[114] The Colosseum (2)

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Chapter 114: The Colosseum (2)

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Despite being the youngest of the three Gorgon Sisters, Boa Marigold was the second tallest. Though she had lost her fat, and so she wasn't a whale anymore, she still stood at an imposing 14'2" feet.

Indeed, it was an odd kiss to the cheek when she leaned down to Hashirama earlier. But that was not the point.

While being tall didn't mean victory, it surely was advantageous against most enemies. Being a mini giant certainly increased that benefit more.

In her Block, Marigold was the tallest. That, along with her combat-focused devil fruit, the Snake-Snake Fruit: Model King Cobra.

Despite having grown very slimmer than before, her snake form turned her into a round and heavy snake-human hybrid. Her face was still prettier than her prior hybrid form though.

The fight was relatively easygoing for her. She was used to fighting in a Colosseum, as there was one back in Amazon Lily. Though most of her fights there were to train the younger Kujas.

Still, the easy part was only the mobs. There were notorious figures in each of the blocks, and there were a few in her block too. When the numbers thinned out, more than one of the leftover opponents lashed out at her, as she was a big target.

That was a disadvantage.

"Sending Sandersonia would have been more practical," Hashirama noted. "She is somewhat stronger."

Marigold was so Yonko Commander, that much was clear. Sadly, she didn't seem worth a Flying Six either. It was quite a shame, in all honesty.

Marigold realized that Hashirama noted from her facial expression as she was getting manhandled. She felt very nervous and desperate to save her sister's face from the gathering in the guest room. Yet, her strength fell short.

No, her strength was fine, it was her speed that fell short. Her sheer size made her slow, and also a big target. Her defense was super good though, as was her Armament. If not, she would have been knocked out a long time ago.

Hashirama frowned, wondering. "Why is her hybrid form like that, though? Weird."

By default, he was comparing her fruit to a lesser version of Kaido's. So he was expecting her hybrid form to be more humanoid, but instead, she was more of a human head on a snake body.

It's not that she could do that, but she never thought of it, right? Zoan people had three forms, if not meddled using some external means, so it meant this was her hybrid form indeed.

Hashirama was just wondering when he noticed something else. She took out a match lighter and tried to use it, but it was too small for her thick scaly-hand. So it fell, and her opponents destroyed it.

That made Hashirama remember. She had a form where she lit herself up, and her snake form which for some reason complimented the fire, instead of injury, made her a moving firestorm. At the same time, her hair took the form of multiple fire dragons.

Thinking about it again, Sandersonia was showing him tricks with her hair earlier. She wasn't even using her fruit back then, she was in her human form. So… was that it?

Semei Kikan, or Life Return, was a secret technique that allowed the user to control their body parts from inside and out. Hair was a part of it. Were these girls using a similar technique, or that itself, to control their hair, and also their hybrid form? Was this not their natural hybrid form?

"Hey, Marigold!"

Hashirama yelled down to the arena, from the window he was standing at. Despite being in a battle, she looked up to meet his eyes, giving him a weak smile.

"Revert whatever thing you did to your hybrid form!" He yelled. "Unless I sound crazy, use the default humanoid hybrid form with your legs intact and scales covering your body!"

The girl blinked, unsure of what he was saying before she was punched in the face by some boxing explosion bitchass dude. Hashirama felt irritated at that man but could do nothing, it was his fault he created an opening anyway.

The punch didn’t leave much else to consider, as she was on the verge of losing anyway, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and her very long snake body shifted. Her tail returned, just sticking out of her behind now, and her thick muscular legs returned too. She stood on her legs, her body slimmer now, but still tall and imposing as ever — more actually, given the thick scales that covered her. But they didn't look weaker than earlier, because both were her hybrid forms.

Marigold wore a very irritated and mean look. She looked disgusted to be using this form, something Hashirama noticed. She shot him a look, easing her expression a little, and nodded.

Hashirama wondered what that meant. Yet, he couldn't ponder on that, as his mind flinched when Marigold moved, a blur in everyone's eyes as she appeared behind the guy who had just punched her earlier.

Her opponent was Destruction Cannon Ideo, some long-arm tribe member whose punches caused an explosion for some reason. It wasn't a Devil Fruit though. Hashirama would have to see that guy after he returns from the arena and beat the technique out of him. Both to satisfy his irritation at him, as he had punched Marigold when she had her guard down because of him, and also because that technique looked very good for Nami.

Yet, all these thoughts happened in the back of his head. His front was busy to focus on the blur that was Marigold. She wasn't a blur when he focused his Haki on her, but that was still impressive, and she surely was still too fast for normal people.

Marigold looked surprised at her speed too, but she didn't look surprised at her form earlier. She was avoiding using this form knowingly, for some reason.

"Ah, right."

From what Hancock told him before, during their time as slaves, the Gorgon Sisters were force-fed Devil Fruits, as a form of sick entertainment. Other than herself, her two sisters had a more direct entertainment use for their fruits, Hancock had said. Perhaps she talked about their real hybrid form? That's why they avoided using it, to forget that memory.

