Chapter 337: Salt

"Are they still proceeding according to plan?!"

"In that case..."

"Good."

Wales nodded slightly, immediately setting his mind at ease.

His gaze pierced through the distant floor-to-ceiling windows, projecting onto the land of Avalon.

One by one, believers emerged from the cathedral, their faces filled with piety.

From nobles dressed in exquisite attire with servants in tow, to commoners with respectful expressions, down to ragged, emaciated wanderers.

Everyone inside and outside Avalon City had already become believers of the Heaven-Awakening Church.

They were the resources he spoke of, the power at his absolute disposal to take or give as he pleased.

Within merely three or four years after Arthur's death, this kingdom, independent from the World Government yet possessing vast lands, had already been firmly grasped in his hands.

Furthermore, with the help of the Heaven-Awakening Church, he had achieved complete domination, from the inside out, over the commoners of the Britannias Kingdom.

Absolute rule was never an empty phrase to him.

"But this is not enough!"

"Far from enough!"

"My body is already approaching its limit; the time remaining is but a fleeting moment. Once that time arrives, all before my eyes will be nothing but illusion."

"Just like the Five Elders who stand atop the World Government, ruling the world for eight hundred years, and Im, who hides even deeper behind them!"

"Eras change, the strongest constantly emerge, yet within a mere few decades, they meet their end, either dying at the hands of someone stronger or succumbing to time as age and decay overcome them."

"Only eternal life can bring eternal divine authority!"

Wales extended his hand, clenching his fist toward the distance.

A formidable aura surged around him, violent Haki erupted in all directions, and an invisible wave of air rolled outward.

The wind howled.

The entire group of guards was blown askew, foaming at the mouth and losing consciousness!

The next day.

A crimson dragon roared, speeding across the sky from the horizon.

As its wings flapped, blue streams of light surged around its body; that was ley line energy visible to the naked eye.

Moreover, a fierce wind pressed down, blowing the cross flags atop the Avalon city walls up and down, making them snap loudly.

Whoosh—!

The scouts were startled; they raised their eyes to gaze into the distance, seeing nothing but the roaring crimson dragon approaching from afar!

"This is..."

"Arthur!"

"Arthur has returned!"

The scout let out a cry of shock; memories of the past were awakened once more, and the expression on his face was as if he had seen a ghost!

The soldiers around him glanced at him, assuming he was just joking.

"Stop joking~"

"That monster died several years ago; ambushed by his most trusted subordinate, his heart was torn out by my lord Wales!"

"Even a dragon cannot survive without a heart... What in the world is that thing! ~?"

Before he could finish his sentence, only terror remained on his face; his lips parted vacantly, unable to utter a single word.

The next instant.

The crimson figure high in the sky had already killed its way over!

The sharp wind pressure directly pinned the group of guards on the city wall to the ground, leaving them unable to even sound the alarm.

Even the tower beneath their feet seemed to tremble!

Quaking!

Proclaiming its fear of that colossal figure in the sky!

"It is Arthur's ghost returning!"

"Stronger than before! Stronger by countless folds!"

A guard struggled to lift his head, yet could only watch helplessly as the crimson dragon flew into the city.

He was an eyewitness to that battle between Arthur and Wales back then, having personally seen Arthur make his move.

The Arthur of those years absolutely could not have reached this level!

"The dignity of God has been provoked once again!"

"Turmoil will erupt in Britannias!"

"A great war is about to begin!"

Cries of shock rang out one after another; the guards looked panicked, yet upon seeing the giant six-winged divine statue standing in the center of Avalon, they calmed down.

"My lord Wales has already received divine revelation!"

"He is the incarnation of God, his power far surpassing that of the past; even if Arthur returns, he is absolutely no match for him!"

"God is absolute!"

Upon the city walls, fanaticism reappeared in the eyes of the crowd.

They were all believers of the Heaven-Awakening Church, beings with unwavering faith, which was precisely why they qualified to join Wales's Crusade and become members of the guards.

Furthermore, they possessed immense confidence in Wales.

Yet the voices of the crowd froze completely in the next instant!

Boom—!

Only to see that crimson figure slam heavily onto the six-winged divine statue, crushing it outright along with the surrounding buildings!

Cracks spread across the earth, and the surroundings collapsed inward with a boom for several meters.

The crimson figure lifted its head and let out a roar!

Roar—!

Low, frenzied sound waves spread outward, kicking up dust and smoke that billowed out, covering an area several thousand meters across.

Invisible pressure seeped out, pressing down on the nearby believers of the Tianjue Church until they could barely breathe.

