I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

"I want to play a game... As for the specific rules, let the professionals explain them."

Festa took the microphone, first introducing himself and the main pirates participating, and then officially began explaining the rules.

"You've probably all spotted the island boat in the river by now! That's right, that boat is the venue for this competition. Contestants, you may now enter."

As Sig and the other pirates boarded the island ship following the directions, Festa's voice continued:

"Next, the island ship will sail straight into the doldrums."

"After entering the Calm Belt, the contestants on the island must survive for one hour under the attack of the Calm Belt Sea Kings and ensure that the ship's theme is not destroyed by the Sea Kings."

"When the one-hour countdown ends, the sea stone safe on the island ship will open automatically, and the treasure will then appear."

"Then, the island ship will return to the island."

"The rules have been explained. Players who wish to forfeit may now leave the arena!"

These words immediately caused a huge uproar among the crowd.

"Was this a rule set by John and Festa? This guy really knows how to play..."

Sig was also startled.

Entering the extremely dangerous Calm Belt is tantamount to courting death... Not only will you have to face the Sea Kings of the Calm Belt, but you also have to be wary of other pirates trying to kill you.

Moreover, the existence of the timed safe means they must try their best to keep the ship intact while in the hands of both sea kings and pirates, so as to prevent the treasure from falling to the bottom of the sea.

Seastone is one of the hardest materials in the world, making it impossible for anyone to forcibly break into a safe in a short period of time...

"and many more."

At this moment, the lone red, who had remained silent, opened her eyes and looked towards the main stage.

"I heard this is a competition to determine the strongest swordsman? Do the rules you just mentioned have anything to do with swordsmen?"

Redfield glanced at the pirates around him out of the corner of his eye. They had all sorts of weapons, and quite a few were unarmed.

John took the microphone and replied:

"I hope that all the contestants here are swordsmen. In that case, the one who can win this death contest in the windless zone and obtain the treasure will undoubtedly be the world's strongest swordsman."

“But unfortunately…” John shrugged.

"We, the organizers, are not able to force everyone to switch to swords... so we can only try our best to invite renowned swordsmen from the sea to participate."

"As for the other non-swordsmen... I personally suggest they don't participate. They can stay here and quietly wait for the strongest swordsman to return... Hehe." John chuckled, still wanting more.

Chapter 824 The Tentacle's Nest

Many people understood what John meant.

Island boats are hybrid-powered vessels that can temporarily travel a distance into the calm zone.

However, once the victor has obtained the treasure, the island ship cannot continue to venture deeper into the calm zone.

It would be almost impossible for such a large ship to pass through the Calm Belt; it would inevitably alert the sea kings deep within the Calm Belt, tearing the island ship apart completely.

Even if the winner wants to leave, they will eventually have to return to the starting point.

At that time, it remains to be seen whether the victor, who has fought a hard-fought battle, will be able to have the last laugh.

After the rules were explained, many of the pirates who had entered immediately left.

After all, surviving a sea king facing a calm zone for an hour means that the island ship will become a meat grinder where only a very few people can survive, or even no one can survive at all.

Amidst the commotion, Hale's imposing figure blocked the path of the pirate who was about to leave, and his large hands snatched the pirate's sword from his grasp.

"It looks like a good knife."

He casually played with it for a moment, then swung the knife forward and slashed, creating a whistling sound.

"From today onwards, I am also a swordsman."

Hale laughed nonchalantly, then swung his sword with brute force, smashing it hard against the pirate whose sword had been stolen, sending him flying.

After a brief period of chaos, the island ship started up, its engines roaring as it sailed out of the river and headed straight for the windless zone ahead.

Near the main stage at the Expo site, there were several large video Den Den Mushi (snail telescopes) that stretched their necks high from all directions, each with a telescope fixed to its head, gazing at the island ship from afar, and then transmitting the images to a large screen.

The island was located on the edge of the doldrums. Not long after the island ship sailed, the huge sails stopped billowing, and the propellers on the ship spun rapidly, continuing to propel the island ship forward, and it had already entered the doldrums.

Sig was also on the island ship.

There were at least several hundred pirates participating in the competition, and the island ship was quite large. He found a quiet corner far away and got along peacefully with the other pirates.

"The island ship has entered the calm zone!"

Festa watched the images on the big screen and provided commentary on the main stage:

"As we all know, the Calm Belt is the lair of colossal Sea Kings, and there are even giant monsters that feed on islands—wait, the first Sea King has appeared!"

