Clang! Clang! Clang!
Fighting one against three, Arthur inevitably fell into a disadvantaged position.
But—he didn't find anything wrong with that.
Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded violently. Under the relentless, machine-like assault of the three CP0 agents, Arthur remained mostly on the defensive, launching counterattacks only occasionally.
To an outside observer, it looked as if Arthur was on the verge of collapse, already one step away from certain death.
But Arthur knew otherwise. With each thunderous heartbeat, he could feel it—he wasn't weakening. No! Quite the opposite. The Red Dragon bloodline within him was being pushed further awake by this battle, this life-and-death struggle.
Ten percent…
Twenty…
Fifty…
The clash with CP0 had dragged on for a full hour now.
From the moment Arthur and his group had set foot on the Red Line, three hours had already passed.
Arthur could clearly hear the change around him. The Red Line, once echoing with chaos, was beginning to fall into silence. The screams and clashes were fewer now. Either most of the slaves had escaped—or been captured.
"Huuhhh…"
Arthur exhaled deeply.
"Wind King's Hammer!"
"Wind King's Spear!"
"Wind King's Sword!"
He unleashed strike after strike, draining vast reserves of energy in an instant. Only then did he manage to force the three CP0 agents back, buying himself a moment to retreat.
Muttering under his breath, Arthur admitted:
"Truly terrifying… and this is only CP0 of this level. If it were CP0 agents with power on par with an Admiral—how monstrous would that be?"
The thought chilled him. An opponent who was both suicidal in resolve and coldly calculating in every attack and defense—such a creature would be beyond terrifying.
Arthur clenched his jaw.
"Looks like…"
"…I can't keep hiding this anymore."
"ROAR!!!"
From deep in his throat came a sound like the roar of a dragon.
Thump! Thump!
His heartbeat thundered as his body began to change. Crimson scales spread across his skin, while his hands twisted into sharp, beast-like claws.
His eyes gleamed blood-red. His skull elongated, reshaping into the visage of a dragon, and a pair of massive horns curled outward from his head.
"Haahhh…"
When he opened his mouth, a thick smoke poured forth, tinged with the scent of sulfur. Fire-breath was a natural gift of dragons—and even with only thirty percent of his Red Dragon bloodline awakened, Arthur could wield it.
His aura grew heavier, more oppressive. His body loomed like a monster in hybrid form, resembling those who transformed with Zoan-type Devil Fruits.
Yes—this was Arthur's trump card. The full awakening of his Red Dragon bloodline.
It wasn't his complete dragon form, but even this state granted him a massive boost in power.
Some might wonder: wasn't the Red Dragon bloodline also possessed by that certain king? Why could Arthur manifest this state?
Arthur's answer was simple: the Red Dragon bloodline itself was the essence of a humanoid dragon. There was nothing strange about him unleashing such power. Just like how his Wind King techniques were derived from the Wind King Barrier—yet reshaped into new forms by his own hand—Arthur had carved his own path with the Red Dragon bloodline.
Some things are always there. It depends on whether you choose to use them.
Unlike that person, who was born with and naturally harmonized with his gifts, Arthur had to awaken and develop his powers step by step. And in that process, new abilities inevitably emerged.
To put it plainly: that version could have done this too. But with a holy sword in left hand, a holy spear in right, and a scabbard besides—it was never needed to.
"ROAR!!!"
Arthur's dragon cry split the air as he moved.
CRACK!
The ground shattered beneath his step, collapsing in an instant. His body blurred, turning into an afterimage as he charged at the three CP0 agents.
"Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Fire Dragon form."
"Cannot confirm."
"Attack."
The CP0 agents tried to classify Arthur's transformation as a Devil Fruit, but the truth eluded them. Still, their reaction was immediate—they attacked.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
But this time—things were completely different.
Arthur's defenses had become overwhelming. The scales of the Red Dragon, combined with Armament Haki, made him untouchable. The CP0 agents' strikes no longer fazed him.
"Tsk."
Arthur's lips curled into a feral grin, his blood-red eyes blazing with madness. He stepped forward, his killing intent sharp enough to chill the air.
It was undeniable—Arthur was beginning to lose himself to the dragon's ferocity. The bloodline's violent instincts gnawed at his mind. For now, it wasn't severe, but if he stayed in this state too long, the risk of becoming a rampaging beast was real.
This was the difference between Arthur and that version of Arthur. The latter could fully control his Red Dragon bloodline. Arthur, however, still had to slowly develop it, risking his sanity along the way.
But Arthur was never one to complain about fate.
If he couldn't control it for long—then he would simply end the fight quickly.
"ROAR!!!"
With a guttural snarl, Arthur dismissed the Sword of Promised Victory into his body. His hands—now claws—lashed out as weapons.
"Wind King's Claws!"
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