From start to finish,
Arthur had spent two full hours.
"Phew~"
"The Three Great Powers…"
"The Four Dark Emperors…"
"If it weren't for the reputation of Captain Rocks, there's no way I could've gotten them to obediently comply. It would've been practically impossible without leveraging his name."
At this moment—
Arthur stood atop the walls of the Trading City, surveying the empty plaza below. Not a single trace of treasure in sight.
That vast fortune, of course, couldn't be carried around. He had already arranged for someone else to discreetly transport it out using other means. As for whether that person might be tempted to steal it? That didn't matter to him at all.
After all, if he let someone carry it away, it meant he had absolute confidence in ensuring its safety.
"With the Devil Fruits I collected from the Ferguson Empire… the total now reaches 48."
"However…"
Arthur shook his head helplessly. The system still told him—insufficient energy.
That's right.
Not enough.
Even now, it wasn't enough to activate 40% of the Red Dragon bloodline. He was close, yes—but close wasn't enough. To activate 40%, he needed a bunch of Devil Fruits.
Good grief… the future was going to be…
Swoosh!
His thoughts were abruptly cut off.
Arthur vanished from where he stood, instantly reappearing in the distance.
The wall beneath his feet collapsed in an instant.
And in that very spot—
three figures emerged.
---
Tap!
Tap!
From the ruined debris, the three figures stepped forward in silence.
Each was dressed in a pure white suit, draped in a white coat, and topped with a white magician's hat.
They looked like proper gentlemen.
But their aura—
Spoke only of cruelty, bloodlust, and absolute coldness.
They exuded the emotionless presence of machines.
The most chilling part?
Each wore a mask.
A clown, a demon, and a devil—
Their true faces were completely hidden, even their eyes obscured behind those masks.
The Clown Mask spoke coldly, devoid of emotion:
"Arthur Pendragon."
Without hesitation, he moved in.
"Soru!"
"Rankyaku!"
The clown-faced agent vanished—reappearing behind Arthur in a flash. With a sweeping kick, countless slicing wind blades surged toward Arthur's entire body, aiming to carve him apart.
"Wind King's Shield!"
Arthur reacted just as fast.
At the same time—
The Devil Mask moved in.
"Soru!"
After a blur of motion, the Devil Mask appeared behind Arthur as well, his long leg turning into a whip-like strike coated in Armament Haki. The pressure and cutting wind from that terrifying speed made it clear—getting hit would be no minor injury.
Bang!
Arthur raised his leg and blocked it mid-air. The two clashed violently, shaking the very air.
"Strong!"
Arthur thought silently.
In pure strength, these people were slightly stronger than him. They were already approaching the absolute peak of Vice Admiral-level combat power.
And then—
The Demon Mask finally made his move.
Also using Soru, he darted forward.
Both fists crossed over in rapid motion, unleashing a flurry of punches like a barrage of cannonballs.
A devastating hailstorm of blows engulfed Arthur completely.
Their coordination was terrifying.
The clown controlled the field,
The devil delayed and harassed,
And the demon delivered the killing blow.
With such perfect synergy, even someone significantly stronger could be overwhelmed if caught off guard.
And Arthur—was just slightly weaker than all three.
Crack-crack-crack!
No room to retreat. No way to dodge.
Instead of despairing, Arthur smiled faintly, clenching his fists—and charged straight into the Demon Mask's storm of punches.
In that brief exchange, no one knew how many collisions occurred.
Meanwhile, the clown and devil masks resumed their assault.
"Wind King's Hammer!"
"Rankyaku! ×3!"
Boom!!!
With a thunderous explosion, a shadow burst backward through the clouds of smoke—it was Arthur, flying back at incredible speed, retreating hundreds of meters in seconds.
But the three CP agents didn't let up, already closing the distance again.
—
Arthur's magic surged.
The knight's armor materialized around him, and the shallow wounds he'd sustained vanished instantly.
Crack!
Stomping the ground, Arthur shot forward with even greater speed—no retreat.
That's right. He wasn't backing down.
"Hm?"
At the front, the Devil Mask had the fastest raw speed.
But the Clown Mask—undoubtedly had the strongest Observation Haki.
And suddenly, he sensed something wrong.
"Dodge!" he shouted.
"Understood."
The Devil Mask immediately retreated.
Swoosh!
A sharp arc sliced through the air.
Don't underestimate the sharpness of the Sword of Promised Victory.
Even sealed with 13 bindings, its edge remained monstrous.
Had it landed cleanly—
The price would've been unimaginable.
"Confirmed hit?"
"Unconfirmed," the Clown Mask replied.
—
"Hahaha."
Arthur chuckled softly.
"Cipher Pol Aigis 0… Honestly, I suspected I might run into you."
"But I didn't think you'd send three of your top agents after me at once. I'm flattered."
"Still…"
"Why don't you guess—what exactly is this weapon in my hand?"
"A spear? A greatsword? A heavy blade? Or perhaps…"
Bam!
With a single stomp, Arthur blasted forward at terrifying speed—charging straight at the three CP0 agents.
---------------------///
Advance Chapters on Patreon!
p(a)treon(.)com/HudaLin
-Remove the parenthesis to access patreon normally
Thanks for the Support!