Chapter 382. Kidnapped
After leaving the merchant stalls, Tyler and his group wandered deeper into the enormous circus tent. Music, laughter, and strange smells filled the air. Every corner offered something bizarre and unexpected—beast tamers juggling flaming lions, floating tea stalls, and illusion shows that bent reality itself.
Then Tyler’s gaze fell on something that made him stop in his tracks.
"Is that... a boxing ring?" he muttered.
Indeed, a small crowd had gathered around a raised platform where an octopus man was dominating the scene. He looked a lot like Taka – their Ship’s Cook — but with more muscle and far more flair. Each of his eight tentacles wore a different colored boxing glove, and he was currently in the middle of pummeling his opponent into unconsciousness. His punches were a blur, striking from multiple angles at once.
What shocked Tyler even more was the group of screaming fans nearby—mostly young women waving handmade signs with the octopus man’s name and caricatures drawn in glitter ink.
"Who knew octopus guys had such a fanbase?" Tyler muttered.
A girl grinned beside him. "He’s famous around here. They call him ’Kraken Prince.’"
"But look at him." Tyler squinted. "He looks annoyed."
"He is," Another Guy chimed in, munching on something fried and suspicious-looking. "He hates creatures with only two arms. He has his own preferences."
The match ended quickly with another victory for the tentacled fighter. Just as he was about to leave the ring, a new challenger entered—a spider woman.
Her upper body was humanoid, though she had six slender, human-like arms and six glowing eyes that blinked independently. Her long black hair flowed down her back, and her chest was bare except for a complex weave of silk-like cloth that barely covered anything. From the waist down, she had the massive black body of a spider, complete with hairy legs and gleaming fangs.