimed directly at the scarred man.
The swamp bullets spread out in an inverted fan shape, every angle converging on their target. Each one tore through the air with a barely audible crack, leaving smoky trails in their wake, like fiery tails.
"Pthw-pthw-pthw-pthw!" The barrage of swamp bullets riddled the scarred man. A rain of blood cascaded from the top of the cage.
Not even a scream escaped him. Flesh and blood transformed into a red mist, descending from the sky.
…Silence.
The entire space fell into an abrupt hush. Everyone's expressions froze, their gazes fixed on the rain of blood, words failing them.
The fight between Page and Krivat had stalled. Blood dripped onto their heads, their eyes glazed over.
"Nyehehehe…" Wilder's laughter cut through the silence, sending a shiver down everyone's spines.
"Nyehehehe… What was that guy's name again? I forgot to ask…"
Wilder turned to face the now-subdued prisoners, his grin widening.
"Oh well… It doesn't matter, he's dead anyway. So, who won this match?" He turned his gaze back to the cage, swamp matter dripping silently from his hand.
His bloodthirsty voice rang out, "So, nobody won this match, is that right?"
Inside the cage, Page and Krivat stiffened. They exchanged a glance, each seeing a trace of cold sweat on the other's face.
"Hey! First-sama! Please give us a little more time!" Page gritted his teeth and called out.
"Yes! Please give us a little more time!" Krivat quickly echoed.
"Is that so…? Nyehehehe… Very well. I'm always a reasonable man. I'll give you one minute."
Wilder had never been one to kill for the sake of killing. If he could achieve the desired intimidation, killing wasn't the only option.
"Good!" The two men in the cage, hearing the one-minute reprieve, were both relieved and anxious. Without further hesitation, they lunged at each other!
"Bam-bam-bam!" The fight resumed swiftly. The sound of fists meeting flesh was even more intense than before. Gone were any attempts at defense or retreat. Each man fought with all his might, desperate to be the last one standing.
"Boom!" Page landed a heavy blow on Krivat's stomach.
"Urk!" Krivat's eyes bulged, blood rising in his throat. His body doubled over, a mouthful of blood escaping his lips, his pupils briefly losing focus.
"Pthw!"
But just as Page felt a surge of triumph, a fist suddenly struck him from the side, connecting squarely with his face!
Page's body spun through the air, crashing to the ground before bouncing several times and colliding with the bars.
Before his opponent could follow up, Page sprang to his feet, unleashing a whip-like kick that clashed with an outstretched arm.
Wilder stood on the highest viewing platform, quietly observing the brawl, a faint smile playing on his lips as he silently counted down the time.
"Nyehehehe… Time's up!"
"Thud!" Krivat collapsed to the ground, motionless. A fatal wound on the back of his head steadily oozed blood.
Page, meanwhile, had a shattered leg, a chunk of it brutally torn away, leaving it significantly longer than the other.
Despite this, he remained standing. He hadn't fallen.
Wilder gave him a long, deep look, then retracted the swamp from his hand.
The battles continued, one after another. Wilder encountered no further insolence. He quietly watched the five daily matches before turning and leaving in silence.
...
Amidst the freezing ice and snow, Wilder stared at the ground, his brow furrowed in thought.
"Swamp… can't assimilate ice and snow? Then, what about this?" He bent down, pressing his palm against the icy ground, activating his Swamp-Swamp Fruit abilities.
"Buzz!" An intangible ripple spread outward.
"Bottomless Swamp: Quagmire of the Underworld!"
"Boom!" A torrent of swamp erupted from his palm, instantly forming a surging wave that spread outwards. In the blink of an eye, a thirty-meter-wide swamp lake appeared, engulfing the ice and snow.
"Assimilate!"
Wilder slammed his other hand onto the swamp. The lake began to churn and undulate. He closed his eyes, sensing the changes in the ice and snow through the swamp's vibrations.
"Success…"
After a long moment, Wilder opened his eyes, his gaze thoughtful. "It seems I need to release a large amount of swamp first, then activate it all at once to assimilate ice and snow."
This wasn't just idle curiosity. Wilder was considering that anything could happen in the future. For example… what if he encountered him?
_______
+50 chapters on: patreon.com/Shinobi_Scrolls