The Defeated Dog Don Krieg / Excalibur

"Keep your money. I only had them send it over while they were at it." Smoker waved it off, then looked seriously at Arthur. "Speaking of which, are you really not going to join the Marines? The people at the top have already noticed you. If you agree, you can enter the Marine academy directly and learn advanced Marine martial arts. Once you graduate, you'll be given a senior officer's post."

As mentioned earlier, Arthur's strength and conduct made him a breath of fresh air among bounty hunters, and Marine Headquarters had already taken notice of him.

And the reason Marine Headquarters had noticed Arthur was Smoker himself.

There were only three Marine branches in the East Blue, and the officers in charge of two of them were thoroughly corrupt scum. Arthur did not want to invite unnecessary trouble, so whenever he captured a pirate with a bounty, he brought them to Loguetown to collect it.

After going back and forth like that, Arthur came to know Smoker.

At the same time, more than a month ago, Arthur had no opponents left in the East Blue apart from its three great pirates, so he challenged Smoker.

He exploited Smoker's pride and arrogance, his belief that his elemental form made him invincible in the East Blue, and defeated him.

Seeing that Arthur had been born in the Weakest Sea yet had grasped the Haki needed to establish a foothold in the New World, Smoker naturally sent this information to Marine Headquarters.

After investigating, they found that Arthur's background was spotless and that his reputation in the East Blue was surprisingly good, so they had Smoker extend an invitation to him.

Naturally, Arthur refused.

Even so, Smoker had come to see Arthur in a completely different light.

This was a truly extraordinary man.

An extraordinary man like him had a very good chance of becoming a pirate.

If Smoker had seen even the slightest inclination in Arthur to become a pirate, even a one percent chance, he would surely have nipped it in the bud.

But he could find no such ambition in Arthur. Instead, Arthur was full of frankness and honesty, and the spirit he had condensed into tangible form made it impossible for Smoker to harbor ill will toward him.

So Smoker felt that a man like him must not be offended or allowed to become an enemy of the Marines.

Thus, when Arthur asked him for a Log Pose, Smoker did not refuse.

Hearing Smoker's words, Arthur smiled and shook his head. "You should know that I could never join the Marines."

"Forget it. I hope you don't go down the wrong path."

"By the way, there's something I need to tell you." Arthur seemed to remember something. He put down the cup in his hand, clasped his hands together, and looked seriously at Smoker. "I received some information. The Arlong Pirates haven't just taken over Cocoyasi Village; they've also been colluding with Captain Nezumi of the 16th Marine Branch. Nezumi has taken bribes from Arlong, so he pays no attention to what Arlong does and even uses the Marines' name to cover for him."

"Something like that is happening?!" Smoker's expression changed at once.

That area was not under his jurisdiction, and Captain Nezumi had not reported any of it to him or Marine Headquarters, so Smoker knew nothing about it.

"You can investigate it. I'm only telling you this to avoid unnecessary trouble," Arthur said calmly. "When I deal with Arlong, his property will naturally be mine. If I'm not mistaken, Captain Nezumi will probably interfere, and we'll definitely come into conflict then. I need to warn you that I won't show a corrupt Marine like him any mercy."

"Hmph. If that's the case, don't show him any mercy," Smoker said coldly. "I'll request a search warrant from Headquarters. Once we uncover evidence of his wrongdoing, I'll make sure he's thrown in prison."

"Then I hope you'll have finished your investigation before I deal with Arlong. Otherwise, if I see him in Cocoyasi Village, I'll bring his head to you." Arthur stood up, raised his stemmed glass in a toast to Smoker, and drained it in one gulp.

Smoker returned the toast, his expression grim.

It was not because of Arthur's provocative words about the Marines, but because the Marines' justice had once again filled him with anger and shame.

Chapter 8: The Defeated Dog Don Krieg [Third Release]

When Arthur came out of the Marine branch, he had a black case in his hand containing fifteen million Beli.

