Chapter 441: I Alone Am Enough!

One against eight!

Rydfield’s breath hitched slightly.

Though he had long anticipated this possibility, hearing the confirmed news from Barrett made his heart jolt violently.

“He’s going to challenge all eight finalists of the World’s Greatest Martial Arts Tournament alone?!”

“How arrogant!”

“Challenge?!”

Barrett didn’t turn his head, silently gazing ahead.

Gao Wen had not yet entered the arena, but Barrett’s aura was already coalescing.

Invisible Haki rose around him, a wild energy field spreading outward, exerting a tangible pressure that cracked the ground beneath his feet!

Even Rydfield, standing beside Barrett, felt profound dread upon sensing this aura.

For in this moment, Barrett reminded him of the feeling he had decades ago, the first time he saw the peak-era Roger and Whitebeard.

Like facing a non-human entity!

And all this intensity, triggered solely by an opponent who had not yet appeared?!

“You…”

“Rydfield!”

Barrett, rarely calling Rydfield by name, fixed him with eyes brimming with a nearly insane battle lust:

“Don’t misunderstand!”

“We are the challengers.”

“The man seated on the Throne is no longer mortal!”

Barrett roared these words, his voice echoing into every ear, carried across the entire world by the surrounding Image Den Den Mushi.

Those who had vaguely suspected this now felt their hearts skip a beat.

For at that very moment, clear, slow footsteps echoed from the distant contestant corridor!

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

Each step seemed to land upon the hearts of all present.

This meant the semifinal had a ninth participant.

This was no longer a semifinal—it was the final, and right here, right now, the strongest in the world would be decided.

The man’s name appeared simultaneously in the minds of everyone!

“Knight… Gao Wen!”

S-Long stood to the side, blade in hand, a cruel, arrogant grin curling his lips:

“I’ve felt it—the scent of the perfect prey!”

Hawk-Eye’s face grew grim; he gripped his black blade, Yoru, yet could not suppress the growing excitement coursing through the weapon.

Then he realized—the excitement wasn’t just in the blade, but in himself!

His very blood was burning!

“You’re right—we are the challengers!”

“Let me see how far we stand from the world!”

Swish—!

While others remained stunned, Hawk-Eye moved first, slashing toward the distant contestant corridor!

A brilliant emerald blade light, dazzling and radiant.

Carrying an absolute will to obliterate all, to ascend to the pinnacle, he launched his assault upon the current strongest in the world!

Two years!

Hawk-Eye had prepared for this moment for two full years!

The bitter fruit of defeat had gnawed at his flesh and soul constantly; that pain of losing had become his driving force to reach the summit!

“When he fought Zoro, he didn’t even use his full strength!”

Sanji’s expression shifted slightly, his gaze locked on the distant corridor.

Long before the new century began, Gao Wen had ceased fighting Sanji and the others; after two years of cultivation, he had barely fought at all.

But those battles…

No!

They couldn’t even be called battles.

Even monsters like Barrett couldn’t survive a single strike from Gao Wen.

It was less a fight, more a one-sided annihilation!

The outside world wondered at Gao Wen’s power; so too did those within Britannias.

“Captain… what will you do?!”

Swish—!

The emerald blade aura swept forward, effortlessly slicing through the wall—then, at one point, froze as if paused, shattering instantly!

The blade aura tore open the arena’s corridor, leaving behind grotesque, deep slashes across the surrounding ground.

Wild winds howled; dark clouds gathered.

“Hawk-Eye, you’re still as impatient as ever!”

Gao Wen’s cold voice emerged from the corridor.

Instantly, an overwhelming Haki surged into the air, coalescing, rising, crushing down upon everyone like a mountain.

This Haki was so powerful it nearly twisted the air, warped reality itself.

Even Image Den Den Mushi hundreds, even thousands of meters away, were disrupted—their transmissions blurred.

“Damn it!”

“Why now? Did I just see that right?!”

“Knight Gao Wen has appeared in the Round Table Arena’s final—what is he doing?!”

“One against eight?!”

“This isn’t arrogance—it’s madness! The title of World’s Strongest has clouded his mind, making him believe he alone can challenge the eight strongest in the world?!”

“What nonsense!”

“Damn Image Den Den Mushi, fix it already!”

Sabaody Archipelago.

In the Shakedown Bar, countless pirates gathered, watching this battle.

Some, unable to contain their frustration, slapped the Image Den Den Mushi—but it wouldn’t restore, forcing them back to their seats, frantically scratching their heads.

Lei Li sat aside, head bowed in thought.

Xia Qi, seeing this, couldn’t help asking:

“If I heard correctly just now, Knight Gao Wen is going to challenge all eight finalists of the World’s Greatest Martial Arts Tournament alone.”

“Though not all eight may truly deserve their status, Barrett, Rydfield, and Kaido are unquestionably unmatched powers of the sea.”

“The rest—Hawk-Eye, Blackfoot Sanji, and Luffy—all possess strength equal to yours.”

“This lineup…”

“What are Knight Gao Wen’s chances?!”

Lei Li fell silent for a long moment, then slowly spoke:

“I don’t understand.”

“I can’t fathom what that man is thinking.”

“His power, in any era, would be invincible—he crushed Whitebeard near his peak.”

“One-on-one, or even one-on-two, no one alive can defeat him; one-on-three, he fears nothing—but one-on-eight…”

“Even if some are weak, this is nearly impossible.”

“To place himself in such a hopeless situation… Knight Gao Wen…”

“What are you seeking?!”

“If I’m right, you’ve already seen the true face of One Piece—why hold this match?!”

“Or is it simply the pursuit of being the strongest?!”

After much thought, Lei Li still found no answer.

But he had a strange premonition—if Gao Wen truly won this battle, the world would undergo a seismic change!

But…

Was it possible?!

The projection restored; all that transpired in the Round Table Arena reappeared before everyone.

“This Haki…”

Kaido tightened his spiked club, his hair and beard stirring without wind, eyes blazing forward.

He had imagined Gao Wen might strike after the tournament’s winner was crowned, using the defeat of the world’s strongest to demonstrate his overwhelming power.

But Kaido had never once considered this possibility.