Chapter 4: Three years of battle Part 1

[AN: Tried to add some action in this chapter with a- read to know]

[Urek D. Mazino's Point of View]

Today is the day, I fight in my first free-for-all all deathmatch. A free-for-all deathmatch in Eisleymos is an open event that people from the underworld use as a way to sell, bet, or gain something valuable while advertising their superiority compared to the other competitors.

The price can range from a fancy jewel to a Devil Fruit. A Devil Fruit is basically a fruit that will give you a Nen-like ability at the cost of tasting like shit, according to what Rob said, and not being able to swim... though that second part can be cured... by death.

Once the user of a Devil Fruit dies, it randomly reappears in the world for someone else to find, eat, or sell since each Devil Fruit is worth a fortune. Like Nen, Devil Fruits are categorized and unique from each other. There is the Logia type, said to be the strongest, which gives the user the body of an element as well as control over said element. It also gives the user a sort of invulnerability.

Then there is the Zoan-type Devil Fruit which gives the user the ability of an animal as well as the ability to transform either partially or completely into said animal. Lastly, there is Paramecia-type Devil Fruit which is frankly anything that is not in either of the previous categories.

Today's deathmatch price is as some might have guessed a Devil Fruit that was sold to Eisleymos by the Donquixote Pirates. They have been popping up in conversations that I overhear lately. It must be because their captain, Donquixote Doflamingo, was granted the title of Warlord of the Sea by the World Government last year.

Long story short, in this world pirates are a thing and they are seen as the bad guys by the common folks while the Navy backed by the World Government is seen as the good guys by the common folks.

A Warlord of the Sea is a pirate, who is powerful and has a huge bounty on their heads, that was pardoned by the World Government and can do what they want without being hunted down by the Navy or bounty hunters.

To the common folks, the story is that they were pardoned and have been rehabilitated but the truth is, the World Government just wanted Pirates to deal with other Pirates. It goes without saying that A Warlord of the Sea can not do anything that the World Government forbirds... publicly. 

Again, the keyword in this context being Publicly, because everyone in Eisleymos knows that the Warlords of the Sea just do whatever they want. A prime example is Donquixote Doflamingo, a big figure in the underworld, who still continues his illegal activities such as selling the Zoan-type Devil Fruit in Eisleymos.

From what I overhear, he is just doing this to promote his fame and stretch his influence as an arms dealer. I would take it with a grain of salt but that would explain why he decided to sell the Mushi Mushi no Mi, Model: Praying Mantis.

Do not let the name fool you, from what Rob told me, any Devil Fruit can be a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of a competent user. This is why they are worth so much excluding their rarity. It is because they boost the strength of anyone who eats them.

Now about the free-for-all deathmatch that is about to start. Since there are people from the underworld participating in this match, weapons such as guns and canons are allowed which will make it even more of a bloodbath. We were not allowed that, only swords and such, I chose a Greatsword and a few knives for this battle.

I strangely was not afraid. Not even at the prospect of being shot by a canon. I do have a Fanalis body but last time I checked, Fanalis do not have thick skin. It is the Red Lions, their ancestors that do. Anyway, the free-for-all death match started with a barrage of cannonballs shot by the more eager participants.

[AN: Feel free to correct me on the thick skin cuz I am not sure.]

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

Although I was fast enough to dodge the gunshots, I did not plan to take the risk of getting shot so as soon as someone fell in front of me, I grabbed the body of the enemy that was on the ground and lifted it in front of me. I used the corpse as a meat shield and rushed forward while screaming an iconic line.

"LEROY JENKINS!!!!"

Once I was near an enemy group, I threw the corpse at him before taking a Greatsword from its sheath on my back and proceeded to horizontally bisect him. This froze the enemies that were in front of me and I capitalized on that moment by throwing five knives at different soldiers.

Each knife buried itself in the skull of its target killing them on the spot.

"STEVE!!"

"Y- You white-haired bastard!!!"

"Kill that brat!!!"

The enemy seemed to regain their bearing after the deaths of their five comrades and lunged at me with the intent of stabbing me with their spears or cutting my neck with their swords. I jumped forward and front-kicked an enemy on the chin while pivoting my body in mid-air.

"Argh!"

I used my other leg to hit his face while also using his face as a platform for me to dash backward and distance myself from my enemies. I threw a knife at the disoriented enemy since I had not broken his neck, I missed his head but the knife managed to reach his throat. He fell choking on his own blood.

*Cough*

*Gargles*

*Thud*

I grabbed three knives from my pocket and threw them as they charged at me. I killed two out of the three targets, I thought about grabbing more knives as I still had some time before they reached me but decided to save my ammunition.

I took a spear that was on the ground with my left hand and threw it with all my strength which missed my intended target but I managed to kill the enemy on the left of my target, my left, along with around two others that were behind him.

"YOU BRAT-ARGH! MY EYE!"

An enemy participant had the drop on me as I was entranced in my performance but the idiot decided to reveal himself instead of shooting me with his gun. I instinctively threw a knife that pierced his right eye and embedded itself in his skull.

I dashed at him as I saw that he was still alive. I severed his right hand still holding the gun with a downward slash of my Greatsword before plunging my Greatsword onto the ground. I used my sword as a support as I sent the recently one-handed enemy toward an incoming group of enemies with a roundhouse kick that broke his ribs as he flew away.

