Clang!
Whoosh!
Even after everyone else had withdrawn, Redfield still looked utterly relaxed. He slipped past Shiki's assault with ease, then retreated in a flash and said calmly:
"Looks like this fight ends here. Honestly… what a bore."
"Hehehe~"
Arthur smiled. "Redfield, I'll come find you."
Redfield answered with absolute confidence, "Of course. Arthur—this is our promise. And I will never break it."
There was pride and domineering certainty in his expression. Redfield had unwavering faith in himself—even if the wager was the rest of his life. In his eyes, he simply wouldn't lose. And if he wouldn't lose, then there was nothing to fear.
He turned and left.
No one stopped him.
Because Redfield was truly strong.
Defeating him might be possible for those present—but killing him? That was nearly impossible.
All in all, the chaotic clash that had seemed like a gathering of legends lasted no more than three hours before the curtain finally fell.
Now, the only ones still standing here were the former members of the Rocks Pirates.
"…."
The atmosphere grew heavy again.
The massive free-for-all gradually settled into a tense stillness, spreading from the center of Hachinosu all the way to the coast. Every faction stared at the others in silence.
No one dared to move.
Because if someone made a wrong move here…
it wouldn't be a "small incident." It would be a catastrophe.
"Jihahahaha!"
Shiki was the first to break the silence, grinning sharply.
"Arthur, brat! You can tell us where the treasure is now, right?"
Arthur replied naturally, "Of course. It's buried beneath that massive skull statue. But even if you know the location now, it doesn't matter."
He smiled faintly.
"The victor takes everything."
Arthur wasn't lying.
Rocks' treasure really was buried in the simplest way possible—right under the skull at the center of Hachinosu.
But the issue was… no one dared touch it.
That skull wasn't just a landmark—it was the symbol of Hachinosu, and a monument to the Rocks Pirates themselves.
Anyone outside the Rocks Pirates would never dare dismantle it.
Even though they had already "disbanded," even though they stood there in silence as if the name Rocks no longer mattered…
Don't ever doubt this:
Their identities were still carved into the world.
If someone tore down that symbol, what they'd face would be a combined assault from all of them.
That was the core issue.
Which was why Arthur didn't need to hide anything. Saying it out loud changed nothing.
Whoever tried to run off with the treasure would be hunted down immediately.
Only the ones who survived the final battle—one person, or a small handful—could truly claim it.
Everyone else?
Forget it.
Forget it.
"…."
A dead silence fell again.
Every gaze sharpened—everyone calculating, weighing, searching for the one opening that could decide life and death.
This time, no one made careless moves.
Because one slip…
could be fatal.
Step.
Step.
Suddenly, Ochoku burst forward at extreme speed, charging straight at Arthur. He bared his teeth with confidence.
"Arthur, brat—today I'm cutting you down for good!"
"Destruction Shockwave!"
He crossed his hands before his chest as a terrifying sphere of energy formed—then a cyan shockwave blasted forward, as if it meant to wipe everything out.
"Hm?"
Arthur's brow twitched.
In just a month and a half… Ochoku's gotten stronger.
Then Arthur's mouth curled.
"But…"
"This is exactly what I was hoping for."
He stepped forward—
and Caliburn flashed with dazzling golden light, splitting cleanly in two.
Slash!
BOOM!
The shockwave was cleaved apart in front of Arthur, blasting outward to both sides and erupting into two terrifying mushroom clouds.
A heartbeat later, Arthur surged out from the smoke, Caliburn blazing with radiant brilliance as he drove straight for Ochoku's throat.
Clang!
Ochoku drew his massive greatsword, and the two collided again—faster than the eye could follow.
With the founding of Britannia, Arthur had already dispelled the Wind King's Barrier around Caliburn.
He no longer needed it.
Back then, it had been caution—compensation for insufficient strength.
Now?
Arthur didn't need to hide his blade.
He might not be invincible… but he had already stepped fully into the ranks of true monsters.
That confidence wasn't arrogance.
It was qualification.
"Oh ho!"
Ochoku grinned as their weapons crashed again.
"Hey, hey—seriously? After all this time, you're still this weak, Arthur?"
Arthur smiled back.
"Ochoku, your mouth doesn't match your strength. Don't tell me you're only capable of this much?"
"Tch!"
Ochoku snapped, "I can slaughter you today!"
"Slaughter me?"
Arthur teased, "Plenty of people want that. Too bad the ones who can actually do it… are rare."
Words clashed.
Blades clashed.
Neither yielded an inch.
They both understood: the other was dangerous.
If they wanted to win, they had to seize every possible advantage—
because even the slightest lapse…
could mean death.
CLANG!!
The clear, ringing sound echoed.
