Chapter 459: Crocodile Joins the Crew

The moment Satan's voice fell, the backs of the others were instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Originally, they had believed the reason Imu selected them was due to their own talent, due to their own power...

But now it seemed that perhaps from the very beginning, they themselves—no, the Holy Knights, all the Celestial Dragons of Mary Geoise—were nothing more than lambs awaiting slaughter.

Life and death...

... were merely a matter of when Imu would grow tired of this game.

If this were truly the case, it was too terrifying!

The five did not probe deeper, nor did they dare to probe deeper.

After a long silence in the office, Warcury Saint took the initiative to speak, breaking the quiet:

"Lord Imu needs us; the most urgent task at hand remains Britannias, remains that monster!"

The two words "needs us" instantly relieved the tension in everyone present.

As if they had found a lifesaving straw, they all echoed the sentiment in unison, fearing that being even a step slower would cost them their lives.

"Exactly!"

"We have served as Lord Imu's servants for hundreds of years; even if the seas flood the earth and the Celestial Dragons ascend to the moon, Lord Imu will still need us!"

"We are a part of him!"

Mars Saint nodded gently; upon his aged face appeared a few more traces of glory as he exhaled deeply and refocused his attention on the intelligence report in his hands:

"This time, gathering the power of the entire world, even that monster of Britannias will be no match!"

"Even if the Navy and the Holy Knights cannot suppress him, there is still us, and there is still Lord Imu!"

"Although Lord Imu has not made a move since the Great War eight hundred years ago, you should all be able to feel that his power..."

"... is still increasing!"

"Indeed, with the changing times and the consolidation of his dominion, he has become stronger and stronger!"

"It has reached a level that is incomprehensible!"

In Nasjuro Saint's eyes, a rare look of awe emerged:

"Correct!"

"This time, there is absolutely no possibility of our defeat; only one path remains for that monster."

"Submit or die!"

Crash—!

Waves battered the water's surface, startling feeding shorebirds into flight as they swept past the bow of a pirate ship.

The once bustling port in the distance now held not a single merchant vessel, appearing utterly desolate.

Xiang Keluo stood on the deck of the pirate ship, gazing into the distance, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips:

"So this is Britannias? The territory of that monster? It is unexpectedly somewhat disappointing!"

"But then again, this is only to be expected."

"Nowadays, Britannias has become the common enemy of the entire world; just along our route here, we have seen no fewer than several hundred ships laden with cannons and ammunition sailing toward this place!"

Daz Bones stood beside Xiang Keluo, likewise gazing into the distance, his brows slightly furrowed:

"Although the port is desolate, it is not as chaotic as one might imagine."

"This does not look like chaos caused by an impending war; rather, it resembles an organized evacuation carried out in advance."

"Was this done by Knight Gao Wen?!"

"Ah."

Xiang Keluo responded faintly, his eyebrows lifting slightly as he detected something amiss:

"Logically speaking, even for a wartime evacuation, there would be no need to completely abandon a port; this is virtually equivalent to abandoning coastal defenses and waiting for the enemy's spear to thrust straight into one's chest and abdomen."

"With that man's strategic vision, he would absolutely not fail to see this point; therefore, this looks less like preparations for war and more like fleeing from some kind of natural disaster!"

Daz Bones could not help but guess:

"Land subsidence?!"

Xiang Keluo's expression tightened slightly.

If Gao Wen had also chosen to evacuate, leading the common people of Britannias to retreat toward higher ground,

then it could only mean that regarding the matter of land subsidence, even that monster had no better solution...

Did they bet wrong?!

No!

Xiang Keluo's eyes suddenly brightened as a piece of intelligence he had inadvertently seen earlier at Cross Guild flashed through his mind.

It was a rumor concerning Britannias.

A shipyard covering dozens of kilometers had vanished without a trace overnight, leaving only a massive pit in its place.

There were only two possibilities!

Either in the sky, or in the sea... wait...

The sky!

Xiang Keluo stared blankly upward, seeing nothing but the clear blue sky and clusters of white clouds gathering over Britannias.

"Could it be?!"

"What is it, Boss?"

"Nothing."

Crocodile shook his head, feeling that his earlier speculation had been nothing more than a fantasy.

Back then, someone as powerful as the Jin Shizi could only lift a few islands with diameters of several kilometers into the sky.

Yet Britannias alone had a diameter of nearly a thousand kilometers, its volume countless times greater than the Jin Shizi's floating islands.

To lift such a nation into the high skies, what kind of immense power would be required?!

Such a feat was already beyond the reach of mortal capability.

"It was merely a fleeting, impractical fantasy that arose in that instant."

Just as he spoke,

Crocodile's expression suddenly changed:

"Hm?!"

Daz Bonez followed his line of sight, feeling only an overwhelming pressure, like an unstoppable wheel of fortune, approaching from afar!

Within just a few breaths, it crashed down like a mountain roaring and a tsunami surging!

The water level in the harbor began to visibly drop, but the pirate ship beneath their feet was also sinking; even though its hull had already struck the reefs, it continued to descend.

No!

This was not the ship sinking, but the aura pressing in from the distance that was simply too exaggerated!

The instant this thought flashed through his mind, Daz Bonez lost consciousness.

Beside him, Crocodile almost simultaneously dropped to one knee, yet still struggled to lift his head, staring deathly at that distant figure who was both strange and familiar:

"Knight..."

"Gao Wen!"

"Is this how you receive guests? Not very polite, is it?!"

Zwoooom—!

Gao Wen's figure halted, hovering in midair, looking down at Crocodile with a somewhat surprised expression.

Long before Crocodile had approached the vicinity of Britannias, he had already received relevant intelligence.

Now, with Britannias needing to prepare for future plans while also guarding against an attack from the World Government, manpower was somewhat stretched thin.

Crocodile's combat strength had already touched the level of an Admiral; had anyone else been sent, they might not have been able to subdue him.

Thus, Gao Wen had decided to act personally.

But judging by the current situation, Crocodile should not be an enemy.

After all, with this man's abilities, he mostly operated from behind the scenes as a chess player, making a single move that could stir up the grand trends of the world!

It was absolutely impossible for him to expose his identity before making a move.

Moreover,

Gao Wen could recognize that the crew members currently being subtly shielded behind Crocodile were all veterans from the Baroque Works of years past.

Had they undergone some experiences and achieved a transformation?

Having formed his judgment, Gao Wen stated calmly:

"Appearing within the borders of Britannias at this time; give me one reason not to kill you."

"Hmph~"

Crocodile smiled faintly, the corners of his mouth splitting wide: