"What is this?!"
Gawain stared in shock, eyes wide as he looked at the magic layered over the knights' bodies. He never expected it to be this kind of enchantment.
"T-This…"
Gareth was completely stunned, murmuring in disbelief. "Isn't this—"
Before she could finish, both she and Gawain instinctively turned their gaze toward Galahad. They couldn't question the King directly—so the only one they could ask was Galahad, who clearly knew the truth.
Galahad nodded calmly.
"Before the expedition, that lady personally placed enchantments on every knight. In this new world, even the long-standing resentment between her and the King has gradually faded. Perhaps that hatred never truly existed—only the shackles of the world itself. Now, those shackles are gone."
"…I see."
"…Yeah."
Gawain and Gareth nodded numbly.
To be honest—if Britannia truly had no hidden cards, that would have been terrifying.
Just imagining what kind of power Britannia could unleash once everything was fully in place was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
A force capable of terrifying the entire world.
An invincible presence.
That was the true potential of Britannia.
---
While Gawain and the others were still reeling, Ochoku was already narrowing his eyes, his gaze sharp and cold.
"Troublesome," he muttered. "I didn't expect Arthur's knights to be this outstanding across the board."
This was one of Ochoku's strengths.
He never denied an opponent's power. On the contrary—he acknowledged it openly. A calm, rational mindset like his was exactly why he had survived and grown this far.
Arthur's five thousand knights were undeniably strong.
If this dragged on, Ochoku was confident he could still win—but he wanted absolute victory, not a slow, attritional one.
"Make your move."
"Yes!"
At Ochoku's command, the officers acted at once.
"Fufufu~ Let big sister take a look~"
Accompanied by an excited yet unsettling laugh, the Winged woman leapt down from above. Her eyes burned with murderous intent, and the long, vicious claws on her fingers made it clear—this was a cruel and sadistic fighter.
Boom!
Wrapped in Armament Haki, she descended in an instant, striking straight toward a Three-Eyed Tribe knight.
Clang!
A clear, ringing sound echoed.
The Winged woman's eyes narrowed, scarlet killing intent flashing as dissatisfaction filled her gaze.
"Hehehe~ Little sister, are you trying to fight me? I love beautiful girls like you~"
Standing in her way was Gareth.
Holding her spear in one hand, Gareth blocked the attack with Five Warriors, the massive twin-headed knight lance.
She smiled confidently.
"King against King. General against General. What kind of courage does it take for a commander to bully soldiers?"
"Hehehe—then big sister—"
Crackle!
Gareth didn't give her time to finish.
Her counterattack exploded forth like lightning.
The enormous twin-headed lance—more than twice Gareth's height—whirled through the air in a blur of afterimages. The precision and ferocity of her strikes were breathtaking.
Too fast.
In just a blink, three translucent holes had been punched through the Winged woman's body. If she'd reacted even a fraction slower, she would have been killed instantly.
"Gah—!"
Blood spilled from the woman's lips, disbelief flooding her eyes.
The wounds weren't fatal—but being suppressed so completely in a single exchange was beyond her expectations.
Gareth grinned like a feral wolf, her eyes razor-sharp.
"Don't underestimate me. Underestimating me comes at a price. No matter what—I am a Round Table Knight who serves and protects the King."
Her gaze was utterly resolute.
As the last child to join the Round Table, Gareth's effort far surpassed what others could imagine. It wasn't obligation—it was devotion, carved into her soul.
"Hehehe~ Looks like I really underestimated you."
The Winged woman still smiled—but her killing intent surged violently.
She was a notorious New World pirate, with a bounty of 320 million Berries. Being wounded by a girl was something she absolutely could not accept.
Whoosh!
The two figures clashed again—an intense and deadly duel.
...
Galahad glanced over once and spoke calmly:
"Gareth has already won."
"…Huh?"
Hugh, standing beside him with a naginata, asked in confusion,
"How can you tell, Sir Galahad?"
