Britannia Archipelago.
The Chalk-White Citadel—Camelot.
Once everything had been settled…
Now—
Arthur once again fell into the same daily rhythm:
Training. Resting. Training. Resting.
That was all he could do for now.
Neither Arthur nor Galahad could leave the Britannia Sea.
Trouble would come—of that they were certain—but no one could predict when.
Because of that, neither of them could afford to leave.
As for Bullet?
He was far too young, far too weak, and still needed to grow.
He couldn't leave either.
So even though Britannia Island's resources were gradually running low… they were still confined here.
Of course—
With only three people, daily survival was no problem.
But—
Arthur was extremely dissatisfied.
Right now, he was in a passive position—
simply waiting for enemies to arrive.
And that was something he despised.
But there was nothing he could do.
It was just like a year ago, when he was first given a bounty of 550 million Berries.
Back then, he had to prove—through sheer force—what price the Rocks Pirates would pay if they dared lay hands on him.
And now—
He had to show the entire world what it would cost to strike at the Britannia Sea.
"Hah…"
Exhaling slowly, Arthur muttered:
"With forty percent of the Red Dragon bloodline, I've only truly mastered about thirty percent of it… but even now, my strength is terrifying. If I push a little further, I can truly step into Admiral-level."
He tested his condition—and compared it to before.
Since the God Valley War...
Arthur hadn't rushed to enhance his bloodline.
Because he understood perfectly:
If he fully mastered forty percent of the Red Dragon bloodline,
he would reach true Admiral level—and even among Admirals, he would not be weak.
But—
If he awakened more of the bloodline without proper control, there was a real chance the dragon power would overwhelm him—turning him into a mindless beast.
So he stopped.
And usually, Arthur even canceled out Britannia Island's Blessing.
He only activated it when absolutely necessary.
Because that blessing wasn't his power.
Relying on it too much would only cripple him in the long run.
Once he left Britannia Island, the sudden drop in strength would be disastrous.
He couldn't stay confined here forever.
Whoosh…
At that moment, a breeze blew across his face.
Arthur instantly sensed something.
Swish!
In one leap, he shot across the island and landed atop the mountain peak, staring into the distance.
"…Hmm?"
"A massive ship?"
"That's… the Giant Tribe?"
Arthur blinked in surprise.
He had anticipated many visitors—
but not giants.
This was unexpected.
There were only about thirty to fifty of them.
But—
One must never underestimate giants.
Even a few dozen of them could unleash terrifying power—and judging by the scars on their bodies, these were hardened warriors.
"How strange…"
Though puzzled, Arthur leapt down from the mountain and landed on the Iceberg Island, hands in his pockets, waiting calmly.
If they were enemies, he would stop them at the gate.
Galahad and Bullet had also sensed their arrival.
Galahad descended onto the Volcano Island,
while Bullet stood atop the mountain, fists trembling in frustration.
He was too weak—not even qualified to participate in battle.
And that wounded his pride more than anything.
"Your Majesty," Galahad said softly,
"I sense no hostility from them. Instead… I sense excitement and gratitude."
"Yeah."
Arthur nodded.
He felt the same through Britannia Island's feedback.
But that made it even stranger.
He scanned the giants one by one—and froze when he saw a familiar figure.
Galahad noticed him too.
Arthur recognized him immediately.
It was the very first giant he had rescued at God Valley.
Splash…!
"LORD ARTHUR!!"
"LORD ARTHUR!!"
As the ship approached, the giant roared with overwhelming excitement:
"It really is you! Thank goodness! You're truly here!"
Arthur smiled.
"What brings you here?"
The ship stopped at the Iceberg Island's edge.
The giant stepped forward, overflowing with emotion.
"Lord Arthur! It has been over a month since we last met—I finally found you again!"
Arthur frowned slightly.
"You all are…?"
"Hahaha!!"
"Lord Arthur!"
"My name is Hugh."
"In Elbaf's Warrior Village, they call me the White Ogre!"
"And I—wish to serve under you!"
The giant named Hugh dropped to one knee on the deck, staring at Arthur with unwavering resolve.
He was not joking.
Arthur sighed lightly.
"Hugh… If this is just repayment, you don't need to do this. You know perfectly well that back then, I saved you only because I wanted to kill the Celestial Dragons. I wasn't trying to rescue you."
"I know that!"
Hugh said solemnly:
"But! Afterward, I learned something—no one else lifted a finger.
No one else cared about us.
And, Lord Arthur…"
"You were the one who freed the slaves on the Red Line, weren't you?"
"…Hmm?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"How did you know?"
He didn't deny it—but he was confused.
That incident should've been impossible to trace back to him.
The slaves wouldn't talk.
The World Government definitely wouldn't talk.
So how…?
"Hahaha!!"
Hugh scratched his head.
"Well… it's embarrassing to admit—"
"That guy named Silver Axe!"
"He should be your former crewmate. He came to challenge Elbaf… and after getting beaten senseless, I questioned him and learned the truth from him!"
Arthur fell silent.
…Silver Axe was an idiot.
That was Elbaf, the world's strongest nation.
Even Marine Admirals would think twice about attacking its homeland.
Was Silver Axe tired of living?!
Arthur exhaled.
"So you all want to join me?"
"Yes!"
Hugh slammed a fist to his chest.
"For us giants, life itself is not precious.
What we fear is a death without honor.
You, Lord Arthur—
Gave us our freedom,and the chance to die with pride."
"Therefore—!"
Thud! Thud!
Hugh knelt, fist to his chest.
Behind him, all 47 giants knelt in unison.
"We!"
"Wish to follow Lord Arthur forever!"
"To be your spear!"
"To be your shield!"
"ROOOOAR!"
Their voices shook the sea.
Arthur stood silently, absorbing it all.
He knew giants didn't play tricks.
If they had ill intent, they would attack head-on—never kneel.
These weren't schemes.
These were warriors offering loyalty.
Finally—
Arthur smiled.
"If I refused, I'd be the unreasonable one here."
"Very well."
"Welcome to the Britannia Empire—
the very first citizens of this nation."
"Britannia… Empire?"
Hugh blinked.
Then realization struck.
"Lord Arthur—no, Your Majesty—
you have founded a kingdom?!"
"Yes."
Arthur nodded firmly.
"Hahahaha!!!
That's incredible!"
Hugh clenched his fist, eyes shining.
He hadn't expected Arthur to create his own empire.
Granted—that "empire" only had three people:
Arthur as King,
Galahad as Knight of the Round Table,
Bullet as a candidate knight.
With Hugh's giants, they just barely surpassed fifty citizens.
"Alright!"
Hugh turned and shouted:
"Oi! Where's the wine I told you to prepare?!"
"White Ogre-brother! The wine is ready!"
A giant handed him a massive barrel.
Hugh hurled it into the sea.
"Your Majesty! We originally planned to drink adoption wine to formally pledge ourselves to you as followers."
"But now that we are citizens of the Britannia Empire—we no longer need such rituals."
Adoption wine—the ceremony pirates used to symbolize allegiance.
But Hugh knew:
To offer that to a king would be an insult.
"Very well."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"Do as you please. I didn't expect this at all."
"Your Majesty!!"
"We vow to become your most loyal subjects!"
"To be your spear!"
"To be your shield!"
-------------------------------///
Advance Chapters on Patreon!
p(a)treon(.)com/HudaLin
-Remove the parenthesis to access patreon normally
Thanks for the Support!