Chapter 547 Filling the Gap in Combat Strength: General Candidate

As Arthur spoke, he patted one cheek and asked again,

"Hey, can you still dance? Since things are already like this, why not unleash your domineering aura and have a fight?"

I haven't even unleashed my sword technique yet.

No matter how he called out to him, he found that Yi was already motionless, like a dead person.

However, the pulse and heartbeat were still there, and the breathing was very weak, proving that the person was still alive.

He has no choice but to accept that things have turned out this way.

"It seems... I don't really have any sword techniques, and my swordsmanship doesn't really need those fancy-sounding things."

Looking around, Arthur found the village in ruins; the once peaceful rural island had crumbled, and the ground was cracked everywhere.

Arthur fell into deep thought again, his face serious as he walked toward the dock, muttering to himself.

"Why does wherever I go lead to destruction?"

Upon arriving at the dock, Arthur tossed a bottle into everyone's sight, scratched the back of his head, and glanced at Gion and Leia.

"We've gone a bit too far!" Arthur said to the villagers, feigning remorse.

It was already late at night, and the villagers rushed forward with torches to check on the situation.

"Lord Arthur!" Leia rushed forward first to check the bloodstains on Arthur's body.

Upon closer inspection, she was astonished to discover that, apart from the bloodstains, the wounds were healing at a visible rate.

Gion pushed Shanks and Shokuku to him and gently touched the wounds that were healing.

Some of the wounds were so deep that the bones were visible, which made her trust Arthur's stories about her past life even more.

"It's alright, I'm used to it," Arthur said, comforting Gion, noticing her somber expression.

Have you forgotten how tenacious I am?

“…” Gion did not respond to Arthur, but instead gritted her teeth with a serious expression and slapped him hard a few times with her palm.

He hit him hard, then didn't say another word, unable to bear looking at his healing wounds.

This wasn't the first time she'd seen him like this.

G6 once. God Valley once! And now again.

Both times it was due to fighting; I never expected that a simple sparring match could turn into this.

"Is this your way of expressing love?" Arthur teased, sensing her concern.

"You didn't hit me for no reason, did you?"

"Think what you want!!" A tear appeared on Gion's solemn expression.

"Who would abuse their body like this, doing it every time..."

Gion is six years old. She is kind, gentle, and considerate by nature, but she is still struggling to let go of her past experiences, which makes it difficult for her to express certain emotions.

She's still too young to understand some things clearly, but she's very sensitive to pain and injury.

The flesh was cut open, and the bone was visible; you can imagine how painful that must have been.

"You're concerned about me?" Arthur gently pushed Leia away and stepped forward to examine Gion's expression face-to-face.

"You're crying!"

"No! I just got sand in my eyes!" Gion insisted, unwilling to admit the truth.

“Hmm…I see.” Arthur teased again, “When I cried, I even explained that I got a brick in my eye.”

Gion wiped away her tears, turned around and punched Arthur a few more times, landing solidly on his chest.

Then he ran into the crowd to check on the injured man. If that man had really been killed... it wouldn't make sense that they had only come here to repair their knife.

"Should we apply some medicine, Lord Arthur?" Leia asked from the side.

"Shall I make you something to nourish your blood and qi?"

"Forget about the medicine, making some delicious food would be more appropriate." Arthur grinned at Leia, a wicked smile playing on his lips as he watched Gion's retreating figure.

"Has she finally realized how much I've sacrificed?"

Roronoa Lan stared in disbelief at the scene of the villagers surrounding and trying to save her father.

It is clear who wins and who loses.

While his father was unable to stand, Arthur was chatting with two friends.

Clearly, Arthur won this sparring match that turned into a duel.

But he was furious, seeing his mother's distress and his father's unconscious state. His heart was inevitably agitated.

This restlessness stemmed from Arthur, who was standing nearby; a seed of revenge had been quietly sown.

He vowed to himself that he would defeat this guy in the future.

“Arashi…” Koushirou stood beside Arashi and observed his angry emotional fluctuations.

“Father lost…” Lan began, “He won!”

As a child, he idolized his father as invincible, but witnessing his father's failure made Lan realize that there was a vast world beyond this one.

He made up his mind to go out to sea and gain experience, and he could no longer stay here like a frog in a well.

On the mountain, in the backyard of the Frost Moon Dojo.

Kousaburo finished repairing the knife, which he had been working on continuously for two days.

As his mind emerged from the reverie of sword-making, he suddenly realized that his training ground had been reduced to ruins.

The islands have all been deformed.

"What are you two doing?!" Kousaburo roared angrily, brandishing his sword and heading towards the village below.

"My kendo dojo!"

Kousaburo stormed to the village dock and saw the entire village crowding around it.

Seeing Yizhu covered in knife wounds, he realized how serious the situation was.

It took him some time to learn the whole story from the villagers, and then he began searching for Arthur.

Kousaburo found Arthur and his group standing on the stone steps of the dock, went up to them, and handed them the repaired Ao Shuang. "Here's your sword, kid! Don't come back again!"

Arthur took the knife, pulled it out, and examined it.

They discovered that Aoshuang's cheeks on both sides of the knife were missing.

It turned into a knife that looked just like an ordinary blade, except with some added patterns.

“That’s not up to you to decide.” Arthur observed the other’s weak appearance, grinned again, and turned to walk towards his ship with his knife in hand. “Besides, it was his own idea, and he said he would take full responsibility for everything.”

I believe the Roronoa family keeps their word and won't go back on their promise, right?

“Of course!” Zhenzi bowed slightly to Arthur. “I wish you a safe voyage.”

……

Grand Line, Marinford.

Headquarters building.

Kong talks to Sengoku, who is covered in bandages, and Zephyr, who escorted him back.

"The two generals we sent out are dead," Kong said with an extremely heavy heart. "In addition, with Garp's resignation, the army now lacks a pillar of faith and admiration."

"That bastard, go wherever he wants!" Sengoku cursed. "I'll climb to the top no matter what! Only then can I control the sea!"

Zefa sat in a seat to the side, listening attentively to the conversation.

"The reason I called you here today is to discuss the vacancy of the general." Kong looked at the two of them with piercing eyes. "The events that happened in God Valley have not been made public. The two generals have been... reportedly killed in a tsunami and their whereabouts are unknown."

"Can the soldiers believe this?" Zephyr questioned the report. "Such a perfunctory response?"

Kong is in a real bind because the World Government has now been lost.

In addition to Garp's previous reports, with so many Celestial Dragons killed, the Navy is in a very passive situation.

"Anyway..." Kong covered his face, looking very uncomfortable, "I brought you here this time to promote you to the position of new generals! Your titles are Great Buddha and Black Wrist!"

Sengoku and Zefu were shocked when they heard the news.

"No..." Sengoku asked curiously, "Don't we need to report to our superiors?"

“I will go to Mary Geoise myself to say it!” Kong replied. “There is no other way now! I will also request a global conscription to replenish the navy’s lost combat power!”

As they were talking, a naval soldier came in from outside the office, bringing a message from the World Government.

"Report! News from the government! This World Conference will be moved up to mid-May! The constitution will be amended, and the World Conference will be held every two years thereafter!"

After finishing the report, the soldier handed the documents to Kong Hou, saluted, and left the office.

Kong glanced at the contents of the document and frowned.

"The government wants to appoint a man as the God of War and a congressman at this world conference? A man whose power surpasses that of the Five Elders."

"Member?"

"His power is greater than that of the Five Elders?"

Everyone looked surprised.

Kong, however, was unconvinced and seized the opportunity to say, "In May, at the World Conference, in front of all the member states in the world, I will report your promotion to my superiors!"