Splash—
Splash—
As a pirate ship slowly docked beside a small island, Silver Axe led his men ashore.
Pop!
At that moment, a spatial opening suddenly appeared. Ochoku emerged from it, bringing with him his three barely-alive officers. When he saw Silver Axe, his gaze sharpened for an instant—before quickly returning to calm.
"Hehehe…"
Ochoku laid his officers down and stroked his beard.
"Silver Axe… you failed?"
"Yes."
Silver Axe nodded calmly.
"I did fail. The opponent was extremely strong. If I wanted to defeat them, the price I'd have to pay would far outweigh the gains."
He made no attempt to hide it.
After all, this had been part of their original plan—devised the moment they learned Arthur would intervene at Fish-Man Island.
Of course, everything depended on feasibility.
If it wasn't worth it, retreating was the only sensible option.
"That's not surprising," Ochoku said evenly.
"Given Arthur's personality, he would never abandon Britannia just to save Fish-Man Island. Since he chose to help, it means Britannia was already fully prepared."
Right."
Silver Axe nodded, then glanced at Ochoku.
"Judging by your condition… you lost badly too?"
As he spoke, Silver Axe gestured to his ship's doctor, who immediately began treating Ochoku's three officers. Any further delay, and they truly might not survive.
Ochoku sat down cross-legged and spoke calmly:
"This time, I underestimated him. I knew Arthur had grown stronger—but I didn't expect Britannia's overall strength to be this terrifying. In a head-on war, I was completely defeated."
"Hm?"
Silver Axe frowned.
"Even if all of Britannia's forces mobilized, it shouldn't have been possible to crush the Five Peaks Pirates so thoroughly."
In his view, five thousand knights trained for just over a month defeating two thousand elite pirates was absurd—almost a joke.
If Ochoku weren't standing right in front of him, battered and miserable, Silver Axe might've thought he was lying.
Ochoku shrugged.
"You might not believe it, but that's the truth. The five thousand knights lost about a thousand men—and still wiped out my entire force."
Silver Axe's brow furrowed.
"Ochoku, you're not the type to joke. But that's almost impossible. Were they really that strong?"
"No."
Ochoku shook his head grimly.
"They have special ability users. Fatal attacks that should've landed were avoided due to some strange effect. That's the most unsettling part."
Silver Axe thought for a moment.
"So among their ranks, there must be highly unusual ability users."
"Yes," Ochoku nodded.
"As for their command structure—Arthur has six officers and three Knights of the Round Table. Each Round Table knight is stronger than a Vice Admiral."
Silver Axe narrowed his eyes.
"Then that confirms it. Arthur Pendragon isn't an orphan—he belongs to a hidden family. The Pendragon family. The Round Table knights are forces trained by that family."
He continued thoughtfully:
"Their true goal is likely founding a nation. Perhaps they once ruled a kingdom in ancient history, destroyed long ago."
Ochoku considered this carefully, then nodded.
"That's very possible. But tell me—what exactly happened on your side?"
Unknowingly, Ochoku, Silver Axe, Sengoku, Tsuru—even the Five Elders—
All of them had gone off track.
Not completely wrong—but fundamentally mistaken.
Still, using their assumptions to explain Arthur's system almost worked.
Silver Axe explained:
"Morgan le Fay Pendragon. That woman single-handedly blocked our entire fleet on the British Isles."
"What?!"
Ochoku was visibly shocked.
Silver Axe then recounted everything in detail.
Ochoku stroked his beard and squinted.
"Then I see. That was Britannia's contingency plan. They were thoroughly prepared."
"And clearly," he added,
"Britannia is hiding far more than we imagined. If Fish-Man Island hadn't been so critical, Morgan le Fay would never have revealed herself."
Silver Axe nodded.
"That's my conclusion as well. Arthur intends to build a country."
"Yes."
They both agreed.
Britannia's strength was undeniable:
Two Admiral-level combatants.
Three Knights of the Round Table.
Six elite officers.
A disciplined knightly army.
That was already comparable to—if not stronger than—the Whitebeard Pirates or the Flying Pirates.
Yet Arthur still had no intention of sailing as a pirate.
That alone proved his ambition.
He never considered himself a pirate.
Even joining the Rocks Pirates had only been a means to amass wealth.
"Enough."
Ochoku cut off further discussion.
"Whatever Arthur's intentions, the grudge is already formed. Even if we backed down now, he wouldn't show mercy—and we won't back down either."
He snorted.
"Don't joke around."
Though Ochoku suffered heavy losses, his wealth remained. Rebuilding was only a matter of time. And Silver Axe hadn't suffered any losses at all.
Silver Axe pondered briefly, then asked:
"Ochoku… have you considered forming an alliance?"
Ochoku didn't answer immediately.
Revenge alone was impossible. Surpassing Arthur in the short term was unrealistic.
After a moment, he nodded.
"Fine. Let's form a Pirate Alliance."
"Good."
Both men spoke solemnly.
At once, Silver Axe's men moved. Two cups of wine were placed before them.
They raised the cups and drank without ceremony.
No words were needed.
The pirate alliance was formed.
In this era, pirate alliances were far more solid.
Why?
Because this era's pirates were monsters.
Only monsters allied with monsters.
Without absolute necessity, none of them would ever bind themselves to another.
—
Afterward, Silver Axe asked seriously:
"Ochoku, what confidence do you have now?"
Ochoku replied calmly:
"Recruitment isn't a problem. Former Rocks subordinates, captains, New World pirates—numbers are easy."
"The real issue is top-tier combat power."
"And we need ability users—all kinds. Recruit them extensively."
Silver Axe nodded.
"In strategy, I can't compete with you. Funds aren't an issue for either of us, but relying on just the two of us won't be enough."
"Agreed."
Ochoku nodded.
Britannia was easy to defend, hard to attack—and now the Pendragon family had revealed only two siblings.
Who knew how many more existed?
A second sister? A brother?
One mistake here meant death.
"Subjugating other powerhouses is unrealistic," Ochoku said.
"The best solution is alliances."
They looked at each other simultaneously.
Both had the same thought.
Dangerous.
Like courting a tiger.
But the payoff would be enormous.
They nodded in unison.
Then Ochoku continued:
"Before that, we must analyze their forces thoroughly—especially the Round Table."
"Galahad and Gareth."
"Galahad's sword prevents wounds from being healed."
"Gareth's spear produces five phantoms."
"And their skill is exceptional."
"As for Gawain—his strength is immense, but more importantly, his sword controls heat. Likely a fusion of Devil Fruit power and technology."
"Arthur's weapon is similar—light-based shockwaves, wind release. I suspect he has another weapon tied to wind."
Silver Axe nodded repeatedly.
"Highly likely."
"And Morgan le Fay," he added.
"Her power grows stronger on Britannia itself. She seems to control the island—but beyond a radius of about 100 meters, limitations appear."
"Or she's hiding something," Ochoku said.
They analyzed everything meticulously.
Never underestimate these monsters—they weren't reckless brutes.
"Paramecia — Isle-Isle Fruit."
"Morgan le Fay is the likely user."
"And I suspect," Ochoku continued,
"her personal strength isn't that overwhelming. It's the island's enhancement that empowers her."
"Arthur's growth may stem from the same source."
Their conclusions were wrong in essence—but frighteningly precise in form.
-------------------------------///
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