The Visma Region!
Fish-Man Island!
A terrifying war had already broken out in both places.
Shiki vs. Roger.
Edward vs. Redfield.
It could be said—
war had already erupted in full, and in such a short span of time, this terrifying conflict had completely engulfed everything. At this very moment, the war unfolding could already be called the largest conflict in the New World.
Perhaps—
second only to the God Valley Incident, which people were slowly beginning to forget.
Boom!
Boom!
The thunder of battle never ceased.
In truth—
it was not only those two battlefields. Across the seas surrounding Britannia, countless pirates seemed to have split into two camps, clashing madly with one another. Every moment, people were dying.
Crash...
Crash...
Just then—
a pirate ship slowly cut through the waves.
Standing atop that massive vessel were one powerful figure after another.
Ochoku!
Silver Axe!
And—
John!
Along with...
other infamous captains whose names echoed throughout the New World. Each wore a different expression, but all of them shared one thing in common: a greed and madness burning in their eyes. They were thrilled by everything Britannia held. Their only thought was to devour Britannia whole.
"Hehehe..."
With a strange chuckle, one of the captains said with interest, "I really can't wait. Just how vast is Britannia's treasure, I wonder? I'm dying to find out."
"Hahaha!"
"That's right!"
"Exactly!"
They were like lunatics, every last one of them. Their eyes brimmed with manic, terrifying excitement. They had waited a very long time for this chance.
Tap!
Tap!
Standing off to one side, Ochoku narrowed his eyes in thought, then glanced at Silver Axe and said under his breath, "Silver Axe! You already know about the wars at Fish-Man Island and the Vimas Region, right?"
Silver Axe nodded. "I do. I never expected Arthur to drag both the Roger Pirates and Baloric into this. As expected... no matter when it is, we can never underestimate that brat. If we do, we'll definitely pay for it."
"Exactly."
Ochoku nodded seriously. "We need to be fully prepared. That's what matters most. From the way things look now, their strength is immense, and they've got terrifying reserves of power. If this keeps up, things will become extremely troublesome."
Silver Axe nodded as well. "That's right. No one knows just how thoroughly Arthur prepared. But no matter what, we've already come this far. Retreating? That's out of the question."
"Exactly."
The two locked eyes, a sharp light flashing through both their gazes.
How did this grudge begin?
Honestly—
that no longer mattered.
For them, it had already become meaningless. They were enemies now, and that alone was enough. If someone was your enemy, then they had to pay the price. That was all that mattered.
As for everything else—
none of it mattered anymore.
For men like them, the result of war was just that. Since they'd already become enemies, there was no point hesitating over anything else. One battle to decide it all. Or rather—
just fight.
That was what mattered most.
A sharp gleam flashed through Ochoku's eyes. Both he and Silver Axe were fully prepared. If they still lost—
then perhaps that would simply be fate.
There would be no helping it.
They exchanged one final glance and nodded. There was no need for more words. Since it had already come to this, talk was meaningless.
Ochoku.
Silver Axe.
Those two had truly prepared everything. And if they still failed? Then it would only mean they were too weak. Of course, given Ochoku's personality, he'd already arranged a special means of escape.
It could be said—
Ochoku had truly prepared for everything. After all, the user of the Tunnel-Tunnel Fruit was his subordinate. With a subordinate like that, escaping would be far too easy.
"Haah..."
Letting out a long breath, Ochoku and Silver Axe stared sharply at Britannia looming ahead. Both knew this was the place that mattered most.
This was the best chance.
The perfect chance.
Arthur had already been lured away from Britannia. If they still failed even after Arthur had left with his people, that would be truly humiliating.
...
Crash...
Crash...
Watching the pirate ships rushing toward them, Agravain stood atop the Mountain Island and said calmly, "Their numbers, their strength, everything is more or less within expectations. It can all be controlled."
"Mhm."
Galahad merely nodded, his expression utterly unchanged.
As Britannia's chief instructor, Galahad had always been that sort of man. This time, he and Agravain had remained behind to defend Britannia. They had long expected the enemy's arrival, and even the scale of the invading force was within their predictions.
This was nothing strange to them. They had already guessed the enemy would come. Naturally, they had prepared.
"Mm."
Agravain continued thinking, while Galahad spoke first. "Agravain, prepare to receive the enemy."
Agravain said calmly, "Then the defensive work is yours."
"Mhm."
Nodding, Galahad turned and left.
Very soon, large numbers of knights had taken up positions on both Volcano Island and Iceberg Island, waiting for the enemy to arrive.
Shing!
