One Piece: The sky is azure, I just time-traveled today.

Page 98

"I will definitely give them a good talking-to when I get back!"

"Solitary confinement! Copy the Fox's Self-Cultivation Manual one hundred times!"

Sabo stood up, crossed his arms with great interest. The creatures on this island could not only talk, but they were also more human than him; they were practically geniuses.

"The King of Beasts?" Kuina exclaimed as if she had heard something incredible. "Where? Could there really be a King of Beasts?"

The fox's ears perked up sharply; it keenly sensed the other's intentions, and its small eyes darted around.

The fear on his face instantly turned into fawning.

"Are you all interested in the King of Beasts, sir?"

It rubbed its paws together and took a few steps closer.

"There is indeed a big match in three days."

"It's in Howling Valley, right in the center of the island."

"The victor will wear the crown of thorns."

"To become the king of beasts for the next three years."

Subbotton was surprised. The King of Beasts sounded so intimidating, yet the gameplay was so abstract. He raised an eyebrow: "What are the specific details of the match?"

The fox lowered its voice.

"marathon."

“Run from Howling Valley to Despair Falls and then back.”

"The entire route is fifty kilometers."

Its tail swayed restlessly.

"but……"

Robin keenly caught its hesitation: "But what?"

The fox's whiskers trembled.

"What might happen on the road... no one can say for sure. And after you put on that crown, something bad always seems to happen!"

"The champion of the previous three years was a pangolin, which came back with more than half of its scales missing."

"The champion of the first six years was a cheetah, and he is still seeing a psychologist."

Kuina tapped the hilt of the knife lightly with her fingers: "Interesting."

Sabo became even more excited: "We want to participate!"

He looked at the fox.

"No objection?"

The fox was so frightened that it waved its paws repeatedly.

"Don't dare!"

"It is our honor that all of you esteemed guests can participate!"

It glanced furtively at Liu Jiu.

Liu Jiu was gazing towards the valley.

The fox suddenly shivered; it had a bad feeling.

This competition...

Something big might be about to happen.

The three little chicks were also making noise.

“We’ll join in too!”

"Let these outsiders see how powerful the fox family is!"

The fox quickly covered their mouths.

"Stop fooling around, you little devils!"

"This competition..."

It looked at Sabo's eager expression.

Looking into Kuina's sharp eyes.

He looked at Robin's thoughtful smile.

Looking at Liu Jiushen's unfathomable calm.

He swallowed the rest of his sentence.

It's probably going to become hellish difficulty.

Three days later, Howling Valley.

The once silent valley was now bustling with noise—or rather, with the sounds of animals.

Animals of all sizes and colors crowded the entrance to the valley, and the air was filled with the strong smell of wild beasts and a restless atmosphere.

The massive brown bear pounded its chest and let out a deep roar;

The agile cheetah crouched low, its golden pupils fixed on the track;

Even the usually docile sika deer were pawing restlessly, their antlers gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Not to mention the creatures rarely seen in ordinary times: lizards covered in crystal scales, gray wolves with three eyes, squirrels with glowing tails...

They growled and hissed at each other, communicating in various languages, the content of which was nothing more than threatening each other or boasting about their strength.

"This year I will definitely tear that crown apart!" a tiger with a broken tooth roared.

"You? You couldn't even outrun last year's pangolin." The rhinoceros next to him scoffed.

"I heard there are outsiders participating this year?" a python hissed.

"Humans? How fast can they run?" The cheetah licked its paws gracefully.

Amidst this chaos, Liu Jiu and his three companions stood out conspicuously.

They stood at the edge of the herd, out of place with the wild atmosphere around them.

Sabo curiously examined the various strange and exotic beasts, occasionally letting out a gasp of amazement;

Kuina stood with her arms crossed, her gaze sweeping over the seemingly ferocious beasts, her eyes calm;

Robin observed all of this silently.

Liu Jiu remained as indifferent as ever.

The fox, with its three chicks, squeezed at the very back of the herd, nervously observing the situation.

"Mom, look! That bear is huge!" a chick exclaimed excitedly, pointing ahead.

"Shut up! Want to be a snack?" The fox covered their mouths tightly.

Just then, an old tortoise wearing a referee's hat climbed up a high rock.

It tapped the stone with its cane, the sound ancient yet clear, echoing throughout the valley:

"The 137th King of Beasts Tournament is about to begin!"

The herd of beasts immediately fell silent, all eyes focused on the old tortoise.

"The rules remain the same: start from the valley, pass Despair Falls and return, a total of fifty kilometers."

The old tortoise adjusted his glasses and added seriously:

"Special reminder: Flying is prohibited during the competition. All birds must run on the ground."

Upon hearing this, a chorus of protests immediately arose from the flock of birds.

"Why should I?!" a vulture cried out indignantly.

"This is a land competition!" the old tortoise insisted. "If you want to fly, go participate in the sky competition!"

The eagles flapped their wings angrily, but eventually reluctantly folded them back up.

The fox whispered an explanation from the side: "This is to prevent some guys from taking shortcuts. Last year, an albatross almost succeeded."

Sabo said thoughtfully, "So even things that can fly need to run? Interesting."

Kuina glanced at the dejected birds of prey: "Fairness."

Robin said thoughtfully, "This is how social rules limit natural abilities."

Liu Jiu's gaze swept over the beast horde, which was fully prepared for battle.

The old tortoise raised the starting pistol:

"Everyone is in his place——"

The beasts instantly went into battle mode, their muscles tensing and their claws bared.

"preparation--"

The air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder.

Hundreds of wild beasts, like untamed horses, charged wildly toward the track entrance.

Dust flew everywhere, and the earth shook.

The brown bear shoved aside the wild boar blocking its path, the cheetah darted out like lightning, and even the tortoise frantically paddled its limbs—

Although it was quickly submerged.

Sabo laughed loudly and charged ahead, nimbly weaving through the herd of beasts.

Guina moved with ease, each step precisely landing in the gaps.

Robin followed behind at a leisurely pace, observing the surrounding ecosystem.

He didn't participate; he had somehow appeared at the back of the line, sitting on the judges' panel with a tea table in front of him. He poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip.

The fox watched from behind, dumbfounded.

Are these humans... monsters?