Chapter 354: Focus on One Point, Reach the Peak of Perfection!

"Why do you think he hasn't challenged me? My target has been only you from the very beginning!"

Ah Jin's calm tone made Xiang Keluo pause slightly.

Only then did he remember.

This ranking battle had already lasted a week since it began, yet whether it was Zoro, Sanji, or the recently emerging Law and Cavendish, none had issued a challenge to Ah Jin.

Even Beville, who had suppressed Ah Jin to the point of breathlessness a year ago, had never made a move against him.

Xiang Keluo couldn't help but stick out his tongue and lick his lips, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

As the initial, and also the final, contender.

For over a year now, Ah Jin had never once crossed swords with him.

It seemed he had been holding back a big move all along, waiting right here for him!

"As expected."

"The only ones who can stir my excitement are that guy Gao Wen and you."

"What surprise will you bring me this time?!"

Ah Jin remained silent.

He merely gazed faintly at the distant arena.

People came and went, fight after fight proceeding.

After defeating Sanji with his stronger desire to win, Zoro ultimately did not approach Ah Jin, instead falling to Beville as well.

Over this past year, his growth had been rapid, akin to riding a rocket, but his starting point was ultimately far lower, while Beville possessed the advantage of the Door-Door Fruit abilities.

His defeat was not unjust.

This thoroughly cemented his nickname as the "Eternal Fifth Place."

When Roubo Luqi was present, he was subtly suppressed by Roubo Luqi; now that Roubo Luqi was on an undercover mission, he was again suppressed by Beville, who had just joined the crew.

One could only say...

It was fate.

Sanji faced a similar situation, caught off guard by Beville, directly transferred to another dimension, and declared defeated.

Cavendish, however, brought the biggest surprise of this battle so far.

After more than a year of arduous cultivation, aside from refining his swordsmanship, he had devoted most of his time to mastering White Horse; he could now fully control the other personality within his body, even showing a slight tendency toward merging with it.

His combat power naturally advanced another step, crossing into the Gold Tier.

It was just bad luck; every single officer above the Gold Tier under Gao Wen's command was a monster, forcing him to suffer defeat after defeat.

By this point, the general ranking of the Round Table Knights had been settled.

Apart from Gao Wen, Xiang Keluo, and Ah Jin, who firmly occupied the top three.

Hawk Knight Beville securely took the fourth seat, followed by the fifth seat, Pirate Hunter Zoro, and the sixth seat, Black Leg Sanji.

Next came the seventh seat, Surgeon of Death Law, and the eighth seat, Pirate Prince Cavendish.

Roubo Luqi did not participate in the ranking battle, but a year ago his combat power already subtly surpassed Zoro's; now that he had awakened, he had long entered the Gold Tier, and his progress might not even be slower than Zoro's.

He could only be temporarily listed in the ninth seat since he did not participate in the ranking battle.

As for Chopper, Bepo, and others, after a year of bitter cultivation, their growth was obvious, and they had all entered the Silver Tier, but they were ultimately still some distance away from the Gold Tier.

Although Van Auger had not entered the Gold Tier, Gao Wen had given him several Seastone bullets storing his own Conqueror's Haki.

If he truly seized an opportunity to fire one, even a slightly weaker Yonko Commander would suffer greatly; his threat level was far higher than that of an ordinary Gold Tier.

The Government Building.

Leaning against the window, Gao Wen calculated the combat power under his command and couldn't help but nod inwardly.

Even excluding himself, having eight Gold Tiers, including one at the lower Legendary realm, was more than enough to form a Warlord of the Sea.

This was the composition of his high-end combat power at present.

Every single one of them possessed combat power equivalent to a Star General, a Calamity, or a Warlord of the Sea.

It was simply outrageously absurd.

Gao Wen had never fought Red Hair, but even under Red Hair's command, it was impossible to hoard so much high-end combat power.

In other words.

Regarding the strength of senior officers alone, looking across the seas, apart from the World Government and the Navy under its command, Gao Wen was the strongest!

Even now, with the Navy internally split and the World Government's majority efforts constrained by the Neo-Navy and the rising Revolutionary Army.

The forces Gao Wen could mobilize were perhaps the largest apart from those in Mary Geoise.

When an era of chaos arrived, if he just accumulated strength for a while longer, until the moment the Ancient Weapon Pluton landed, he would have the confidence to clash even with the World Government!

"However."

"For now, we still need to lie low; at least before Pluton lands, it is not yet time to challenge the World Government."

"It's just..."

Gao Wen's eyes narrowed slightly.

Since the Heavenly King destroyed Avalon a year ago, it had not fired a single shot again.

Even when facing the Neo-Navy, which openly challenged the World Government, the World Government chose to let the Navy handle the resolution rather than blasting the G-5 Branch with a single cannon shot.

"Are they worried that the sea level continuing to rise will bring greater chaos, or is it..."

In Gao Wen's mind appeared Vegapunk, who bore a striking resemblance to Einstein.

Judging by Vegapunk's performance on Future Island in the original timeline, he was absolutely not someone who would leave no backup plans.

Almost all of Saturn's calculations were seen through by him; he even tricked the World Government, making the news of the world's impending submersion public knowledge.

This was also the point Gao Wen worried about most nowadays, apart from the Heavenly King in Mary Geoise.

From the clues he knew, the factor most likely to cause the world to fall silent was the abuse of the Ancient Weapons.

But the information Gao Wen currently possessed was severely insufficient; even if he wanted to prepare in advance, he had no way to begin...

"I must find Vegapunk soon!"

"No..."

Before Gao Wen's eyes appeared an old man with silver hair:

"It seems I must make a trip to the Sabaody Archipelago."

"Lei Li must know everything!"

As Gao Wen pondered.

Inside the Colosseum.

Xiang Keluo had already removed his outer robe, wearing only a loose shirt, standing at one side of the arena.

He pushed up his glasses.

The posture was strange; instead of using his fingers to support them like an ordinary person, he pushed them with his palm.

Combined with his gloomy and stern face, it instead highlighted a unique aura; seeing this scene, quite a few noble ladies on the sidelines began to breathe rapidly.

Gao Wen and his group dared not even think about it; after all, in recent years, any woman who had sent covert glances of affection toward Gao Wen had been invisibly sanctioned by Morgan, who acted exactly like someone guarding their food.

But if one could win over the second-in-command of the Round Table Knights...

"Lord Xiang Keluo~~~~"

"Do your best~~"

"If you win, tonight I will be yours~~"

Inside the arena.

Xiang Keluo cast a cold glance at the noble lady who had spoken, nearly stumbling and losing his balance; that woman alone occupied three seats, her width nearly matching his height.

Although he did not care about such things, thinking of Gao Wen's absurd luck with women, and the fact that she had taken a liking to himself...

Xiang Keluo suddenly felt a bit sour.

He took a deep breath, turned his head, and focused his attention on Ah Jin before him.

It was also at this moment.

Inside the arena, the wind, originally gentle, began to turn frenzied.