Well, that was dark. It made sense too, as it was some sort of PTSD.

"Ohh..." Hashirama felt touched seeing Marigold drop that on his word. "This is for the better anyway."

Marigold, with her tail lashing behind her, snapping the air like thunder, causing her speed to burst forward, was a force to reckon with for her opponents. They were taken care of by an acidic spit as she grabbed them by their face and spat. Her tail was strong enough to simply shoot some of them out of the arena.

The only one strong enough was Ideo, who was soon the only one left to stand against Marigold.

The two looked at each other from tens of meters between them, both tired and huffing, until Marigold proved that was a bluff and blitzed behind him. She knew his punches were dangerous, even Hashirama would admit that, so she got out of his trajectory and appeared behind him.

Before he could react, she drop-kicked him, and the height advantage made it look as if she had just kicked a child. One could do much when attacked that way, more so when the game was based on an arena, so he was shot out of the border and out of the game, falling into the dangerous water outside the arena, filled with man-eating fishes.

["G-gyaat!"]

The host's voice resounded.

["And with that, after turning our expectations around, Boa Marigold has proven herself worthy for the finals! The Gorgon Sisters indeed are hotties!"]

The last line wasn't important, but it made Marigold smile anyway. She shot a look at the guest room, which was obscured by a thick glass, making the people on the other side barely visible, and then she shot a glance at Hashirama, grinning widely.

'Well, that sure was a good match.' Hashirama liked it more than he should have since he felt involved in it.

* * *

When Boa Marigold so happily came back to the waiting room, under the impressed, awe-filled, and hungry eyes mixture on the crowd of fighters, she was instantly deflated.

"Where is Hashirama?!" She asked in a whisper, demanding Beidou who was still there. "Has he fled due to my request!?"

"Um,"

Beidou looked away, as the girl was too close to her face, and scoffed mentally. Hashirama? Fleeing from a pretty lady's kiss? That wasn't Hashirama, if he ever did that, that would be an imposter.

"He said he'll be back in a few minutes. I don't know where he went."

Marigold had nothing more to say, as she sighed, dejected, while Beidou just shrugged. Not her problem.

* * *

"Aw… fuck!"

Bang!

"D-dammit! Stop!"

Bang!

"F-fine! Fine! I'll te-"

Bang!

"Hey, I said I'll tell you!"

"Oh. My bad, didn't hear."

While that was happening back in the waiting room, Hashirama was busy in a corner of the Colosseum. On the wall stood a man chained with roots, roots so strong that he couldn't move a muscle, effectively leaving him to get punched in the face, and knees in his thighs.

Hashirama had fed him some leaves that enhance pain, and a mashed paste that made his senses hyper-alert so that enhanced pain was further clarified in his head. He had also fed him stuff to keep him awake, so he wouldn't lose consciousness.

He wasn't planning to go that hard, but after punching the guy a few times, he realized this one was a tough cookie. He was two times champion of the New World Center Fighting Tournament, so he was used to pain. That's why Hashirama had to increase the intensity with herbs.

By now, he must have felt the pain of being punched for half a month straight on, and not soft punches either. He had finally given in.

"Hmm… okay… oh, interesting… but that isn't humanely possible…"

Hashirama heard Ideo's explanation at one point and another, as he slowly realized that… no, it's not possible for everyone to copy.

Yet, much to Ideo's silent weep, Hashirama seemed happy with it.

If he spent a day modifying it, he could make it so that Nami could use it, since her powers were made for explosions from the get-go. However, any normal human will be unable to use it. To use this martial art, one had to be from the Long Arms tribe like Ideo, after all.

Some may have thought that’d mean Hashirama couldn't use it, but of course, Hashirama was an art of God. He was built differently.

Closing his eyes, he opened them once again to find Ideo looking at him with round eyes filled with shock.

Hashirama looked down at his arms and found them a wooden replica of Ideo's. Using direct transformation on his body, by taking the full properties of Adam Wood, he then modified his wooden arms and made them a copy of Ideo's.

Turning to the side, Hashirama tried a few jabs, each creating rounds of explosions around the halls.

Grinning under his mask, he turned to Ideo, who was still speechless.

"Thanks, bro. This is pretty fancy. My punches are about 130% stronger now. Joking, I can’t calculate shit. But anyway it’s stronger."

He would have to adjust his boxing a bit to fit these arms, but it would be worth it when he would need it. Plus, Nami's punches would be stronger than ever now. This was a good harvest.

Hashirama's arms returned to normal as he released Ideo. The man couldn't move right now, so Hashirama didn't fear an attack, as he walked away, waving behind.

"I'll send a medic your way as thanks, take care."

Ideo, the Destruction Cannon, was on his knees as he watched the freak of nature walk away. One thing he had to mention, one couldn't use his technique just because they had long arms, and certainly not because they knew the explanation. A technique was more than just words, after all.

Then… how?

"And they call me a freak. Fuck."

Ideo cursed and lost consciousness.

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