Arthur sent Bors to Fish-Man Island.
The reason was simple.
Among the fighters he could currently spare, Bors was the strongest.
There was no denying it—this whole situation had become far too chaotic. So chaotic that even Britannia was finding it difficult to cope. They were already starting to come up short on manpower.
Gawain, Lamorak, Kay, Agravain, Bors, Gareth, Galahad.
Seven Knights of the Round Table.
It could be said that if not for the Roger Pirates joining this war due to special circumstances, Arthur would have had no choice but to abandon the Lunarians.
There was no helping it.
They simply did not have enough people.
What else could he do?
Splash—
"Sir Gawain!"
"Bors!"
As the submarine arrived, Gawain personally came to receive Bors, smiling as he said, "Bors, it's been a long time."
Bors grinned and greeted him in return. "Gawain, long time no see. How's life on Fish-Man Island?"
Gawain smiled gently. "Fish-Man Island is a very fine place. Of course, plenty of people keep trying to cause trouble—but as long as we deal with them, it's fine."
"Hehehe~"
Bors teased, "I heard the mermaids on Fish-Man Island are unbelievably beautiful. What, don't tell me you haven't gotten involved with any of them? The great Sun Knight can't even win over a mermaid?"
Hearing Bors's teasing, Gawain's face actually began to redden.
And to Bors's utter surprise—
he didn't deny it.
"…What the hell?!"
Bors blinked.
This was something he absolutely had not expected.
Gawain was blushing.
What did that mean?
What was that supposed to mean?
At that moment, Bors was genuinely stunned.
No way. No way.
Could it be that Gawain really did have something going on?
Bors blinked in disbelief, almost unable to process it.
"That's enough!"
"Shut up!"
Gawain roared at once, grabbing Bors and dragging him along.
"Come on! Come on! Neptune has already prepared a banquet for you."
As Gawain hauled him off toward Ryugu Palace, Bors kept pestering him with unrelenting curiosity.
"Who is it? Is she pretty? Who is she? Come on, tell me! Don't worry, my lips are sealed. Everybody knows that."
"Your lips are sealed?"
"Heh…"
Gawain let out a mocking little laugh.
To be perfectly honest, if Bors counted as someone tight-lipped, then there were no loudmouths left in the world.
That would be absolute nonsense.
Bors was not just not discreet—
quite the opposite.
He was one of the most notorious blabbermouths in all of Britannia.
If anyone had even the slightest secret, they absolutely dared not tell Bors.
In fact, they didn't even dare let him hear it by accident.
Otherwise, by the next morning, the entire kingdom would know.
And if Bors happened to be especially efficient, the whole of Britannia would know before nightfall.
His speed at spreading news was honestly terrifying.
It really was no joke.
That level of efficiency was frightening.
That was Bors.
Although he called himself the Mundane Knight, his popularity among the common people was extraordinarily high. His personality was so easygoing and likable that almost nobody truly disliked him.
Even if a few did—
they were definitely the minority.
That was just the kind of person Bors was.
And beyond that—
Britannia's strength itself was terrifying.
While Gawain took Bors off to attend Neptune's banquet—
on the other side—
Splash.
Splash.
A ship slowly departed from Fish-Man Island's deep waters and rose toward the surface.
As time passed, it finally broke through the sea and returned to the New World.
"Hahahaha!"
"To think this old man has finally returned to the New World again!"
A broad-shouldered Giant stood on the deck, grinning from ear to ear as he looked around with obvious delight.
How many years had it been?
He could no longer remember.
In fact—
he had forgotten many things.
Too much time had passed.
They had been gone from the New World for decades.
"Big Brother!"
"And you've got the nerve to say that!"
Hugh emerged from the cabin, looking thoroughly annoyed.
"You and Second Brother spent all this time fighting on Little Garden over some ridiculous reason? Are the two of you crazy?"
That's right.
These three were the three captains of the former Giant Warrior Pirates.
Blue Ogre — Dorry.
Red Ogre — Brogy.
White Ogre — Hugh.
The three of them were the three captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, each of them a terrifyingly powerful Giant warrior.
Unfortunately, back then, Dorry and Brogy had dueled on Little Garden over some reason, and only the victor would be allowed to return to the New World and their homeland.
The problem was—
they had long since forgotten what the duel had even been about.
As for Hugh, after the Giant Warrior Pirates disbanded, he had been captured by the Celestial Dragons and turned into a slave.
If Arthur had not rescued him, then the Giant Warrior Pirates would truly have become history.
At the very least, these three brothers would have disappeared from the world.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Dorry laughed heartily.
"I already forgot the reason too! But it doesn't matter anymore. Aren't we back now?"
Then he looked toward Hugh and asked seriously:
"But Third Brother, are you certain Britannia really is the kind of country you described?"
Hugh replied at once, "Big Brother, His Majesty saved me. I've seen everything with my own eyes. And didn't you also witness how Fish-Man Island has changed?"
"Hmm?"
Dorry stroked his beard, thinking back to the Fish-Man Island he remembered.
And indeed—
that comparison really held.
In his memories, Fish-Man Island had once been practically like hell. The only reason it hadn't been completely destroyed was because it was a World Government–affiliated kingdom. In truth, it had always stood on the brink of collapse.
But now?
