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

Chapter 15 The final is coming
At exactly eleven o'clock, Xia Nuo and Junyi met Qi Lin who arrived on time at the Zi Tengluo Restaurant.

"You are Junyi, right?"

Qi Lin's face was filled with emotion, and he gestured with his hands, "I saw you when you were little, next to the old president. You must have no impression of me. I was so tiny back then..."

"Let's get down to business."

Junyi kept a straight face, remembering Xia Nuo's advice. "I know my father helped you a little, but that little bit of kindness can't withstand the changes in people's hearts. There's no need to be like this."

"You kid." Qi Lin shook his head helplessly and sighed.

"Let me get straight to the point. I'm worried, so I came here to tell you that although I've tacitly agreed to let you compete under the name Sakuraba in this kendo tournament, you won't be awarded the championship. Otherwise, you might get yourself killed. It's best to give up as soon as possible."

"Someone wants to deal with us? Is it the person who excluded and suppressed Sakuraba Dojo and brought it down?"

"I can't say."

Qi Lin frowned deeply, "To be honest, I still don't understand why the other gyms suddenly united to deal with Sakuraba."

"Clearly, several of the museum directors and the old president...your father, are good friends and definitely not the type to take advantage of someone's misfortune."

"Since four or five years ago, the atmosphere on this island has become increasingly strange. Everyone seems to have suddenly forgotten the original purpose of this Kendo Island and is now solely focused on making money."

"Especially the directors of the seven major avenue gyms. It's like they're all obsessed with money. They even disappear for a day or two, and I don't know where they're having private gatherings..."

"Anyway, the water behind this island is very deep."

Qi Lin said sincerely, "I know that you two, especially Mr. Xia Nuo, are very strong in swordsmanship, but this is not something that one or two people can handle. So it's better to put away your curiosity and leave this island as soon as possible."

Shanuo and Junyi looked at each other.

"That being said, I've already taken a huge risk by coming to see you. I've done my best. Don't expect me to help you again."

Qi Lin shook his head, pushed his chair away and stood up. "As you said, the little kindness you showed me back then was only enough to support me to this point. Goodbye, both of you."

After watching his back as he walked down the stairs and the sound of his footsteps gradually faded away, the two of them changed seats and sat opposite each other.

"Rationally speaking, this is not a mess we should get involved in."

Xia Nuo crossed his legs and said quietly, "But I know that with your personality, you will definitely not give up this championship that is about to be won."

"Uh, Mr. Shano, you don't have to use me as a shield all the time."

Junyi spread his hands with a bitter face, "It's already this late. Even if I want to go for a walk, I'm afraid you won't allow it..."

After spending a few days together, he became more and more familiar with Xia Nuo.

When I first met this guy, he seemed calm, experienced and reliable, but he was actually a frivolous person, and when he got angry, he might be even more stubborn than me.

"Hey, kid, you learn bad things very quickly."

Xia Nuo rolled his eyes and said unhappily, "That's true. I'm not like you. It's so dangerous to advance to the finals. The championship trophy is already engraved with my name. And the prize money is five million Baileys."

"Besides, the registration fee and all that crap have cost me everything I own. I don't care how deep the water is. The East China Sea only has so much capacity. Anyone who dares to stop me from taking the money will be killed!"

"Yeah!" Junyi nodded vigorously, "So what are we going to do now?"

"Idiot! Everyone's already in the restaurant, why are you even asking?" Xia Nuo was full of enthusiasm. He waved his hand and called the waiter to take the order. "Of course we have to eat first! How can we have the energy to fight if we don't have a full stomach?"

"But this seems like a high-end restaurant. I just looked at the menu, and the vegetable salad costs 5,000 Baileys. Your money..."

There was a dead silence.

In the end, Xia Nuo grabbed Junyi and fled in embarrassment under the waiter's contemptuous gaze. He returned to the square and lined up obediently to eat the free noodle soup provided by the Kendo Conference.

anyway.

It was originally just about returning a coin, but things got more and more complicated, and now I've ended up like a homeless person, working in the wild.

What on earth was I doing when I went out this time?
……

In the afternoon, the quarterfinals and semifinals were held successively.

There is no suspense on Xia Nuo's side.

The two opponents who met him seemed to be no different from the small fry in the auditions. They were all knocked out by the powerful and heavy sword.

At one point, the audience suspected that this person was not actually competing in swordsmanship, but was here to play golf.

Junyi's was much more thrilling. He fought hard for more than ten minutes in the quarterfinals before finally winning the victory. His semifinal was put in the last game. Xia Nuo finished the game first and watched silently from the sidelines.

"Ok?"

Looking at the tall and thin swordsman wearing a mask, Xia Nuo narrowed his eyes and a sense of alarm suddenly arose in his heart.

The keen intuition brought by his physical transformation told him that this man was very dangerous and was on a different level from all the swordsmen he had met before.

