Britannia's reputation was spreading farther and wider by the day.
After all…
Arthur had originally been a member of the Rocks Pirates.
Even if he had only been an apprentice, his name was still well-known.
It was just that—for the longest time—no one had ever bothered to look at Arthur seriously.
What could they say?
You're just an apprentice. Why would anyone care about you?
Naturally, no one would have thought otherwise.
Because of that…
Even though Arthur Pendragon did have a famous reputation—his very first bounty being 550 million berries, a number that said everything—people had never truly paid him any mind.
But after this most recent incident…
His name spread across the entire world, utterly and completely.
People were no longer simply aware of Arthur—no longer merely familiar with the name.
Now, they were digging deeper… trying to understand who Arthur truly was.
Anyone who could rise by stepping on Shiki—even if only driving him back—had already proven his power beyond question.
As time passed, Arthur's actions were gradually exposed to the world.
Those of noble status even obtained intelligence on the events at God Valley, though nobody knew from where. Naturally, their expressions grew increasingly grim.
This wasn't something to take lightly.
Arthur Pendragon…
This man carried far too many uncertainties.
If one wasn't careful, something very dangerous might occur.
Especially knowing the location of the Britannia Sea—those who had studied the charts understood perfectly well that it lay where God Valley once stood.
Arthur occupied that place without resistance.
No one dared speak too openly about it.
What did this imply?
The meaning was already obvious.
Even more disturbing was the fact that the World Government hadn't moved against him.
It certainly wasn't because Arthur was handsome.
It could only mean his strength was overwhelming—at the very least, a Marine Admiral alone would not be enough to subdue him.
Otherwise, the situation would never have developed like this.
Of course…
Arthur didn't know much about the outside world's current reactions, nor did he have time to care.
Britannia itself was nearly descending into chaos.
"Haah!"
"Hah!"
"Heeyah!"
Accompanied by deafening shouts, six different races—Giants, Longarm, Longleg, Three-Eyed Tribe, Snakeneck Tribe, and Fish-men—had each chosen candidates.
A total of 500 warriors were selected and formed into a corps of apprentice knights.
They were personally trained by Galahad, a man whose martial skill rivaled even his legendary father's.
For him, teaching was no issue at all.
In addition—
It had already been half a month since Shiki and Kaido came looking for trouble.
During this half month…
A steady stream of people arrived in Britannia.
Tens of thousands attempted to set foot on the island.
But only about ten thousand remained.
As for the others?
Well… they had been instantly eliminated the moment they set foot on Britannia Island.
They had come with ulterior motives, and naturally, they paid the price—one most people could never imagine.
Only exceptional non-human races could enter safely. Even then, many humans also settled in Britannia.
Non-humans from all over the world arrived as well.
In total—
Britannia's population had risen to around 15,000.
About 4,000 were non-humans, and a little over 10,000 were humans.
Arthur found this quite normal.
Had his fame not spread so widely, there wouldn't have been this many non-humans arriving.
But there was a simple reason for this:
The six representatives of the six races, Max, Wei, etc.
To their respective races, none of these six were ordinary individuals.
Their presence in Britannia acted as golden signboards, drawing more non-humans in.
Mashi was a middle-aged woman from the Three-Eye Tribe—one of the extremely rare individuals whose "clairvoyance" ability had already awakened.
Nejin was a Snakeneck warrior known as "Viper," not only because of his tribe but because he possessed the Snake-Snake Fruit: Model King Cobra—a superior version of the regular cobra Zoan. His venom was lethally potent.
These six held the rank of Candidate Knights of the Round Table.
Together with Bullet, Britannia now had seven Round Table candidates.
And more importantly—
Arthur hadn't chosen them just because of their identities.
They truly possessed the qualifications.
Otherwise, Arthur could have simply kept a low profile, bided his time, and—eventually—summoned the full Round Table Knights to create the complete Britannia Empire.
SLAP.
SLAP.
Walking along the path with heavy footsteps echoing beside him, Arthur stopped at the training grounds and asked with a smile:
"Gawain, how is the selection process?"
Gawain followed behind him.
Gone was the arrogance he showed in battle, and none of the casualness he displayed in private.
He answered with utmost seriousness:
"My King, five hundred non-humans and five hundred humans have been selected. All are being trained as apprentice knights under Sir Galahad."
