Chapter 1225: The Mistaken Single Digit

“Sis, lend me your sewing kit for a bit, I think I’ve discovered something amazing.”

Page One would certainly not bring a fishing rod into the ring, but he knew very well that Ulti always carried a sewing kit with her.

Although she was very irritable and her style was straightforward and crude, Ulti actually had skillful hands and even had a hobby of making small accessories, which was in stark contrast to her outward personality.

She could mend and patch things easily; items like their cloaks and Page One’s mask were all made by her, so the sewing kit was naturally of utmost importance.

This was also a result of her living environment. She and Page One’s father was quite similar to Kaidou, able to keep the children alive, but how they turned out was left to fate.

When Yamato was born, although the Hundred Beasts had just made their mark, their logistics and such were already well-established, so Yamato didn’t have to worry about these things.

But Ulti’s father’s pirate crew didn’t have the abilities of the Hundred Beasts, nor did they have anyone skilled in sewing, so over time, Ulti was forced to engage with these things at a young age and gradually developed this hobby.

“What do you need it for? Just tell your sister what you want to do.”

“To make a fishing rod, otherwise it would be a waste.”

Taking Ulti’s sewing kit, Page One picked a relatively thick needle from it, bent it to create a simple fishhook, and then randomly pulled out a piece of thread.

Using clothing thread for fishing was already quite exaggerated, let alone for catching aggressive fish like fighting fish. Normally it wouldn’t be practical, but he was different. In no time, the fishing line and hook in his hand were stained with a tint of black.

As the most versatile ability in the New World, Haki had various uses, such as strengthening the hardness of weapons and tools.

Wrapping the line around his arm, Page One had already prepared his tool for catching fighting fish.

Looking at the fishhook, which was not even bigger than a fighting fish’s tooth, Ulti fell into deep self-doubt.

“Page, I know you like fishing, but in this situation, with this tool, isn’t it a bit unrealistic?”

“No problem, sis, these fish are different.”

Normal fish would be scared away at the slightest movement, and they might not bite the bait, but these highly aggressive fighting fish were different. As long as someone stood there, they would jump towards you.

If he wanted, he could easily take down a Sea King Type, those deep-sea monsters that dared to show their heads, Page One could make them part of his “catch.”

But such a method didn’t align with his fishing needs, as monsters dozens of meters long had nothing to do with fish; at least these fighting fish still fell within the range of fish.

“I don’t believe you can catch any fish…”

“Just watch, sis.”

Then Page One demonstrated his fishing method. According to the habits of these fighting fish, they indeed wouldn’t bite the fishhook; they would just attack the fisherman, so Page One made a rather unconventional move.

He stood at the edge of the ring using himself as bait, and then spun the line in his hand. When a fighting fish couldn’t resist jumping towards Page One, he aimed precisely for the open mouth of the fish.

The fishhook pierced through the fighting fish’s lower jaw like a spear, under the enhancement of Haki, and with a strong pull from Page One, a fighting fish was tossed onto the ring.

“See, didn’t I catch one?”

Ignoring the process and only looking at the result, a fishhook hanging from a fish’s mouth lying in front of a fisherman, whether this counted as a successful fishing act could perhaps rise to a philosophical level.

But the audience in the arena wasn’t there to watch them fish. The match had long since started, only nobody dared to attack the siblings just yet, which was the intimidating power of the numbering system.

Numbers could more intuitively describe status, Speed and her group had already shown terrifying destructive power beyond the twenties, so people wondered what those in the single digits could do; the contestants were mostly watching and didn’t want to be the ones to step on a mine.

While the ring had no action, outside was different; Gatz had also noticed Page One’s strange fishing behavior.

“Contestant Page One seems… to be very interested in fighting fish? What are considered dangerous creatures to ordinary people seem like toys to him. Is this what a single-digit Numberer is like? Even those at the very bottom have a calmness far beyond ordinary people… Hey, hey! No attacking the commentator! That’s a serious violation!”

Gatz was getting into it, but the fighting fish that had been thrown down suddenly flew over.

“Enough, you guy! Could you update your information when commentating! Who are you calling the bottom!”

Ulti angrily stared at Gatz at the commentary booth, very dissatisfied with his commentary.

NO.9 and NO.8 were things of the past; with Jack’s promotion, there was a vacancy at NO.2, and normally, Elizabeth would fill that gap.