Galahad explained evenly:
"In pure martial skill, Gareth is among the strongest here—second only to me. Their overall power isn't far apart, but Gareth's victory won't take long."
With that, Galahad turned, already searching for his own opponent.
Step!
His foot struck the ground.
The red-hilted sword was drawn.
He charged.
Hugh stared in disbelief.
He hadn't expected Gareth's martial skill to be this terrifying.
On the surface, Arthur and Ochoku were monsters—but in pure technique, they were honestly mediocre. Powerhouses, yes, but their swordsmanship was crude by comparison.
Galahad and Gareth—they were true masters.
—
Meanwhile, Galahad calmly intercepted the man with hooked claws.
Clang!
No one could even see how his red-hilted sword moved.
In the next instant, fresh wounds bloomed across the clawed man's arms.
The man's eyes widened as he staggered back, shock and dread flooding his face.
"This man is strong… I'm no match for him."
He realized it instantly.
But once Galahad had locked onto him, escape was no longer an option.
"HAHAHA! My turn!"
Hugh burst into laughter as he charged in as well.
Max followed close behind.
One by one, the candidate Round Table Knights entered the fray. None of them were willing to stand idle on a battlefield like this—it would have been humiliating.
As Round Table Knights, candidate knights, and pirate officers all joined the fight—
The entire battlefield shifted.
The clash intensified.
The shockwaves from these powerhouses alone were enough to endanger ordinary knights and pirates alike.
---
Arthur watched quietly, eyes narrowing.
"Pirates really have grown weaker over time," he murmured.
"By the era of the Four Emperors, they'd declined too much."
Ochoku's officers were all at least Marine Headquarters Vice-Admiral level.
But in the future?
How many Emperor crews could field that many?
Even Kaido's Tobiroppo—whether they truly reached Vice-Admiral level was debatable.
The problem wasn't talent. Ancient Zoan users lacked nothing in potential.
They simply failed to push themselves.
The Great Pirate Era produced monsters through chaos.
The Four Emperors Era, however, dulled the edge of the sea.
And this legendary age—this violent, lawless age—was when the strongest were truly born.
—
BOOM! BOOM!
Thunderous explosions rang out as Gawain finally entered battle.
His opponent wielded a long spear, ponytail flowing, killing intent sharp as steel.
Their clash was blisteringly fast.
Gawain carefully controlled his magical output, refusing to waste it.
"Strong," he thought.
"Weaker than Kaido—but far more refined in technique."
Back then, Kaido had been reckless—meeting Gawain head-on at the peak of his power. The result spoke for itself.
But this era was different.
Gawain and Galahad showed no arrogance before so many monsters.
...
The battle raged on.
The Five Peaks Pirates had eight officers.
The three strongest were intercepted by the three Round Table Knights.
And apart from Gawain's evenly matched duel, Gareth and Galahad were completely overwhelming their opponents.
The remaining five officers were swarmed by six candidate knights and Fisher Tiger.
This was war.
No one cared about fairness.
Numbers crushed numbers.
The result was inevitable.
---
On the other side...
Ochoku's expression darkened.
Beyond the battlefield stood 50,000 Fish-Man soldiers.
Trash individually—but in massive numbers, they could still shift the balance.
Ochoku glared at Arthur.
"Arthur!!!"
In just three months—three months—Arthur had gathered monsters like this?
Hugh.
Max.
Wei.
Bohr…
Each had once been a fearsome name on the seas.
And they followed Arthur—because he had freed them from the Celestial Dragons.
Ochoku didn't believe it.
A schemer like him couldn't accept such a simple reason.
Yet it was the truth.
And now—
If this battle continued as it was, the Five Peaks Pirates were doomed.
That reality shook him to the core.
Especially the three Round Table Knights.
Their overwhelming strength had completely exceeded his expectations.
--------------------------------///
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