Five thousand.
What kind of number was that?
Hmm…
Perhaps unless one experienced it personally, one would never truly understand.
How many powerful figures could one era produce?
Redfield, Roger, Shiki, Edward, Linlin, Kaido, Ochoku, John, Silver Axe, Bondi, Zeff, Chinjao…
Even counting generously, one era producing twenty true powerhouses was already shocking. Even the future era known as the Worst Generation only had the thirteen Supernovas plus Blackbeard—fourteen powerful figures in total.
That was what an era amounted to.
Twenty powerhouses was already the absolute limit.
After all!
The number of strong people was limited. Many times, a single powerful figure could last through two eras, three eras, or even longer. As time passed, more strong people might be born, but that was only a possibility—not a certainty.
But on this island?
There were nearly five thousand graves.
The strength of those powerful figures had undoubtedly been terrifying beyond measure. Each of them had been a fearsome monster.
Did their strength even need to be explained?
Even the weakest among them had surely possessed power on the level of an Emperor's right-hand man—or even a quasi-Admiral.
Such powerful figures existed among superpowers, underworld emperors, and hidden factions. The world's civilian side had hidden many powerful people too.
But!
The number of strong people was ultimately limited.
No one knew how long it had taken to accumulate these five thousand names. But one thing was certain:
To leave this abyss alive would not be easy.
"Hehehe."
Arthur chuckled. "No wonder they lured us here. Leaving this place alive really won't be simple."
A faintly emotional smile appeared on his face. Arthur's expression was calm, but he knew very clearly that this place was far too dangerous.
This danger had already reached the level of an abyssal hell.
"Well!"
"After all!"
"This is a hell prepared specifically for us. If they let us leave so easily…"
"Haha."
Arthur chuckled and shook his head. "It wouldn't be that simple."
His expression was very gentle, as if he did not understand how dangerous his surroundings were. The smile on his lips was rich as he looked around, as though admiring how beautiful the island was.
"Hmm..."
After thinking for a moment, Arthur suddenly said, "Kay, take the ship and leave. Leave me one small boat. You don't need to take part in what comes next."
"My king…"
Kay looked stunned. He had not expected Arthur to make such a decision.
Arthur said calmly, "It's fine. Their target is me. Besides…"
Arthur did not finish the sentence. He simply gave the order calmly, "That is enough. Prepare to return."
"As you command!"
"My king!"
"I understand."
Seeing Arthur's serious expression, Kay respectfully lowered his head. Then he turned and led the others away.
Splash!
Splash!
As the pirate ship departed, only a small boat was left behind for Arthur.
From beginning to end, it was as if everything had already ended.
Aside from Arthur, only Lamorak remained by his side.
Everyone else left.
And likewise, no one stopped them, as though Kay's departure did not matter to the enemy at all.
"Hahaha."
Arthur chuckled. "As expected. Just as I guessed, your target is only me. Or rather, in your understanding, as long as I die, everyone else no longer matters, right?"
Step!
Step!
Faint footsteps sounded.
The ground suddenly split open, and a passage appeared. A man in bronze armor walked out. His face was visible, very old, and he slowly stepped forward.
Soon.
He arrived before Arthur and said calmly, "Just as you said, Arthur Pendragon. Your cross has already been prepared. This place will be your grave."
"And!"
"As long as you die, Britannia will no longer matter. Whether it is destroyed or not, it will no longer pose any threat."
That was right.
After the Five Elders investigated, their choice had become very clear.
Britannia!
It certainly had many talents and many powerful figures, but in truth, those things were not that meaningful. In the eyes of the Five Elders, their existence amounted to only that much. Their strength was not something that needed to be taken seriously.
In reality.
The most important thing about Britannia was still Arthur Pendragon.
This man was the core of Britannia, its most important core. As long as he was killed, even if Britannia could continue forward, it would no longer have much meaning.
That was the Five Elders' choice.
To put it plainly!
Prison Island had only one objective: Arthur.
As long as Arthur was killed, that would be enough.
The others?
They did not matter.
"As expected."
Arthur said calmly, "It's just as I guessed. It seems my status in the eyes of those five is quite high. They actually placed me in this position."
Although he had already guessed that he would enter the Five Elders' sight, he had not expected them to take him this seriously.
They disregarded everything else, even using the Lunarians as bait, just to leave him here.
The Lunarians!
Those who did not know might not understand.
But those who truly knew understood very well: the Lunarians were a race of monsters. They had once been called gods, and that was no joke.
Linlin possessed an iron-balloon body.
Kaido possessed terrifying recovery ability.
And!
The Lunarians were born with such abilities. They could also fly and control fire.
One could say that the talent and abilities of this race were truly terrifying. Being called gods was not strange at all.
