"Surpassed, huh?"
"Hehehe~"
Marco actually looked relaxed—almost casual—as he spoke.
"Sir Arthur, honestly… I know very well that I'm nowhere near Katakuri's level. Let alone Bullet's. They're both born with the qualities of a king. But me…?"
He shook his head, but Marco's eyes were firm.
"But I do have confidence. So I'm going to try anyway. In the world that lies ahead… I believe they won't be able to defeat me."
"Haha."
Arthur chuckled softly.
"That really makes me look forward to the future."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Bullet, Marco, Katakuri—
They were all only seven or eight years old.
And yet none of them thought like children.
Every one of them carried a mindset forged through hardship—far too mature, far too heavy for their age.
Their growth was a good thing…
But also terribly sad.
These children were forced to grow in ways that made one's heart ache.
And when you thought about it—even just a little—it all made sense.
Of course, Arthur wasn't one to meddle.
People walk their own paths.
He had his own path.
They had theirs.
He would simply keep moving forward.
"…"
Standing behind Arthur, Gawain watched Marco seriously and murmured in his heart:
"As expected… this world is full of extraordinary talents. Bullet and Marco both—mindset, strength… everything about them is already far beyond their age. Once they're grown, they'll become truly terrifying powers."
After that—
Arthur and Whitebeard simply relaxed and chatted.
They talked about this, talked about that—and mostly about the past three months.
Arthur had been endlessly busy these last three months.
Britannia was still in its early stages, so naturally the workload was enormous.
Supply shipments were finally on their way back.
And there was still the issue of Tom.
Once Tom finished linking the Britannia Islands together, Arthur planned to aim for self-sufficiency.
At the bare minimum, even if they continued buying goods from outside, Britannia had to start earning money.
They couldn't keep relying on profitless exchanges forever.
Besides—
Arthur never considered himself a pirate.
He'd only been a pirate to hunt Devil Fruits.
But now?
Arthur needed legitimate profit.
Otherwise, everything would become troublesome very quickly.
And so—
As Arthur and Edward talked, time passed quickly.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard rose to his feet.
"It's already dark! Arthur brat, this old man will be heading out! Looking forward to seeing you again! Hope we won't meet as enemies!"
Arthur also stood, answering with confidence:
"I'd prefer not to be enemies either. Friends make the seas easier to navigate. But—even if we do become enemies someday, I won't fear anything."
"Gurararara!"
"Hehehe!"
"Cheers!"
The two raised their mugs and emptied them in one bold gulp—a silent acknowledgement of the camaraderie they once shared.
By now—
Both of them knew very clearly:
The past was gone.
Only the future awaited them.
As long as their interests did not collide, they could sit and drink together like this.
But if they ever opposed each other…
Neither would show mercy.
Splash~~~ splash~~~
Watching the Moby Dick sail farther and farther into the distance, Arthur stood at the edge of the volcanic island, hands in his pockets.
"…Gawain. What do you think of Edward?"
"Bold."
"Generous."
"And protective of his children."
"To Edward, his sons are his reverse scale. Anyone who harms them… even if the whole world stood in his way, he'd never hesitate."
Gawain analyzed the man seriously—and his judgment was spot-on.
That was Edward Newgate.
At Marineford, Sengoku used this very trait against him.
Big Mom and Kaido also valued their children and subordinates—but for them, it was mixed with personal pride and political interests.
They'd consider the cost first.
But Edward?
His sons were his family.
That single word—"Pops!"—proved the sincerity of their bond.
"..."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"That's exactly why… in the future, we're almost guaranteed to end up clashing with Edward."
"Hmm?"
Gawain paused, then quickly understood.
"Yes. Pirates are lawless by nature. For profit—or pride—they might do anything."
Arthur nodded.
"Indeed. But that's for the future. Right now, Britannia comes first. Once Britannia stabilizes, we'll have plenty more matters to handle."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Gawain bowed respectfully.
He knew very well—building an empire was never easy.
Once—
The King of Knights had led them without expanding territory, yet the ancient Britannia Empire still spanned vast lands, even forcing Rome to kneel.