The Crusader soldiers, who had been rushing hastily toward the core battlefield, halted in their tracks, gazing at the giant dragon in the center of the temple; their legs trembled, filled with extreme fear.

"Such an existence..."

"How can we possibly defeat it?!"

A Crusader soldier looked down at the spear in his hand, then glanced at the massive form of the Crimson Dragon, all fighting spirit vanished from his heart:

"Can something like this really kill a giant dragon?!"

"Even if it pierces flesh and skin, I fear it won't cause any harm!"

Others went weak in the knees, collapsing to the ground; their crotches were soaked, emitting a foul, fishy stench, clearly having lost control of their bowels on the spot.

Indeed, that colossal figure in the distance far exceeded their imagination, even several times larger than Arthur from a few years ago!

Just at this moment.

A low voice echoed from the castle at the heart of Avalon.

"This is the domain of God, and the people here are all God's chosen."

"Oh, beast that dares to challenge the divine~"

"Are you prepared to be buried eternally in hell?!"

Infinite golden light radiated from the temple, like a great sun rising, shining over the city of Avalon and falling upon every single person.

"This is..."

The guards, who had just begun to feel cowardice, shuddered all over; a flash of golden light flickered in their eyes, and the fear in their hearts vanished instantly, leaving behind only...

Rage!

Rage that nearly ignited them completely!

Rage that could only be erased by slaying the blasphemous demonic dragon before their eyes!

"Kill!"

The first suppressed cry was squeezed out from between the lips of a Crusader soldier, instantly merging into a chorus throughout the city of Avalon!

Armor-clad Crusader guards, pastors of the Tianjue Church in monk robes, and countless, densely packed civilians of Britannias all seized their weapons at this moment, charging toward Gao Wen in the city center!

No!

Not only that!

A roar erupted on the horizon outside the city of Avalon.

Dense crowds of giant beasts, varying in size yet equally frenzied, dashed out from the dense forests, charging into the city—or more precisely, toward that crimson giant dragon!

"This is divine punishment!"

"To execute the sinners who blaspheme against God!"

The surrounding noise roared louder, drawing ever closer.

Just at this moment.

Bang—!

A bullet shot from behind Gao Wen, striking the scales of the Crimson Dragon.

Sparks flew. Gao Wen turned his head, spotting a pair of crazed eyes within the crowd.

The one who acted was a civilian dressed like a hunter.

Both his hands were trembling, not from fear, but from rage—an unspeakable, unimaginable rage.

That was absolutely not an emotion humans should possess under normal circumstances!

Facing the massive body of the Crimson Dragon, how could a normal person not feel fear?!

"Just as Morgan said, have these people's perceptions been distorted and their emotions manipulated?!"

As soon as the words landed.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

Bullets dense as rain struck the Crimson Dragon, sending up a shower of sparks!

Naturally, the Crimson Dragon's scales would not be breached by such minor injuries, yet he still felt somewhat irritable, and his gaze sharpened.

The crimson Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted, sweeping across the entire city of Avalon in an instant.

Dust and smoke filled the air, and faint cracks appeared on the earth.

After consecutive upgrades, Gao Wen's Conqueror's Haki had reached an unimaginably pure level, sufficient to face any opponent on the great seas.

Let alone ordinary people; even Supernovas lacking sufficient strength would likely have no qualification to stand before him!

Yet unexpectedly, after the Conqueror's Haki impact, the civilians present merely paused for a moment, a flash of golden light passing through their eyes, before immediately charging toward Gao Wen again!

Faster in speed, fiercer in movement!

That was physical capability surpassing what they should inherently possess!

Gao Wen whipped his head around sharply to gaze at Wales, who stood suspended in mid-air.

With six wings sprouting from his back, a halo atop his head, his entire body bathed in golden light, and paired with that loose, pure-white cultivator robe.

At this moment, Wales truly resembled an angel stepped right out of a painting!

Even his face bore an expression of boundless mercy.

Yet that smile only made Gao Wen feel nauseous:

"You did this?!"

"Ah~"

Wales nodded slightly, looking down from above upon Gao Wen as if witnessing a farce.

He had witnessed a scene just like this a few years ago.

Back then, Arthur had also walked up to him like this, watching the commoners charge at him, watching those he had saved turn their blades against him.

Wales could never forget that expression, even to this day.

And now, he had the chance to savor it once more.

"I have investigated you; you are a Devil Fruit user who inherited the power of the Crimson Dragon, and furthermore, the one rumored in the outside world to be closest to the Four Emperors."

"That burst of Conqueror's Haki just now even made me feel uneasy~"

"So then..."

"Faced with this predicament, what choice will you make?!"

