Knight of the Round Table.
Tiger Knight.
Gaheris.
That was how Gaheris saw himself and understood his own place. He knew very well that he was not the most outstanding in any one field. Since that was the case, there was no need to fight for that distinction. It was enough for him to support his king from the shadows.
Clang!
The arc of his holy sword intercepted the Wano swordsman officer's strike, and Gaheris said quietly, "You cannot defeat me."
"..."
The swordsman officer said nothing. He simply shifted into an iaijutsu stance and struck in an instant, his speed astonishingly fast. Everything happened so quickly that the attack felt almost fatal.
But—
Clang!
Gaheris raised his holy shield and blocked the attack once again. He wasted no words after that, unleashing a blinding series of follow-up strikes that forced the swordsman officer back.
Did anyone really think Gaheris was weak?
That he was pitifully weak?
No.
No.
Gaheris had never been weak. On the contrary, he was very strong—truly strong. In every regard, his martial skill and combat power were formidable.
In every aspect, Gaheris was extremely well-rounded.
Perhaps he lacked any one overwhelmingly exceptional trait, but for a composed knight, that absence of a singular specialty was itself not a flaw. Gaheris was just that kind of man. Though he had no single aspect that stood above all others, he was complete in every way.
Clang!
That crisp, ringing sound made it abundantly clear just how powerful he was.
"Haa…"
Letting out a slow breath, the swordsman officer's gaze sharpened further. He knew very well that the opponent before him was strong. If he let down his guard even slightly, the price would be his life.
Clang, clang, clang!
With holy shield in his left hand and holy sword in his right, Gaheris fought in perfect harmony with Gareth.
A closer look revealed that the siblings' styles were completely different.
Though Gareth wielded the Five Warriors in broad, sweeping motions, there was still an exquisite precision to her fighting. It felt both perfectly suited to her and strangely unique at the same time.
Gaheris, however, was different.
His style felt wholly broad and forceful, just like a tiger in battle.
That was the difference between Gawain and Lancelot. Gawain's style was bold and open, while Lancelot's was refined and intricate.
The siblings, having learned from the two of them respectively, naturally developed along those different paths. There was nothing strange about that. As they continued to grow, all of this would change even further.
After all, learning was only learning.
As time passed, their own paths would eventually emerge.
And right now, the siblings were walking those paths.
Clang!
Crackle!
The two of them faced the officers' siege without falling behind in the slightest. But as time went on, the number of officers only kept increasing. Even though the siblings were strong, exhaustion was still unavoidable.
Boom!
Boom!
At that moment, Shiki suddenly realized something. With those thunderous impacts, the Flying Pirates had begun to be suppressed in a short span of time, and even more powerful fighters had joined the battlefield.
"Hahahaha!"
Hearing that familiar laugh, Shiki turned in surprise and saw Roger strolling forward with his sword resting on one shoulder.
"Roger?"
"Yo!"
Roger grinned confidently. "Long time no see, Shiki! You're still as disgusting as ever, always pulling this underhanded crap. Makes me sick just looking at it."
"Jihahahaha!"
Hearing Roger's words, Shiki did not get angry at all. Instead, he burst into hearty laughter.
"So you're helping Arthur, Roger? That's a surprise! I thought you weren't interested in this sort of thing."
Roger replied casually, "I'm not interested. But I've got something I want, and Arthur's the only one who can give it to me. So I don't really have a choice."
"I thought so!"
At that, Shiki only looked calmer. In fact, this felt right to him. This was what a true battlefield ought to look like.
It was hardly surprising.
There was no way Arthur could have made no preparations at all. That had always been impossible.
And the facts proved it.
Arthur had not come unprepared. He had made preparations—and they had clearly been thorough.
"Hm?!"
Looking down at the battlefield, Shiki suddenly grinned.
"This is getting more interesting by the second! But this is exactly how it should be, Arthur! This is what gets me excited!"
"Jihahahaha!!"
Shiki's laughter boomed with excitement. Roger Pirates' arrival had not instantly overturned the battlefield, but it had undeniably changed the entire situation.
Yet Shiki did not find it infuriating. Quite the opposite—he was thrilled.
For Shiki, a battle that ended too easily was meaningless. He had always regarded Arthur as a true rival.
If his rival could not even anticipate this much, then Shiki would have found it unbearably dull. Was his opponent really that weak?
No.
Shiki had never thought so.
And with the appearance of the Roger Pirates, it was exactly as he had expected—Arthur had prepared well.