And what built that empire?
Power and prestige.
Only overwhelming strength could make others willingly submit.
Likewise—
In this world, war and strength would determine everything.
Without doubt.
"Whew~"
Arthur exhaled slowly, gazing into the distance.
"The Devil Fruit collection continues… but now that Britannia has made a name for itself, collecting them has become easier."
Those nations, factions, kings who had witnessed Britannia's strength—and Arthur's—could no longer deny it.
In just over a month—
Arthur had purchased over 50 Devil Fruits from all over the world.
Counting the ones he acquired himself, the total reached 60.
Costly—Since he paid triple the normal market rate.
But for Arthur?
Money wasn't a problem.
For the big factions, selling a few Devil Fruits was nothing.
Especially when Arthur was paying three times the usual price.
These Fruits were then traded with Kaido.
Fighting was one thing, business was another.
Kaido, annoyed but tempted, traded two powerful Fruits for several ordinary ones.
And so—
Arthur's Devil Fruit collection grew to 60 in just one month.
He understood, of course, that the pace would slow as the world's reserves diminished.
But for now—It was enough.
"Next…"
Arthur considered his options:
Summon another Round Table Knight?
Or enhance the Red Dragon bloodline?
At 40%, his Red Dragon bloodline still wasn't fully developed—otherwise he'd already be admiral-level.
But if he summoned the right Knight… he might draw another absolute monster.
The combat potential of the Round Table Knights was wildly uneven, after all.
Based on his talks with Galahad and Gawain:
Strength depended entirely on how well they developed their innate gifts.
Gawain had the Blessing of the Sun.
Galahad had the Holy Grail's Approval.
Neither could be said to be stronger or weaker—it depended on usage and growth.
But in their original world, the restrictive environment held them back.
Of course…
There were always exceptions—
Monsters who unleashed their full potential.
Like Lancelot.
With the Blessing of the Lake and the Blessing of the Sun, he was so overwhelmingly powerful that even Gawain, Gareth, and Gaheris combined couldn't defeat him.
And then there was Mordred, inheritor of the Red Dragon's blood—another absolute monster.
But there was no need to rush.
Everything would progress slowly, step by step.
Splash~~~
Splash~~~
Just then—
A massive ship approached from the horizon.
Arthur and Gawain immediately noticed it.
"Hoh..."
Arthur smiled.
"Gawain—Gareth has returned."
"Mm!"
A rare trace of joy flickered across Gawain's face.
After all—she was his younger sister.
It was worth noting:
Their aunt—the witch who inherited the true power of the island—had created countless children in order to defeat the King of Knights.
But ironically…
Those children all ended up admiring and serving Arthur instead.
Gawain himself—blessed by the Sun—was one of them.
Gareth, Gawain's younger sister, was blessed by the Wolf God.
Although she was Gawain's sister, Gareth adored Lancelot above all, following him everywhere to learn and grow.
In the end…
That admiration was what led to her death.
As for the others—
Mordred, inheritor of the Red Dragon bloodline.
Agravain, the sharpest political mind among the Knights—possessing the Blessing of Iron.
Gaheris, Gawain's twin brother—blessed by the Tiger God.
And when even that wasn't enough, their aunt went further—
She obtained the genes of Pellinore, the strongest knight before the Round Table era, and created Lamorak, one of the top three strongest Knights.
Lamorak, born with the Blessing of Strength, was a walking natural disaster.
No wonder people joked that the witch's children were essentially Britannia's talent-manufacturing factory.
"Whew…"
Arthur sighed softly, lost in thought.
Just imagining his furious aunt was headache-inducing.
She didn't particularly care about the throne itself—What she couldn't accept was that Arthur, not she, inherited it.
"Hehehe~"
Arthur suddenly shook his head and chuckled.
Gawain blinked, puzzled—uncertain what his king was thinking about.
Splash~~~
Splash~~~
As the ship drew closer to shore, Arthur finally saw her:
Standing at the bow in full knight's armor, wielding an enormous double-headed lance—
A small, stalwart girl.
The newest member of the Round Table.
The one known as the Wolf Knight—
Gareth.
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