Clang!
"Hmph!"
The crisp, ringing sound echoed as the Winged Woman's eyes widened in shock. She stared at her body, pierced clean through in an instant, disbelief flooding her expression—as if she couldn't comprehend how things had ended like this.
Gareth, however, remained utterly calm. Her crimson, vertical pupils gleamed like a wolf's, sharp and merciless.
In a low voice, she declared:
"Victory."
Slash!
The spear was withdrawn. The officer lost consciousness—and her life—on the spot.
Without hesitation, Gareth shifted her gaze to another nearby officer, one who specialized in iron-fist combat, and plunged straight back into the battlefield.
Forget talk of fairness or numbers.
This was war.
The Round Table Knights followed chivalry—in peacetime. On the battlefield? Don't joke around. Victory was the only thing that mattered.
That was the core principle.
As long as you won, everything else was secondary. At the very least, that was how all the Round Table Knights saw it.
"Damn it!"
Already under immense pressure just dealing with Hugh, the iron-fist officer now felt his burden skyrocket as Gareth joined the fray.
And this—
Was only the beginning.
As the battle dragged on, Galahad finished off his opponent as well.
Slash! Slash!
Galahad moved with effortless calm, in stark contrast to the hook-handed man before him.
"Hah… hah…"
The hook-handed man gasped for breath. His body was riddled with wounds. He wasn't completely spent—but he was close. His face was grim, heavy with disbelief.
He never imagined Galahad could be this strong.
Shing—
With a casual flick, Galahad lowered his red-hilted sword. To be precise, emotional fluctuations from Galahad would've been the truly strange thing.
He stood there quietly, eyes filled only with absolute calm and clarity.
"Tch!"
Grinding his teeth, the hook-handed man knew retreat was impossible.
The man before him was like a drawn blade already locked onto its target. Any thought of escape was meaningless.
He stared sharply at Galahad, desperately searching for a chance—any chance—to turn the tables.
"KILL!"
With a sudden roar, he launched himself forward at terrifying speed.
The acceleration was monstrous.
Both hooks shattered mid-charge.
Venom boiled over, dripping onto the ground and corroding it instantly—proof of just how lethal the poison was.
"..."
"DIE!"
With a crazed howl, he lunged straight for Galahad.
Flash!
Galahad vanished.
The red-hilted sword swept past in a chilling arc.
Calmly, Galahad said:
"Everything unfolded exactly as predicted. You were too weak to even be worth consideration."
His movements were swift and precise.
In a single instant, the hook-handed man's life was taken.
Galahad had thought this opponent might not even resort to such a crude tactic in the end. That he did only made it dull.
Such methods weren't worthy of this battlefield.
Everything ended in a blink.
"Hmph…"
The hook-handed man let out a final breath. With a twisted grin, he looked up at Galahad—then closed his eyes forever.
Defeat.
Clear. Absolute.
With Galahad and Gareth both finishing their battles cleanly, only Gawain remained.
At the same time—
Arthur looked straight at Ochoku and said calmly:
"Ochoku, it seems this war's defeat… will belong to you."
"Hmph."
Despite the deaths of two of his officers, Ochoku remained composed.
"Arthur! I'll admit it—I underestimated you. But don't think this is enough to defeat me. That's nothing but a dream."
Step!
Ochoku vanished in a blur, charging straight at Arthur with terrifying speed.
"As long as I defeat you, this war still belongs to me!"
Arthur smiled.
"That's exactly what I was thinking. As long as I defeat you, victory is mine."
BOOM!
The two collided head-on.
Arthur's sword clashed violently with Ochoku's heavy sword, shockwaves erupting outward and blasting everything around them into the air.
"Hehehe…"
Ochoku snarled.
"What monstrous power. So this is the might of a Mythical Zoan. But it's not enough—not nearly enough—to take me down!"
BOOM! BOOM!
Ochoku went berserk.