"And…"
After thinking for a moment, he added:
"The people of this world possess far stronger bodies than the humans of the original Britannia. One could even call them heroes by that world's standards. Galahad says it won't be long before he can forge them into an elite knight corps."
Arthur nodded gently.
"There is no need to rush. Everything is gradually falling into place. Britannia has already entered its proper course."
"For now… we only need to grow steadily."
"Next—"
Arthur suddenly remembered something.
"Gawain, how is the situation with agriculture?"
"My apologies, my King."
"This matter… is not my area of expertise."
Gawain looked genuinely pained.
He was an excellent knight, but internal administration was not something he was good at.
Yet Britannia could not rely solely on external expansion.
They needed to become self-sufficient.
Depending on imports for everything would be extremely dangerous.
And ordinary citizens needed work—Arthur understood this well.
If people grew used to lives of effortless comfort, they would become worthless.
That was unacceptable.
Arthur sighed lightly.
Gawain, Galahad—they were unmatched in combat.
But running civilian infrastructure?
They were hopeless.
Arthur chuckled.
"Gawain, even you have matters that trouble you?"
Gawain shook his head helplessly.
"My King… I truly lack talent in these areas."
"That's fine," Arthur said warmly. "Select capable citizens to handle administration.
Managing a population of just over ten thousand—especially when humans and non-humans coexist peacefully—will not be difficult."
"Yes, my King."
At that moment—
"My King! My King!"
It was Hugh, hurrying over with excitement.
"My King! Our people have returned—our families have all been brought back! And the families of the other non-human tribes as well!"
"That is good news," Arthur said softly.
Family meant bonds.
And for the sake of protecting their loved ones, people would always push themselves to grow stronger.
That was an unchanging truth.
"And, my King," Hugh continued, "I have a request I hope you will consider…"
Arthur looked at him curiously.
"What is it?"
Hugh took a deep breath.
"You know that Dorry the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre are my elder brothers. Their disappearance was what caused the Giant Warrior Pirates to disband."
"If…"
Hugh's voice grew firm.
"If we can find them, we may be able to rally the entire Giant Warrior Pirates… and bring them into Britannia."
Arthur smiled knowingly.
"Of course you may go. In fact, I have some information for you. There is an island on the Grand Line known as Little Garden. You should search there—but I cannot guarantee the accuracy."
"HAHAHAHA! Thank you, my King!"
Hugh bowed deeply, beaming with joy.
"Then, my King, I shall depart!"
"Mm."
Arthur merely watched him leave.
Would he ask, Why not return to Elbaf with them instead of joining Britannia?
Of course not.
Only a fool would ask such a question.
It would be an insult to his subordinate's loyalty.
Arthur Pendragon was not such a fool.
He had inherited many memories from the legendary King Arthur—and deeply understood what made a true king.
Unlike a certain thick-headed female king who could not comprehend human hearts, this Arthur—his Arthur—was a perfect ruler whose downfall in legend came only from history, not incompetence.
Because of that, he possessed wisdom far beyond the ordinary.
Behind him, Gawain spoke softly:
"My King, no matter the era, you always remain perfect. You inspire loyalty simply by being yourself."
Arthur simply smiled.
With the arrival of the non-humans' families, Britannia's population surged again.
Their numbers nearly doubled—from 4,000 to almost 10,000, becoming nearly equal to the human population.
Families brought wives, parents, children—a number far greater than individual warriors.
As their population grew, humans and non-humans gradually integrated.
This development was entirely beyond Arthur's expectations, brought about by the subtle influence of Britannia Island itself.
People would grow more loyal—more unified—over time.
It was the island's gift.
In truth…
Arthur had stumbled into something that would make Linlin cry with envy.
This was exactly the world Charlotte Linlin dreamed of—A nation of races living harmoniously.
Although many races were still missing, Arthur had never been intentionally collecting them.
They had come to him entirely of their own will.
"Hahhhh…"
Returning to Camelot, Arthur ascended to the castle's highest point.
From there, he gazed across the entire Britannia Sea.
His land was flourishing.
Order was forming.
Everything was moving forward.
Arthur smiled lightly.
"At last… Britannia is settling into its proper course. In this world, to be a king is surprisingly easy."
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