Whoosh! Whoosh!
The girl moved with blinding speed, landing squarely in front of Arthur.
"Arthur Pendragon!"
Her eyes burned with resentment. It was Gion, the Marine prodigy who had once faced Arthur and been utterly defeated. Among her peers, she had always been unmatched—until that day.
That loss still gnawed at her heart.
"Well, well."
Arthur greeted her with a faint smile. "Gion, it's been a while."
"Indeed." Gion's sharp gaze locked onto him, her voice low but taut with pride.
Arthur chuckled softly. "Still bitter about that defeat, aren't you?"
"..."
She refused to answer, her silence speaking louder than words.
Arthur shook his head slightly. "Care for a rematch, then?"
"Rabbit Slash!"
Her body blurred. A streak of white and pink cut through the air as she lunged at him with lightning speed.
"Hm?"
The boy behind Arthur—the same silver-haired youth who had accompanied him—instinctively reached for his sword, but Arthur raised a hand.
"It's fine," he said calmly, smiling. "She's an old acquaintance. I'll handle this myself."
"Yes, Lord Arthur."
The boy bowed respectfully and stepped back.
Clang!
Arthur raised an invisible blade—its edges unseen but its presence undeniable—and parried Gion's strike with ease.
The clear ring of metal echoed through the air as Arthur's smile deepened.
The gap between them… had grown vast.
"Damn it…"
Gion's eyes flashed with frustration. No matter how much strength she poured into her strikes, none of them could even scratch him. The pressure Arthur exuded was overwhelming—a gulf of power that made resistance feel meaningless.
Her swordsmanship was fierce, her spirit unbroken… but before him, she could do nothing but grit her teeth and endure.
"Rabbit Shadow! Don't think this ends here!"
With a shout, Gion moved again—her afterimages dancing across the battlefield. Multiple slashing shadows converged on Arthur from every direction.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Arthur's counterattacks were terrifyingly precise. His invisible sword carved arcs of wind that struck with monstrous force.
Gion's every strike was met and stopped—each perfect cut neutralized as though he had seen it coming before she even moved.
How?
How could this be happening?
She had trained relentlessly over the past year—day and night—to surpass her former self. Yet now, she realized the unthinkable: the distance between them had widened.
Her heart sank under the weight of despair.
Clang!
Arthur deflected another blow and smiled gently.
"Gion, I do admire your persistence. Truly. But…"
His tone softened. "There are some battles not decided by effort alone. I'm sorry, but—this duel ends here."
With that, Arthur turned away, releasing the pressure of his presence as he began walking forward.
"You—!"
Slash!
Before Gion could move to stop him, a flash of silver intercepted her path.
The boy—Arthur's silent companion—had drawn his knightly sword in a clean, practiced motion, blocking her advance.
"Who are you?"
Gion sidestepped the strike, glaring at the youth before her.
Arthur, walking away without looking back, spoke calmly.
"Galahad. I'll leave this one to you."
"Yes, Lord Arthur."
The boy knelt slightly, placing one hand over his chest in a knight's salute.
"To claim victory in your name—that is my duty."
He had silver-white hair, a slender yet resolute frame, and wore armor fitted like a second skin. His expression was serene—utterly calm, utterly loyal.
He was none other than—
Galahad, the Knight of the Holy Grail, one of the Knights of the Round Table.
Legend spoke of him as the only knight among the Three Grail Knights to have truly attained the Holy Grail.
The purest of the Round Table's champions—flawless in spirit, unwavering in faith, and wholly devoted to the King.
Arthur had spent the power of fifty Devil Fruits to perform the first Summoning of the Round Table, and the knight he had drawn was Galahad himself.
Before the God Valley War, Arthur had realized awakening his Red Dragon Bloodline further would yield little benefit. Instead, he began invoking the powers of his ancient legend—the Knights of the Round Table.
---
[Arthur Pendragon
Holy Sword: Excalibur – Sword of Promised Victory (13 Seals)
[Holy Spear: Locked]
[Bloodline of the Red Dragon: 40% Awakened (Red Dragon's Scale, Red Dragon's Claw, Red Dragon's Stomach)]
[Knights of the Round Table: Galahad (Knight of the Holy Grail)]
[Island of Britannia: Locked]
[Castle of White Chalks: Locked]
[Haki: Conqueror's Haki (Intermediate), Armament Haki (Intermediate), Observation Haki (Intermediate)]
---
Each Round Table Summon consumed the power of fifty Devil Fruits. The knights drawn were random—though the legendary Round Table once had up to 150 members, only a select few had names recorded in history.
