"Arthur, brat!"
"Jihahahahaha~~~"
That wild, leonine laughter echoed through the mess hall as Shiki strode inside.
"Shiki… one of the officers?"
"Wait, what—?"
"Lord Shiki came here just to see Arthur?!"
The surrounding pirates erupted into whispers. They knew Arthur's strength as a trainee was terrifying, but none expected even someone like Shiki—a top officer among Rocks' crew—to personally come looking for him.
Arthur raised his head and asked calmly: "What is it?"
"Hmph!"
Shiki's grin twisted into something feral. "Brat, Captain Rocks has given the order—execute Duru!"
"I see."
"Understood."
The pirates around them froze. Such an order was shocking. But Arthur only nodded in acknowledgement, his expression utterly calm, as though it were nothing remarkable.
He stood, smiling lightly. "Well then, Duru… are you going to try and run?"
"Hehehe…"
Duru let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Run? There's no chance of that. I'm just curious—was I exposed from the very start?"
"Jihahahahaha~~~"
Shiki sneered. "What a pointless question. The look in your eyes gave you away in an instant."
Arthur followed up: "You heard him, Duru. That one moment of hesitation… it was enough to expose you."
"How disgraceful."
"If that's the case…"
Duru's eyes hardened. He knew survival was impossible. If so, then he would do as much damage to the Rocks Pirates as he could before going down.
"Soru!"
"Shigan!"
"Rankyaku!"
Abandoning his greatsword, Duru unleashed the Navy's Rokushiki techniques, lunging straight for Arthur.
Yes—Duru was a Marine spy. And his final plan was to kill Arthur, a youth who could one day grow into a threat to Marine justice.
Arthur lifted his hand and simply cleaved through the slash.
Clang!
At the same time, his palm—ringing with the sound of metal—blocked Duru's lethal Finger Pistol.
Arthur felt a faint sting. Even with Armament Haki, his Red Dragon's Scales were newly awakened, still in their infancy. Against a stronger foe, they might not hold.
He looked at Duru and asked: "Amusing… did you really think this level of attack could kill me?"
Duru smiled grimly. "Of course not. But my plan has already succeeded. This move only works at close range!"
"Rokushiki Secret Art—Rokuogan!"
Both fists pressed together, a massive shockwave erupted from Duru at point-blank range.
But—
The shockwave vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Hammer of the Wind King."
Arthur's counterstrike unleashed a tempest that shattered the deck, grinding Duru's body to pieces in an instant.
"Hmm…"
Arthur muttered as he watched Duru's remains vanish into the gale. "So this is the power of my Red Dragon bloodline after advancing another five percent… my internal mana has tripled. As expected of a dragon's blood—it's truly terrifying."
The Barrier of the Wind King that concealed Excalibur was, at its core, magic.
Hammer of the Wind King — a destructive technique once used by the Lion King.
Wind King's Shield — a defensive technique Arthur himself had devised.
Both drew upon the Barrier of the Wind King as their foundation.
"Hm?"
From his seat, Kaido narrowed his eyes, muttering with a sharp edge: "That guy Arthur… he's even stronger now."
"Jihahahahaha~~~"
As the fight ended, Shiki threw his head back in laughter. "Arthur, brat—you really are ruthless. Not a shred of mercy in that strike."
Arthur didn't mind Shiki's manner of address. After all, he was only seventeen, while Shiki was at least in his mid-thirties. Being called "brat" was natural.
"As an opponent, it's best not to hold back."
"Otherwise…"
"The price to pay becomes far too steep."
Arthur never let enemies slip away to become threats later. Unfortunately, killing powerful foes wasn't always so simple.
"Jihahahahaha~~~"
Shiki's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Arthur, brat! You really suit my taste! I have a mission coming up—are you interested?"
"…!"
"The great Shiki is inviting Arthur?"
"Impossible!"
"Damn!"
After a stunned silence, the hall erupted with shouts of disbelief.
Who was Shiki?
The Golden Lion.
A legendary swordsman, even known by some as the world's greatest swordsman. Though many refused to acknowledge the title because Shiki was a Devil Fruit user, that did nothing to diminish his swordsmanship. Every great swordmaster in history had been a monster.
His bounty: 1.53 billion berries!
In this era, anyone with a bounty over a billion was a monster among monsters.
And such a man was now inviting Arthur, a mere trainee? It was unthinkable.
Arthur met Shiki's gaze and immediately understood. He asked, "And the reward? From what I know, every mission in the Rocks Pirates comes with payment."
"That depends on your contribution. The more you put in, the greater your share."
"Will there be Devil Fruits?"
"Of course."
"In that case… no problem."
With just a few words, Arthur accepted Shiki's invitation. As for what the mission was? He already had a good guess.
The moment Arthur agreed, Kaido leapt to his feet. "Old Lion! I'm joining this mission too!"
Far from angry at the nickname, Shiki only laughed heartily. "Naturally! Arthur, Kaido—both of you get ready. We set sail tomorrow!"