hotmtlnovel 23: BigGirl!
23: BigGirl!
The nights in Dressrosa are never short of passion and excitement.
The sweet aroma of pastries intertwined with the lively melody of dance music, then permeated the warm air, quietly masking the daytime interlude.
The Golden Dawn, disguised as an old merchant ship, remains quietly moored in the secluded rocky bay.
The cabin was brightly lit, and a huge map of Dressrosa was spread out on the table.
Oro's finger traced the entrance and backstage passage of the bullring on the map:
"If we can obtain the Magnet Fruit through a proper auction process, that would be ideal."
He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, making a solid sound.
Money is not a problem.
These words carried absolute confidence.
Leaving aside the wealth he has accumulated over the years, the gold he has obtained from Treasure Island alone is enough to put him in an invincible position in this game of money.
"but."
He changed the subject, his eyes sharpening.
"We need to prepare for the worst. Auction venues are a mixed bag, and it's inevitable that some people won't follow the rules."
"The backup plan is that we will 'intercept' the fruit once it leaves the auction house."
"clear."
Gails nodded seriously. In front of her were several small medicine bottles containing anti-poison ferns she had obtained from Beehive Island in the past few days, as well as the newly formulated potent paralyzing powder and hallucinogenic smoke.
"I will be prepared to deal with any unexpected situations."
At this moment, Lingling, with a piece of honey milk cake made by Gails in her mouth, spoke indistinctly:
"Hey, Oro, Gails, I've got an idea! We can buy fruit for Oro openly and honestly!"
Oro and Gale looked at her at the same time.
Lingling swallowed the pastry, her big eyes sparkling with excitement: "I heard that the champion of the gladiatorial competition, in addition to the prize money, can also receive an audience with King Riku and enjoy special privileges!"
"If we get special privileges, can Uncle King buy the fruit for us? That way we won't have to spend our own money, and we won't have to worry about others stealing it!"
Her words were straightforward and simple, yet they surprised both Auro and Gails.
Using official privileges is indeed a more "legitimate" approach.
Although there are many variables involved, such as whether King Riku is willing to help and the specific details of the privileges, these are all unknowns.
But Lingling's desire to solve the team's problems with her own strength warmed the hearts of both of them.
Auro looked at Lingling's eyes, which were filled with a mixture of expectation and pride, and smiled at Gails.
He reached out and ruffled Lingling's long pink hair. "Great idea, Lingling. You want to participate in the gladiatorial tournament?"
"Um!"
Lingling nodded vigorously and clenched her fist.
"I'm really strong! I'm sure I can win the championship! That way I can help Oro!"
"That would be very dangerous."
Gails gently reminded him, her eyes filled with concern: "Gladiator matches are not like regular sparring."
"I'm not afraid!"
Lingling puffed out her chest with pride.
"Grandpa Aruru and Grandpa Yoru both said I'm amazing! And Oro and Gails are watching me from the sidelines!"
Seeing her eager expression, Oro pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay, we support you. However, you must use an alias."
He didn't want to drag Elbaf into this mess.
"A pseudonym? What should I use?"
Lingling tilted her head in thought.
Gails looked at her exceptionally tall figure, which was unusual for a normal human, and smiled.
"How about we name it 'BigGirl'?"
"BigGirl? Big girl? Hehe, sounds nice!"
......
The death gladiatorial tournament was held as scheduled.
Inside the circular arena, filled with the style of ancient Rome, the noise was deafening, and the cheers and shouts of the audience almost lifted the roof off.
Bloodstains and signs of battle remained on the sand, which had not yet been cleaned up, and the air was filled with the smell of sweat, dust, and blood.
When Lingling, who was nearly six meters tall and had a well-proportioned yet imposing figure, walked onto the field carrying her old axe, a commotion of surprise, ridicule, and curiosity erupted from the audience.
Wow! What a big girl!
"What race is this? I've never seen them before!"
"Giants? Wait a minute, aren't giants supposed to be over 20 meters tall?"
"She's quite cute, but... can she really fight?"
"They'll probably be crushed in the first round!"
"..."
Then, all doubts vanished completely the moment Lingling threw her first punch!
Her first opponent was a bounty hunter wielding two swords.
The opponent relied on skill to constantly move around, trying to find Lingling's weakness, while Lingling simply and brutally slammed a punch into the ground.
"boom!!!"
The entire arena seemed to tremble. Where her fist landed, the sand instantly collapsed, forming a shallow pit several meters in diameter, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading outwards.
The attack didn't even land on him; the shockwave alone sent the bounty hunter flying, and he passed out before even landing.
The entire stadium fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even more enthusiastic cheers!
"BigGirl! BigGirl! BigGirl!"
Lingling, no, the name "BigGirl," along with her terrifying strength that contrasted sharply with her cute appearance, swept through the entire Corida Roman bullring like a whirlwind.
She was like an ancient mammoth that had stumbled into a flock of sheep; all her opponents seemed utterly helpless in her presence.
Whether it's a heavy shield, sturdy armor, or even several Devil Fruit users, they are all as fragile as paper in the face of her absolute power.
She didn't even use her giant axe; she easily advanced by crushing her way through with just her fists and occasional kicks.
Her devastatingly violent aesthetics during battle created a unique charm, quickly making her the most dazzling dark horse of this gladiator tournament and attracting the attention of all spectators and interested individuals.
The atmosphere was even more intense on the day of the final.
Lingling's opponent is a berserker from the "Metal Order".
The man was covered in rough metal armor and held a metal warhammer the size of a door panel. Only his eyes, which were exposed, burned with fanatical flames.
As soon as the match began, this guy let out a nasty roar, pulled a vial of scarlet potion from his pocket, and gulped it down!
Instantly, his exposed skin turned crimson, veins bulged like dragons, and muscles expanded further, making the metal armor creak and groan.
Even more alarming was that his speed suddenly increased several times over.
The originally clumsy figure transformed into a blurry metallic streak, moving at high speed around the edge of the arena. The warhammer in his hand, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, attacked Lingling from various tricky angles!
"Oh?"
In the audience, Oro raised an eyebrow slightly.
What surprised him was not the other party's act of administering drugs on the spot; the bullring does not prohibit such behavior, and he had seen it many times during this period.
Oro was surprised by the other person's body; he could clearly see that the joints of the other person's body had been completely deformed due to the sudden and violent acceleration.
Even so, this guy can still move.
Lingling is indeed in some trouble.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Isn't the plot moving too fast? I gave a sample to someone, and after reading it, they told me they could write ten or twenty chapters just about Lingling's competition (￣～￣;).