Chapter 351: How High Is the Mountain?

"So it's already been three years since then."

Gao Wen felt a moment of emotion.

When he first awakened, he had only a pirate ship incapable of sailing and a few dozen crew members, fleeing in panic with his head in his hands while being chased by Axe-Hand Morgan.

Now, three years later, he had become a rising hegemon with unparalleled momentum in the New World, commanding vast armies and numerous generals; even among the Four Emperors, his high-end combat power was second to none.

As the martial arts tournament of Britannias, a great nation in the New World, its influence had already spread across the entire world.

The upcoming Third Martial Arts Tournament was already in preparation.

That would be a grand event spanning the whole world, where countless strong warriors would compete on the same stage, vying together for the universally recognized title of the strongest.

More importantly, Gao Wen could also take this opportunity to recruit a large number of talented individuals into his ranks, further expanding his own forces.

However.

The Third Martial Arts Tournament would still require some time, and the Camelot Round Table Arena, serving as the battlefield for the finals, was still under construction.

But undoubtedly, everything was developing in a positive direction.

The only ones in this sea who could make Gao Wen feel threatened were Imu, whose depth was unknown and who mastered the Ancient Weapons, along with the World Government he dominated.

As for other opponents... just slice them down with one blow.

The Gao Wen of today already possessed the confidence to crush any opponent.

He lowered his head to look at the bounty poster in his hand, a trace of an amused smile appearing in his eyes:

"The environment of the East Blue has basically been pierced through by me, and most of the trials Straw Hat would have originally experienced on the Grand Line have also been flattened by me."

"The remaining opponents in the New World are all still there, though."

"It remains to be seen whether, when Straw Hat reaches the New World, he will still possess the formidable combat power he had in the original timeline..."

"That is somewhat something to look forward to."

As for the fact that he had poached most of Straw Hat's companions, Gao Wen didn't care at all; those were originally Gao Wen's own companions anyway.

Looking closely at the overly cheerful smiling face on the bounty poster, the corner of Gao Wen's mouth couldn't help but curl up into a slight smile.

He casually placed the bounty poster aside and turned his head to look out the window.

After a year had passed, the Holy Land Camelot had already taken initial shape.

Streets crisscrossed, and buildings rose one after another, already possessing some of the grandeur of Wang Cheng.

Of course, this was limited to the central area; although the urban planning for the surroundings had been completed, finishing the construction was absolutely not something that could be done in just one year.

Located in the center of the city was not a king's palace, but a huge arena covering an area of over several hectares, named the Round Table Arena.

The overall style bore some resemblance to an ancient Roman coliseum, but the central battlefield was obviously much wider, with both the length and width of the diameter exceeding one thousand meters.

The surrounding walls and the ground beneath their feet had all been reinforced with special materials; even if an Emperor-level strong warrior wanted to blast through it, it would be a struggle.

According to Lord Tai Zuo Luo, this material was extremely precious, monopolized by the World Government, and strictly prohibited from being sold externally.

According to Gao Wen's speculation, it should be the same material that Sengoku used to seal off the battlefield during the Summit War.

Even someone as strong as Whitebeard could only leave a huge fist mark with a single punch; its sturdiness could be described as absurd.

As for how Lord Tai Zuo Luo managed to obtain such contraband, Gao Wen did not investigate further; one could only say that those who understand, understand.

At this moment.

Quite a few people had already gathered in the Round Table Arena.

They sat scattered on the viewing platforms around the perimeter, looking down at the battle taking place in the arena.

"Go, Big Brother Zoro, crush him!"

A pirate with the Gao Wen Pirates' flag printed on his back stood in the spectator stands, cheering for Zoro in the arena, his face extremely excited:

"I placed a heavy bet on you, you can't lose!"

However, his words immediately drew rebuttals from others:

"No!"

"Big Brother Sanji is the one who will win!"

In an instant.

The spectator stands erupted into a wave of excited shouting.

In contrast, the two figures in the arena stood calmly, an invisible aura diffusing around them, seemingly suppressing all the sounds from the surrounding people.

One of them wore a military green coat with a red sash wrapped around his waist; it was Zoro after a year of cultivation.

In terms of attire, he was already close to his appearance two years later in the original timeline, but his figure was taller, approaching 1.9 meters, thus adding even more of a burly aura.

Zoro placed his hand beside his ear, making a gesture of listening, the corner of his mouth curling up into a slight smile:

"Curly Brows!"

"It seems my popularity is higher~"

"Wrong!"

On the other side.

Wearing an invisible black battle suit, with a height also approaching 1.9 meters and a short beard grown on his chin, Sanji shook his head, raised his hand to remove his cigarette holder, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said:

"The one with higher popularity should be me!"

Since boarding the ship, the two had regarded each other as their greatest rival, so naturally, neither would yield to the other at this moment.

"Talking more is useless!"

Zing—!

Zoro drew his sword, his Haki roaring wildly around his body, stirring up rushing waves of air!

After a year of bitter cultivation, his combat power was incomparable to what it had been before; he was confident that apart from Gao Wen and Xiang Keluo, he would not lose to anyone!

Including Beville, who had previously approached the limit of the Golden Stage!

Sanji on the opposite side did the same; he lightly kicked, detonating a cluster of crimson flames in the air, which yet turned pale blue the very next instant!

The higher flame temperature was exchanged for even more extreme destructive power!

"This time, I will crush you!"

Boom—!

Two nearly overlapping sonic booms detonated in the air.

Two figures collided in an instant; the formidable force stirred up a gale, causing the clothes of everyone around to flap loudly!

No probing, no scheming, and absolutely no unnecessary processes.

Familiar with each other's strength, the two went all out from the start, preparing to defeat their opponent with the utmost speed!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Continuous sounds of impact rang out; the earth trembled, dust and smoke billowed, making the already swift figures of the two appear even more ghostly!

"What power!"

"No wonder they are senior executives; with such combat strength, in the outside world, they would be sufficient to become the leaders of a faction, or even be selected by the World Government to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

"Both of these individuals are candidates for the Round Table Knights; it is just unknown exactly which seat they will obtain."

In the spectator stands.

A pirate with a head full of braids stared with wide eyes:

"So they are Gao Wen... the strongest existences under the Captain; are they competing for first and second place?!"

As this person's voice landed, it caused the surrounding pirates to turn their heads one after another; after sizing him up and down, they asked suspiciously:

"A newcomer?!"

"Uh... I only joined the crew half a month ago; what's wrong?!"

The braided pirate was somewhat baffled.

The pirate who had just spoken showed a look of understanding, pointed a finger at a figure in the spectator area ahead, and said:

"The First Seat will definitely belong to the Captain; barring any accidents, the Second Seat should be sitting over there."

The braided pirate looked in the direction pointed out by the speaker.

He saw only a refined man wearing a black suit and sunglasses, exuding a gloomy aura.

He subconsciously frowned:

"He looks utterly ordinary; is he really as... as you say?"

Before he could finish speaking.

The braided pirate's throat seemed to be seized by an invisible hand, simply because the man sitting in the front row of the spectator stands happened to turn his head back.

Their gazes crossed.

A chilly, bloody, indescribable sensation surged into his heart, making him unable to help but bend over and retch.

Retch—!

Bitter stomach fluid spilled all over the ground.

He barely managed to lift his head before realizing that the gloomy man had already withdrawn his gaze and turned back to watch the match in the arena.

Only then.

Did the surrounding pirates react, rushing to support him, their eyes filled with concern:

"What's wrong?!"

"Nothing, nothing!"

The braided pirate, his face pale, waved his hand.