Chapter 449: The Sand Crocodile's Astonishment, Xiang Keluo's Hesitation

Everyone exchanged glances, yet no one responded to Crocodile's question.

"That man has always operated alone; he left no such thing behind."

Seeing Crocodile still refusing to give up, Katakuri couldn't help but shake his head, for under such circumstances, Hawk Eyes had no chance of survival either.

He couldn't help but speak up to advise:

"Calm down first."

"Even if the Cross Guild is destroyed and Britannias is buried by the Ancient Weapon Uranus, we still have Totto Land."

"Furthermore, after Kaido's death, we could launch a full-scale invasion into Wano Country, utilizing its natural defenses..."

Buru Buru—!

A Den Den Mushi ringtone shattered the silence present in the area.

Crocodile's body stiffened slightly, and within eyes that had nearly fallen into despair, a brilliant light erupted once more.

Concern breeds confusion.

Whether it was him or Katakuri, both had momentarily forgotten about the Den Den Mushi!

Crocodile slowly withdrew a Den Den Mushi from his bosom, and after connecting, a cold, sharp voice like a blade emanated from it:

"It's me."

"Mihawk."

"You're not dead?!"

Katakuri was shocked to his core.

The power of Uranus had already been proven two years ago.

A single strike was sufficient to erase an entire country from the map, even indirectly causing sea levels worldwide to rise.

It could easily cover an area hundreds of kilometers in diameter, arriving with both sudden speed and ferocity.

Logically speaking, even those Emperor-level monsters in Britannias would absolutely be unable to escape Uranus's attack range within such a short time.

Once hit, even a nearly invincible monster like Gao Wen could not escape death.

But now...

"How is this possible?!"

"Nothing is impossible."

On the other end of the line, Hawk Eyes' voice was indifferent, yet his words completely overturned Katakuri's judgment:

"It was a Devil Fruit user."

"Within the Round Table Knights under Knight Gao Wen, there is one person possessing a special Devil Fruit ability."

"Capable of teleporting people thousands of miles away in an instant."

Katakuri understood immediately:

"So that man was hiding such a trump card?! That makes sense; having experienced the power of an Ancient Weapon before, he naturally wouldn't be unprepared for it."

"What about Gao Wen!"

The only person Crocodile cared about was Gao Wen.

Even though Crocodile was unwilling to admit it in his heart, there was one point he knew clearly.

If anyone on these seas was closest to the Throne, that person could only be Gao Wen, only Gao Wen!

Others might dominate a region or even challenge the Four Emperors and the Navy Headquarters, but before Gao Wen, their only outcome was to prostrate themselves on the ground!

Yet precisely because of this.

Crocodile could not accept that that man had gone to hell in a manner that could only be described as humiliating.

"He... escaped too, right?"

What Crocodile himself had not realized was this.

Ever since that battle two years ago, Gao Wen had become an obsession in his heart.

Only by standing before that man again could he prove that he had severed ties with his past and regained the resolve to reach the summit!

However.

The answer Crocodile received was negative:

"No."

"Gao Wen did not flee in defeat facing a desperate situation like we did; he remained in Camelot to confront Uranus's bombardment head-on!"

"Has he gone mad?!"

At this moment, whether it was Crocodile or Katakuri, both felt that Gao Wen was far too confident, to the point of nearing insanity.

That was an Ancient Weapon!

An existence surpassing logic, completely towering above humanity!

"He won."

As Hawk Eyes' voice landed, the deck instantly fell silent.

For a moment, the two could not even comprehend the meaning of Hawk Eyes' words; after a full ten-plus seconds of silence, Crocodile finally spoke with a trembling voice:

"What... did you say?!"

"Gao Wen won."

There was an uncontrollable excitement in Hawk Eyes' tone:

"With a human body, he withstood Uranus's bombardment head-on and emerged unscathed!"

"Twice!"

"This is impossible!"

Katakuri desperately denied everything that exceeded logic.

The Heavenly King's power is sufficient to evaporate everything within hundreds of kilometers; if Gao Wen can withstand even such an attack, then what could possibly kill him...

This can no longer be described as merely powerful; this is outright mythology!

Hawkeye had no intention of explaining and spoke on his own:

"Whether it is true or not, you will know once you take a look at Britannias."

"By the way."

"With the Cross Guild destroyed, the alliance we formed no longer holds any meaning."

"I intend to stay in Britannias and climb the highest peak of the Sword Dao!"

"And for you, this place is likewise the best choice; with the world's bipolar structure now established, future powers on this sea must choose sides between these two factions to find room to survive."

"The World Government has no place for you, but Britannias does."

Beep—!

The sound had barely landed before Hawkeye, without any wasted words, immediately hung up the phone.

The standby tone of the Den Den Mushi rang out across the deck.

Everyone remained immersed in the news that Gao Wen had directly withstood an ancient weapon, their hearts churning, unable to settle for a long time.

"Actually..."

"You have actually surpassed even that inhuman existence?!"

Crocodile let out a sigh of admiration, the corner of his mouth unconsciously curling into a slight smile:

"My intuition was indeed correct!"

"A monster who believes only in his own strength and aims to reach the summit with the blade in his hand—how could he possibly be so easily defeated by the World Government?!"

"Truly..."

Katakuri opened his mouth, his mind racing with countless thoughts and numerous words wanting to spill out, yet they ultimately coalesced into a single simple sentence:

"If gods ever existed upon this sea, they should have been roughly at this level, no?!"

"Hmph!"

Crocodile raised his eyes, gazing out at the distant sea.

Waves rose and fell; a storm was approaching.

The air fell silent, thunder rumbled within the clouds, and the wind howled across the ocean.

He slowly rose to his feet, allowing the sea breeze to whip his cloak up, making it flutter wildly in the air!

The stray hair on his forehead danced wildly in the wind, yet it could not hide those eyes, brimming with ambition and rekindled fighting spirit.

"If that monster has not fallen, then how could we possibly fall here?!"

Hot blood surged in Crocodile's heart; he turned to look at Katakuri, a bold declaration about going to seize Wano Country nearly escaping his lips, only to be interrupted by a member of Baroque Works beside him.

"Boss, no matter where you go next, we will follow you!"

Mr. 5 keenly sensed the fiercely burning ambition within Crocodile; he casually flicked his cigarette butt into the sea and stood quietly to one side, awaiting Crocodile's next command.

From the days of Baroque Works until now, they had repeatedly faced life and death, long ago regarding the Crocodile before them as the leader to whom they entrusted their very lives.

"That's right!"

"That is exactly what I wanted to say!"

Marianne, wearing her little red hood, straightened her small body, her face serious as she stood behind Crocodile, clutching her paintbrush tightly with both hands and striking a determined pose.

"Heh~"

Crocodile couldn't help but reach out, place his hand on Marianne's hat, gently rub it, and then change his words:

"No!"

"We are going to Britannias!"