"Captain, everyone has been incredibly enthusiastic about the Grand Tournament you introduced."
Robin followed Kaito as they inspected each of the tournament arenas. After they returned to the ship, she couldn't help but speak with admiration.
Kaito smiled.
"It's good that they're enthusiastic."
"It shows our pirate crew is full of ambition."
He was naturally very satisfied with how eagerly his subordinates had thrown themselves into the tournament.
"All right."
"You should start preparing for the officers' tournament as well."
"I don't want you falling behind."
Robin nodded.
She had never intended to overlook Kaito's reminder.
Although the Grand Tournament did not include the logistics division...
Robin wasn't just the head of logistics.
She was also one of the crew's strongest combatants.
Unless she voluntarily gave up her position as an officer...
She would have to compete like everyone else.
In fact, Robin had already taken the upcoming officers' tournament very seriously.
She even intended to compete for one of the Four Heavenly Kings positions.
After chatting for a while longer...
Robin left to prepare for the next stage of the tournament.
Kaito, meanwhile, headed toward the prison cells in the lowest deck of the ship.
Stopping outside one of the iron-barred cells, Kaito folded his arms across his chest.
"So..."
"Have you made your decision?"
"Are you planning to keep resisting until the end..."
"Or are you finally going to accept my invitation?"
Inside the cell sat a lone prisoner.
His wrists were restrained by Seastone handcuffs.
Heavy chains also bound his legs.
The prisoner was none other than Crocodile.
Hearing Kaito's voice, Crocodile slowly opened his eyes from his cross-legged meditation.
Looking calmly at Kaito through the bars, he said,
"You should understand something."
"Even if I accept your invitation now..."
"The moment you truly set me free..."
"I'll most likely seize the first opportunity to escape."
Kaito simply raised an eyebrow.
"Then you'll have to work hard."
"Because with your current strength..."
"Escaping won't be easy."
A teasing smile appeared on his face.
Ever since Crocodile had been captured...
Kaito had continuously used his Conqueror's Haki Subjugation on him.
Although Crocodile possessed an exceptionally powerful will...
The two of them were both pirates.
Their ideals weren't fundamentally incompatible.
Because of that...
The effects of Kaito's Conqueror's Haki continued to influence him.
Crocodile snorted coldly.
"That's quite an arrogant thing to say."
"Very well."
"Then watch carefully."
"I'll show you exactly how I escape."
Despite his words...
He had already made his choice.
These past few days, imprisoned with Seastone suppressing his Devil Fruit...
He had never been given a single opportunity to escape.
Completely unaware that Kaito's Conqueror's Haki possessed a special subjugation effect...
Crocodile had spent the past several days carefully considering his options.
His conclusion was simple.
Endure.
For now.
Revenge could wait.
The priority was regaining his freedom...
Recovering his strength...
And finding the right opportunity to escape.
Kaito wasn't worried in the slightest.
Even if Crocodile intended to flee the moment he regained his freedom...
It didn't matter.
His confidence came entirely from his own strength.
As long as Crocodile couldn't escape too far...
Kaito could capture him again at any time.
Besides...
The longer Crocodile remained under the influence of his Conqueror's Haki...
The calmer his thoughts would gradually become.
As for why Kaito didn't simply keep him imprisoned until he had completely submitted...
The answer was simple.
He didn't want to waste time.
Even after regaining his freedom...
Crocodile would still need considerable time to recover his former strength.
Waiting until he had been completely subdued before releasing him would only delay everything further.
With his Observation Haki focused...
Kaito could easily read Crocodile's thoughts.
He knew exactly what Crocodile was planning.
But...
He didn't care.
Because as the effects of his Conqueror's Haki continued accumulating...
There would eventually be no chance for Crocodile to turn the situation around.
Walking forward...
Kaito took out a key.
Click.
The Seastone handcuffs around Crocodile's wrists unlocked.
He then removed the restraints entirely and opened the prison door.
"Oh, right."
"Our pirate crew is currently holding a Grand Tournament."
"If you're interested in becoming an officer..."
"Or even replacing me as captain..."
"You're welcome to participate."
As Crocodile stretched his arms and legs after leaving the cell...
Kaito casually mentioned the tournament.
Crocodile looked at him with surprise.
"A Grand Tournament?"
"That actually sounds interesting."
After thinking for a moment...
A playful smile appeared across his face.
"Very well."
"I'll participate."
He had no interest whatsoever in becoming an officer.
After all...
He had never truly intended to become Kaito's subordinate.
Nor did he believe Kaito's claim that even the captain's position could be challenged.
Still...
The tournament itself interested him.
He needed to rebuild his strength.
While ordinary training was necessary...
Actual combat would produce much better results.
Even if the lower-level matches involved relatively weak opponents...
The enormous number of participants would still provide excellent opportunities to sharpen himself.
The team-level competition was the lowest tier of the Grand Tournament.
However...
Because the War Pirates now numbered well over ten thousand members...
Even after Kaito divided Little Garden into hundreds of tournament arenas...
The team competitions still lasted a full three days before finally concluding.
New Team Leaders emerged one after another.
But that wasn't the end.
Those newly promoted Team Leaders would immediately advance into the next stage...
The Squadron Captain Tournament.
To keep things fair...
Kaito generously gave everyone three days to recover.
Only after the newly promoted Team Leaders had regained their strength...
Did the next round officially begin.
Like the previous stage...
The Squadron Captain Tournament remained an internal competition.
Each arena corresponded to one squadron.
Every Team Leader...
Along with the existing Squadron Captain...
Competed for the position.
Exactly one hundred squadrons...
Exactly one hundred arenas.
As the new round began...
Little Garden once again became a sea of cheers and battle cries.
Fierce fights erupted across every battlefield.
Compared to the previous stage...
The overall level had increased dramatically.
Whether Team Leaders or Squadron Captains...
Every participant had already mastered the fundamentals of the Eight Impacts Fist.
Some had even learned portions of the Six Powers.
Naturally...
The quality of the matches rose significantly.
At the same time...
Since there were far fewer competitors than during the Team Leader Tournament...
The Squadron Captain Tournament concluded in less than two days.
Once again...
Kaito allowed everyone another three days to recover.
However...
The upcoming Brigade Captain Tournament would be conducted differently.
At the center of Little Garden...
Using massive trees harvested directly from the island...
A huge platform had been constructed.
Standing at the front of the stage...
Lafayette acted as the tournament host.
Holding a Loudspeaker Den Den Mushi...
He loudly announced the rules for the Brigade Captain Tournament.
The wide clearing before the platform had already been completely leveled.
Now...
It served as the main tournament grounds.
Below the platform...
More than ten thousand members of the War Pirates stood assembled in orderly ranks.
Every single one wore a matching black-and-gold military-style uniform.
Each carried both a sword and a firearm.
Standing together...
They projected an imposing, disciplined presence worthy of a powerful pirate crew.
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