"Aim! Ready! FIRE!"

I saw that another group of enemy participants had taken aim and were about to shoot at me from my left. I quickly grabbed the severed hand and took cover behind my Greatsword as I was still smaller than it. I could hear the metallic noise my sword made. I took a brief moment took look around as I was getting shot at.

*BANG*

*TINK*

*BANG*

*TINK*

*BANG*

*TINK*

*BANG*

*TINK*

*BANG*

*TINK*

*BANG*

*TINK*

Most groups had already lost more than half of their troops and I was the only one from my group left. I say my group because the others labeled us as the slave group. A great way to advertise us in case one of us wins and the owner takes the Devil Fruit.

I had half a mind to retreat to a more populated area so that I gain more meat shields but I knew that I needed to clear my way out first. As soon as they stopped firing, I threw the severed hand at them which hit one of them in the shoulder. I then proceeded to shoot at them with the gun I had just stolen.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

I missed two of the five shots I took while the three ones that hit their target only wounded them. I was not sure if they were fatal injuries as I did not take too much to observe. I grabbed my Greatsword and ran at them while lowering my center of gravity.

The good thing about this free-for-all death match so far is that there is no shortage of bodies on the ground as long as you move around. I grabbed a body that was on the ground and used it as a meat shield. I lightly threw the body in front of me and gave it a Reverse Roundhouse Kick which catapulted at the enemy group that had resumed firing at me.

"Mazino sword style:-"

I took the standing tall posture while facing forward, then twisting my back and lowering my arms while trying to put strength in the waist as I swung my greatsword. I performed one crushing blow with the power collected at a single point to cut all targets.

"100 Army Massacre Sword!"

I yelled as the enemies in front of me were cut down as well as everyone within a 2-meter radius. This was the best my current body could perform Madra's Swordsmanship without suffering any recoil. Yeah, I renamed Madra's Swordsmanship because he does not exist in this world... probably, so I technically invented this sword style.

Hm? Where is my consciousness for plagiarizing? Well, ask the soon-to-be-dead enemies who have their eyes popping out of their sockets out of the shock of being cut in half by a toddler. Consciousness and morals get you killed in Eisleymos.

Zahard made sure to tell me this before he delivered the good news. Oh right, you were not there. The reason why I am participating in this Free-for-All dead match is because I requested the Trial by a thousand blades but since someone told everyone that I was friends with Rob, so much so that I took his name. So they decided to make this Trial by a Thousand Blades special just for me.

This free-for-all is just the prerequisite of me participating in the Trial by a thousand blades which now instead of one opponent per day, will be one hundred opponents per day for the same amount of time. TRULY A FUCKING GOOD NEWS! Especially since my last opponent will be Zahard who WAS THE ONE THAT TOLD EVERYONE THAT MY NAME!!!

I guess I am not the only one with heightened senses and good ears-

"I got you now, you slave bastard!"

I come out of my daydreaming as I avoid a sword swing from an opponent. I noticed that my greatsword had some cracks and would break soon so I swung to the left which my opponent parried and sported a cocky grin into I kicked him in the ball causing him to drop his sword.

"ARGH!"

*Thud*

I did not give him time to breathe as I used his own sword to decapitate him then roundhouse kicked his body toward the incoming group that was threatening to kill my entire family for killing their friend.

I lunged toward the body I had kicked and used it to hide myself as it was flying toward the incoming group. They seemed competent and since they did not try to catch his body but instead evaded it.

"Wha-ARGH!"

*Thud*

"Wai-ARGH!"

*Thud*

"Im-ARGH!"

*Thud*

I used that to my advantage and surprise attacked the ones that evaded to my left. With my Greatsword in my right hand and resting on my left shoulder, I swung from it and slashed their throats. I then turned to face the rest of the group while still swinging my Greatsword.

I took a reverse grip while handling my Greatsword and lifted it up to my face as they were aiming their guns to shoot at me. I threw my Greatsword at one of them since it was not in a condition to tank any more bullets.

I grabbed the bodies of two of the guys who were still choking on their own blood and used them as a human shield while still holding the stolen sword. They fired at me as one of their own was impaled by my cracked greatsword.

"Ghargh! *Cough*"

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Once they were out of ammo, I threw the bodies at them and rushed at them but while they were expecting me either to attack them in front or to the side, they did not expect me to attack from above. This is why I rushed at them by jumping after throwing the bodies at them.

[Zahard's point of View]

He is better than I expected. He might be able to survive until I face him which is good. The longer he survives the more attention will be on him and the less will be placed on me. This will increase the odds of success for my plan.

My entire reason for living, which is the death of Menthos but not before his precious Zoldyck family, his ambitions and dreams are reduced to ashes. I have already found ways to escape this Island unnoticed now I just need to find something that will piss off a major force enough to destroy the Zoldyck Family.

After all, everyone now knows me as Menthos' slave and Menthos is part of the Zoldyck Family so everything I do must be an order from him which in turn must be related to the Zoldycks. Hm... I think killing a Celestial Dragon should do the trick but none have visited a nearby Island lately.

[AN:

Exam Season is approaching so I will be busy hunting down good grades Since I haven't gotten a fixed schedule for this work yet don't expect any chapter on a regular basis.

Want more? Like Thanos, I want those STONES!!!]