*(Note: Dont expect everything to align with the canon. As this is written far before the latest chapters of the original manga.)
"Haa… haa…"
Arthur and Kaido both gasped for air, their chests rising and falling heavily.
Outwardly, they bore few wounds, but both knew the truth—after several relentless hours of battle, their exhaustion was absolute.
Every muscle screamed; every breath burned.
And in the distance… nothing remained.
Marine Headquarters Admiral — "Lion" Vixen, the man who had ruled the seas for decades, had finally fallen.
The ferocious lion had reached his limit—and collapsed.
With him, the last roars of the old generation of Marines were silenced.
No—
perhaps it was more accurate to say that the curtain was finally falling on all the old legends of this era.
...
"Huff…"
Arthur exhaled deeply, forcing his racing heart to calm.
The murderous glow in his crimson eyes slowly faded as he suppressed the raging blood of the Red Dragon within.
Restored to his armored knightly form, he smiled faintly, as though all was finally right again.
"Lord Arthur!"
Galahad appeared beside him, catching his master's trembling body before he could lose balance.
Arthur smiled lightly.
"I'm fine. Just… a little tired. Some rest, and I'll be fine."
Galahad said nothing—he simply supported Arthur and guided him away from the battlefield's heart.
---
On the other side, Kaido stood alone, battered but unbroken.
He looked rough, yes—but no one dared to call him defeated.
Every soul on the battlefield knew what had just happened:
Two young monsters—barely men—had brought down a Marine Admiral.
That fact alone transcended explanation.
It didn't need words. It didn't need embellishment.
The death of an Admiral at the hands of two rookies was more than victory—it was a declaration:
A new era has arrived.
—
At that moment, across the battlefield, the old titans—Rocks, Gray, and others—narrowed their eyes in unison.
The air itself seemed to shift, as if time had brushed past them, leaving only inevitability in its wake.
"Ohahahahaha!"
Rocks D. Xebec rose from his throne, roaring with laughter.
"Listen up, brats! Get yourselves ready! Did you see that?! Arthur and Kaido just took down an Admiral!
If you don't hurry up, you'll be left in the dust by those two!"
"ROOOOAR!!!"
With that call, the Rocks Pirates erupted into madness.
The balance of the battlefield shattered in an instant as they fought like beasts—trading wound for wound, life for life.
Gold, glory, and power gleamed behind them; death loomed ahead.
But they no longer cared.
They had become demons of battle—driven by blood and frenzy, their only thought was kill.
Kill! Kill! Kill!
That was the only thing left in their minds.
---
Arthur sat down on a massive boulder, his limbs trembling uncontrollably.
He was utterly drained; every drop of magic spent after the final Excalibur blast.
Truthfully, had he not summoned Galahad, whose defense bordered on the invincible, Arthur might never have survived that reckless gamble—especially in a battlefield this chaotic.
A moment later—
Shakky appeared before him, graceful and silent.
Shing!
Before she could even speak, Galahad's Crimson-Hilted Sword was already leveled at her throat.
Shakky only smiled.
"Easy, knight. I'm not here to harm him."
Galahad hesitated, then lowered his blade at a subtle gesture from Arthur.
---
Not far away, Vice Admiral Gion knelt on one knee, her sword trembling in her hands.
Vice Admiral Garp's protégé, Commander Gaji, rushed to her side, unsure what to say.
From the outside, she seemed unhurt—but Gaji could feel it.
Her wounds were not of the flesh, but of the heart.
She had given her all—yet the gap between her and Galahad had been insurmountable.
That realization crushed her spirit far more than any blade could.
"I'm fine," Gion said quietly, forcing herself to stand.
Her grip tightened on her blade, eyes sharp and resolute.
"One day… I will defeat that man—Arthur Pendragon—with my own hands."
"Hahaha…"
Vice Admiral Tsuru stepped forward, effortlessly cutting down a nearby pirate as she smiled faintly.
"Failure isn't something to fear, Gion. What matters is recognizing it—and correcting it. That's how we grow."
"Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
Gion's voice was firm.
"I'll become stronger—strong enough to surpass him! After this battle, I want to enter the LFL training on the Red Line!"
Tsuru wasn't surprised.
"Are you sure, Gion?"
She nodded.
