Chapter 422: Sixteen Strong!

Ten thousand meters above ground.

Nami stood atop the floating island, gazing down at Britannias.

At this height, the inner sea, hundreds of kilometers in diameter, already revealed its faint boundaries.

The new Camelot rising from the ruins still fell far short of the former capital city of Britannias.

Yet the crisscrossing roads, neatly planned buildings, and the tiny, dust-like figures moving along them all carried the vitality of dawn.

This storm was no accident—it was the result of Nami using the Cloud-Cloud Fruit to manipulate the clouds over Britannias’ inner sea.

The compatibility between this fruit and Nami far exceeded Gao Wen’s initial expectations.

According to Gao Wen’s original estimate, Nami might have needed another half a year to reach this point.

Yet she achieved it in merely half a month.

Then there was Tenghu’s Gravity-Gravity Fruit.

The former affected large-scale climate, summoning a storm to obscure vision.

The latter directly acted, lifting the shipyard and dozens of kilometers of land into the sky.

Together, their abilities produced an effect beyond imagination.

“It must be spectacular!”

Tenghu sat cross-legged beside Nami, straining to open his sightless eyes downward, yet perceiving only a hazy glow.

“Ah, it’s spectacular.”

Vegapunk walked slowly over, standing shoulder to shoulder with the two, gazing down at the land below.

He turned his gaze back to Tenghu and Nami beside him.

Vegapunk’s eyes narrowed slightly:

“If I recall correctly, the Float-Float Fruit left behind by the Golden Lion is also in the hands of Knight Gao Wen.”

“Gravity, floatation, clouds…”

“A kingdom standing high in the sky?!”

“Combining these three is no idle fantasy—it’s already possible. That man is surely preparing for the coming end of the world!”

“He already knows what the future holds.”

“Yet even such power might allow a single race to survive the apocalypse—but when expanded to cover the entire sea, it remains insignificant.”

“And…”

“Whether the Martial Arts Tournament or the creation of Pluton, he seems rushed…”

“What did he see at Laugh Tale?!”

The more he thought,

the heavier Vegapunk’s heart grew.

He had begun to suspect something—but dared not probe deeper.

That future was too desperate, too terrifying.

All humans except the Fish-Men—no, all life dependent on land—would face certain destruction!

Tenghu glanced back at Vegapunk without a word; his pale eyes saw nothing, yet revealed unimaginable complexity:

“Regardless, Gao Wen has his own path.”

“All we can do is trust him, stand beside him, and walk toward the future.”

“Whether it means destruction or rebirth.”

“Ah.”

Vegapunk replied softly, his tone tinged with confusion:

“Why, as his enemy, do you trust him so utterly?!”

“Enemy?!”

Tenghu shook his head:

“I have never been his enemy.”

“From the start, we were friends. Now, we are comrades.”

“And shouldn’t you already know why more and more people follow Gao Wen, until they’ve gathered into a force capable of confronting the World Government?!”

Vegapunk said nothing, only lowered his gaze to the land below.

The storm had long passed; Camelot at midnight glittered like stars.

Long silence.

Vegapunk murmured:

“You’re right.”

“Gao Wen truly embodies a possibility never before seen in this world.”

The wind around them suddenly surged.

The air currents ten thousand meters above ground were far fiercer and colder than those on the surface.

Yet at this moment, Vegapunk felt a fire ignite within his chest!

In that instant, he made a decision:

“Then now… we must do what we must. It’s time for the World Government to see the true power of the Ancient Weapons!”

The three rose and walked toward the shipyard behind them.

Amidst blazing lights,

a loud, exultant cry rang out from the shipyard:

“Super!!!!!!”

“Uraa—!!!!!!”

…

At the same moment,

at a CP0 base under the World Government.

As information about Britannias leaked out, the officer’s expression grew increasingly strained.

“Gone?!”

“How could it be gone?!”

“How could a shipyard spanning dozens of kilometers vanish without a trace?!”

He was nearly driven mad.

Infiltrating Britannias, confirming whether Gao Wen’s group was secretly building Pluton, and determining its progress—this was the mission assigned by the Five Elders.

He still remembered the thrill he felt when he first received it.

Though dangerous, success meant a direct path to the highest echelons of power.

Despite knowing the peril, despite knowing the monsters he’d face, he had accepted the mission without hesitation.

But what had he encountered now?!

After the storm, the shipyard spanning dozens of kilometers had vanished entirely, leaving only a pit a kilometer deep.

Had he not known the Five Elders would never deploy an Ancient Weapon at this moment, he might have believed it was the mark of Heaven’s Wrath!

If he failed this mission…

He dared not think of the consequences.

“Deploy every operative we have hidden in Britannias! Find it!”

“I don’t believe he can fly into the sky!”

…

…

…

The next day.

Camelot.

Gao Wen stood by the window, watching the clear blue sky after the storm.

With his vision, he could even see the massive pit left behind when the shipyard and dozens of kilometers of land had been lifted into the sky.

Seawater would flood in; soon, the pit would become a bay.

Hss—!

The drawer slid open.