"Be careful, Junyi." He whispered to his younger brother who was about to go into battle, "This guy is not simple."

"Ah, I noticed that too." Junyi nodded solemnly.

"You can't see shit. They're just the other seven people in the quarterfinals. It's hard for you to beat any of them." "...Do you really have to expose it? It's not like everyone is as strong as you. Beating anyone is like spinning a top."

After a while.

The two men came on stage, stood still, and bowed to each other.

When he raised his head again, Junyi's eyes were full of tension, and the tall and thin swordsman opposite him just stared at him quietly, his face blocked by the white fox mask, and his expression could not be seen.

"Second match of the semi-finals! White Fox versus Junyi. The winner will advance to the finals!" Amidst the crowd's anticipation, the host swung his right hand. "Now, begin!"

Snapped!
The moment he finished speaking, accompanied by the crisp sound of a bamboo sword, Junyi screamed and flew out of the ring, falling heavily to the ground a few meters away.

All around fell silent.

The audience stared blankly at the white fox calmly putting away the sword, and when they realized what was happening, they were suddenly in an uproar.

"This guy can actually kill instantly with one strike like Mr. Xia Nuo?!"

"What's wrong with this Kendo Tournament? What kind of monsters are participating?"

"The finals are already suspenseful, right? I originally thought Mr. Shanuo would definitely win. This will be exciting!"

Amidst the clamor, Xia Nuo helped Chun Yi up, and after confirming that he was not seriously injured, he stared coldly at the white fox on the field.

The other party seemed to feel his gaze as well. He glanced over and after exchanging a glance, he shook his head and turned to leave the stage.

The host also stayed where he was, and was suddenly awakened after a while. He hurried to the stage and announced the result of the competition loudly.

"In the second semi-final match, White Fox wins! He'll advance to the finals, where his opponent will be this tournament's biggest dark horse, Xia Nuo!"

"As has been customary for the past five years, the finals will be held at the indoor gym at 7:00 tonight, four hours later, to give the contestants ample rest time!"

"—Those with tickets can enter in advance! There will also be a live broadcast on the big screen in the square, so stay tuned!"

Do you really need a break?

The audience secretly complained that Xia Nuo and the white fox masked man, two monsters, killed their opponents instantly, and just after they came on stage, they left again. It couldn’t even be considered a warm-up, right?
This year is really weird. In previous years, after reaching the quarterfinals, the two teams were basically evenly matched. How could there be such a scene?
but.

This also made some people realize that the popularity of this final is probably far greater than in previous years. Both sides are monsters, and who doesn't want to know which of the two will be better in the end?

Gotta buy a ticket!

It would be ridiculous not to go and watch this kind of competition in person!

Many people immediately took action and went to the ticket office, only to be shocked to learn that the final tickets, which originally cost at least several thousand yuan, had been sold out several days ago and there were no tickets left.

And just then.

A group of scalpers sneaked into the crowd, looking for targets and selling...

……

Behind the large desk.

"Are all the tickets sold? Front-row seats are being sold for 50,000 baileys, and people are buying them?"

After listening to the report from the microphone, the middle-aged man became more and more excited. "In this way, the ticket revenue alone will be tens of millions. If you add in the income from the entire Kendo Tournament, the net profit this year will exceed 200 million!"

"As expected of you, White Fox!"

After hanging up the phone, the middle-aged man lit a cigar and said with a grin, "To knock that Sakuraba kid away with one sword strike, only a swordsman like you, who has been immersed in kendo for over twenty years, can do that. I really wasn't wrong about you. If it weren't for you, the excitement surrounding this year's finals wouldn't be this high!"

"Have one?"

He handed over another cigar. "The final is a best-of-five series. Try to play all five games and then beat that guy at the last minute. Can you do it? Only then can we continue to attract more tourists next year and continue to drive up ticket prices for the final!"

The white fox stood there in silence, not responding and showing no intention of taking the cigar.

"You're giving me face." The middle-aged man was a little embarrassed. He snorted coldly and put away his cigar. "Go away! Go prepare for your finals. I want to watch the live broadcast with some beautiful ladies later. Having you, a wooden stake standing here, will spoil the fun!"

The white fox turned and left without saying a word.

When walking through the corridor.

He happened to see Xia Nuo and Jun Yi queuing up in the square in the distance to receive free rice lunch boxes for dinner. The two of them were joking and joking with each other, and it was obvious that they had a very good relationship.

"Why do you have to come back..."

The white fox stared at the scene with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, but it soon turned into indifference.

I clearly gave him a chance in the beginning.

He finally turned his head to look in the direction of the middle-aged man's office, and without lingering any longer, he turned around and strode away.

I've made enough money, I'm tired of acting, and I really don't want to stay on this island anymore. So... let's just call it a day.

(End of this chapter)