Night fell.
The banquet began as scheduled.
Of course—
there weren't many attendees.
Arthur, Roger, and Garp.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't much of a banquet at all—it was more like a small gathering between the three of them.
"Hahahaha~~~!"
Roger burst out laughing.
"I never would've dread I'd be drinking with you, Garp! This is hilarious! Absolutely hilarious!"
"Tch!"
Garp clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Don't act like I want to drink with you. Try stepping out of Britannia and see what happens!"
"Ha!"
"I'm not leaving!"
"What are you gonna do about it?"
"Bet that pisses you off!"
Roger's shaless grin made even Arthur shake his head.
Honestly… it was infuriating.
It was hard to imagine that the man who would one day beco the Pirate King—the one who would single-handedly usher in the Great Pirate Era—was acting like this, squabbling with Garp like so rookie pirate.
"Damn it!"
Garp couldn't help but curse.
"Roger, you're seriously unbearable!"
Roger, however, remained completely calm.
"Yeah, I know. I'm just that annoying. What are you gonna do about it?"
Garp's teeth itched with frustration.
But what could he do?
There was nothing he could do.
In the end, he could only growl,
"Roger, you bastard! This isn't over!"
"Yeah, yeah~~~"
Roger smacked his lips dismissively, looking completely unfazed.
That attitude—
honestly—
was enough to make Garp's temper explode.
His aura even began to grow heavier.
But the mont he rembered he couldn't act in Britannia, Garp forced himself to calm down, rubbing his forehead as he grumbled,
"Roger… at least act like a decent human being. You're giving a headache."
"Hahahaha~~~!"
Roger laughed loudly again.
The two of them looked less like mortal enemies and more like old friends constantly bickering.
Arthur watched the scene with amusent.
To outsiders, it might be impossible to understand why these two acted like this.
But those who truly understood—
knew exactly what this ant.
In the future, Roger would entrust his own son to Garp.
That alone spoke volus.
They were enemies—
but also sothing more.
Sothing close to friends… even kindred spirits.
Otherwise, Roger would never have made such a decision.
"You two are… quite sothing," Arthur said thoughtfully. "It's actually rather interesting."
"Tch!"
"Him?"
"Hmph!"
Both n scoffed at each other in unison, clearly irritated.
Arthur chuckled and shook his head.
This was just who they were.
Nothing strange about it.
Before long—
the gathering ca to an end.
It wasn't a bad thing.
It simply concluded, naturally.
As ti passed, Garp and Roger each departed.
Left alone in the hall, Arthur's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Arthur."
Kay leaned against the doorway, speaking with interest.
"Those two are fascinating. Rivals, yet also sothing like friends. That kind of relationship… is rare."
Arthur nodded slightly.
"Indeed. They're opponents—but also old companions. For people like them… even in death, they'd entrust their final matters to each other."
"That's true."
Kay agreed without hesitation.
"Anyway—"
Arthur stood and slowly walked toward the window.
Outside, even in the dead of night, Volcano City remained brightly lit.
Looking out over the city, Arthur spoke softly:
"The war… is about to begin."
"This will be the most important war Britannia has ever faced."
His eyes narrowed.
"If we win…"
He knew this clearly.
If Britannia erged victorious from this war—
then its future would be secured.
There would be no more uncertainty.
No more instability.
"Haah…"
Letting out a slow breath, Arthur murmured,
"If we win this war, Britannia will gain several years or perhaps even over a decade of uninterrupted growth."
"And with ti… Britannia will only grow stronger."
"Heh…"
Kay chuckled lightly.
"Arthur, don't be so tense. Even if we fail, we've already done everything we could."
"No."
Arthur's expression turned serious.
"Brother Kay… I cannot afford to fail."
"In Britannia stand all our people—everything we've built."
"Behind are countless lives."
"I will not allow myself to fail."
"Arthur…"
Kay sighed softly.
He had once thought that in this new world, Arthur might have changed.
But now he understood—
Arthur was still the sa.
The perfect King Arthur.
Only—
this ti, there were no shackles.
Arthur continued, his voice unwavering:
"It's not that I can't accept failure."
