How can I become the Pirate King if you don’t work hard?.

Chapter 455 Freedom is Tatak!

just.

They understood even more clearly that, regardless of whether the straw hat could survive the bombardment of the ancient weapons, their adventure could not end here.

"hiss--!"

Redhead took a deep breath, his hand gripping the knife turning slightly white, but his eyes remained unusually resolute:

"us……"

"There is no time to waste on mourning our fallen comrades."

"Bearing their will, reaching the end of the journey, and opening One Piece with your own hands is the greatest respect you can show them."

"Next, we will proceed to the Sphinx as planned."

The crowd remained indifferent, their dejection vanishing as they turned and returned to their cabins, resuming their posts and steering the Redford toward Whitebeard's homeland.

call--!
The howling sea winds hoisted the sails, and the Redford, riddled with wounds and on the verge of falling apart, forged ahead relentlessly.

……

at the same time.

Mariejoia.

The five elders gathered in the office, sitting opposite each other, but they no longer had the confident demeanor they used to have.

What happened in Britannias a few days ago completely shattered their common sense.

With a human body, to withstand ancient weapons...

Even in the time of Im and Joy Boy, this was almost a miracle!

Knight Gawain... is invincible!

"How to do?"

Satan spoke instinctively, his unease barely concealed on his face.

Such an expression should not appear on the face of the Five Elders, who occupy the top of the world's power hierarchy and are second only to the emperor.

Such words should also not come from their mouths.

But now the other four couldn't laugh, because their expressions were no different from Satan's.

Ancient weapons were their last trump card, an invincible truth, but now that truth has lost its power.

Those who believed in the truth naturally fell into immense fear.

"Has any news come back from Lord Im?!"

"Wait!"

Nasujiro took a deep breath, gripping the long sword tightly in his arms. The sinister ruthlessness in his eyes vanished, replaced only by panic.

"Lord Im said that we should wait, wait for his plan to be completed, and wait for him to regain his original power."

"That person... still has a trump card?!"

Mazsan is unbelievable:
"Even when facing that monster that could withstand ancient weapons?!"

Nasujiro Sei shook his head:
"I don't know either, but we have no choice but to trust Lord Im."

“I recently reviewed intelligence on Raven Harbor and Britannias and discovered a startling, no, or rather, a fact that should be so.”

"Knight Gawain..."

“He is fundamentally our nemesis. What is more terrifying than his power is his mind, a mind far more terrifying than the D clan, who are currently ignorant and unaware of the meaning of their own existence!”

"Everything in Britannia fundamentally denies the legitimacy of the Celestial Dragons' existence!"

"These are mortal enemies!"

"Irreconcilable mortal enemies!"

Everyone was startled and immediately understood the meaning behind Nassshuro's words.

But what can I do when faced with a monster I can't defeat even after giving it my all?!

Waiting?!

A painful, agonizing wait?!

Until the very moment of final destruction arrives!?

The five people fell silent for a moment.

a long time.

Vochuli Saint changed the subject:
"correct."

"Any news about the retrieval of the Seraphs?!"

The mention of Seraphim made Satan's already gloomy face appear even more unsightly.

"No news."

"The controller that our people installed has been detonated, but no news has come back."

"It has probably already been demolished by someone beforehand."

"But what I didn't expect was that Stussy was actually Vegapunk's mole. In other words, we personally delivered the three Seraphim to Knight Gawain!"

"The remaining Seraphim cannot be used until Vegapunk's backup plan is ruled out!"

Satan clutched his head, on the verge of collapse.

"Damn it!"

"Damn it!!!"

……

Over Britannias.

Technology Development Bureau.

Inside a laboratory.

The lights of the vacuum tubes flickered incessantly, and three nutrient tanks filled with transparent liquid were placed in the middle, with three seraphim lying inside.

Stusick stood to the side, looking at the three people in the nutrient tank, and couldn't help but speak:

"Are we really going to do this?! Mr. Vegapunk!"

"Their power is simply too great. If they don't choose to stand with us later, they will be a threat to both you and Britannias!"

Vegapunk remained silent, then reached out and gently pressed the switch.

laugh--!
The pressure relief valve inside the nutrient tank opened, releasing a large amount of pure white gas, and the hatch slowly rose at that moment.

brush--!
S-Dragon suddenly stood up from the nutrient solution.