Arthur's system only drew from those heroes whose deeds had become eternal legends.
Galahad was the first.
—
Gion frowned. "Who are you?"
"I serve Lord Arthur as one of his Round Table Knights," Galahad replied evenly.
"I am the Holy Grail Knight—Galahad."
He lifted his sword in a knight's salute.
"Today, I stand before you as your opponent."
Gion's expression hardened. She had never heard of anyone like him.
Arthur, Kaido, and Shakky—those names were well-known to Marine Intelligence.
Even Douglas Bullet was documented.
But Galahad?
No records. No trace. Nothing.
"Move aside!" she snapped. "My fight isn't with you!"
"I'm afraid it is," Galahad said softly.
"Forgive me, but my duty is to stop you."
"Tch… Rabbit Slash!"
Realizing persuasion was pointless, Gion attacked again—her blade flashing like moonlight.
Clang!
Her strike was met perfectly. Galahad's sword intercepted hers with effortless precision—as though he had known exactly when and where she would swing.
"What—?"
Her eyes widened. He hadn't merely blocked—he had waited for her strike.
Every movement, every breath of air, had already been read.
Her attacks were seen through completely.
How could such a thing be possible?
Galahad remained silent.
He was, after all, the son of Lancelot and the Lady of the Grail.
Yet unlike his father, Galahad was a man without desire, without pride, and without flaw.
It was said only because of that purity could he find the Holy Grail itself.
His swordsmanship was pure beyond reason—technique stripped of all excess, all emotion.
Among the Knights of the Round Table, only one or two could ever surpass him in swordsmanship.
That was Galahad's essence.
He fought not for glory, not for ambition—only for his King.
When the King fell, he too would return to the earth, leaving behind neither fame nor regret.
Against Gion, his art was absolute.
Unless her raw strength could vastly overpower him, she would never—could never—defeat him in skill.
"Heh…"
From afar, Tsuru exhaled softly.
"Gion's completely read. Every move of hers is being seen through."
"Tsuru-senpai…" Gion murmured through gritted teeth. "His technique—it's inhuman."
Tsuru shook her head.
"No. It's not power. It's purity. That man's heart is completely still. His blade is without ego, without noise. Anyone with even a hint of doubt or emotion cannot defeat him."
Galahad said nothing, his calm demeanor unbroken. His only task was to guard Arthur's path.
That was his King's command.
"No matter who you are," Gion said, breathing hard but defiant, "I won't lose again!"
Clutching her sword Konpira, she surged forward.
"Rabbit Shadow! Rabbit Slash!"
Her twin techniques merged—speed and precision combining into one. Observation Haki intertwined with Armament Haki, aiming to read Galahad's movements in return.
But…
It was useless.
Observation Haki could read motion, feel breath, sense muscle tension—
but Galahad had transcended that.
His swordsmanship itself was a form of absolute perception.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Each time her sword fell, his crimson-bladed sword blocked it perfectly, cutting through the air with godly precision.
It wasn't a duel anymore—it was a demonstration.
"Damn it!"
Gion's voice trembled with fury. Every strike, every ounce of effort was smothered as though she were a child swinging at an immovable wall.
Clang!
Galahad's sword twisted past her guard, stopping just short of her throat.
Forced to retreat, she stumbled backward, gasping.
He didn't pursue.
He simply stood there—silent, composed, unwavering.
It was humiliation unlike any she had felt before.
No matter how hard she fought, she could not even make him move.
"Haah… haah…"
She struggled for breath, her frustration boiling over.
Across the battlefield, Kaido burst into wild laughter.
"Wororororo! Didn't expect this! That Arthur actually found himself such an incredible subordinate!"
Galahad didn't even glance his way. His eyes remained on Gion—calm, emotionless, resolute.
Such focus was terrifying.
Such purity—inhuman.
Gion bit her lip hard, glaring at him with all the stubbornness she had left.
She had come here to defeat Arthur… and now, she couldn't even get past his knight.
Unacceptable.
Tsuru sighed softly. "Still too caught up in emotion, Gion…"
Her voice faded beneath the clash of blades echoing through God Valley.
-------------------------///
Advance Chapters on Patreon!
p(a)treon(.)com/HudaLin
-Remove the parenthesis to access patreon normally
Thanks for the Support!