"Jihahahaha."
"This is perfect!"
"This is what a real battlefield looks like!"
A fierce light gleamed in Shiki's eyes, his killing intent burning wildly. His gaze locked onto Roger, his confidence and excitement blazing.
"Hehehe."
Roger laughed as well. "Sure enough, Shiki—you've made your preparations too."
"Of course!"
Shiki spread his arms wide.
Crash!
In an instant, towering waves surged up, and Shiki roared excitedly, "I've treated Arthur as a real rival from the start. If he didn't have this much prepared, I'd be disappointed! And the facts prove it—I came prepared too!"
"Jihahahaha~!"
"This is fantastic!"
"Lion's Threat: Imperial Earth Roll!"
"Divine Severance!"
The moment Roger and Shiki met eyes—
they both struck.
The sea churned violently, massive waves rising into the air and forming lion heads wrapped in Armament Haki as they came crashing down. Faced with Shiki's attack, Roger showed no fear at all and charged straight in, sword in hand.
One thing worth noting—
Roger's weapon was now Ace, one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades. His previous sword had been completely destroyed during the God Valley War. Somehow, over the course of this past year, Roger had managed to acquire another Supreme Grade Blade.
Slash!
The clash ended almost the moment it began. Roger cut down every lion-headed wave in an instant, and at the same time, Shiki descended from the sky.
Clang, clang, clang!
Crackle, crackle!
The speed of their exchange was absurdly fast. In mere moments, they had become two terrifying blurs, both intent on swallowing the other whole. Their killing intent and destructive power were unleashed without the slightest restraint. Neither man had any intention of holding back.
"Flying Slash!"
"Divine Departure!"
"Lion: Thousand Slice Valley!"
"Divine Severance!"
"Lion: Cherry Blossom Fall!"
"Divine Shadow!"
Roger and Shiki fully unleashed their swordsmanship. Both were true Great Swordsmen, and they continuously hurled dazzling slashes at one another, each one carrying enough force to kill.
"Form ranks!"
As Roger and Shiki truly began their duel, Gareth shouted, "All troops! Battle formation!"
"Yes!"
At Gareth's command, the Thunder Wolf Knight Corps instantly shifted into a completely different formation. Their combat effectiveness rose yet again as they rapidly began cutting down the pirates on the battlefield.
The sight was astonishing, but it was also reality.
Slash!
With one stroke, Rayleigh took down his opponent, rubbing his chin as he said, "They really are strong. So this is Britannia's knight corps. And from what I've heard, this isn't even the strongest one. The strongest should be the corps stationed at Fish-Man Island, right?"
"That's correct!"
Now freed up, Gaheris smiled and said, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Rayleigh."
Rayleigh answered casually, "No need to thank me. We're only helping because of mutual benefit. Though I have to say, Arthur really is Arthur. So he did make his arrangements after all. No wonder he dared to leave Britannia at a time like this."
Gaheris said seriously, "Our king is a king who will never be defeated. No matter when, His Majesty will never lose."
"Hehehe."
Rayleigh shook his head. "That kind of confidence… it really does leave an impression."
He smiled lightly and said nothing more.
That kind of faith, that kind of trust—it came from the heart, from the very bones. Outsiders simply could not understand it.
Soon after—
"Hey!"
With a pair of axe strikes, Gaban finished off his enemies and shouted, "Are you two done chatting yet? Can you get over here and help already? Can't you see this battlefield's a mess?"
"Coming!"
Rayleigh immediately drew his sword and joined the battle as well.
With Rayleigh, Gaban, Sunbell, and the other Roger Pirates officers entering the fray, the course of the battle became completely different.
In top-level combat power, the Flying Pirates held no advantage.
In basic combat strength, the Flying Pirates held no advantage.
To put it bluntly—
the Flying Pirates held no advantage anywhere on the battlefield.
With things like this, how could the result of this battle still be in doubt?
It was undeniable.
The war in the Visma Region had now fully erupted.
The Flying Pirates.
The Roger Pirates.
Britannia.
The three forces had become completely entangled on this battlefield.
And what did this battlefield truly represent?
In truth, it represented something very simple:
The war had fully broken out.
This war between the Pirate Alliance and Britannia—or rather, the war that would sweep across nearly the entirety of the New World's pirate world—had now officially begun.
No matter who won or lost—
the balance of the New World was bound to undergo a complete upheaval.
Everyone understood that.
And every faction was watching this war closely.
Because everyone knew just how important it was.
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