The injuries sustained in the previous battle have healed, and even the arms and wings that Gawain severed have grown new limbs.

But the most noticeable feature is an 'X'-shaped scar located on his heart.

"I... am free?!"

S-Dragon looked down at the wound on his chest.

That was originally the location where the World Government installed the controller, which was connected to the heart.

If any abnormality occurs, the controller can directly destroy his heart simply by pressing a switch.

This is why even a rebellious individual like S-Dragon has to obey the World Government's orders.

But now he can no longer sense the existence of the controller.

"you're free."

Vegapunk nodded, his gaze sweeping over S-Dragon, then turning to S-Shark and S-Bear behind him, who had also risen from their nutrient tanks. His eyes betrayed an undisguised guilt.
"Creating life is the greatest taboo I have ever touched in my life, apart from creating the Mother Fire."

"terribly sorry."

“I brought you into this world, gave you bodies and souls, but bound you forever in chains. Now I give you freedom.”

"You can do what you want to do, go where you want to go, and even pursue your dreams!"

The three seraphim remained silent.

S-Bear and S-Shark looked bewildered and at a loss, instinctively repeating their previous actions as they silently came behind Stussy, awaiting the Dominator's command.

Only S-Dragon lowered his head, his brows furrowed.

As the most powerful and unique of the Seraphim, S-Dragon possesses a complete self-will, which is the source of his rebellious nature that distinguishes him from other Seraphim.

But at this moment, feeling the heart beating entirely in his chest, he still felt lost. His only value was as a weapon of war for the World Government; if he lost that identity, what could he do?!

What is the point of my existence?!

"I……"

"If you don't know what you want, try recalling those experiences that excited you, drove you crazy, and made your soul tremble!"

A rough voice rang out, and everyone in the laboratory turned around to see a burly figure over six meters tall push open the door and enter.

Who else could it be but Barrett?!
Barrett explained to Vegapunk:
"Gawain was worried that this guy would go berserk, so he sent me over to check on him."

"Is this so..."

Vegapunk nodded:
"Everything here is under control, and there won't be any problems."

"Um--!"

A surge of restless Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted in the laboratory. Vegapunk turned around sharply, only to be met with S-Dragon's extremely arrogant face!

"you……"

"I don't really understand the things you're talking about, like freedom and dreams, but if I had to pick something that could get me excited to the point of madness, it would only be..."

"Fight!"

boom--!
Falling with the sound.

S-Dragon no longer suppressed the fighting spirit within him; that abyss-like desire to fight was unleashed without reservation in this crocodile family!
Accompanied by the S-Dragon's frenzied Conqueror's Haki, the surrounding walls suddenly cracked open at that moment!

"not good!"

"That guy's about to go berserk!"

Stussy's face turned deathly pale.

No one present knew better than him just how much destruction S-Dragon could cause after going berserk.

Although he was easily suppressed by Gawain on the battlefield of the World Martial Arts Tournament.

But that's not because S-Dragon is weak, but because Gawain's combat power is too overpowered. Under other circumstances, it would be extremely difficult to calm down the rampaging S-Dragon!
The last time a similar situation occurred, it was only when Kizaru, one of the three top combatants of the Marine Headquarters, intervened that the situation was barely stabilized.

Even with a controller present!

But now the controller...

Stussy glanced at Vegapunk beside her, her heart filled with anxiety, but she was powerless to do anything about the current situation.

"S-Shark, S-Bear..."

"and many more!"

Barrett raised his hand, interrupting Stussy's actions. By the time Stussy reacted, Barrett had already taken a step forward and instantly appeared in front of S-Dragon, looking down at him from above.

His mouth split open, revealing a ferocious grin!
"Gawain's prediction was indeed correct."

"Since you inherited his bloodline, you should also be able to inherit that monster's fighting spirit hidden within his bloodline!"

"Don't mention that man to me!"

S-Dragon's fury interrupted Barrett's words:

"Sooner or later, I will repay him for the utter defeat he inflicted on me!"

"I'm going to step on his shoulders and become the strongest in the world!"

Barrett's smile grew increasingly distorted, and at that moment, a strange desire even arose within him!

