Boom!
Thunder still roared as the storm continued.
However, Ochoku's expression remained serious.
"We still can't be careless. That brat Arthur is very strong. And in these past six months, no one knows what he's been doing."
Silver Axe and the shadowy figure hidden nearby both nodded.
Indeed—no matter the opponent, one could never lower their guard. Especially when the opponent had once been one of their own.
And Arthur was different from the rest.
In only a single year, he had risen from a mere apprentice pirate on the Rocks Pirates to what he was now.
In the New World, among pirate forces—excluding the great world powers and the underground emperors—four dominant factions had emerged:
Arthur's Britannia
Edward's Whitebeard Pirates
Shiki's Flying Pirates
Roger's Roger Pirates
These four were collectively known as the Four Great Powers of the New World.
Of course, there was one fundamental difference.
Edward, Shiki, and Roger all led pirate crews.
Arthur ruled a nation.
Although Arthur himself had never declared such a thing outright, everyone understood that he had little interest in the identity of a pirate.
In fact, many people had begun asking a strange question:
Was Arthur even still a pirate?
After all, over the past year, the bounties of major pirates across the seas had continued to rise.
Only Arthur's remained unchanged—still at his original 550,000,000 Berries.
There had been no increase whatsoever.
As time passed, it almost felt as if his bounty had been quietly buried. The great powers of the seas had gradually stopped mentioning it entirely.
This was not surprising.
During this past year, the Ryugu Kingdom had grown increasingly influential.
And Britannia—its greatest supporter, had likewise continued to expand its power. The Visma Region had also grown stronger.
Under these circumstances, Britannia's influence only increased.
If anyone dared to issue a new bounty on Arthur…
The three kings of the Visma Region might not matter much.
But King Neptune of the Ryugu Kingdom was another matter entirely.
Neptune was not only the ruler of a World Government–affiliated kingdom—his influence, status, and military power were all formidable.
Because of this, Arthur's bounty had effectively been shelved.
It wasn't officially removed—but no one talked about it anymore.
Moreover, unlike Edward, Shiki, and Roger—who were constantly stirring chaos across the seas—Arthur had remained remarkably quiet.
Aside from activity around Fish-Man Island and Hachinosu, he had rarely appeared anywhere else.
For the past year, he had practically stayed in Britannia like a recluse.
No one knew what he was doing.
But everyone understood one thing clearly:
As long as Arthur remained in Britannia, provoking him was pointless.
Still, no one believed such peace could last forever.
This was the New World.
And the lunatics who ruled it would never allow tranquility to endure.
For pirates like them, revenge was never abandoned.
---
After the storm passed, the sky cleared.
The weather was bright and peaceful.
"Ha!"
"Ha!"
Ten thousand knights in full armor trained rigorously, wielding their knight swords in disciplined formations.
Under Galahad's instruction, their daily training was extremely strict—and their strength was improving rapidly.
ROAR!
Suddenly, a massive shadow burst into existence.
A strange, towering figure appeared, its entire body coated in dark purple Armament Haki.
From above, it smashed down with a devastating punch.
Standing below it was a tall woman.
Lamorak.
She calmly raised her hand and threw a punch of her own.
BOOM!
The two wildly disproportionate fists collided.
In the next instant, the giant figure shattered.
From within the collapsing construct, a pale young boy tumbled out.
But before hitting the ground, he twisted his body mid-air and landed steadily.
"Haa… haa…"
Dropping to one knee, he gasped for breath.
Looking up with a wry smile, he said:
"Sir Lamorak… you're unbelievably strong."
Lamorak said nothing.
She merely tilted her head slightly, seemingly uninterested in replying.
The boy was Douglas Bullet.
Only eight years old.
Arthur had personally acknowledged him as a candidate for the Round Table.
Bullet trained relentlessly.
Unlike the other knights, he did not serve within a knight corps. Instead, he received specialized instruction—first under Galahad, and now sparring directly against Lamorak.