It was completely different.
That transformation made even Dorry nod.
"You know… that's true enough. Third Brother, let's head to Britannia and see it with our own eyes. If it's really like you said, then Brogy and I will agree to join Britannia."
"Hahahaha!"
Brogy also laughed loudly.
"That's right! That's right! Big Brother's right! I'm willing to join Britannia too!"
The three brothers of the once-mighty Giant Warrior Pirates had now reunited.
And with the prestige the three of them commanded—would they be able to gather the old Giant Warrior Pirates together again?
After all—
at their peak, under the three brothers' leadership, the Giant Warrior Pirates had fielded nearly five hundred Giants.
Five hundred Giant warriors.
Their overwhelming might had once made them the strongest pirate crew in the world.
That was beyond dispute.
Five hundred Giants—
and every one of them a warrior proficient in both Armament and Observation Haki—
they could absolutely crush almost any enemy.
That, too, was beyond question.
Splash—
Splash—
The ship continued onward, heading into the distance.
And the three of them waited quietly.
As for what the outcome would be—
that remained to be seen.
---
In Britannia...
Arthur said seriously, "Agravain, from here on, Britannia will be in your hands."
Dropping to one knee, Agravain replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will govern Britannia properly."
"Mm."
Arthur nodded.
Agravain's abilities were worthy of complete trust. If even Agravain could not manage Britannia well, then no one could.
There was no exaggeration in saying that Agravain's administrative ability was first-rate.
Arthur's face remained calm, but inwardly his thoughts were grave.
Everything now lay before them.
This was the best opportunity they would get.
As for whether they would truly succeed?
To be honest—
Arthur did not know.
But—
he had confidence.
Even if he could not say for certain that success was guaranteed, he still believed they could win.
That was Arthur's confidence.
A sharp light flashed in his eyes, and his aura grew even more imposing.
"Kay."
"Mm."
Kay stood nearby and nodded, indicating he understood.
This time, naturally, Kay would accompany Arthur.
And not only him.
"…."
Arthur fell silent, though inwardly he was already considering things carefully.
If only we had more top-tier fighters…
Forget it. Not yet.
I still can't use more of that power. I need to keep storing that energy until the critical moment.
Arthur knew very well—
he had accumulated the energy from those Devil Fruits.
But he could not use it freely yet.
He needed to save it for the decisive moment.
That point was extremely important.
This was no joke.
If that power wasn't used properly, the consequences could be enormous.
Arthur understood this clearly.
If the energy he had stored could be unleashed at the right time, it could completely reverse the tide of battle.
But if he failed to use it at the ideal moment—
then things would become extremely troublesome.
"Haa…"
Arthur exhaled slowly in his heart.
No matter what—this opportunity cannot be missed.
"Your Majesty!"
Just then, a knight came rushing in with a report.
Arthur looked up.
"What is it?"
The knight bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Hugh has returned. He is currently on the Ice Mountain Island and has already reached the Mountain Island. He is now heading toward Britannia."
"?!"
Arthur stood up immediately.
To be honest, aside from the Round Table Knights themselves, the candidate knights also possessed astonishing strength. Arthur had already accounted for nearly every piece of power Britannia had at its disposal.
This was no exaggeration.
And yet he had not expected Shu to return at this exact moment.
Hugh had been missing for half a year.
And now—
he was back.
"Good."
Arthur's eyes sharpened instantly.
"Kay. Agravain. It seems even heaven is on our side. Shu has returned at just this moment—whatever he brings back, it will certainly be good news."
"Hehehe!"
Kay also smiled.
"Yes. It seems even fate itself is standing with us."
Even the usually expressionless Agravain allowed the faintest smile to curl at his lips.
This timing really was exhilarating.
No matter how one looked at it—
Hugh's return at exactly this moment was critically important.
And whether Hugh had returned alone, or had brought Dorry and Brogy with him—
both possibilities were significant.
The former would already be valuable.
The latter would be even better.
At the same time—
on Britannia's soil—
"Good grief…"
Dorry looked around in utter astonishment.
"Giants! Merfolk! Fish-Men! Longarm Tribe! Longleg Tribe! Three-Eye Tribe! Snakeneck Tribe! So many races all living together in harmony—and there are humans too!"
Dorry was genuinely stunned.
Humans and all these non-human races living together peacefully?
If someone had told him that in the past, Dorry would have split them in half with his axe on the spot.
What, did they think he was some idiot to joke around with like that?
But now that he was seeing it with his own eyes—
he was completely speechless.
Because—
something like this had almost never happened in history.
How could he not be shocked?
It wasn't just Dorry.
Brogy was just as dumbfounded.
This was simply too difficult to believe.
The two brothers looked here and there, smacking their lips, at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Hugh stood proudly with his chest puffed out.
See?
Weren't you two shocked?
That's just how incredible Britannia is!
That was the expression written all over his face.
Dorry and Brogy kept glancing around in every direction. The sheer absurdity of it all left them deeply stunned.
It could only be said—
they had truly never seen anything like this.
To be precise, before Britannia was founded, nobody in the world had imagined such a thing was possible.
Hugh, meanwhile, laughed freely and said:
"Big Brother! Second Brother! Relax a little—this is only the beginning!"
"Hahahaha!"
---------------------------------///
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