Paramount War: Excalibur (Part 3) / Paramount War (Part 4) [1/5]
"Pshshshsh—"
Cannonballs thundered like war drums, sounding the horn of battle.
Cannonballs thundered like war drums, sounding the horn of battle.
Cannonballs were sliced cleanly in two in midair as Fifth Division Commander "Flower Sword" Vista leaped off the Moby Dick, leading the Whitebeard Pirates' vanguard and raising his side's morale.
Sixth Division Commander Blamenco.
Seventh Division Commander Rakuyo.
Eighth Division Commander "Fish-Man" Namur.
Apart from First Division Commander "Phoenix" Marco and Third Division Commander "Diamond" Jozu, all the other division commanders had joined the fighting.
The Marines were no slower. Led and directed by Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals Doberman, Onigumo, Yamakaji, Momonga, and their other senior officers, the Marine elites surged forward like a tidal wave, overwhelming in numbers.
Smoke filled the air in the blink of an eye.
"Rumble...!!"
"Bang, bang, bang, bang..."
"Pshshshshshsh—!!!"
The bombardment of cannonballs, the clash of cold steel, and the sound of blades piercing flesh rang out across the entire battlefield.
Wars ran with rivers of blood, and those words were not false in the slightest.
From the moment the battle began, "death" had secretly joined the war, watching to see which life would wither next so it could carry them away.
To reduce casualties and raise morale, division commanders and Marine officers stood at the front.
Among them, the sight of the sixteen Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals other than Garp gathered together drew particular attention.
"Come on, Marines!"
"Hahaha~~~ Have all the Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals shown themselves? Now that's a rare sight."
"I've never seen so many Vice Admirals gathered together."
"Even a Buster Call doesn't come close to these numbers. Anyone else would probably piss themselves in fright."
"But that's a different story when their opponents are Pops and us."
"..."
Their clamoring and fearless voices gave full expression to the pirates' unruliness. Their ferocity and fearlessness set the Whitebeard Pirates apart from the Marine elites, and for a time, though the Whitebeard Pirates numbered only a little over a thousand, their morale rivaled that of the Marines' hundred thousand elites.
The people watching before their screens trembled.
Was this the crew of a Four Emperor who reigned over the New World?!!
Pirates who had not known their own limits and had been preparing to challenge the Four Emperors, as well as rising rookies, hurriedly abandoned the dangerous idea.
Tap!
Just then, a figure suddenly jumped onto a foothold on the high wall where the Shichibukai stood.
"Fuffuffuffu~~~ Are you going to show us what you're capable of?" Doflamingo looked at the white figure and teased with a wicked grin, "Are you going to challenge one of the commanders, or take Whitebeard's head?"
"That's the World's Greatest Bounty Hunter—the 'Knight of Knights.'"
"Why is he among the Shichibukai? Has he become a pirate too?"
"..."
The Shichibukai drew no attention when they stood still, but the moment they moved, countless eyes turned to them.
What baffled people, however, was why a world-famous bounty hunter had stepped out from among the Shichibukai alliance.
Chapter 89: Paramount War: Excalibur (Part 3)
(Only three chapters today! At least three tomorrow, and I'll keep trying to release a burst!)
The Execution Platform, the Three Admirals, the Shichibukai, and Whitebeard had always drawn the most attention. They were the four scenes the world was watching.
As the saying went, they only had to move to draw the eyes of the entire world.
The world-famous "Knight of Knights," who had been given the title of World's Greatest Bounty Hunter, had not only joined the Paramount War but was also among the Shichibukai.
That could not help but set people's imaginations running.
Had the strongest rookie of this generation, the "Knight of Knights," already gone from bounty hunter to pirate and become one of the Shichibukai?
Many clever people, however, guessed the truth.
The Shichibukai were one of the three great powers of the Grand Line. Whenever a position became vacant, it would be filled immediately and the world notified.
The last issue of the World Economy News Paper had reported not only Ace's execution but also that Marshall D. Teach had filled Crocodile's vacant Shichibukai position.
If the "Knight of Knights" had become a pirate, the Marines would surely have issued a bounty for him first, only inviting him to become a Shichibukai when they had no other choice.
With the worsening of the Great Pirate Era, more and more people were riding the wave. The Marines were short-handed, so it was perfectly normal on the seas for them to hire bounty hunters to help.
In other words, the "Knight of Knights" had most likely appeared because he had been hired by Marine Headquarters.
"Bang—"
Smoker sent a pirate flying with the Jitte in his hand. Biting down on two cigars, he turned to look at Arthur and murmured to himself, "Has this kid already grown this much?"
As the East Blue's gatekeeper, Smoker was undoubtedly the Marine who knew Arthur best.
It was precisely because he valued Arthur's potential that Smoker had chosen not to pursue the matter of Arthur killing Captain Nezumi.