Carrying the case, Arthur did not return to his ship immediately. Instead, he went to the market first to buy some meat and clothes.

He had always lived freely and never burdened himself with too many heavy things.

As such, whenever Arthur put to sea, he brought only a few changes of clothes and half a month's worth of food.

Today, however, he had gained a "partner." For the sake of his image and making a good impression, Arthur decided to dress himself up properly.

"Let's see, that custom-made outfit should be ready by now, shouldn't it?" Arthur had one hand in his pocket, and two bare-armed men followed behind him, carrying barrels full of food.

With the two men in tow, Arthur arrived outside a tailor's shop.

He told them to wait outside for a while and went in.

When Arthur came out again, his outfit was a sight to behold.

He wore a black shirt under a white cloak, with pure white trousers to match the cloak. White gloves covered his hands, and white boots covered his feet.

He looked every inch a knight.

With his handsome face and splendid attire, Arthur had already stood out, but now he was like a ball of light. Women passing by whispered among themselves, looking him over with bashfulness and possessiveness in their eyes.

"Are you a nobleman, sir?" Even the men doing the heavy lifting for Arthur could not help exclaiming.

"Let's go!" Arthur smiled faintly and walked ahead with the case.

When they reached the docks, Nami had already been waiting on the ship for quite some time. She held a case tightly in both arms and watched her surroundings warily, as though afraid someone might snatch it away.

However, Smoker had kept order in Loguetown very well, and with Arthur having swept through the East Blue, pirates were rarely seen here.

Nami's vigilance was entirely unnecessary.

"Carry the things aboard." Arthur gave the two men a small tip and had them put the barrels on the ship.

Although Arthur's sailboat had a small cabin, it was eight meters long and three and a half meters wide, with a kitchen and bathroom inside.

There was only one bed, though, and Nami had claimed it ever since coming aboard.

Having only one bed was inconvenient, and there was only one deck. Arthur had managed well enough on his own, but now that Nami was with him, he really did need a different ship.

Once I've dealt with Arlong, I'll get an ordinary large ship first. Then, when I reach the Grand Line, I'll go to Water 7 and ask Franky to order some Adam wood and build me a real ship, Arthur thought, rubbing his chin.

Only after the two laborers had disembarked did Nami speak to Arthur. "Arthur, where did you go to change into that outfit?" Looking at Arthur in his new knight's attire, Nami nodded in satisfaction, gave him a thumbs-up, and said appreciatively, "Now you really look like a knight. The Wind Sword Knight has pretty good taste."

"Thank you. I'm very happy with it too," Arthur said with a smile. He had modeled the outfit on Reinhard's knight uniform from Re:Zero.

If he had a sword at his waist, he would look even more like a knight.

Unfortunately, Arthur's Excalibur was too dazzling and could easily attract unnecessary trouble. It was also sealed, so it was not suitable to carry openly.

"So where are we going next?"

After weighing anchor and hoisting the sails, the sailboat sailed with the wind, gradually leaving Loguetown behind. Holding a map and compass, Nami asked Arthur the question.

Leaning against the railing, Arthur rubbed his chin and pretended to ponder.

Then he slowly said, "Cocoyasi Village. That's the Arlong Pirates' territory! Do you know the way?"

"..."

"..."

Arthur's words seemed to land like a heavy blow. Nami, who had been excited, as though she could see piles of gold before her, gradually lost her smile, and her expression grew grave.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, looking at Nami in puzzlement.

"N-nothing. I don't know how to get there." Nami's smile looked strained, and her panicked tone made it easy to tell she was lying.

"Is that so? Never mind, then!"

Arthur did not expose her, however. He merely looked at her with a hint of pity in his eyes.

What a pitiful girl. To save her village, she had even joined the pirate crew that killed her adoptive mother and worked for them for eight years. For the sake of a deceptive hope, she had willingly deceived herself and risked her life struggling at sea for eight years, all to raise a hundred million Beli.

