"Is it coming…?"
White Fox suddenly seemed to sense something, murmuring in a voice only two people could hear.
Who's coming?
Xiano grew increasingly impatient. This guy was being so cryptic—was he going to fight or not?
He kept talking in riddles, standing there like a wooden pole, making people guess what he meant.
Xiano hated people who spoke in riddles more than anything.
Fine.
If he could act, he wouldn't waste time talking. If there were no answers, he'd take them himself! With that thought, he made his decision. With a flick of his wrist, the bamboo sword suddenly thrust forward.
By the time White Fox realized it and turned to look, the bamboo sword had already precisely knocked off his mask.
Clatter—
The White Fox Mask fell to the ground, and a thin, weary face of a man in his early fifties was revealed to everyone through the large screen hanging above.
For a moment, the entire arena fell into dead silence, so quiet that even the sound of the mask rolling on the ground was clearly audible.
Xiano sensed the strangeness in the arena and frowned as he stared at the face. Was this man famous?
The next moment.
Like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, the entire arena erupted in uproar! Almost all the audience members couldn't help but stand up.
"Hey! No way! If I'm not mistaken, that… that face is…"
"Sakuraba Itsuki, the dojo master!"
"He's still alive?!"
What on earth is going on!
That renowned Sakuraba Itsuki, didn't he die five years ago in a shipwreck during a storm?!
"Father!!!"
The curtain of the dressing room was suddenly flung open, and Junichi rushed out like a madman.
When he reached the scene, his whole body was trembling. He stared wide-eyed at the thin man, afraid that everything before him was just an illusion. "Is it really you? Is it really you…"
"It's me, Junichi."
The thin man's slightly trembling hand reached out, stroking Junichi's head as if he had a thousand things to say.
But in the end, his eyes just turned red, and two lines of tears streamed down his face as he murmured, "Junichi, my Junichi…"
"Father!!!" Junichi could no longer hold back. He buried himself in his father's arms, tightly hugging the bony chest, and burst into loud sobs.
"Ugh, what's going on? I'm about to cry too…" The host standing at the edge of the arena also began to sob, taking off his glasses to wipe his tears, which made Xiano glance at him in surprise.
He silently took a few steps back, leaving the center of the stage to the father and son.
"…Junichi, step aside for now. Be good. I don't have much time to stay conscious and break free from the control. Let me finish what I need to say."
The thin man patted his son's head. Junichi wiped his tears and nodded vigorously, letting go of his arms. No matter how reluctant he was, he knew there were priorities.
The thin man turned to face the audience.
"Everyone, it's been a long time. Or rather, it's been a long time since I've appeared before you as Sakuraba Itsuki."
He spoke in a low, hoarse voice, "I think what you all want to know most is what really happened during that shipwreck five years ago, and why I'm still alive?"
Most of the audience instinctively nodded.
"That wasn't a shipwreck. It was a carefully planned trap."
Recalling that nightmare, Sakuraba Itsuki's eyes filled with pain. "A demon called 'Carpenter,' or rather, a person who had gained demonic strength, set his sights on my body, which still possessed some strength. He devised a trap to lure me off the island, knocked me unconscious, and while I was out, used his ability to control me."
Carpenter?
Most of the outsiders present looked puzzled, but many of the local residents couldn't help but be startled. They were all too familiar with that name.
This "Carpenter" was the boss of an underground syndicate that had risen to power about five years ago.
Professional beggars, casino enforcers, loan sharks, and even several brothels on the island—these shady businesses were all under his control, making him notorious.
Ordinary citizens would usually avoid him if they saw him, knowing they couldn't afford to provoke him.
But in the open, his status was far from that of the island's true big shots.
And Sakuraba Itsuki was undoubtedly one of those big shots.
A rat from the underground sewers, daring to lay hands on such a figure?
Where did he get the guts and the ability?
Could it be, as Mr. Sakuraba mentioned, the power of some demon?
"President Sakuraba! Are you saying that Carpenter is actually a Devil Fruit Ability User?"
Among the audience, there were still those who were well-informed. They immediately caught the implication and couldn't help but shout out the question.
"Exactly!" Sakuraba Itsuki nodded bitterly. "To be precise, he is a Paramecia-type Puppet Fruit Ability User, capable of..."
"—capable of turning humans into puppets that I can control at will!"
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Boom! The doors of the Martial Arts School were suddenly kicked open from the outside. Accompanied by a wild and arrogant voice, a middle-aged man in a luxurious coat, with a cigar clenched between his teeth and a dark expression, appeared at the entrance.
It was none other than the infamous "Carpenter" in the eyes of the local residents.
And behind him, two figures followed.
The audience focused their eyes and were surprised to find that the two men, who seemed like lackeys, were none other than the town's security officer and the highest-ranking officer of the 129th Marine Branch Base in the northern part of the island, Lieutenant Commander Tomte!
"Tsk tsk tsk, what a surprise, Sakuraba. It seems I underestimated your willpower and rebellious spirit."
Carpenter's cold gaze fixed on the emaciated man in the Arena, and he said in a chilling voice:
"Other puppets only need to be brainwashed once, and they can be left alone. But you, this exception, keep showing signs of struggle and loss of control every now and then. I just re-brainwashed you last month, so what triggered you this time? Let me guess... could it be this brat?"
His gaze shifted to Junichi. Standing to his right and slightly behind him, Lieutenant Commander Tomte of the Marine Branch Base expressionlessly raised his flintlock and aimed it at Junichi.
"Lieutenant Commander Tomte, what are you doing! Why are you taking orders from a gang leader and pointing a gun at a child?!"
A roar of disbelief came from the audience.
—It turned out that a Marine from the 129th Branch, who was on leave and had come to the city to watch the match, couldn't believe his eyes at what he was seeing.
Was this really the same kind, amiable, and upright Lieutenant Commander they knew?
"Didn't I already say it? That's the power of the Paramecia-type Puppet Fruit."
Sakuraba Itsuki let out a bitter laugh. "Your major, and that sheriff, are just like me—they were secretly controlled by him long ago. On the surface, they appear no different from ordinary people, but as soon as the Carpenter wills it, they immediately become puppets who obey his every command."
"Additionally, controlling each puppet requires one finger. The Carpenter has ten fingers, and of course, he wouldn't waste a single one."
He then turned his gaze to the seven Martial Arts School masters to the south, his voice growing even more hoarse. "So, my old friends here have also, without exception, fallen victim one after another."
The audience erupted into chaos once again.
The seven Martial Arts School masters remained seated, their expressions cold and indifferent, showing no intention of refuting the claims. This only further confirmed Sakuraba Itsuki's words.
The surrounding spectators, as if they had seen a plague, panicked and scrambled to their feet, pushing and shoving each other as they hastily retreated toward the outskirts.
Among them were some family members or close subordinates of these Martial Arts School masters.
Suddenly, they recalled the strange changes in their own masters over the past five years. Only now did they finally understand the reason. As they stared at those familiar yet unfamiliar backs, a chill ran down their spines.
(End of Chapter)