Drawing his red-hilted sword, Galahad declared, "All of you, the enemy is before us. Prepare for war. Prepare for sacrifice. Behind us lies our homeland. The King entrusted all of this to us. We must not let him down."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The knights roared in unison, their battle spirit surging skyward.
Iceberg Island was one thing.
But Volcano Island was another matter entirely. All around it, outsiders watched from the shadows. They were unstable factors. If Britannia continued winning, that was one thing—but if the slightest weakness appeared, those outsiders would not hesitate to bare their greed and strike.
Of course—
that wasn't an important issue.
After all, Britannia's fairies had already marked every last one of them. Did they really think they could simply leave after making a move? What a joke. The moment they stirred, the price they would pay would be terrifying.
"..."
Standing on Mountain Island and looking down at the battlefield below—a battlefield that had not yet erupted—Agravain murmured, "My King... this is the best chance, and the most important one. We absolutely cannot fail."
He clenched his fist tightly.
Fortune favors the bold.
Agravain knew this war was the most important war in Britannia's history. If they endured it and won, then the sky would be the limit. But if they failed to endure it, the best outcome would be Britannia's collapse.
The worst?
Everyone dies.
It could be said—
the importance of this war was beyond doubt. That was true for everyone.
Agravain had already prepared everything.
"Lord Agravain!"
At that moment, Mashi approached and said softly, "Everything is ready. The special weapon Mr. Tom forged has been fully prepared. If—"
Agravain interrupted calmly, "I know. If the war turns against us, then use that weapon. If there is even the slightest chance, it must be used. But even if we use it, once this war is over, the price we will pay will still be enormous."
That weapon—
still wasn't ready to be revealed.
The reason was simple.
Britannia wasn't yet strong enough to protect it.
...
Half a year earlier.
"My King!"
Tom knelt on one knee and said seriously, "There is something remarkable I need to discuss with you."
Arthur sat upon the throne, with Agravain on one side and Lamorak on the other.
Arthur smiled faintly. "Tom, what is it?"
Tom replied seriously, "I possess the blueprints to one of the Ancient Weapons—Pluton. But Pluton cannot be built or used right now. If it is, Britannia won't gain profit from it... only destruction."
A flicker of understanding passed through Arthur's smile.
Of course he knew Tom had Pluton's blueprints. He had simply been wondering when Tom would finally reveal it.
He hadn't expected it to happen so soon, and that pleased Arthur.
Still smiling gently, Arthur asked, "Tom, can you build Pluton?"
As for why Tom had chosen to reveal it, how he got it, or why he would do this—
Arthur asked none of it.
There was no need.
If he asked, it would only mean he distrusted his own subordinate. Since Tom had brought it to him, then all he needed to do was accept it.
"Yes!"
Tom answered seriously, "I can build a truly magnificent Pluton!"
"However..."
Arthur smiled faintly. "I understand your concerns, Tom. And you're right. A weapon like that would cause enormous problems no matter when it appeared. Since that's the case, then let's try another approach—extract the weapons mounted on Pluton and turn them into defensive armaments for Britannia."
"They are only to be used at the most critical moment."
"Yes!"
Tom immediately understood.
After that—
Tom left, and Morgan le Fay joined in to assist.
Working together, and after several months of effort, they finally developed a kind of weapon. It wasn't perfect, but its power was still terrifying.
In truth—
Tom had been absolutely right. Without absolute certainty, such a weapon truly couldn't be revealed. A man becomes guilty simply by possessing a treasure. That was an undeniable truth.
If such a weapon were exposed carelessly, the price they would pay would be unimaginable.
Arthur openly admitted that Britannia was strong.
But the question was—
had Britannia truly grown strong enough?
No.
Not yet.
At the very least—
even if Britannia fought on home turf, it would still be utterly defeated if it faced the Rocks Pirates at their former peak. Much less the far more terrifying World Government.
It could be said—
Britannia was strong, but not yet strong enough.
That was Britannia's current reality.
What Britannia needed now was steady growth.
Of course, Arthur knew full well that the outside world would never allow Britannia to develop in peace.
Was a pirate crew terrifying?
Perhaps.
A powerful pirate crew was certainly dangerous. But to the World Government, it still wasn't something worth fearing. No matter how strong pirates became, they were still pirates. To fear pirates was meaningless.
More than that—
even if Britannia kept growing, at most it would become something like the Kano Country, a superpower among nations. To the World Government, that still wasn't worth placing much importance on.
The Five Elders had never taken such things seriously. Over the centuries, they had already seen countless powers rise and fall.
What they truly worried about—
was the alliance of major powers.
That was what mattered most.
Of course—
if Britannia managed to master a weapon of that magnitude, then that would be a different matter entirely.
And that sort of weapon...
was not something that could be wielded lightly.
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