"Ladies and gentlemen, it's a pleasure to see everyone here today."

"Since I sent out the call, more and more people have gathered here, all hoping to bring peace to these waters..."

The King of the South Sea began to speak.

The content he was saying was clearly not something he had written himself, but he had memorized it well and delivered it with emotion. So, despite some flaws, it didn't cause much trouble or threat.

Later, the King of the South Sea invited several guests again, and everyone took turns expressing their opinions, appearing harmonious and joyful.

Until the King of the South Sea appeared for the third time and was about to speak.

The disruptor finally appeared.

The lady Eve, whom Ronald had been observing, walked from below to the front and loudly asked, pointing at the King of the South Sea:

"Phil, stop with your high-sounding nonsense!"

"Tell me, where exactly is Porta now?"

"Eve?" The King of the South Sea on the stage looked bewildered, but didn't call for anyone to drive her away or pretend they didn't know each other, instead asking innocently, "What happened to Porta?"

"I heard he came today too, and I was looking forward to catching up with him."

Hearing this, Eve was furious, pointing at him and scolding:

"Liar! I personally walked into your castle!"

"You greedy... greedy maniac, if you're still a man, tell me, did you kill him!"

"We killed so many people at sea before, now that you've done it, don't pretend you haven't got the guts to admit it."

Eve struggled to control her emotions.

After all, the King of the South Sea was once her friend too, and now with such matters between the three of them, her heart was the most tormented.

Yet the King of the South Sea on the stage showed concern for Eve:

"Eve, I think something might have gone wrong with your magic studies."

"This unfamiliar power, it's as dangerous for a woman to try it rashly as getting on a ship, you need to calm down."

"Besides, many people here know about our relationship. How big a misunderstanding must it be for you to think I did something to Porta?"

After saying this, the King of the South Sea waved his hand.

His men immediately crowded over, ready to take Eve away and prevent her from continuing to disrupt.

"Whoa, did this guy actually kill Porta?"

"Weren't they brothers before?"

"What's it matter killing a brother, when did we ever shy away from killing in our line of work?"

"That's what you don't get!"

"He's the King of the South Sea now, not like us villains, he has to maintain that facade."

Seeing the scene unfold in the square, the people around began to discuss.

They apparently tacitly assumed the King of the South Sea had killed his friend, but few truly cared, instead treating it as a joke.

But on the stage below, Ronald sensed something through his emotions.

At that moment when the King of the South Sea reacted, a flash of anguish and reluctance crossed the man's heart, which he then suppressed.

According to the pirates.

Now, who knows what this guy is feeling inside.

"Get lost!"

Suddenly, a silver light flashed on Eve.

The few men who tried to grab her immediately fell, taken down by Eve's companions. The one closest to Eve had already been pierced through the chest by her, clearly beyond saving.

"Eve, what do you mean by this!"

Seeing this, the King of the South Sea also flew into a rage.

He might have had the possibility of letting her go, but with Eve's actions, there was no way they wouldn't resolve things today.

Below the podium, Eve was much more decisive.

She waved off the blood on her weapon, pointing the now-silver blade at the King of the South Sea:

"Phil, I think you've been played dumb by those people."

"What's left between us to resolve?"

"Old rules, one-on-one, whoever survives walks out!"

"..."

Once Eve spoke, the surroundings immediately fell silent.

Then, a mountain-shaking roar of cheers began, the eager and crazy eyes surrounded them both in the center.

"Deathmatch! Deathmatch! Deathmatch!"

Eve's proposal was a deathmatch invitation.

On the southern continent's sea, this is the ultimate way to resolve disputes. A face-to-face duel, the living gains everything from the deceased, a result above all ethical and moral constraints.

In this atmosphere, the representatives of forces naturally didn't smile, merely watching the situation develop coldly.

Meanwhile, the pirates were getting more and more into it.

Within seconds, those who had shown no interest in the event started to gather, making the scene grander than ever.

At first, the King of the South Sea's face was angry.

But as he saw more and more people gather, the man started to have thoughts, and his expression turned serious:

"Eve, I can give you one last chance, get out now."

"Do you think you can beat me?"

Eve coldly replied:

"You really think you're invincible?"

"Let me tell you, Phil, Porta and I came together."

"So either we both leave together, or we both stay here."

"..."

"Then don't blame me for not showing mercy."

The King of the South Sea finally said.

Perhaps, once walking this path, he couldn't bear the current atmosphere;

or maybe he didn't want Eve to damage his reputation anymore.

In any case, the man waved his hand, creating a path for Eve to smoothly reach the podium.

Soon, the podium was cleared.

The King of the South Sea stood on the left side, wearing only a single garment and holding nothing, coldly staring at the woman in front; on the other side, Eve was dressed appropriately, holding only a dagger in her hand, her eyes fixed on death.

"Deathmatch! Deathmatch! Deathmatch!"

As the fight seemed on the verge of eruption, the surrounding shouts grew louder.

They treated this battle as the best entertainment, hoping only for bloodshed, uncaring of who would win.

On the other hand, the two faced each other. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Though they spoke decisively before, when actually about to fight, they remained cautious. Knowing each other's strength, both the King of the South Sea and Eve still calmly observed, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

To skillful casters, the magic fluctuations ready to burst from both could be seen, hinting at their upcoming moves.

In such a lively atmosphere.

Understanding Ronald's character, Costate had already asked:

"Sir, aren't you going to act?"

Ronald shook his head.

Glancing around, with the feverish 'audience' not paying attention to him, he openly said to Costate:

"No rush, disrupting this fight is our rightful excuse to be ostracized and 'escape' into the Nine Commandments' territory. The critical moment is our signal to step in."