"But if I fail here… what happens to those behind ?"
"Our people. Our knights. Our family."
"They will die—miserably."
"Neptune entrusted Fish-Man Island to . If I fail, what happens to the Fish-n?"
"They will suffer even more than before."
"That…"
"Is sothing I will never accept."
His gaze burned with determination.
Arthur was not soone incapable of accepting defeat.
But this—
this was different.
Behind him were the lives of countless people.
Their hopes.
Their hos.
Their futures.
He could not fail.
Perhaps others would laugh.
Wasn't a king supposed to be a tyrant?
Free to act on his own will?
Yes—
in Arthur's own understanding, a king could be such a figure.
But at the sa ti—
everything he possessed had been entrusted to him by his people.
He could not abandon them.
Clench.
Arthur's fist tightened, his aura growing sharp.
"If being a tyrant is wrong…"
"If being a wise king is wrong…"
"Then I will beco both."
"I will not allow failure to co to Britannia."
"That kind of failure—"
"is unacceptable."
"Heh…"
Kay suddenly laughed.
How should he put it?
Arthur had changed.
Perhaps not on the surface—
but fundantally.
This Arthur was no longer the flawless, almost sacred king of the past.
Instead—
he had beco sothing more complete.
Like a god who had finally gained humanity.
And that…
was sothing Kay found deeply gratifying.
"Arthur."
Then, with rare seriousness, Kay spoke:
"My King."
"Have you truly made your decision?"
Arthur nodded without hesitation.
"Of course."
"Whether tyrant or sage king—it doesn't matter."
"I will beco the one and only King Arthur."
"The king of Britannia."
"—and its god."
"…."
Kay looked at him deeply.
For the first ti—
he realized sothing.
Arthur's path had never been predetermined fate.
It was a choice.
His own choice.
In the past, Kay had always disliked Arthur's destiny.
Because in his eyes—
Arthur had never chosen any of it.
He had simply been pushed forward by fate.
A king not by desire—
but by inevitability.
A puppet guided by destiny.
That was why Kay had distanced himself.
Stepping away from his role as bodyguard.
Stepping away from governance.
He couldn't bear to watch his younger brother walk that path.
In fact—
he had once believed that Arthur's death might not even be a bad thing.
If everything was dictated by fate—
then perhaps it was better for it all to end.
And yet—
he had been summoned into this world.
At first, he had no intention of remaining in Britannia.
But gradually—
he realized sothing.
Arthur had changed.
Morgan had changed.
Everyone had changed.
They were no longer bound by the script of a story.
They had stepped beyond it.
That was why Kay stayed.
To see it for himself.
And now—
he truly understood.
Arthur was no longer that perfect, untouchable king.
He was greedy.
Ambitious.
Driven.
He desired power.
But,
to Kay—
that wasn't a flaw.
It was proof.
Proof that Arthur had beco human.
And that—
was the greatest joy of all.
"Arthur…"
"My King…"
A wide smile spread across Kay's face.
No matter what kind of king Arthur beca—
this ti, he had chosen it himself.
And that was all Kay had ever wanted.
anwhile—
Arthur gazed into the distance, his expression resolute.
Once—
he had been filled with doubt.
He was a transmigrator.
A reincarnated soul.
Just an ordinary person.
Was he truly qualified to inherit all of this?
Was he truly worthy of becoming this king?
Those questions had haunted him for a long ti.
But as ti passed—
he grew stronger.
He awakened the power of the Red Dragon bloodline again and again.
He summoned the Knights of the Round Table.
And with it—
he inherited the mories of the true King Arthur.
Gradually—
the lines blurred.
Was he King Arthur?
Or was he still himself?
Who… was he, really?
In fact—
he could no longer even clearly rember his previous life.
Even his own na—
it felt distant.
Faint.
As if it had never truly belonged to him.
It was strange.
He seed to rember everything—
and yet, at the sa ti, nothing at all.
Over ti—
a hypothesis ford in his mind.
Not yet complete.
Not yet certain.
But one day—
he believed he would understand.
No matter what—
"I…"
"am Arthur."
"The one and only King Arthur."
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