"Will you betray your beliefs and raise your blade against the commoners, or, like that fool Arthur, fall while stubbornly clinging to your so-called chivalry?"

"It is simply..."

"... disgusting."

"But as entertainment for after meals, it is certainly pleasing~"

Gao Wen remained silent, merely casting a faint glance around; noticing the abnormal golden light in everyone's eyes, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly:

"Then what is it you expect?!"

"For me to draw my slaughter blade, or to become fish and meat on your platter, just like Arthur?!"

"Since you wish it, I shall grant your desire!"

Wales was slightly stunned; feeling no fear in his heart, he watched everything before him with great interest.

His prior investigation had already proven that Gao Wen and Arthur were of the same kind, unable to bring themselves to strike these commoners.

"Lads!"

"Attack!"

Accompanying these words, Xiang Keluo and the others leaped down from Gao Wen's back, facing head-on the attacking believers of the Heaven's Sense Church and the giant beasts charging from afar.

Zoro took the lead, turning into a lingering shadow as he killed into the crowd, kicking up dust and smoke like a dragon.

Countless guards were sent flying, left with wounds that exposed bone, and quite a few even had their tendons in their hands and feet severed by Zoro.

Strangely, however, these commoners did not let out a single scream; they merely struggled to their feet and charged at Gao Wen's group.

"Hey, hey, hey..."

"Although I expected something like this, no matter how you look at it, this situation is somewhat creepy, isn't it?!"

"Have they been dominated to this extent?!"

Zoro withdrew and retreated a few steps, his brows tightly furrowed, while Xiang Keluo and the others beside him did the same.

They knew Gao Wen's character—he would not act against commoners—and could empathize with these people's plight, but the current situation looked far from optimistic.

Just at that moment.

A gunshot rang out in everyone's ears.

Bang—!

Van Augur pulled the trigger; a bullet shot precisely into the mouth of a commoner in the distance, causing the latter's body to freeze and his face to twist in pain:

"So salty! Is this salt? Wait, I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a wave of dizziness hit his brain; his body went limp, he collapsed to the ground, and fainted.

Seeing this, the smile on Wales's face instantly froze, his expression looking as if he had seen a ghost!

"As expected!"

Van Augur let his eyelids droop, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly:

"Just as the Captain guessed."

"Salt extracted from seawater can negate the Devil Fruit's influence on these commoners!"

"We can make our move now."

He took bags of portioned sea salt from the backpack behind him, threw them to the others, then pulled the trigger again, shooting salt bullets into the mouths of commoners one by one.

Chopper and Bepo also sprang into action; grabbing hold of a commoner, they forcibly pried open the person's mouth and poured sea salt down their throat, their smiles extremely distorted:

"Saving lives and healing the sick is a doctor's duty!"

"Sometimes, using some coercive measures on uncooperative patients is perfectly understandable!"

"Patient!"

"I'm coming!"

Two ferocious beast shadows cast massive silhouettes as they charged into the crowd, like tigers entering a flock of sheep, striking left and right!

For a moment.

Even Gao Wen was somewhat speechless.

The method of using salt to counter the Angel Devil Fruit's ability was something he devised by referencing how salt counters Moria's shadow zombies.

Originally, he had only intended to give it a simple try, never expecting it would actually work.

"I cannot allow you to act arbitrarily against my believers!"

Wales frowned slightly, golden light blooming at his fingertips as he fired toward Chopper and the others, only for Gao Wen to reach out and crush the attack mid-air.

"I cannot allow you to attack my subordinates at will!"

Feeling much more at ease, Gao Wen looked at Wales, who had made his move, and suddenly took an interest.

Among Zoan-type Devil Fruits, the Human-Human Fruit is the most unique category, possessing the greatest disparity between its lower and upper limits.

Weak examples like Chopper's Human-Human Fruit grant transformation abilities only to animals like him, offering no utility to ordinary humans; it is truly the definition of useless.

But similarly,

aside from the most basic forms, nearly all classifications under the Human-Human Fruit are Mythical Zoans, the value of which goes without saying.

Whether it is Sengoku's Buddha form or Straw Hat's Sun God Nika form, both are top-tier Devil Fruits.

Yet this Angel Fruit before him was an ability that had never appeared in Gao Wen's memories, nor had any user of such a power ever emerged.

If its abilities could truly reach the extent Bever described, then given enough time for the user to expand their followers, their growth ceiling would likely become incomparably vast.

But to Gao Wen, none of that mattered.

This was Britannias, the Red Dragon's home turf; here, no matter what opponent he faced, Gao Wen possessed the confidence of being undefeated!

"Come!"

"Let me see how slaying a so-called god differs from slaying a human!"

(End of Chapter)