Even now, after gaining some idea of Arthur's strength, the kindhearted girl was unwilling to tell him, not wanting him to lose his life because of her.

The more this was so, the more Arthur wanted to save her.

If he wanted Nami to become his navigator, he had to root out Arlong, the demon haunting her heart.

"W-what is that..."

Just as Arthur and Nami fell silent, each occupied with their own thoughts,

Nami's beautiful eyes suddenly narrowed, and she pointed ahead, her voice trembling.

An enormous shadow loomed over them.

Arthur turned to look and saw a thick fog ahead, with a huge black shadow emerging from within it.

They could vaguely make out the shape of a ship.

"Is that a ship? It's enormous." Nami could now dimly make out the shadow's size as well, and she spoke in shock.

"That's the Don Krieg Pirates." Arthur's gaze pierced the fog, allowing him to see the ship clearly. It was in a terrible state, as though it had been through a war.

"The Don Krieg Pirates? Weren't they rumored to have entered the Grand Line already?" Nami seemed to think of something and was startled. "No, we can't run into them," she said in a panic.

With that, Nami tried to turn the helm and flee.

"No need to panic. They're just defeated dogs," Arthur said calmly, pulling Nami back.

"What are you talking about? They're the biggest pirate crew in the East Blue," Nami said quietly to Arthur, her face full of anxiety.

"Heh..."

Seeing Nami like this, an idea flashed through Arthur's mind. Perhaps this was an opportunity.

So he said, "It looks like you still don't have a full understanding of my strength."

Taking advantage of being a head taller than Nami, Arthur tousled her orange hair and gently reassured her, "Watch carefully, and see your partner's unparalleled might."

Under Nami's worried gaze, Arthur walked to the railing facing the fog and casually waved his hand.

Swish—crack!

The wind sounded, and the railing was cut through by a sharp blade, leaving a gap wide enough for one person.

Chapter 9: Excalibur

[Image: The sword on the left and in the middle is sealed; on the right is its True Name Release state after seven seals have been removed.]

"Nami, watch carefully now."

Standing by the railing, Arthur turned his head and smiled gently at Nami. "The world is vast, and the East Blue is small. You shouldn't limit your sights to these weaklings."

His raised hand was like a magnet, drawing the wind from the world around him until it formed an invisible sword.

This time, Arthur held the sword in both hands.

As Nami watched, the wind sword that symbolized the Wind Sword Knight's identity revealed its true form.

The wind dispersed, revealing a golden sword in a bladed sheath. The sword was magnificent, clearly a peerless blade without equal in the world.

The sword was Excalibur, and the bladed sheath was Avalon, the utopia isolated from the world.

However, because he had not completed the [Achievement Quest], Arthur could not perform Avalon's True Name Release. For now, Avalon was merely Excalibur's sheath, a beautiful sealing sheath.

"Is that his sword?" Looking at the golden sword, Nami finally understood why Arthur had used such a wondrous method to hide its true appearance. It was a treasure no one could see without coveting.

Gripping Excalibur's hilt, Arthur raised the sword of kings high and began channeling mana into it.

As he poured in mana, the sea, the sailboat, the fog, and even the air began to radiate a golden glow.

Bright lights like fireflies gathered from every direction, all flowing into the raised Excalibur.

Even Arthur's body gave off an incomparably holy radiance, like light born to oppose evil and drive away darkness, making Nami feel utterly safe behind him.

The power of light gathered, and a holy aura filled the air.

Excalibur began to shine in its kingly splendor.

A golden blade created to strike down the planet, capable of repelling all evil.

The shining holy sword's name was—

"Excalibur—"

The golden light, transforming its wielder's mana into a beam, illuminated the entire world, bringing it under the dominion of light.

The light roared furiously like a tsunami, engulfing everything.

The light was like divine punishment, all-powerful and impossible to escape.

The shining light swallowed everything and destroyed everything.

This was a light of destruction!