Chapter 408: War Taowan Joins the Crew

Dragon said knowingly:

"Pluton?"

"Yes."

Sabo nodded.

What he had seen in Britannia, apart from its prosperous cities and the light in its citizens' eyes—

was also that vast inland sea, lying across the very heart of Britannia's homeland, occupying nearly half the country's entire area.

That was the wound left by an Ancient Weapon!

"If you had seen Britannia's current state with your own eyes, you would understand why even that man who has just seized the title of the world's strongest had to expend such tremendous effort, even going so far as to infiltrate Impel Down, just to create Pluton."

"It is a terrifying existence capable of vaporizing an entire country in an instant!"

"Only an Ancient Weapon can counter an Ancient Weapon!"

As he spoke—

Sabo drew several photographs from his coat and placed them in Dragon's hand.

Dragon swept a brief glance over them, and his breath caught on the spot.

What lay in his hand were not photographs depicting Britannia's prosperity, but the enormous scar hidden beneath that prosperity.

These photographs were taken at several unusual sights along Britannia's inland-sea border.

An endless lava pool that, even after three years, had never stilled—constantly evaporating seawater and sending up white steam that spread for dozens of kilometers around.

Within the absurdly vast inland sea, Sea Kings with bodies exceeding a thousand meters in length now made their home, occasionally leaping out of the water.

Swoosh—!

Swoosh—!

Swoosh—!

……

One photograph after another slid past Dragon's eyes, and with each one, his expression grew a fraction more solemn.

If before he had regarded the Ancient Weapons merely as weapons of tremendous power, and had only a vague notion of what Vegapunk meant by the Ancient Weapons causing sea levels to rise—

then at this very moment, the most powerful weapon in the history of the sea finally bared its ferocious fangs before his eyes, the shock of it nearly stunning him on the spot.

"To simply vaporize the greater part of a country's land, leaving a crater hundreds of kilometers across and thousands of meters deep…"

"If the World Government truly deploys such a weapon against us, do we truly have the power to resist it?!"

"We can't!"

"We must possess an equal power before we can contend with it!"

At this thought—

Dragon set down the photographs in his hand, raised his eyes to look around, and noticed one figure was missing. His heart tightened and he hurriedly asked:

"Where's War Taowan?!"

Ivankov was taken aback for a moment, then said:

"More than half an hour ago, he arrived here with us, so he should—"

"Wait—!"

"Where's War Taowan?!"

The people exchanged uncertain glances, all somewhat bewildered for the moment.

Only Dragon's expression suddenly darkened:

"I hope it's not what I'm thinking…"

"Vegapunk."

Buru Buru—!

Buru Buru—!

A sudden telephone ring shattered the silence in the room.

Dragon's face expressionless, he reached into his coat, drew out his own Den Den Mushi, and set it on the table.

After the call connected—

Vegapunk's recorded message came through the receiver.

"Dragon."

"By the time you hear this message, I have already left."

"You don't understand what that thing truly means."

"Once a war between Ancient Weapons breaks out, the entire world will sink beneath the sea within a very short time."

"That is also why, even though the situation has rotted to what it is now for the World Government, they are still unwilling to activate the Ancient Weapons again."

"As a scientist, I cannot tolerate my own creations sinking this world beneath the sea."

"Rather than focusing on how to manufacture new Ancient Weapons to counter the World Government, it would be better to find a way to destroy the Ancient Weapons in the World Government's hands."

"Please forgive me for being unable to keep my promise to you."

Beeeeep—!

A long white noise echoed through Dragon's office.

Everyone in the room held their breath at that moment.

As senior members, they all knew Dragon had long harbored the idea of using Vegapunk's technology to arm the Revolutionary Army.

If it could be achieved, without involving the Ancient Weapons, perhaps situations like Miss Ko-min being chased around by the World Government would improve considerably afterward.

But now, all of Dragon's hopes had come to nothing.

Dragon reached out, picked up the bottle on the table, his fingertips tracing the body of the bottle, his heart a tangle of complicated feelings for the moment.

"I've been tricked by that fellow again..."

"Tsk!"

Dragon's expression turned cold; he had intended to smash the wine bottle to vent his anger, but in the end, he did not go through with it, merely placing it gently back in its original spot.

"Chief, I'll go pursue him!"

Crow, the commander of the Reserve Army, rose to his feet, preparing to give chase, but before he could even set off, Dragon called him to a halt.

"There is no need."

Dragon shook his head:

"With Vegapunk's capabilities, if he truly intends to hide, even the World Government would be unable to find him."

"Let alone us, whose intelligence system falls far short."

"We will not be able to find him."

"But I know where he is going!"

Dragon rose to his feet, his robes moving without wind, his entire body emanating an indescribable sharpness:

"Britannias!"

"Given his nature, he would not help us create Ancient Weapons, nor could he tolerate Gao Wen creating them instead."

"Moreover, he has always been immensely curious about that nation!"

He immediately summoned the Revolutionary Army cadres stationed there to deploy their subsequent actions, and after leaving Crow, Morley, Lindbergh, and several other commanders to oversee the overall situation,

he took Sabo, Ivankov, and a few other trusted confidants, traveling light as they embarked on the journey to Britannias.

On this trip,

besides Vegapunk, he also wished to see for himself just how prosperous and stable that nation, unanimously endorsed by Sabo and Ivankov, had become!

And as for the man who had seized the title of the World's Strongest, what sort of person was he, exactly?!

The most righteous pirate in the East Blue?

Since when have pirates ever been righteous?!

Whoosh—!

The wind howled across the vast sea, billowing the sails as the ship sped swiftly toward its designated course!

The New World.

The seawater stretched boundlessly, waves churning, seabirds skimming the surface to snatch up fish and shrimp before flapping their wings and flying away the next moment!

Vegapunk stood on the deck of a cruise ship, gazing into the distance.

Recalling his experiences and observations within the Revolutionary Army over this period, his expression grew somewhat solemn.

"Dragon..."

Vegapunk murmured, a trace of guilt in his eyes.

Yet, merely an instant later, that sliver of guilt was concealed.

He turned his head to look at War Taowan, who was holding a rice ball in each hand, devouring food like a madman:

"What exactly is Britannias like?!"

"And what exactly is that man like?!"

As soon as the words left his mouth,

Vegapunk witnessed a scene that left him utterly stunned.

War Taowan.

This rash child who, back then, had dared to block him and Kizaru, the then-Fleet Admiral of the Navy, all for the sake of a single rice ball.

At this moment, he had actually set down the rice balls in his hands, furrowed his brows, assumed an expression of deep contemplation, and even occasionally opened his mouth only to quickly close it again.

Clearly, he was thinking, even repeatedly weighing his thoughts.

"That nation really..."

"Never mind!"

War Taowan rubbed his head, revealing a simple, honest expression: