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Chapter 85: The Navigator
🕑 Added 2025-07-15 15:56:39 +0000 UTCThe tournament ground buzzed with electric tension as the day's remaining matches unfolded. Russell watched each battle with predatory focus, cataloging every move, every weakness, every hidden strength. The competitors moved like chess pieces across the arena, but none of them set his pulse racing the way a true threat should. They were holding back—he could feel it in the way they fought, the careful restraint in their movements. In the top 16, everyone had secrets buried beneath their sleeves.
Russell's lips curved into a grim smile. They thought they were being clever, but he understood the game better than most. After all, he was doing the same thing. Luffy's Gear Third remained his hidden ace, a trump card that could shatter expectations when the moment was right. And deeper still, beyond the reach of this tournament, lay Zoro, Kiss-Shot, and the [Mark 3] armor—weapons forged for his other identity, his shadow war against the Spirit Begging Society.
The thought of revealing the true bond between the future Four Emperors and their First Mates made his blood sing with anticipation. But patience was a virtue he'd learned the hard way. That revelation would have to wait until the Society was nothing but ash and memory.
"Russell, I have a feeling you're going to win first place this time," Nancy said as the final match ended.
Russell chuckled, but there was an edge to it. "You that confident in me? Holden's going to be a problem though." Even thinking about Holden's first match made him uneasy. Something about that tiger demon had felt off—wrong in a way he couldn't quite explain.
"Holden?" Nancy frowned, trying to remember. "His tiger that scary?"
Russell's expression darkened. "That thing... it's dangerous. Really dangerous. And he's only shown one card so far. No telling what else he's got."
Nancy trusted Russell's judgment completely. "Well, I still think you'll take first place."
Liam nodded eagerly. "Yeah! If Russell can't win, who can?"
A sneer interrupted them. "I'll give you that Russell's strong, but that's not gonna be enough against Holden."
Russell turned to see a student in a Seaview High uniform—one of Holden's classmates.
Liam bristled. "What's that supposed to mean? Russell's card is stronger than anything!"
The visitor's cocky expression faltered when he heard about Russell's card. "Look, that thing of Russell's is terrifying, I'll give you that. But you guys don't know why Holden has his reputation."
"What reputation?" Nancy pressed.
The guy seemed to realize he'd said too much. He gave them an awkward smile. "Hey, you think I'm gonna tell you Holden's secrets? What happens to me if he finds out? Besides, why should I help you guys anyway?" He turned away and sat back down, ignoring their reactions.
"You—!" Liam started forward angrily, but Russell held him back.
"What's with that guy?" Liam muttered. "Russell's the strongest!"
Russell gave him a look. Don't jinx me, he thought.
As the day's battles concluded, the arena began to empty. But in the VIP stands, the university representatives huddled together like vultures around carrion, their voices low and urgent.
"This Russell's card is really something else," the Imperial University representative said, shaking his head. "Never seen anything like it."
The others murmured agreement.
"Still doesn't mean he'll win though," said the representative from Daming Mining & Technical College, speaking up for the first time. His university was in the same city as Seaview High, so he knew things the others didn't.
"What do you mean?" several voices asked at once. From today's matches, nobody seemed capable of standing up to Russell's solar attack.
The Daming rep smiled mysteriously. "Can't say. You'll find out when Holden and Russell fight."
The silence that followed was thick with frustration. Every representative had the same thought: This guy's driving us crazy!
Only the Daming representative was pleased with himself. Holden... fitting name. Good thing we made our move early and got him to agree to join us. Otherwise I wouldn't be saying anything at all.
Back at the hotel, Russell's mind was already three steps ahead. His arsenal needed expansion, and that meant one thing: new cards. But his financial situation was a chain around his ambitions. Creating a new bronze-level card was beyond his reach. The path forward was clear—a Black Iron-level card to trigger Luffy's bond. The [Straw Hat Pirates] bonus was a weapon that could turn the tide of any battle.
The crew members paraded through his mind like old friends: Sanji, Nami, Robin, Chopper. Each brought their own strengths, their own possibilities. But practicality demanded efficiency. He needed to accomplish the most with the least investment. His choice narrowed to Nami and Robin—he already had two male Straw Hat cards, and balance was essential in all things.
The final decision would depend on what materials the market could provide.
Russell's phone lit up as he browsed the trading website. "What's all this junk?" he muttered, scrolling through the available materials. After searching for a while, he found an Iron-level [Greedy Girl] (Blue) and an Iron-level [Rookie Pirate] (Green) that kind of matched Nami's character. But to really create her properly, he'd need weather-related materials, and those were nowhere to be found.
"Guess I'll have to make do with something else." He gave up on the weather materials and kept looking.
Black Iron Grade [Metal Long Stick] (Green).
"This is my only option. Not much of a choice." The main problem was money. After buying these materials, he'd only have 20,000 credits left for daily expenses.
The Metro Express drone arrived with mechanical precision, dropping off his materials like a metal messenger of possibility. Russell breathed a sigh of relief as he gathered the components, feeling their potential thrumming beneath his fingertips.
"Card making, start!"
(End of this chapter)
Comments
Ritesh Jadhav
Done 👍
Raphael Espinoza Angulo
No chapters were released in 2 days ;-;
Raphael Espinoza Angulo
Isn't this chapter 84?
