*Chapter 229: The Vacation Was Ruined*

Trafalgar Law, after learning that Doflamingo had finally been imprisoned, set out with his three subordinates, heading towards Dressrosa.

He wanted to see what kind of person was capable of taking down someone as formidable as Doflamingo.

However, when they arrived, Raijin was not at home!

They waited for a month.

Although Dressrosa wasn’t under Navy control at that time, it still maintained order. Even the most powerful pirates had to follow the rules.

The money they earned from fighting pirates along the way was almost gone during their stay in Dressrosa.

Though they carried the flag of the Heart Pirates, Trafalgar Law had been working as a bounty hunter. Despite his outstanding strength and peculiar abilities, he hadn’t attracted much attention on the sea.

Law had kept his Ope Ope no Mi abilities well hidden, so even the World Government knew little about them. As a result, Law’s bounty was only a mere ten to twenty million berries, which didn’t attract any attention—even from the Navy.

By the time they reached Dressrosa, they were broke—not because they were robbed, but because Law’s three subordinates had spent all their money recklessly.

Finally, they turned their eyes to the Dressrosa Colosseum, the quickest way to earn money.

As for working as a doctor, it could easily expose his powers from the Ope Ope no Mi.

However, the colosseum was a place of slaughter. For someone like Law, considered a weak pirate by the masses, this bloody battleground seemed out of place for him.

Of course, the same could be said for his two underlings.

“Each team has at least three chances. If you lose three times, you’ll be eliminated,” the host announced. “If you’re injured and forced to quit, you’ll also be disqualified. So, the only rule is… there are no rules!”

“You might get a bye in one round or even two consecutive rounds, but you could also be forced to fight back-to-back. So, chase after that one final victory!”

“Lord Raijin has once again put up a prize of 100 million berries and even a Devil Fruit! The winner takes all!”

The host’s shout sparked a thunderous roar from the crowd.

The first battle was Trafalgar Law’s match—against a pirate!

His opponent was a towering man with a giant axe, while another man wore spiked knuckles. Both were grinning menacingly at Law.

As for Bepo, he was treated as a mere pet, and no one expected him to pose any kind of threat. He was completely ignored.

“Hahaha! Looks like today’s my lucky day,” laughed the pirate wielding the giant axe. “Not only can I take home the grand prize, but I’ll also get a bear pelt cloak!”

“Boss! Let me handle these two!” said the man with the knuckles as he stepped forward, clenching his fists at Law.

They were just waiting for the host to give the signal. The moment he did, they planned to crush Law’s skull.

“Hahaha, I’ll leave it to you then!” the axe-wielding pirate said, stepping back with a sneer, confident that his subordinate would easily deal with these two.

“It looks like the competitors are ready! Let’s hope for an exciting battle!” The host raised his hand, signaling the start of the fight. “Begin!”

As soon as the signal was given, the man with the spiked knuckles charged at Law. His massive fists, covered in spikes, could easily disable anyone with just one hit.

Seeing the huge fists coming at him, Law stood still.

“Captain!” Bepo cried out, but he was a bit too slow.

“Bang!”

A loud thud echoed through the arena, but it wasn’t Law’s face that was hit—it was the face of the pirate with the giant axe!

“Bang!”

The pirate with the axe hadn’t prepared any defense and was sent tumbling across the ground, finally landing near the edge of the stage.

“Boss, why is it you?!” The man with the spiked knuckles stared in disbelief at his target, realizing he had punched his own leader. A moment ago, his boss had been standing behind him, but somehow he had appeared in front of him.

And with that punch, the giant axe pirate was nearly knocked out of the fight.

“Damn it!” The axe-wielding pirate stood up, clutching his nose, but blood was still pouring from between his fingers. His expression was hard to see, but it was clear he was in serious pain.

His subordinate wasn’t just some random grunt either, and the blow had brought him back to his senses. He realized now that these two weren’t ordinary fighters.

At the very least, the kid with the sword was a Devil Fruit user. Although he didn’t know what kind of power it was, it was definitely strong.

“You guys are nothing special,” Law said coldly, his voice full of arrogance, as he appeared behind the man with the knuckles.

Just as the knuckle-wearing pirate was about to turn around, a white bear suddenly dropped from the sky and landed on his face, pummeling him with punches.

While this was happening, Law appeared at his side, delivering a swift blow to his kidneys with his sheathed sword. The man with the spiked knuckles was sent flying out of the arena like a kite.

Law’s stunning performance elicited gasps from the audience. They had expected him and his "pet" to be beaten to a pulp by the two fierce pirates—so badly that even his own mother wouldn’t recognize him afterward!

But instead, the first fighters to fall were the two pirates.

“No one expected the captain of the Heart Pirates to be a Devil Fruit user, and his powers are so strange!” the host exclaimed. “But there’s no rule in the colosseum prohibiting the use of Devil Fruit abilities!”

“It looks like the Heart Pirates have a great chance of winning the championship! With the power of a Devil Fruit, his strength will have an immense boost.”

“And remember, the colosseum has no rules—except bribing your opponents!”

The host showered Law with praise, impressed by his abilities. They hadn’t known he was a Devil Fruit user. If they had, they would have adjusted the betting odds before the match.