Since we can't defeat that monster now, we should at least have some fun with the cyborgs who inherit his bloodline...

"Hahahaha—!"

"To get to that monster, you'll have to get past me... no, those guys will probably also be interested in the puppet that defeated Gawain."

"Anyway, the bloodline of the Lunaria race also gave you a near-immortal body, didn't it?!"

So...it's us!

S-Long was slightly taken aback, but unexpectedly, in that instant of distraction, Barrett's palm was already pressed against his face!
“If this place gets damaged, Gawain will go berserk.”

"Let's change the battlefield!"

Barrett exerted force with both legs, grabbed S-Dragon's body, ignored the latter's struggles, and leaped up, falling directly from a height of 10,000 meters to the ground below!
"This……"

Stussy opened his mouth, still unable to suppress his worry:
“I know Barrett is one of Britannias’ top combatants, second only to that person. His basic combat strength as an S-Dragon is already beyond that of a Yonko Admiral. He also possesses the talents of the Lunaria race and the artificial Blue Dragon Fruit. He…”

"Can it work?!"

Vegapunk seemed to realize something, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly:
"Absolutely."

"Once you're completely familiar with this place, you'll know just how crazy those people who were granted the title of Knights of the Round Table by Gawain really were!"

"That level of cultivation... is simply beyond the capabilities of humans!"

……

boom!
The Barrett crashed to the ground with a thud, creating a crater more than ten meters in diameter.

Dust and smoke spread.

S-Dragon broke free from Barrett's grasp and was about to retaliate when his body suddenly stiffened.

This was because his Observation Haki had already detected more than ten extremely dangerous auras suddenly converging from all around.

Some of the auras were even something he was wary of!

soon.

The dust and smoke dispersed.

A series of figures stood not far away, quietly watching S-Dragon.

The Knights of the Round Table members, Gin, Zoro, and Sanji, who had previously appeared at the martial arts tournament, were all eyeing the arena with undisguised fighting spirit!

"Yo!"

"Newcomer!"

Zoro unleashed all three sword strikes, their sharpness surpassing even their former glory!

"I heard you also want to defeat the captain, but before that, you'll have to get past us first!"

"Just how much of a surprise will the Seraphim, who inherits the captain's bloodline, bring me?!"

Luo shouldered the ghost's wailing, standing calmly beside the crowd.

Although he did not participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament recently, his combat power has improved further after he devoted himself to training. He has also surpassed the Gold Limit and truly stepped into the Legendary Realm.

With the full range of abilities granted by the Ope Ope no Mi, his combat power leaped to the same level as Zoro and Sanji.

"Can the bodies of the Lunaria people withstand my strikes?!"

"Luo, you rascal~"

Zoro raised an eyebrow:

"Have you already forgotten the memories of your defeat at my hands so quickly?!"

Luo was not afraid at all:
"Who will win and who will lose, we'll only know after the fight!"

"If you guys are going to fight, then I'll take care of this guy!"

As the two argued, Sanji, who was standing to the side, could no longer restrain himself. His body was wreathed in purple flames, and he shot towards S-Dragon in the distance like a meteor!
"You're too cunning!"

The two blurted out, instantly putting aside their argument, and charged towards the distant S-Dragon!
"here it is……"

S-Long was slightly taken aback, and his eyes suddenly burst with unprecedented excitement, his expression almost distorted!
Looking at the opponent before him...

Do not!
They're the same kind!
Compared to those cold, emotionless puppets in Seraph, these people are my kind!
That intense fighting spirit was as mellow and rich as a century-old vintage liquor.

Even before tasting it, it's already mouthwatering!
"Heaven? It must be!"

"Come……"

"Fight me to your heart's content!"

Roar--!
The dragon roared, and its wild energy spread everywhere!
A fierce battle erupted between the four in an instant!

Flames soared, blades flashed, the earth trembled, and mountains within a radius of tens of kilometers were instantly shattered by a single blade of light!
Hawkeye stood side by side with Redfield, watching the battle in the distance, and couldn't help but admire it.

"Now I understand why these men under Knight Gawain are so strong..."

Redfield turned to look at Barrett and murmured:
"Is it enough to just try?!"

(End of this chapter)