However, Elizabeth was still carrying out a sneaky sniper plan and didn’t bother to claim the original position.

Back when the siblings were at the bottom, it was due to their young age, but as time passed, they had begun to grow, and the combat-talent-bottom Iscariot had caused the single-digit Numbers to exchange places several times.

Talent, goals, abilities—all these factors have made the siblings more than just numbers 9 and 8.

But Gatz’s information comes from the wanted posters; they just wrote a name when filling out the data. It’s not an internal ranking battle, so there was no need to be too detailed.

Their numbers are quite special and not as conspicuous as Speed’s. Page One’s number is written on his chest and can’t be seen without taking off his shirt, while Ulti’s has been switched to her ankle.

This led to an outdated error in Gatz’s commentary.

“Ahem, there was a minor mishap just now, but it doesn’t affect anything. Let’s refocus on the arena!”

The airborne Garchomp had been knocked out long ago, merely startling Gatz and amusing the audience, as seeing the host flustered is a rare pleasure.

However, Gatz himself didn’t mind such events; as a host, he’s seen plenty of similar situations.

Due to the outdated information, Gatz didn’t know Page One and Ulti’s exact numbers, so he simply decided not to mention them. For a commentator, adaptability is crucial.

“The match is heating up, and Page One is finally drawn in. And his opponent… is the Navy!”

More Navy participants have come to Dressrosa than in the original timeline. Besides Maynard, who entered under a pseudonym, some even chose to compete directly without removing their cloak of justice.

“This is a rare spectacle, having the Navy directly participate in our competition! Our beloved King has truly created an extraordinary scene!”

Undoubtedly, the Navy and pirates are archenemies, so what kind of sparks will fly in this arena?!”

Gatz remained enthusiastic in his role, explaining the changes on the battlefield through his understanding.

…

“Pirates are getting bolder, joining competitions openly now?”

“What are you saying? In this competition, it’s you Navy folk who are the odd ones out.”

Page One looked at the Naval officer in front of him; one wore a mask covering the lower half of his face, the other covered the upper half, making them quite a pair in a sense.

“Headquarters has orders, but in the arena, it’s considered a special case.”

A Navy Vice Admiral with long red-brown hair drew a large blade from his back—Headquarter Vice Admiral, Shark-Slaying Blade, Bastille.

The Headquarters order he mentioned means they can’t engage in battles with a Sea Emperor without orders, to prevent uncontrolled consequences.

He hadn’t intended to come here, but Maynard’s sudden disappearance and the emergence of powerful pirates altered his plans; he needed information from the subsequent matches.

As a Navy Vice Admiral, seeing pirates living large who should be running from their bounty, and even rousing cheers from others, naturally stirred a sense of discontent within him.

The battles in the arena clearly don’t count as open warfare, so he directly locked onto his target.

“Speaking of which, our nicknames really match each other, don’t they? What do you say, Land Shark, Page One?”

“You can try and see if your Shark-Slaying Blade can take me down.”

The species of Garchomp intrigued Page One, even thinking of raising some on Ghost Island; fishing would be more fun that way. But clearly, this isn’t the time for fishing.

Facing the Navy staring him down, Page One tore off his shirt and tossed it aside.

His upper body clothing more resembles a suit; if he didn’t take it off, it’d likely rip apart. As his body swelled, the tattoo of his name on his chest and the inverted No.9 stood out.

As the youngest single-digit Numberer, he continually strives, and No.6 stands as proof of his effort.

“Roar!”

With a roar, Garchomp appeared before Bastille, emitting a fierce aura from his body. The mere sound made many people’s bodies stiffen as if targeted by a top predator.

Bastille’s steps hesitated for a moment but quickly recovered, raising his Shark-Slaying Blade towards Page One. As a Headquarter Vice Admiral, assigned as Fujitora’s assistant, his strength surpassed that of Maynard.

Additionally, he specializes in dealing with large Sea Beasts, which is why he’s known for the Shark-Slaying Blade. But he made a mistake.

He ignored the person in front of a particularly protective sibling, trying to attack that sibling’s brother.

“Get lost, you jerk! Don’t interrupt my time with little Page!”

Ulti stepped on Page One, jumping to a higher position, her arms fitted with sharp axe blades striking towards Bastille ahead of Page One…