Chapter 390: The World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament!

The words had just landed.

War Taowan had already leaped out of the municipal building's window, vanishing into the streets and alleys of Camelot within a few breaths.

Only Xiang Keluo watched the spot where War Taowan disappeared, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face:

"That phrase 'the blood is hot' sounded somewhat familiar to me just now; did you say it to Smoker?"

Gao Wen's expression stiffened:

"You heard wrong."

"Absolutely not!"

Xiang Keluo sneered:

"So your sentiments are wholesale, is that it?"

Gao Wen delivered a triple denial:

"I am not, I did not, don't talk nonsense!"

"Heh."

Xiang Keluo sneered, glancing sideways at Gao Wen with an expression that said, 'You're trying to fool a ghost.'

As the one who had followed Gao Wen the longest and understood his nature best,

he had long shed his initial innocence.

Now, whenever he recalled those words he had spoken in the East Sea when his blood was boiling, questioning Gao Wen, he felt nothing but a wave of embarrassment.

That bastard must have been holding back laughter in his heart back then, right?!

You really have some nerve, you little bastard!

As for the words Gao Wen was speaking at this moment, he didn't believe a single punctuation mark of them.

However.

Xiang Keluo did not intend to dwell further on this issue; instead, he lowered his head to look at the Pluton design drawings on Gao Wen's desk, falling into deep thought.

After a long while.

Xiang Keluo spoke:

"If what War Taowan said is true, then without an energy supply, even if we manufacture Pluton, it will hold little significance."

"If we wish to contend with that Ancient Weapon held by the World Government, we may need to find another method."

Gao Wen likewise wore a Solemn Face:

"The construction of Pluton will proceed according to the original plan; we will decide whether to abandon it only after we meet Vegapunk."

"As for countering that Ancient Weapon in the hands of the World Government, perhaps there are other ways after all."

Gao Wen lowered his eyes, his gaze falling upon his own palm.

Nowadays, he was at the Admiral level, having nearly reached the end of the path; even looking across history, only a mere handful of individuals could be considered worthy opponents.

Joy Boy from eight hundred years ago was one, and Im was another.

As for the rest, even Rocks, who once held a record of killing an Admiral, could not enter Gao Wen's eyes.

But this was already his limit, or rather, the limit of humans as a species.

To take another step forward, relying solely on harvesting experience points was no longer possible.

What Gao Wen needed was a qualitative change, a complete shattering of the boundary between man and god, reaching the Mythic Tier with the highest system score; only then might he possess the qualification to directly withstand the bombardment of Uranus.

To reach that step, what Gao Wen needed was an opponent of equal stature.

Only by fighting at the peak, tempering his beliefs through combat, would there be a chance to advance further.

"Since there is no one left on the seas who can become my opponent, then..."

In a single thought.

Gao Wen had already made his decision; he turned his head to look at Xiang Keluo and asked:

"How are the preparations for the Third World Martial Arts Tournament progressing?!"

Xiang Keluo's body froze, and he immediately understood Gao Wen's intention:

"You intend to use the Martial Arts Tournament to let countless powerhouses clash, tempering and improving each other, ultimately seeking out an existence capable of matching you?!"

"And thereby... take that step?!"

"Forgive my bluntness, but this is far too risky."

"Even if we cannot manufacture Pluton, given our capabilities, whatever Zephyr could achieve, we can achieve as well."

"Infiltrating Mary Geoise and dropping a few Power Rocks is not a major problem."

Gao Wen shook his head:

"That would be meaningless."

"You have seen Zephyr's result."

"Aside from enraging Mary Geoise and causing them to heighten their defenses, it holds no significance whatsoever."

"Uranus still hangs like the Sword of Damocles over the heads of everyone in these seas."

"If I can take that step, I will possess the qualification to directly confront an Ancient Weapon."

"In other words, if we cannot manufacture an Ancient Weapon, then I shall become an existence comparable to one myself!"

To match an Ancient Weapon with a flesh-and-blood body?

Is that even possible?

Xiang Keluo opened his mouth.

Before his eyes floated nothing but countless pillars of light descending from the sky, erasing half of Britannias.

Such power was no different from the gods of legend.

If anyone else had spoken these words, Xiang Keluo would have assumed they were insane.

But the one saying this happened to be Gao Wen.

The existence who had crushed countless powerful enemies along the way to reach the strongest position in history!

Xiang Keluo swallowed hard:

"What are your odds?!"

"With something like this, of course, you only know after doing it."

Gao Wen shook his head, turned his back, gazed out the window, and sighed:

"Besides, standing at the peak with no rivals truly feels lonely."

Whoosh—!

A sea breeze blew in, lifting the curtains and fluttering the cape on Gao Wen's shoulders, creating the very image of a lonely master.

"..."

Seeing this, Xiang Keluo couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, yet he could find no words to refute.

After all, what Gao Wen said was true.

In this era, across this vast sea, apart from Im hidden behind Mary Geoise, there was not a second person capable of being his opponent.

I really want to stab this show-off to death!

Xiang Keluo couldn't help but complain in his heart.

But even he himself failed to realize one point: he was also expecting Gao Wen to take that step.

The step beyond humanity.

"I understand."

"However."

"If you want to lure those promising seeds into the game, we don't have bait that large in hand."

To this, Gao Wen already had a target in mind:

"Is a Permanent Pointer pointing to the Final Island enough?!"

"Does such a thing really exist?!"

Xiang Keluo's expression changed abruptly.

If what Gao Wen said was true, then the entire world would be shaken; even the Four Emperors of the New World and those at the level of the Navy Headquarters Admirals would be unable to sit still.

That was the One Piece!

The great treasure bearing the ambitions of almost every pirate in this era!

No pirate would remain unmoved by such a thing.

"But if such a thing truly exists, why don't we go find it ourselves?!"

"After obtaining it, of course we will go find it ourselves."

Gao Wen nodded:

"But that doesn't prevent us from using it later as bait; even if those monsters guess that we may have already reached the Final Island, or even witnessed the true face of the One Piece."

"They still cannot overcome the luck-seeking hope in their own hearts, even if it is merely a sliver of possibility."

Xiang Keluo nodded:

"Where is that thing?!"

"In Barrett's hands!"