And yet…
The Five Elders were willing to pay the price of more than five hundred Lunarians.
Although in the Five Elders' eyes, these Lunarians were already all but dead, being willing to pay such a price showed just how seriously they regarded Arthur.
"Hah."
Arthur sighed. "How interesting. Their seriousness toward me has actually reached this level."
The bronze man said calmly, "Arthur Pendragon, your strength is not that great. However, your growth speed is very fast. If you are allowed to continue, you may become a second Rocks. Even though Rocks himself was not truly frightening…"
"But!"
"Many times, if something can be dealt with, it is better to deal with it."
The bronze man's voice was calm and cool.
Arthur studied him, seemingly thinking about something.
The man looked extremely old.
And Arthur could not fully judge or confirm the level of his strength.
It felt…
Strange!
Arthur frowned slightly, but the feeling passed in an instant.
This man's strength did seem very powerful.
However!
Arthur remained calm.
So what if he was strong?
Arthur had faced no small number of powerful opponents before. More importantly, his instincts told him that although this opponent was strong, he was definitely not strong to the level of a true monster.
At most—
It was a roughly even fight, perhaps a forty-sixty matchup.
Arthur was the forty. The opponent was the sixty.
But that was only based on basic strength.
Arthur's power had never been as simple as what he displayed on the surface.
Anyone who believed that would pay an extremely terrifying price when facing him.
That strength alone was already unparalleled and frightening.
"Hoho."
The bronze man chuckled faintly. "Arthur, you seem quite confident. It appears you have great confidence in your own strength."
Arthur smiled. "Of course. Everyone has confidence in their own strength. If I did not have confidence in mine, I would not have come here. After all, no matter how thorough the enemy's preparations are, one's own strength is what matters most."
"Indeed!"
"Boy!"
"As you said, rather than place your hopes on the enemy's preparations being insufficient, it is better to have enough confidence in your own strength. That is the most important thing."
Arthur nodded. "Indeed. That is the key."
A smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the bronze man.
The bronze man said calmly, "Indeed! If it were only me, defeating you would actually be very difficult."
"Unfortunately."
"I have never been alone."
Crack!
Crack!
As the bronze man spoke, the ground suddenly began to split open again. Two cracks gradually appeared, and two tall figures similar to the bronze man walked out.
One wore golden armor.
One wore silver armor.
Moreover!
The three looked extremely similar.
Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
The three figures walked toward Arthur step by step. They formed a triangle around him, completely surrounding him.
The gold man.
The silver man.
The bronze man.
They represented gold, silver, and bronze. Their strength was also roughly equal.
Most importantly, these three Admiral-level powerhouses had joined forces, and their only target was Arthur.
This was almost a guaranteed-kill situation.
"…"
Arthur silently examined all three of them one by one. His instincts told him this was extremely dangerous and terrifying.
The strength these three could display together would be horrifying.
"Hmm..."
Arthur thought for a moment and said, "You look very strange. Or rather, you don't seem to be true humans."
Indeed.
Arthur sensed something wrong.
The life aura on their bodies felt very strange, more like he was looking at objects rather than living people.
"Correct!"
The gold man said, "We three brothers are cyborgs. But Arthur, you know enough. You will become the 5,211th strong figure on this island. Your cross has also been prepared."
Crack!
The silver man had already planted a cross into the ground. There was no emotional fluctuation in him.
More accurately!
All three brothers seemed to have no emotions at all.
That feeling was truly strange.
Arthur looked at the three brothers with slight curiosity.
How should it be put?
They gave off a very strange feeling, even an eerie one.
Also…
Arthur had always felt that this world's technology tree was strange.
In terms of firearms, let alone advanced weapons—even gatling guns and other higher-level firearms barely existed. Weapons were pitifully weak, with cannons still being the main form of attack.
But…
In the field of cyborgs, this world was shockingly advanced.
Not only could they preserve consciousness, but every part of the body could be converted into machinery. That was extremely shocking. Even in modern times, such a thing would be impossible.
Yet this world had already achieved it.
Right!
Right!
There was also the artificial-human army of the Vinsmoke family in the North Blue. That too was astonishing.
One could only say—
This world's technology tree had truly grown crooked, and crooked to a shocking degree.
This situation was truly unexpected.
However!
At this moment, Arthur was no longer paying particular attention to such things.
Instead, his mindset became calm.
To him, these were no longer major concerns.
Facing these three cyborgs, three genuine Admiral-level powerhouses—he needed to carefully consider how the situation would unfold.
After all!
These were three Admiral-level powerhouses.
As cyborgs, their strength was terrifying as well.
And!
Were they Devil Fruit users?
Did they possess even more astonishing power?
That was impossible to determine.
Arthur's instincts were warning him.
But he had no possibility of retreat.
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