Not long afterward, Smoker heard that Arthur had defeated Crocodile and felt a rare sense of relief about his decision.
"'Knight of Knights,' huh? It certainly suits that kid's appearance and bearing." Smoker bared his teeth and smiled.
"'Knight of Knights,' the man rumored to possess a straight sword that is one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades." Tashigi adjusted her glasses and said seriously, "It's a Golden Sword brimming with the bearing of a king, encased in a bladed scabbard. It really makes you want to see the true blade."
"What's this guy trying to do?"
Aboard the Moby Dick, Marco could not help frowning as he saw Arthur staring in their direction.
Does he want to challenge Pops? Hey, hey... are rookies these days all this ignorant of their own limits?!
The possibility had suddenly occurred to Marco, and he held a hand to his forehead.
Arthur had no idea his actions had drawn the attention of the entire world.
Standing atop the high wall, Arthur fixed his emerald-green eyes on Whitebeard aboard the Moby Dick.
Unfortunately, Whitebeard paid him no attention, not even sparing him a glance.
Arthur did not particularly mind.
Just like Mihawk in the original story, he had stepped forward ahead of Mihawk because an idea had suddenly occurred to him.
How wide was the gap between him and the four monsters of the New World?!
He wanted to see it for himself.
Arthur grasped at the air. Golden light gathered, and an incomparably magnificent Golden Sword, encased in a bladed scabbard, appeared in his hand.
"Is that the straight sword suspected of being one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades?!"
"What a magnificent sword!"
"For a swordsman, that sword is the deadliest temptation."
"I want it so badly!"
"..."
The appearance of Excalibur stirred a wave of discussion.
On the battlefield below, the eyes of swordsmen among both the Marines and the pirates could not help gleaming with desire.
One of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades!
It was the second Supreme Great Grade Sword known to the world, apart from Mihawk's Black Blade Yoru.
At that moment, almost no one who knew swords doubted that the Golden Sword in the Knight of Knights' hands was one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades.
Like Black Blade Yoru, Excalibur was simply too dazzling. That had to be a characteristic of Supreme Great Grade Swords, something the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords simply could not match.
"Humility, honesty, compassion, valor, justice, sacrifice, honor, spirituality—these are the Eight Knightly Virtues!" Arthur knew nothing of what the others were thinking. After summoning Excalibur, he raised it high in both hands.
Softly reciting the eight virtues of a knight, Arthur began channeling magical energy into Excalibur.
As he did, the ground and air around him began to give off a golden glow.
The light slowly drifted upward like fireflies, growing more numerous.
The magnificent blade of Excalibur began to radiate a faint golden light.
At that moment, the knight holding Excalibur aloft radiated a sacred and noble bearing, becoming the most striking sight on the battlefield and even in the entire world.
"This brat..."
Arthur's transformation drew the eyes of the entire world, and even Whitebeard could no longer ignore him.
That bearing was far too distinctive, and the Golden Sword radiating golden light was clearly charging up power.
An attack that could cause such a phenomenon around it was no ordinary attack.
"Fuffuffuffu~~ The eight virtues of a knight? There's nothing false about that bearing. Should I feel honored to witness the birth of a king among knights?!" Doflamingo watched Arthur, around whom light was gathering, and flexed his ten fingers with a wicked grin.
Yet his heart was grave. The kid's bearing was far too distinctive, but that was clearly an attack.
There was not a trace of killing intent in the attack. Instead, it was filled with nobility and sanctity, like a light that punished evil.
It was too bizarre!!
The power of light gathered, and the hem of Arthur's knight's attire fluttered without wind.
Excalibur's golden light grew ever more dazzling, and at last it was about to shine in the form of a king.
The kingly sword of an ever-victorious, undefeated king.
A golden blade created to defeat that which would destroy a planet, capable of repelling all evil.
The shining holy sword with three seals released bore the name:
"Excalibur—"
Chapter 90: Paramount War (Part 4) [1/5]
(Slap—the previous three chapters had too much filler, so I'm slapping myself!!)
"Excalibur—"
Excalibur, shining with golden light, slashed down.
The golden torrent roared forth like a beam of light.
Boom—!!
As the beam swept past, sonic booms erupted in the air.
Afterimages appeared in the space around the golden torrent, as though it were warping.
Though it had been unleashed from the Golden Sword, the slash surpassed the level of sword pressure.
Like a meteor, the beam shot over the battlefield, aimed at Whitebeard aboard the Moby Dick.
"How could I let a brat like you touch Pops?"
Blue flames flared up aboard the Moby Dick, transforming into a phoenix wearing glasses that shot out to meet the oncoming golden beam head-on.
Boom!!
Heavy, powerful impacts rang out continuously, as though a giant were catching a mountain.