———
"Nami, watch closely next."
Standing at the rail, Arthur turned his head and smiled gently at her. "The world is vast and the East Blue is small. Your sight shouldn't be fixed on the weak."
He raised his hand. As if drawn by a magnet, the winds of the world gathered and became an invisible sword.
This time, Arthur gripped the blade with both hands.
Under Nami's gaze, the wind-sword that symbolized the Wind-Sword Knight revealed its true form.
The wind dispersed, and there in his hands was a golden sword sheathed by an edged scabbard—gorgeous in bearing at a glance, an unparalleled blade unique in the world.
The sword was the Sword of Promised Victory, Excalibur, and the scabbard was Avalon, the Ever-Distant Utopia.
But since the achievement had not been fulfilled, Arthur could not perform the True Name Release of the Ever-Distant Utopia. For now, Avalon was only Excalibur's scabbard—a beautiful sealing scabbard.
"A sword." Looking at the golden blade, Nami finally understood why Arthur hid its true face with such a strange method. It was a treasure that made greed inevitable.
Hand on Excalibur's hilt, Arthur raised the king's sword high and poured mana into it.
As mana flowed, the sea, the sloop, the fog, even the air began to glow gold.
Bright motes like fireflies converged from every direction and streamed into the upraised Excalibur.
Even Arthur himself shone with holy radiance, a light born to oppose evil and drive away the dark, filling Nami behind him with a deep sense of safety.
Light gathered; sanctity spread.
Excalibur began to blaze with a king's majesty.
Forged to strike down a world-destroyer, a golden blade that repels all evil.
The shining holy sword, its name—
"Excalibur——"
It transformed the wielder's mana into light and released it like a beam. Golden brilliance illuminated the world, plunging it under the dominion of light.
Like a tidal wave, the light roared in fury and drowned all.
Like judgment, the light was omnipotent, inescapable.
Shining radiance swallowed everything, destroyed everything.
A ray of ruin.
As the beam cut forth, the sea boiled away, the fog was blown aside, and that gigantic sailing ship—without even a sound of breaking—burned like paper, turned to ash, to powder on the wind.
'Sword of Promised Victory — Excalibur
Holder: Arthur Pendragon
Rank: EX
Class: Unknown
Range: Unknown
Maximum Targets: Unknown
A shining sword that saves planets. Forged to defeat a planet-destroyer, a golden blade that repels all evil.
It bears thirteen seals. Each one lifted increases its power. When seven seals are released, Avalon disappears and the true golden blade is revealed; then its True Name can be released at full power.'
It was Arthur's first time unleashing Excalibur's might, but the True Name Release was not complete.
Excalibur bears thirteen seals; as Arthur poured in mana, he clearly felt that only two had been undone.
And just two had consumed more than half his mana.
With only two seals released, Excalibur was already this terrifying. Arthur did not dare imagine what all thirteen would be.
Nami felt the same.
She knew Arthur was strong—strong enough to defeat the Buggy Pirates alone and cleave a house in two with a slash—but never had she imagined it would be so overwhelming.
That light made her feel as though she had seen a god.
Could humans truly become this powerful.
That mountain-sized ship, those pirates aboard it—before that light they did not shatter or die. They ceased to be.
"Simply..... inhuman." Nami collapsed to her knees, powerless. Staring at Arthur's back, she felt a bitter shame. She had panicked so much—how pitifully narrow her view had been.
At the same time, an uncontrollable thrill and yearning surged in her heart.
He can..... he definitely can....
With power like that, Arlong could be defeated.
Her heartbeat quickened; her blood boiled.
More than a hundred million in savings, the light of hope radiating from Arthur was far brighter.
But..... how could she get him to help.
How to explain it. She had lied before, saying she didn't know where Cocoyasi Village was.
Thinking so, Nami fretted again.
"Don't just stand there. Turn the helm and get us out of here." Arthur walked up to her and patted her head.
"R-right....."
Still dazed, Nami fretted for a solution even as she spun the helm and steered away.
Arthur watched the direction where the Don Krieg Pirates had vanished, eyes slightly grave.
He knew a powerful man would pass there before long.
The world's greatest swordsman, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—"Hawk Eyes" Dracule Mihawk.
"Not yet....." Arthur murmured. He wasn't strong enough now; challenging Mihawk would only end in failure.
And if he failed, his victories would end, and all would reset.
He refused to taste the weakness of being trampled again—so he had to become stronger.
The Don Krieg Pirates erased by Excalibur had earned him another victory count.
Once again, his entire self rose a notch. With every breath, his mana recovered; he even felt that with a few more boosts it would soon rise from D– to D.
His attributes could improve through victory. With each win, the system granted him an all-around increase.
Even his two colors of Haki rose as his body's energy climbed.
This was why Arthur cared so much about victory.
So long as he didn't lose, he would only grow stronger.
Therefore, he must hold victory in his hands.