It was almost unthinkable—this master strategist unleashing such raw, violent offense.
His heavy sword crashed down again and again like a storm of afterimages, as if determined to smash Arthur into pulp.
RUMBLE—!
The relentless barrage was terrifying.
Arthur, however, remained composed, carefully observing every movement, meeting Ochoku head-on with overwhelming strength.
Truth be told—
Back in the Rocks Pirates, Arthur had never fought these officers directly.
Without a true clash, one could never know how terrifying they really were.
Shiki had held back.
But now, facing Ochoku in earnest, Arthur understood:
Never underestimate them.
Every one of Rocks' former monsters was the real deal.
"ROAR!"
A thunderous shout exploded outward, forming a tangible shockwave that slammed straight toward Arthur's head.
Arthur sensed danger—but had no time to react fully.
"Wind King's Hammer!"
A violent gale erupted instantly, engulfing everything around them.
This was Arthur's enhanced power.
Undeniable. Absolute.
The raging wind seemed capable of tearing everything apart.
BOOOOOOM!
Within hundreds of meters, the ground was utterly devastated.
Wind and shockwaves collided, annihilating everything in their path.
It all happened too fast—far too fast to react.
Then—
In an instant!
An even more terrifying impact blasted outward.
Skid! Skid!
Both men were forced back, dragging long scars across the ground.
Arthur grinned.
"As expected—Ochoku. You guys really are monsters. Every single one of you."
"Hahahaha!"
Ochoku laughed heartily.
"Arthur, you're the one I can't underestimate. To grow this much in such a short time…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Because during that brief exchange, Ochoku had already noticed something.
Arthur's strength was unstable.
Not forcibly boosted—but grown too fast.
Endurance. Constitution. Haki.
These were all foundations that required time.
Without proper accumulation, power couldn't stabilize fully and can't be properly controlled.
And Ochoku saw it clearly.
That weakness was real—
But exploiting it in battle?
Almost impossible.
"Hehehe…"
Arthur shrugged it off.
"True. I pushed myself hard to stand on the same stage as monsters like you. But as long as I win this war—that's enough."
"Hahaha!"
Ochoku laughed again.
"You really think I can't beat you?"
Arthur replied calmly:
"Who knows? This battlefield isn't just ours. Even if you defeat me—what about everyone else?"
Ochoku answered with confidence:
"As long as I defeat you, the rest are irrelevant."
"Is that so?"
"Of course."
The two stared at each other, killing intent sharpening.
In the next instant—
They vanished.
Two terrifying afterimages collided again at impossible speed.
BOOM!
The ground collapsed.
It was hard to believe someone with Ochoku's massive frame could move so fast.
CLANG! CLANG!
Weapons collided endlessly.
Arthur had not yet released the thirteen seals of Excalibur.
He knew—once released, its power would be overwhelming.
But he wasn't in a hurry.
His own strength mattered more than any Noble Phantasm.
If he wasn't strong enough, even the greatest weapon meant nothing.
That was his conviction.
Thus, neither the sword's seals, nor the scabbard, nor the holy spear were rushed.
Only steady growth mattered.
Though—
Devil Fruits remained a separate issue. Arthur was still researching how to acquire them on a large scale.
Flash! Flash!
Their speed continued to climb, reaching terrifying levels.
"Everyone, stay back!"
"Get away from the battlefield!"
Neptune shouted orders.
Both Arthur's forces and Ochoku's pirates retreated cautiously.
They all knew—
This was no longer a battlefield for them.
Admiral-level combat meant island-destroying power.
Left unchecked, the island itself would be annihilated.
Just look at Akainu and Aokiji—ten days and nights nearly erased Punk Hazard.
Rocks himself had once shattered God Valley.
This level of power needed no explanation.
BOOM! BOOM!
The clash grew fiercer by the second.
Every strike was devastating.
In a short time, the surrounding area became a complete forbidden zone.
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