One Piece: From Picking Up Red Hair's Broken Arm

Chapter 14: Direct Speed ​​Run

"Hey! Why are you still here? Come with me!"

"Why are you in such a hurry? I haven't finished watching this scene yet."

"Stop talking nonsense! A monster has appeared in the southwest corner! We're already in the fifth round, and all the opponents in the previous four rounds were defeated by him with a single move!"

"Huh? One move! Is this true?"

"Anyway, it's super strong! Just follow me, hurry up, or you won't be able to squeeze through!"

……

Similar conversations continued to take place in various areas of the square.

As if attracted by a magnet, the audience began to rush to the southwest corner in large numbers. Before they knew it, the area around most of the other arenas became empty.

And in the very center of this crowd.

The black-haired boy leaned against the edge of the wooden platform. He had been waiting for a long time and scratched his ears out of boredom.

"Isn't the next one here yet?" He glanced at the referee.

"We'll be there soon! Mr. Xia Nuo, please wait a moment!" The referee, a girl in her twenties with a high ponytail, replied hurriedly.

As more and more people gathered around her, she felt hot and sweaty, but she couldn't help but smile, and it was obvious that she was in a very good mood.

What a lucky guy!

This is my first time as a referee, and I am responsible for supervising such a powerful swordsman. When I go back and tell my junior brothers and sisters in the gym about this, they will be so envious.

After watching four consecutive performances at close range, she was already impressed by the amazing swordsmanship.

What's more, Mr. Xia Nuo is still very young. His swordsmanship is already so good now. What will he be able to do in the future?

"coming!"

Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked at the scarred swordsman coming towards her. She stood on tiptoe and waved her hands desperately, "Mr. Qilin, this way!"

The scarred swordsman had a cold expression on his face, a cigar dangling from the corner of his mouth, and his entire body seemed to be shrouded in shadow. He stepped onto the wooden platform without saying a word.

"Hello, this is Mr. Qilin, the deputy director of Luoye Gym, one of the seven major gyms!"

Some audience members recognized the person and exclaimed in surprise.

"It's really him!"

"He was the runner-up in the kendo tournament five years ago, right?"

"A swordsman with such a long reputation is actually participating in the tournament again? As expected... is he still obsessed with the championship he didn't win back then?"

On the wooden platform, Xia Nuo took in the discussions.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at the scar-faced swordsman, and finally a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes.

This guy... is different from the small fry before. Just looking at his aura, he's very powerful.

If nothing unexpected happens, the opponent should be the most important person in the entire Kendo Tournament—

"I surrender."

A hoarse voice floated out mixed with smoke.

"Okay, it looks like both teams are in position for the match. So...ehhhhh?"

The ponytailed girl turned to look at the scarred swordsman in astonishment, "Mr. Qilin, what did you say?"

The surrounding noise also stopped, and the audience's surprised eyes were all focused on Qilin.

There was a click. That was the sound of the bamboo sword being thrown aside. Qi Lin blew out a smoke ring, waved his hand, and said casually, "Don't look at me like that. I saw this kid's third round just now."

"I don't think I'm a match for such terrifying swordsmanship. I'm already old. Instead of getting knocked away and embarrassing myself, I might as well save some dignity."

"Is this like this..."

What else does the girl with ponytail have to say?

But Qilin had already walked down from the wooden platform, and his back, with a cigar in his mouth, merged into the crowd and soon disappeared.

Xia Nuo retracted his gaze and looked at the bamboo sword that had fallen at his feet. He frowned slightly and suddenly bent down to pick it up.

"This can be considered a trophy. I'll take it. Is that okay?"

"Huh?" The ponytail girl was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly, "Of course, it was Mr. Qilin who threw it away anyway, so you can do whatever you want with it."

"it is good."

Xia Nuo put the bamboo sword together with his own and put it back on his waist.

The girl with the ponytail took a deep breath, suppressed her excitement, stepped onto the wooden platform, and announced loudly:
"In the fifth round of the auditions, Xia Nuo faced Qi Lin. In the end, Xia Nuo won!"

"Here, on behalf of the organizers of the Kendo Tournament, I also announce that Mr. Xia Nuo has won all five rounds! No need to compete in the resurrection elimination round. He has officially become the first contestant to advance and has secured a spot in the quarterfinals!"

All the audience present were already whispering, waiting for her to announce the news.

Then, after a brief silence, deafening cheers of excitement resounded throughout the square.

"Shano! Shano! Shano!"

----

Bang!
In the spacious office, a middle-aged man in luxurious clothes slammed his fist on the table and roared angrily:
"Is this the unknown person you were talking about? Did we meet him by chance? We gave him the toughest opponent in the lottery, and he still managed to win all five rounds. This kind of strength is clearly a powerful reinforcement hired by that bastard from the Sakuraba family!"

"You called yourself a nobody, boss."