This alone showed how much Arthur valued him.
Everyone could see it.
Arthur had placed enormous expectations on Bullet. The resources and training he received were of the highest level.
And rightly so.
Bullet's talent was extraordinary.
After all, reaching Admiral-class strength was no simple matter.
At present, Britannia's known top-tier fighters were:
Arthur.
Morgan le Fay.
Both firmly at Admiral level.
Below them stood Lamorak, whose strength was solidly near-Admiral level. Combined with his unique abilities and the Holy Spear, he could rival an Admiral in battle.
Next came Gawain and Galahad, whose strength was just below Lamorak's—roughly equivalent to the level of a Yonko Commander.
(Fighters like Marco, Katakuri, or King.)
Below them were Gareth and Agravain.
Though Agravain's case was special—his abilities were extremely unusual. If unleashed fully in a short burst, he might even kill an Admiral outright.
That was the visible strength of the Pendragon faction.
As for what lay in the shadows…
Well.
That was another story.
After all—
Arthur had accumulated 600 Devil Fruits.
Did anyone seriously believe those fruits had not strengthened Britannia during the past six months?
Surely not.
Surely no one was that naive.
Bullet, meanwhile, had long grown accustomed to Lamorak's silence.
Footsteps approached.
Arthur's voice sounded behind him.
"Bullet, you should relax a little. Your growth has already been incredibly fast for someone your age."
It was true.
In just two years, Bullet had grown to the point where he could nearly match a Rear Admiral.
And he was only eight years old.
"Your Majesty!"
Bullet immediately dropped to one knee.
"I still feel too weak. I—"
Arthur interrupted gently.
"Bullet, I have very high expectations for you. I want you to become a true Knight of the Round Table."
"But if you push yourself too far, you'll damage your body."
"You're already training all three forms of Haki, developing your unique demonic aura, and training a killing intent that only a handful of people in this world can actually access."
"Your talent is extraordinary. You even have the potential to awaken a Conqueror's Haki comparable to Captain Rocks."
"But strength takes time to mature."
"If you rush it, the cost will be too great."
Bullet fell silent.
Despite his maturity, he was still only eight.
Arthur had been secretly having Britannian spirits restore Bullet's vitality every day.
Otherwise, the boy's brutal training would have destroyed his body long ago.
"Take it slow," Arthur said with a smile.
Then he left with Lamorak.
Bullet nodded seriously.
But inwardly, he still burned with impatience.
Sigh…
"How much time do I need?"
In this world, strength followed a natural progression:
Teens – conditioning the body.
20s–30s – explosive growth.
40s – reaching peak power.
50s–60s – stabilizing at the pinnacle.
And beyond that, if the body and mind remained strong, power could still continue growing.
But Bullet didn't want to wait.
"Thinking about getting stronger again?" someone asked.
Bullet looked up.
It was Bohr.
"I want to grow stronger faster," Bullet admitted.
Bor shook his head.
"Strength isn't built overnight. You need time."
Bullet knew that.
But he still wanted to grow faster—to become a true Round Table Knight and stand beside the King.
For the young boy, that desire had become his entire world.
---
Meanwhile, Arthur and Lamorak were heading back toward White Chalk Castle.
Agravain approached respectfully.
"Your Majesty, visitors have arrived."
"Visitors?"
Arthur paused.
Britannia had received many guests in the past six months, but Agravain's tone made it clear these visitors were different.
"Who is it?" Arthur asked.
Agravain answered quietly:
"The Roger Pirates."
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
That was unexpected.
If it had been Edward, Shiki, Ochoku, or Silver Axe, he would not have been surprised.
But he had never had any dealings with Roger.
Still, Arthur smiled faintly.
"Since they've come," he said, "let's welcome our guests."
After all—
As long as they didn't come looking for trouble,
They were simply visitors.
-----------------------------------///
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