"Ten percent…"
"Red Dragon's Scales."
"Hm?!"
Arthur stared at his status panel, pondering the new ability that had awakened with the advancement of his Red Dragon bloodline. Or perhaps… it was exactly as he suspected.
He reached to the side and picked up a fruit knife.
Scrape!
Without hesitation, he drew it across his arm. But instead of blood and torn flesh, there was only the harsh screech of steel grinding against steel.
"As I thought!"
Arthur nodded to himself. "Just as I guessed—this is very similar to that person's skill."
Charlotte Linlin. BIG MOM.
That woman possessed an inborn talent: her skin was as tough as an iron balloon. Even without using Armament Haki, her body had monstrous defenses that ordinary attacks could never pierce.
Now, Arthur's Red Dragon's Scales were a counterpart to that ability.
"But still…"
Pshh!
Arthur clenched a dagger and coated it with Armament Haki. With one thrust he drove it straight through his palm. Blood spurted, and sharp pain flared.
He pulled the blade out quickly. Though the healing was not instantaneous, the wound scabbed within a minute or two and fully closed in just three to five minutes.
Arthur nodded with understanding. "As expected… with the strengthening of my bloodline, even my baseline regeneration has improved. Awakening ten percent has given me the Red Dragon's Scales, but like my recovery, it will only reach its true peak as my bloodline continues to awaken."
The Red Dragon bloodline granted terrifying physique, monstrous recovery, and immense talent. These were fundamental traits. But when he had only awakened five percent, there had been limits.
Now at ten percent, his strength had risen again—yet limits still remained. Even the Red Dragon's Scales had a ceiling.
Because even if the Red Dragon bloodline were awakened to one hundred percent, that would actually be just the beginning.
Arthur Pendragon's path was one of extremes. At the lower limit, destroying a single island might strain him. At the highest, he could dominate worlds and erase mankind.
"Tch."
After finishing his experiments, Arthur shook his head and lay back on his bed.
"The first awakening of the Red Dragon bloodline only cost one Devil Fruit. Summoning Excalibur cost one Devil Fruit. Now…"
"The second awakening, pushing the bloodline another five percent, cost ten Devil Fruits. And Excalibur still has thirteen seals to undo. I'll need—"
His thoughts whirled endlessly until, at last, sleep claimed him. To fully inherit the mantle of King Arthur… who could say how long that would take?
---
The Next Morning
"Phew~~"
Arthur continued his training as always. No matter how monstrous his physique had become, his daily regimen never stopped. Even a terrifying body needed years of accumulation to truly grow.
After all, no matter how great one's talent, without training, it would never reach its peak.
"???"
Emerging from the cabin, Duru watched Arthur training at a level of intensity that made him click his tongue.
"Arthur, do you really have to go that hard?"
Arthur gave him a glance but offered no reply.
Duru didn't mind. He simply went off to breakfast.
Arthur watched him leave, thoughtful. He had a guess about Duru's true identity. But then he shrugged—what did it matter?
If even he could see it, did anyone really think future monsters like Captain Rocks wouldn't? Of course they knew. If they weren't interfering, neither would Arthur.
He trained on until eight in the morning, finally ending his regimen with a long exhale. After a shower and a change of clothes, he headed for breakfast as well.
---
In the Mess Hall
"…What the hell…"
The pirates in the mess hall stared, wide-eyed and speechless, at the mountain of empty plates stacked before Arthur.
Not far away, Kaido was also devouring food at an inhuman pace. Both men ate like ravenous beasts, shoveling food with a speed that left the onlookers pale.
True, in this world most warriors ate more than ordinary folk. Training bodies demanded energy, and food was its richest source. But Arthur and Kaido's appetite was beyond belief.
"Damn it!"
After nearly two hundred servings, Kaido finally collapsed back in frustration. He couldn't eat another bite. To be outdone even in this? It gnawed at him.
Arthur calmly set down his utensils.
"About eighty percent full. This is enough for breakfast."
His words sent shock through the room.
Five. Hundred. Servings.
Even among the Rocks Pirates—where monstrous appetites were normal—that was staggering. And yet Arthur claimed it was only eighty percent full? Was his stomach connected to another dimension?
The entire hall stared in disbelief.
Arthur, inheritor of the Arthurian System and bearer of the Red Dragon bloodline, had also inherited one more essential truth:
Question: What was most important to King Arthur in this life?
Answer: Food!!!