"Yes. Arthur and Kaido killed Admiral Vixen. The Navy's standard training won't get me there. If I want to surpass them—I have to risk everything."
Tsuru sighed softly, then smiled.
"Then so be it."
—
[LFL Training.]
A word that meant Hell—literally.
It was a secret, near-fatal regimen devised by the Five Elders themselves, used only for CP0 officers and elite special units.
Few ever survived it.
But those who did emerged monstrously strong.
If Gion wished to match Arthur Pendragon, there was no other path.
"Hehehe…"
Gaji laughed softly. "If Gion's going, I'll go too. After all, I'm chasing her."
"I'll never accept your pursuit," Gion snapped.
"I'll never give up," he answered.
"Then keep dreaming."
Their bickering drew a quiet chuckle from Tsuru.
Good. They hadn't broken.
So long as their hearts still burned, they could rise again.
Defeat, after all, was merely fuel for strength.
---
Arthur glanced toward the three Marines and asked softly,
"Galahad, what do you think of Gion's strength?"
Galahad replied honestly,
"Her strength and speed are impressive. But her swordsmanship is shallow—and her heart is restless."
Arthur smiled.
"Then again, there are few in this world who can match you in swordsmanship, Galahad."
Galahad said nothing—just stood silently beside his king, ever watchful.
Hearing their conversation, Shakky smirked.
To hear Arthur praise a knight so highly—it intrigued her.
"Few can surpass him in swordsmanship, huh? Now that's interesting…"
Tap
Tap
Kaido approached, laughing thunderously before dropping to sit beside Arthur.
"Wororororo! That was glorious! We did it—we actually killed that damn lion! A Marine Admiral, hah! So that's all they amount to, huh?"
Arthur shook his head.
"Don't get cocky, Kaido. Overconfidence has a price. You couldn't have beaten him alone—and neither could I."
He was right.
They had won—but only barely.
Their victory had come through reckless desperation—life for life, wound for wound.
Had it been one-on-one, either of them would have died without question.
Even two-on-one had been a miracle.
If not for Arthur's Red Dragon bloodline and Kaido's Mythical Zoan resilience, they never could have outlasted Vixen's monstrous power.
Anyone else in their place would have perished.
Kaido clicked his tongue in annoyance but didn't argue.
He knew it was true.
Against legends like Edward, Shiki, or John, he'd have been pulverized into the dirt.
The Azure Dragon's regeneration was impressive—but against monsters like them, it wouldn't save him.
Without strength to match, no ability mattered.
...
Arthur stared quietly at the distant horizon, muttering to himself:
"Dragging this out any longer is pointless. We need to find a way through the Marine blockade—fast."
Because he knew—
the longer they delayed, the worse it would get.
Killing Marines meant nothing.
The Celestial Dragons and their treasure were the true objective.
If they failed to break through now, the Rocks Pirates would inevitably fall.
And it was clear why.
Among the six core officers, only Linlin were fighting seriously.
Edward, Shiki, John, Silver Axe, and Ochoku were all half-heartedly "playing along."
Rocks himself? Watching and waiting.
Only now did Arthur understand: this battle wasn't about victory.
It was about Rocks' final blaze of glory.
The captain's body was failing; he sought not survival, but a grand, chaotic end.
---
Arthur approached him quietly.
"Captain Rocks… do you really intend to keep fighting?"
"Ohahahahaha!"
Rocks laughed, his eyes gleaming with manic pride.
"Arthur, my boy, of course! We've come this far—how could I stop now?!"
Arthur sighed softly.
"You know this is futile. But I suppose… a man like you would never choose to die in peace."
"That's right!"
Rocks' gaze blazed like fire.
"How could I go quietly?! Look around you—every one of them, even the Marines, are just actors on a stage!
Fine then. I'll burn down this whole script! I'll erase the old era myself!"
He rose to his feet—
ready to fight once more.
Arthur said nothing.
He understood.
The man who ruled the seas would never accept a quiet death.
Better to die in madness than fade in silence.
He watched Rocks stride toward the battlefield once more—
and for a brief moment, it was as if he saw the man's entire life flash before him.
Arrogant. Defiant. Unbreakable.
A ruler of the world, now marching toward his inevitable end—defeated, not by enemies, but by time itself.
---------------------------///
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