Since this was Law’s first appearance, and his bounty was still relatively low in the New World, they had given him high odds. Some gamblers might bet their entire fortune on Law now.

Of course, this kind of thing has nothing to do with the host.

On the field, there was only one pirate left from the other group!

His strength wasn't considered great in the New World.

Facing the attacks from Trafalgar Law and Bepo, he was pretty much overwhelmed.

As expected, he was knocked off the stage without much effort.

Amidst the boos and jeers, Trafalgar Law stepped down from the stage.

Of course, there were also some praises.

Some even went so far as to shout that they wanted to have Trafalgar Law's children.

After all, with his Ope Ope no Mi powers, it seemed possible!

Someone even joked about turning him into a woman.

"This kid’s pretty good, huh? He's a Devil Fruit user and just a few years older than Ace."

Garp didn’t expect to be impressed by such a young talent!

At only a little older than Ace, this kid could already pull off such feats.

Considering that most of the participants were fearsome pirates, it was clear this kid had some serious skills.

"Indeed! It’s a shame he’s becoming a pirate. He should be learning in Dressrosa!"

"The sea isn't a playground for kids like him. I’ll have someone check his bounty and see if he’s committed any serious crimes."

"Maybe I’ll have him and your grandsons together. I'll make sure to set them straight."

Zephyr nodded in agreement.

This kid had shown mercy to his opponent earlier, which indicated he wasn’t a bloodthirsty type.

Zephyr’s school had recently expanded and needed people to help keep order.

This kid seemed like a good fit in Zephyr’s eyes.

"Hmm, I think I know this kid!"

At this point, Kuzan stroked his chin, looking thoughtful.

He had looked into recent events after returning and noticed this kid.

He had sailed from the North Blue to the New World. Though he appeared under a pirate flag, he hadn’t done much that was typically pirate-like.

He had been only bountied for repelling and destroying a Navy warship.

Kuzan shared Trafalgar Law’s information with Zephyr.

"Good! Let’s bring him and his crew to the school!"

Zephyr clapped his hands, deciding without hesitation.

Garp, however, remained silent because his two grandsons were now stepping into the ring.

Especially Luffy, who was as lively as ever.

When the host called for the match to begin, Luffy immediately jumped at the pirate, throwing punches at his face.

The pirate's spiked club struck Luffy squarely in the head, bouncing him away like a ball.

But soon, they realized Luffy was a Devil Fruit user!

Even though Ace had some strength and was a bit stronger than Luffy, he still struggled when faced with these pirates.

The gap in power between them was just too great.

The match was completely one-sided.

But with Garp watching intently from above, the two pirates held back from going too far.

Instead, encouraged by Garp, they beat the two boys black and blue.

Soon enough, Garp himself wouldn’t even recognize them.

"Hahahahaha, well done!"

Garp leaped down from the stands, clapping the pirates on the shoulder, clearly in a great mood.

Because of Garp’s reputation, the pirates were nervous, their pride as pirates nowhere to be seen.

"If you two don’t take a beating now, you'll start thinking all pirates are good people."

"This time, you two better stop dreaming about becoming pirates."

Garp brought the two boys back to the viewing area and put them down.

He thought he had successfully corrected their thinking.

But he underestimated their determination.

"When I get stronger, I’m definitely going to beat those guys."

"Grandpa, I don’t want to be just a pirate; I want to be the Pirate King!"

Even with his face bruised and swollen, Luffy still boldly declared his dream.

"This idiot!"

Ace smacked his forehead, but it hit a sore spot, making him wince.

Those pirates, with Garp’s encouragement, had been brutal.

They'd taken such a beating it would take a while to recover.

Well, at least Ace would.

Luffy, on the other hand...

Ace knew all too well about Luffy's ridiculous resilience.

After a big meal, Luffy would probably be as good as new.

"Bam!"

A pair of massive fists landed on both Ace’s and Luffy’s heads.

Ace had been daydreaming and didn’t expect to take such a direct hit.

"Still thinking about pirates? You haven't learned your lesson at all."

"You two brats will stay in the ring until you're completely worn out!"

Garp roared, scaring the nearby spectators into retreating.

No one expected that even Vice Admiral Garp had such rebellious grandsons, especially ones who wanted to be pirates when their grandfather was a Navy hero.

It was no wonder Garp was so angry! If they were anyone else’s kids, they’d probably have been beaten to death by now.

"What!?"

Ace stared wide-eyed at Garp.

Luffy had said it, so why was he being dragged into this?

And why did he have to go back into the ring with Luffy to get beaten again?

"Vice Admiral Garp’s... uh, his parenting methods sure are unique," Kuzan remarked diplomatically as he watched Garp’s retreating figure.

He had once been Garp’s student and had experienced Garp’s violent form of teaching firsthand.

While other instructors would start by explaining techniques, Garp’s methods were all delivered through his fists.

You had to learn from his punches.

Kuzan had taken quite a few blows while trying to learn Garp’s Iron Fist technique.

"This guy's just reckless. Who teaches kids like that?"

"Once we’re back, come help at my school."

"Tell Garp to stay far away from them," Zephyr said bluntly.

"Huh? Teacher Zephyr, I’m on vacation right now," Kuzan replied with some frustration.

He had come to Dressrosa to relax, not to find work.