Chapter 455: The Ultimate Weapon: Avalon!

He bowed his head.

Mary Geoise.

Satan Saint slowly put down the Den Den Mushi, a hint of smugness unconsciously crossing his face.

Nearby, Nasu Shuryo Saint sneered:

“Zefu’s poisonous influence runs too deep—most of the Marine high command once answered to him. In this time of global upheaval, it’s only natural they’d make reckless moves.”

“What I didn’t expect was that even the Marine’s loyal hound chose to abandon his master now.”

“But given Zefu’s precedent, how could we possibly have no safeguards against the Marines?”

“Who could possibly be fooled by his petty, self-deceived maneuvers?”

Mazi Saint sat calmly, nodding slightly:

“He surely knows this too—that’s why he chose this moment to strike.”

“Britannias’ rise has thrown the seas into chaos. We cannot afford to abandon the Marines’ formidable power. Under normal circumstances, even if we knew he harbored treachery, we’d still have to bow.”

“From this alone, Sakazuki’s foresight rivals that of Sengoku.”

“But unfortunately…”

“He overlooked one crucial point.”

“Frequent use of the Ancient Weapons may accelerate the world’s sinking—but if wielded properly, this power can compel the ocean’s strongest forces to serve us!”

“It is both crisis and leverage!”

Mazi Saint’s face betrayed a touch of self-satisfaction.

After the World Martial Arts Tournament, the scene of Knight Gao Wen surviving an Ancient Weapon’s assault was seared into their minds like a nightmare.

It finally made them understand clearly: since Joy Boy, the greatest crisis the World Government faced had arrived.

Not any other force—but Britannias. More precisely, the man who ruled Britannias, the one who shattered all norms.

Panic, fear, a tangle of complex emotions battered their wills. And with Im, the pillar of the Celestial Dragons, silent for so long, the Five Elders’ inner unease deepened.

In the end, the Five Elders agreed on one response: use the Ancient Weapons to bind every force on the seas to the World Government’s war chariot!

“Correct.”

Wuquli Saint nodded slightly, fully endorsing Mazi Saint’s plan.

In the current situation, this was the only thing they could do to confront Britannias—and Knight Gao Wen.

It was their final gamble. If it failed…

Then they would die with honor!

“What about the other factions? Have we notified them?!”

Mazi Saint said:

“Beast Pirates have agreed to ally with us—on condition that after this, Wano becomes a World Government member state.”

“That’s within our expectations. After all, Kaido of the Beast Pirates died in Britannias, and now the entire Wano is under the control of that woman, Xia Luote.”

“And he’s had old grudges with Gao Wen’s faction—why wouldn’t he seize this chance to strike?”

“Red Hair hasn’t responded yet, but that man fought the Divine Knights and was nearly destroyed. He’ll need time to recover his strength.”

“As for the others…”

“No response so far.”

Wuquli Saint showed no surprise, merely sipped his tea, then continued:

“These pirates are used to watching others fight. They likely hope to become the beneficiaries.”

“Then wait a little longer. Wait until the sea level rises further, until they can no longer sit idle—until they feel annihilation looming—then release the news…”

“Before the only chance for survival, I don’t believe they can stay seated!”

…

Whoosh—!

The sea is fickle; the climate of the New World is even more erratic.

One minute the sky is clear, the next, clouds blot out the sun—a storm is coming!

Red Hair sat on deck, the message from Mary Geoise echoing in his mind, his eyes barely concealing his fury.

He had thought these people, if not merciful, would at least uphold the Celestial Dragons’ pride and never sink so low.

But now he had clearly overestimated the Five Elders’ bottom line.

Faced with imminent crisis, they discarded all pride, all dignity—anything to achieve their goal of opposing Britannias, even if it meant forcing every force on the seas to submit under threat of the Ancient Weapons!

“Refuse…”

“And let the world sink?!”

Beckman sat beside him, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his expression equally grim:

“Not to mention no one knows how strong Britannias has become. Even if all the forces of the sea united and crushed it….”

He turned to Red Hair, a flicker of concern in his eyes:

“This is just the beginning. If those Celestial Dragons see the advantage in this, they might use the Ancient Weapons’ threat to force every single one of us into submission.”

“Given their nature, they’d absolutely do it.”

Red Hair knew this possibility all too well.

But the real problem now was this: if they truly drove the Celestial Dragons to desperation, they would absolutely carry everyone down with them.

“We… must do something!”

Red Hair pondered long, then slowly pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his hand—before he could dial, it rang!

Beep-beep—!

Red Hair stiffened.

Because this Den Den Mushi was the one Lei Li had left him during his time at Sabaody Archipelago.

A call now… had Lei Li also received the news?!

But—

The message that came through after he answered made Red Hair jolt violently.

“Shanks!”

“You’ve been threatened by the World Government too?!”

“This isn’t as simple as it seems!”

“Opposing Britannias is just a facade. Another force is stirring in the shadows—Elbaf has been utterly destroyed.”

“And from the traces Jia Ba found at the scene, the attacker was likely the one who once ruled the Five Elders in the Valley of the Gods.”

“The eight-hundred-year-old monster sitting on the World Government’s Empty Throne.”

“He is the true source of all evil.”

“The Ancient Weapons accelerating the world’s sinking—Mary Geoise must hold a way to break the deadlock. Otherwise, how else to explain their calm despite the threat of annihilation?”

“Even if we fail, destroying that Ancient Weapon would directly shatter the World Government’s plan to enslave the world.”

“Also…”

The voice in the Den Den Mushi paused, then resumed normally:

“My wife and child have vanished, Shanks. I—I need your strength.”

Shanks froze. He recognized the voice: not Lei Li, but Jia Ba. He’d spent over a decade on Roger’s ship, and had never heard this man speak in such a tone.

“I understand.”

Shanks nodded gently.

After hanging up,

he turned to the crew on deck and announced:

“Sorry, everyone. We’re changing course.”

“This will be dangerous. I can’t guarantee we’ll break through alive—even I might die.”

“Just tell us where to go, boss!”