Arthur pointed toward the distance and said, "All the slaves have already been set free. John, as for what's left—how much you can get your hands on depends on your own ability."
"Hahahaha!"
John chuckled drunkenly, "Keke, From here on out, it's every man for himself."
With that, he departed.
Arthur watched John's retreating figure and muttered under his breath, "As expected... John, Ochoku, and Silver Axe are all aiming for that place. It's just a shame—thinking you can gain something there isn't as easy as it seems."
Shaking his head, Arthur turned and sped off in a different direction, vanishing with incredible speed.
---
The Holy Land of the Gods.
This was the residential domain of the Celestial Dragons, self-proclaimed descendants of the gods. Each noble family had built their own walled city within. While it was called a single "city," the so-called City of the Gods was actually a complex of nested, fortified cities—essentially a massive conglomeration of nineteen sprawling urban fortresses, each representing one of the Celestial Dragons' original noble bloodlines.
John, Ochoku, and Silver Axe had all set their sights on this place, determined to plunder the wealth of the Celestial Dragons themselves.
But would they succeed?
To be honest, it was unlikely.
Even though many powerful figures had recently left the Red Line, this place was still the sacred land of the World Nobles. The odds of just three individuals pulling off a heist here were… slim, to say the least.
Of course, they all understood this perfectly well. But as the saying goes: Fortune favors the bold. If you don't even have the guts to try, that's what's truly strange.
---
Unlike the others, Arthur, Edward, and Shiki each had their own objectives.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arthur dashed at lightning speed across the Red Line, his destination—a certain city in the distance.
Trading City.
If merchants from the Four Seas, the Grand Line, and even the New World wanted to trade, how would they do it?
Simple.
They either braved the deadly, near-suicidal route through Fish-Man Island or they took the safer but costly passage over the Red Line. As for the Calm Belt? That place wasn't even considered—it was a straight-up death sentence.
That's why crossing the Red Line became the standard route. As long as you paid a toll, you could pass safely.
To maintain this lucrative trade system, even the Five Elders had enforced a rule: not even the Celestial Dragons were allowed to plunder here. As a result, merchants flocked to this place—ordinary businessmen, underworld kings, crime lords, superpower brokers…
In short, every major force in the world—whether light or shadow—was gathered here.
This was one of the two great trading hubs in the world.
The first: Sabaody Archipelago.
The second: Trading City.
All walks of life—be it saints or scum—had found a place here.
And...
Yes, this was Arthur's true goal.
Right now, taking on the Celestial Dragons directly wasn't realistic. Even for John, Ochoku, and Silver Axe, their odds were extremely low. But Trading City? Plundering this place was still well within reach.
Whoosh!
Arthur descended silently from the sky. Thanks to the Wind King Barrier shrouding his presence, he wasn't lit up like a flying target. Just because it was dark didn't mean he could let his guard down.
As he approached the city, he could sense the presence of many powerful auras—at least twenty Rear Admiral-level combatants.
That number alone was terrifying.
After all, Marine Headquarters only had sixteen Rear Admirals at most.
And this was after most of the top fighters had already left the Red Line.
Arthur knew himself well. He was powerful, yes—but without his Excalibur, his strength only slightly exceeded that of a standard Rear Admiral, and not even a top-tier one at that.
That said, if he pulled out that ability, and combined it with the Excalibur, he wouldn't go as far as claiming he could match an Admiral—but holding them off temporarily or making a safe retreat? That was doable.
That was exactly why Arthur had taken on this mission.
Otherwise, what—was he supposed to act like some clueless newbie and get himself killed?
He did believe in the saying "fortune favors the bold," but that didn't mean he was an idiot. If you knowingly charge in when you're completely outmatched, you're just asking for a quick trip to afterlife.
"Trading City, huh..."
Standing atop the city wall, Arthur gazed down at the brightly lit metropolis. The streets bustled with life, and a grin tugged at the corner of his lips as he whispered, "What a massive city this is…"
Slash! Slash!
With a casual flick of his wrist, sharp slashes of energy cut through the air. The dozens of soldiers gathering nearby were instantly cleaved apart.
"Gray uniforms?"
Arthur narrowed his eyes, pondering, "Looks like these troops aren't Marines. As expected, the World Government wouldn't rely on just one army. There must be other elite forces backing them..."
Before he'd left the Ferguson Empire, Arthur had caught a glimpse of a certain man.
That man… was undeniably Admiral-level.
No joke.
That was absolutely no exaggeration.
But now wasn't the time to investigate that further.
Arthur scanned the city from above, not making a move just yet. He seemed to be waiting… and muttered quietly to himself:
"I wonder if the Arthurian System has something like a spatial ring...
The War of God Valley is less than a year away now.
This might be the last chance to loot under the Rocks Pirates' banner...
If I had a spatial ring, this would be so much easier."
Arthur was indeed waiting for something—or more accurately, someone.
He had no intention of charging into the trading hub by himself.
Instead, he was biding his time—for those other madmen to arrive and set everything into motion.
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