Summary:
A member of the Donquixote Pirates explains to Luffy and Franky that while a particular Devil Fruit cannot exist in more than one place at a time, the fruit will naturally grow somewhere else in the world if the user dies. After Ace’s death, Doflamingo was somehow able to obtain the reincarnated Mera Mera no Mi. Luffy states that he wishes to own it and asks Franky if he would like to eat it. Franky denies it, saying he would like to keep his ability to swim. Luffy explains that he can’t eat it himself because of Gomu Gomu No Mi, but that he doesn’t want to leave his brother’s fruit to just anyone. Franky comments that this might be a trick by Donquixote Doflamingo, but it’s not a chance Luffy should pass up. They decide to escape and enter the Colosseum.
Meanwhile, Zoro is running around looking for who stole his sword. Sanji chases after him and tries to convince him to let go of the sword before being interrupted by a beautiful dancer. Zoro warns him that the women of the land are said to stab people, but Sanji blissfully ignores this as he is mesmerized by her beauty. Sanji eventually loses sight of Zoro in the middle of his antics and decides it’s a good opportunity to leave him here. Looking at all the couples, he ponders the possibility of Robin and Nami falling for him until a dancer approaches him. She asks Sanji to hold her, and amid his confused reaction, she hugs him tightly as soldiers walk by; looking for her The dancer thanks Sanji and lets him go, but notices his heavy nosebleed and apologizes for hurting him. Sanji is immediately love struck by her caring nature, but tells him that she has given up on love. She starts hinting about all the men who have been with her in the past, but Sanji is only concerned with helping her from the men who have been chasing her. The dancer says it’s the police who are after her for stabbing her ex-lover. Sanji is stunned by the rumors of a passionate love for the island being true, but immediately dismisses it to help her. She states that if she is so willing to forgive an evil woman like her, she might fall in love with Sanji, further strengthening Sanji’s comic crush. She eventually reveals her name is Violet and asks for Sanji’s protection on the way to the next town. Plus there’s a man he wants Sanji to kill.
When Luffy and Franky arrive at the Corrida Colosseum, they are overwhelmed by its size, fueling Franky’s will to fight as well. He then sees the policemen chasing the wanted one-legged soldier before jumping to one of the windows and entering the coliseum. He explains that by law the police and marines are not allowed into the coliseum, even if they witness a criminal inside. He also says that the only ones allowed to enforce their rules in the coliseum are the Donquijote pirates and that they would be criminals if they tried to shoot him now. After the cops leave, a soldier jumps down and notices Luffy’s beard. Believing him to be an old man, he offers to help Luffy and Franky with their luggage. Franky is suddenly interested in the criminal’s polite behavior, while Luffy is greatly amused. Pleased by Luffy’s joy, he starts laughing and posing randomly, further entertaining Luffy. Franky then asks him to get out of their way, and the toy is shocked to find that he is preventing them from doing so. Franky again questions his changes in behavior and the toy explains that he did it to entertain people because that’s what toys are for.
The announcer calls for public registration to be closed for the event, though he laughs at the idea of anyone from the public signing up. Announcing his intention to join, Luffy rushes through the crowd of worried and skeptical faces. When he gets to the registration desk, Franky advises him to use an alias. Although Luffy acknowledges this, he is still very close to giving his real name before Franky cuts him off with a punch to the back of his head. Luffy officially enters the competition as “Lucy”. The announcer escorts him to the contestants’ waiting room, where he sees many gladiators warming up. Believing him to be an old man, the gladiators immediately belittled him. However, one in particular, an extremely large warrior named Spartan, is offended that someone weak would enter the coliseum, where people come to see strong warriors battle. He tries to attack Luffy, who quickly dodges and flips the Spartan over – knocking him down to the shock of the gladiators nearby.