Chapter 387: Ah Yi Ya Yi Ya

Several days later.

Fujitora and Smoker departed with Gao Wen, heading Towards the New World.

Ain, however, chose to remain at Raven Port.

She sold the pirate ship they had seized and used the proceeds to take over the bar Zephyr used to frequent.

The few remaining marines of the Neo Marines also stayed by her side, cultivating the land Zephyr had cleared and taking on odd jobs at the bar.

For a time, everyone's lives settled into stability.

Having endured countless major battles, they were already exhausted in body and spirit; what they craved most was precisely this kind of life.

No need to worry that the next moment a comrade would fall in a pool of blood, leaving them in perpetual dread.

The words Zephyr often repeated:

"As long as there is food to eat, there is still hope for survival."

For the surviving Neo Marines, these words now carried a far more concrete and profound meaning.

As for Fujitora and Smoker, Gao Wen had made other arrangements for them.

Three years had passed; Fujitora's blade had grown sharper, and his combat power had already reached the legendary tier, even surpassing his strength during the Dressrosa arc in the original timeline.

After all, compared to the original timeline, the Fujitora of today had experienced far more major battles, facing opponents who were either Marine Admirals or elites of the God Knights; such rapid growth was only natural.

Therefore, Gao Wen directly allocated a seat for Fujitora within the Round Table Knights, though since he had not yet participated in any official ranking matches, he was temporarily placed behind Luqi.

Knowing Fujitora's true strength, Xiang Keluo and the others naturally had no objections to this.

Fujitora had originally been the second-in-command of the Neo Marines, and after the attack on Mary Geoise, his bounty had skyrocketed to 3.39 billion Berries.

Such a bounty, even in the New World, ranked second only to the Four Emperors.

If Fujitora truly wished to contend for a higher ranking, whether Xiang Keluo could firmly hold his position would itself become a question.

However.

Upon learning of Fujitora's bounty, everyone couldn't help but feel curious: just how much of a bounty did the Marines currently place on their own heads?

And how much of a bounty did they place on Gao Wen, who had overwhelmed Whitebeard during the Summit War?

That figure would likely make everyone's jaws drop!

But unfortunately, Gao Wen currently still held the title of Warlord of the Sea, and given the situation currently faced by the Marines and the World Government, the importance of the Warlords to them would only grow heavier.

This was especially true with Gao Wen, the world's strongest man, among their ranks.

Even if only to appease Gao Wen, the current World Government would never make the decision to directly abolish the Warlord system.

Pushing someone who surpassed Whitebeard, arguably the strongest individual since the establishment of the World Government, into opposition would be a foolish act neither Sengoku nor the Five Elders would commit.

Even after the emergence of the Seraphim, such a possibility remained absolutely nonexistent.

Unless a Seraphim modeled after Gao Wen could perfectly replicate his current formidable combat power.

But that was itself nearly an impossible task.

With Future Island destroyed and Vegapunk missing, whether the Seraphim project could even proceed normally remained a question in itself.

In the short term, there was no possibility of the World Government issuing a bounty on Gao Wen; thus, the bounty value of the world's strongest man remained an unsolvable question.

As for Smoker, Gao Wen had placed him under Beville's command, temporarily serving as Beville's deputy.

He was responsible for the daily patrols of Britannias and the handling of emergency incidents.

Smoker's combat power was currently lingering at the Silver tier, still some distance away from the Golden tier, which marked the baseline for the Round Table Knights.

Britannias.

Camelot.

With the conclusion of the Summit War, the world everywhere grew restless due to Whitebeard's words.

The seas gradually began to boil.

In this increasingly turbulent era, Britannias remained peaceful and tranquil, truly like an ideal paradise amidst the mortal world.

The time was nearing dusk.

Smoker sat outside a tavern, a mug of ale on the table before him, while a suit of silver-white knight armor rested on the chair beside him.

Gazing at the crowds moving along the street, he momentarily lost himself in thought.

"This is..."

"Britannias?!"

Smoker had heard many rumors about this country.

Mysterious, xenophobic, decadent...

Even the hand of the World Government had never reached here; it was almost completely isolated from the outside world, and whenever news of it appeared in the World Economic Journal, it was almost invariably negative.

Yet when he truly set foot on this land, everything he saw differed vastly from his original assumptions.

Two years ago.

The marks left by the ancient weapons wielded by the World Government in this country remained clearly visible.

The vast inland sea, occupying nearly half the area of mainland Britannias, was the result of that single bombardment.

Even without experiencing it firsthand, merely from the accounts of survivors, Smoker could sense that despair.

Countless pillars of light descended from the sky, causing everything they touched to vanish instantly like bubbles.

After such a catastrophe, even for those who survived, rebuilding order and restoring their homeland would typically require at least several years, if not decades; yet in Britannias, this timeframe had been compressed into just two years.

Although two years had passed, mountains formed by solidified lava could still be seen across the land of Britannias.

On the passersby before his eyes, the scars of that disaster remained visible—missing limbs, or grotesque wounds that even clothing could not conceal.

But Smoker saw clearly, in the faces and eyes of this city's residents, a hope that was utterly genuine!

This was a city of hope, a nation of hope!

And what created all of this was a complete legal system, good public order, and most importantly...

Fairness!

At least fairness within the system!

Apart from Queen Morgan, who served merely as a figurehead, this country had no nobility in the true sense; all citizens enjoyed equal rights and obligations.

Although laws and rules still had loopholes, they were being perfected through constant trial and error.

In this chaotic world, such a system, such a kingdom, such fairness, was almost tantamount to a dream for someone like Smoker Heavy.

"Without fairness, how can there be justice?!"

Smoker Heavy repeated these words.

What he had realized three years ago at Raven Port was, at this moment, being brought into reality by Gao Wen.

"This guy, no, the Captain, he..."

Smoker Heavy opened his mouth, then fell silent.

It was also at this moment that the bar waiter approached, leaning down to place a dessert on the table:

"Mr., this is a complimentary pastry from the shop, a discount for new guests!"

Having said this, the waiter turned and walked away.

Smoker Heavy looked down; placed on the table was a piece of bread half the size of a fist, its surface coated with cream and sprinkled with some nuts.

He reached out, picked up the bread, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly, savoring the flavor within.

Soft, sweet, mixed with the taste of cream and jam, along with that of nuts.

For a long while.

Smoker Heavy slowly swallowed the bread in his mouth, the corners of his lips unconsciously curling into a slight smile:

"Teacher Zephyr..."

"If your final stop had been Britannias, rather than Raven Port."

"You too would have seen a beautiful future beyond our original expectations."

"That man, no, the Captain, he..."

"Is absolutely!"

"Britannias is the Navy... no, it is everything we should protect!"

As his voice landed.

Smoker Heavy stood up, stripped off the shoulder cape bearing the two characters for 'Justice' from his shoulders, casually tossed it into a nearby trash bin, and then picked up the silver-gray armor at his side.