The tall and thin swordsman wearing a white fox mask said calmly.

"Huh, really?...No! Is that the point? How dare you talk back!" The middle-aged man was stunned, then became angry and grabbed the ashtray on the table and smashed it over.

"That's because your analysis was wrong based on your intelligence! Tell me, how do we deal with this guy who's so strong?"

"And that Qilin! Hasn't he been brooding over not winning the championship that year? I thought he was here to avenge his defeat, but he turned out to be a complete coward! He doesn't even have the courage to go on stage and fight!"

“…” The tall and thin swordsman was silent, his expression unclear behind the mask.

The middle-aged man was still angry and thought of something else:
"By the way, where's that brat from the Sakuraba family? Hasn't he finished fighting yet? How's his record?"

"Four wins out of five, lost to another favorite for the championship, but qualified for the rematch, so if nothing unexpected happens, I'll be able to advance to the quarterfinals later."

The middle-aged man became even more anxious. He stood up and paced back and forth in the office.

"No! We absolutely cannot let the championship fall into the hands of the Sakuraba family, otherwise the reputation of the Sakuraba Dojo will be ruined. If it revives, it will be very difficult to clean up..."

"Hey, white fox!"

He suddenly turned his head, stared at the tall and thin swordsman, and said coldly:

"While the auditions are still going on, you should participate right now. You must secure one of the top eight spots. You are the only one who has the ability to take the championship into our own hands!"

The tall and thin swordsman frowned slightly.

"Didn't we agree that I would just stay behind the scenes and not show up in public for this kind of work?"

"Isn't this forced by the situation? Besides you, who else can stop those two guys? Of course, it's mainly that Xia Nuo. It's still unclear whether the brat from the Sakuraba family can beat the other qualified contestants."

The middle-aged man sneered, "Besides, I didn't ask you to take off the mask. You can use your current fake identity or change the mask. Who can guess who you are?"

"..."

The tall and thin swordsman was silent for a while, and finally nodded.

"Go ahead, hurry up!"

The middle-aged man waved his hand, and when the tall and thin swordsman's back was about to disappear outside the door, he suddenly spoke:
"I say, White Fox, you won't go back on your promise and betray me just because you're soft-hearted, right?"

The footsteps outside the door paused.

"...It's boring to ask such a question when you already know the answer."

An emotionless voice came in.

"Haha, I'm glad you knew!"

The middle-aged man threw his head back and laughed out loud, "Don't forget! My ability is so terrifying! It's not something that ordinary people like you can resist!"

……

Southeast area of ​​the square.

"What's wrong, Mr. Shano?"

Junyi had just walked down the wooden platform amid cheers, and the excitement in his heart had not yet faded when Shanuo pulled him aside and asked him questions in confusion.

"nothing."

Xia Nuo said with a smile, "First of all, congratulations on easily passing the resurrection match and successfully advancing. However, the quarterfinals don't start until 1 pm. It's still early. How about going to have dinner with me first?"

"Eat now?"

Junyi scratched his head, and before he could come to his senses, Xia Nuo forcibly grabbed him and pulled his arm all the way to the outskirts of the square.

Shanuo stopped only after entering a remote alley.

He threw the bamboo sword in his hand to Junyi, who was full of confusion.

"This is……"

Junyi raised the bamboo sword and looked at it for a long time before noticing a line of small words engraved on it. "Eleven o'clock sharp, second floor of Zitengluo Restaurant?"

"My fifth-round opponent, Qilin, the deputy gym leader of Luoye Gym, gave it to me." Xia Nuo frowned. "It seems he wants to discuss something with us privately. Do you know this guy?"

"Deputy Headmaster? Qilin?"

Chunyi racked his brains and thought hard for a long time.

Suddenly his eyes lit up and he clapped his hands:

"I remember now! I don't remember you mentioning deputy director, but I saw this name five years ago!"

"That year, when my father was still alive, he was in charge of preparing and hosting the Kendo Tournament. He always brought a list home."

"The names on the list are all swordsmen who signed up for the tournament but couldn't come due to financial constraints. My father allocated funds to support their travel, food, and lodging, one by one. Qi Lin is on the list!"

"A list? You were only ten years old that year. Are you sure you remember it correctly?"

"Can't be wrong!"

Junyi nodded affirmatively. "I've only carefully looked at the list twice. I wouldn't be sure about any other names, but this one is so unique and easy to remember, so I still remember it."

"So, the most reasonable guess is that you are... no, should I say, our ally?"

Shanuo seemed to be thinking about something.

Thinking of Qilin's direct withdrawal from the competition and the two cups of still-warm coffee in the morning, he twisted his neck, and his bones made a crackling sound.

"Then go and meet him and listen to what Mr. Qilin wants to tell us, but don't let your guard down. Bring your sword."

First update, I’m begging for votes. Friends who forgot to invest can also click to invest.

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(End of this chapter)