And while Arthur and Ochoku fought—
the rest watched with eyes like knives.
"Jihahahaha!"
Shiki's grin twisted.
"So! Anyone else want to back out now?"
Whitebeard. Kaido. Linlin. John. Silver Axe.
They stood silently.
If someone was the "first to be eliminated," it would unquestionably be Kaido.
In the past, Kaido and Arthur had been close.
But after Arthur founded Britannia and awakened the Red Dragon bloodline again, his strength surged.
Kaido, meanwhile, still needed time to grow.
And in a cruel twist, that made Kaido look like the weakest one here—
something Kaido could not accept.
Since the Rocks Pirates disbanded, four and a half months had passed.
Kaido's growth wasn't dramatic.
And honestly?
That was normal.
Kaido's progress was the kind that came from real accumulation.
Arthur's progress?
…That was a cheat.
Otherwise, why would Shiki and Ochoku have been so shocked?
No matter how talented you are, there are still rules. People train for decades—then you come along at fifteen or sixteen and surpass them?
That's not "talent."
That's a bug in the system.
Arthur was that kind of anomaly.
Still—
shock or not, reality was reality.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard laughed at Shiki.
"Shiki, you bastard—planning to monopolize the treasure? Don't make me laugh. I'm not letting go of it either."
His eyes gleamed coldly.
That treasure belonged to Rocks.
Rocks was dead.
So anyone could claim it.
And Whitebeard certainly didn't think he was weak.
"Hmph."
"Hah."
Shiki and Whitebeard exchanged a glance—
then, almost simultaneously, turned away.
"Gura Gura no—Air Quake!"
"Lion's Threat: Earth Scroll!"
In a shocking development, the two of them attacked Silver Axe and John at the same time.
And Linlin and Kaido were swept into the clash as well.
BOOM!!
The moment those six engaged, everything changed.
With Shiki and Whitebeard's strength, fighting two-versus-four wasn't a problem—
especially since, in their eyes, Kaido was basically free damage right now.
Back when the Rocks Pirates still existed, Arthur, Kaido, and even Shakky had seats at the table "apprentices," but still given status.
Yet those who understood the truth knew:
Shakky had that status because of intelligence and information.
Kaido's strength was only around lower-officer level back then.
Arthur?
Arthur was genuinely powerful.
And after everything that happened, Arthur had only become more terrifying.
"Air Quake!"
"Wagh—!!"
Whitebeard's punch smashed into Kaido, making him spit blood. His wounds began healing quickly, but even in that brief exchange it was clear:
Kaido was no match for Whitebeard.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard laughed loudly.
"Kaido, brat! Give it up! This fight isn't one you're qualified to join yet!"
"Bastard…!"
"BASTARD—!!"
Kaido roared in rage, burning with unwilling fury.
His eyes snapped to Arthur—still fighting Ochoku.
And Kaido's anger ignited into something uglier.
Jealousy.
Everyone had jealousy in them.
Kaido did too.
Ever since he joined the Rocks Pirates, he and Arthur had felt like equals.
But now—
Arthur was pulling farther and farther ahead.
Kaido couldn't accept it.
"ROAR!!"
He threw his head back and unleashed a deafening bellow, surging upward.
His eyes were swallowed by rage, turning a terrifying blood-red—as if he'd gone mad.
"Hm?"
Whitebeard's mouth curled in contempt.
"Pathetic. That brat Kaido… is he really doing something this embarrassing just because he can't stand losing?"
"MAMAMAMAMA~!"
Linlin laughed loudly.
"Whitebeard, worry about yourself. Kaido can still get stronger in the future."
"Not everyone is a monster like Arthur."
Even Linlin, Shiki, and Whitebeard—monsters as they were, hadn't reached this level at Arthur's age. They only truly hit it around twenty-five or twenty-six.
Kaido wasn't far off that path either.
Once he reached his mid-to-late twenties, that's when he'd truly begin—Haki mastery, Devil Fruit mastery…
That would be the real rise of Kaido.
But right now?
Kaido couldn't accept it.
Why were they both from the same era—yet Kaido was so far behind Arthur?
That refusal festered into jealousy, and jealousy burned his sanity away.
"Hmph."
Shiki sneered.
"Whatever the reason, Kaido's making a fool of his damn self. Arthur, you're not going to stop him?"
"That idiot is heading straight for your ship."
Arthur forced Ochoku back and smiled casually.
"Relax."
"On that ship… there's a knight who's extremely strong."
"And her strength…"
"I acknowledge it completely."
--------------------------------///
Advance Chapters on Patreon!
p(a)treon(.)com/HudaLin
-Remove the parenthesis to access patreon normally
Thanks for the Support!