As soon as the island ship entered the doldrums, the sea kings acted like sharks that had smelled blood.

The once calm, mirror-like surface of the sea rose high, and a giant octopus-shaped sea king emerged from the deep sea, like a mountain peak standing on the surface.

Its tentacles also emerged from the sea, like a mountain range rising from the sea to block the island ship's path.

Even island ships, comparable in size to small islands, appear much smaller in comparison to the sea kings.

"Sea kings have appeared!"

"We can't let them destroy this ship..."

After witnessing firsthand the colossal sea kings in the Calm Belt, many people began to feel remorse.

Its enormous size naturally creates a strong sense of oppression.

Guns roared and swords flashed as the pirates began to use their own methods to attack the sea king, tearing the enormous tentacles that stretched across the sea surface apart.

However, the sea king was so enormous that the pirates' attacks did not repel it; instead, they enraged it.

The enormous tentacles descended from the sky like toppled pillars, sweeping fiercely towards the island ship and creating waves tens of meters high.

The tentacles had just descended when they cracked a corner of the island ship, causing the entire ship to tremble violently.

At this moment, dozens of sword lights appeared, slicing through the sky and landing on the enormous tentacles.

Hale was among them. He charged ahead of the crowd with his longsword in hand, swinging it with brute force, using it like a club, but he could still swing it with great force, smashing the tentacle to pieces.

And the next moment.

A blood-red figure suddenly shot into the sky.

With a longsword in hand, Redfield leaped up and landed on another tentacle clinging to the island ship, then raced upwards at an incredible speed.

Then, aiming at the head of the octopus-like sea king, he thrust his longsword out amidst the whistling wind!

laugh!

With a sharp whooshing sound, the stab pierced a huge hole in the sea king's head, through which one could even see the white clouds and the sea on the other side.

Then, the octopus-like sea king slowly collapsed, its enormous body gradually sinking into the deep sea.

"It seems our competitor has taken care of the first sea king, but our match has only just begun..."

Festa explained:

"The corpses and blood of the Sea Kings are destined to attract more and more Sea Kings, making this a battle that will likely never end!"

As Festa said.

Not long after the first sea king fell, one after another, giant sea kings emerged from the sea and surrounded the tiny island ship.

This battle between pirates and sea kings has only just begun...

Sieg, on the other hand, remained relatively calm.

His goal wasn't the so-called Locust Legacy, but Lone Red.

Whether the ship will be sunk by sea monsters is not his primary concern, given his ability to fly.

Compared to the Sea Kings around him, the pirates beside him who could attack him at any moment posed a greater threat.

He focused his attention on the pirates around him, navigating the island ship in search of a relatively safe spot.

"Baroric Redfield truly lives up to his reputation as a renowned swordsman of the seas. Even wielding an ordinary longsword, he can use an umbrella as a sword to unleash astonishingly powerful swordsmanship. But..."

"The Lone Red has no companions; he is, after all, alone. The Calm Belt is the lair of the Sea Kings. Can Redfield really handle so many Sea Kings?"

"He had to consider not only his own safety, but also the safety of this island ship..."

Festa explained with great enthusiasm, his spittle flying everywhere.

Sieg could actually see the answer too.

Redfield is strong, but he is only one person, and he is not a monster like Whitebeard who can cause natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis at will.

With his strength, protecting himself wouldn't be difficult, but protecting the entire island ship would be beyond his capabilities.

The island ship beneath Redfield's feet was too large for him, meaning that multiple sea kings could launch an attack simultaneously. Even if Lone Red was fast, it would take her quite a while to run from one end of the island ship to the other, making it impossible for her to protect them all.

As you can see, the island ship beneath your feet is constantly being attacked by sea kings, emitting mournful cries. The hull has been crushed in large sections after being hit multiple times.

Chapter 825 What kind of king are you again?

More than half an hour has passed since the island ship entered the calm zone.

The ship was in dire straits.

The Calm Belt is the nest of super-large sea kings, and the arrival of the island ship has disturbed this perpetually calm ocean.

The enormous sea monsters seemed endless, constantly rising from the deep sea.

More and more pirates are being devoured by sea kings or dying in internal strife.

"It's almost time."

Sieg glanced at his watch; 40 minutes had passed.

Currently, most of the hundreds of pirates on the ship have been eliminated.

Some people are actively fighting against the Sea Kings, some are drawing their swords to fight each other, and some are just slacking off.

Sig was one of those who slacked off, moving around the island ship as much as possible to avoid fighting.