Chapter 15: Arrival at Beehive Island: The Challenge for Captain

As soon as Karl boarded the ship, he went straight to find Newgate.

“Big bro Newgate, do you recognize any of these Devil Fruits?”

Karl asked eagerly inside the cabin, desperate to know the names of these Devil Fruits.

He laid out in front of Newgate the Devil Fruit he’d found on the deserted island, the one he just picked up from the auction, and the one he took from Scarface.

“I recognize a couple, but not this one. We could check the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia once we’re back on the island.”

Newgate pointed at the one from the auction, a look of envy crossing his face. He hadn’t expected Karl to be so lucky, snagging so many Devil Fruits in such a short time.

“That’s the Rain-Rain Fruit, a Paramecia type. This one’s the Golden Bull, a Zoan type.”

The ones Newgate identified were the fruit from the deserted island and the one taken from Scarface. As for the auction fruit, Newgate didn’t know that one.

Since Newgate didn’t recognize it, Karl could only turn to the System for answers.

“Alright, thanks anyway.”

He might not have identified them all, but two was still plenty.

After grabbing a quick dinner, Karl returned to his room.

Krell had been assigned to the room right next door to him.

“System, what kind of fruit is this one?”

Since the System had warned him about it earlier, it must know what this fruit was.

“Ding!”

“Congratulations, Host. Your luck is really something.”

“This fruit was affected by a surge of energy released when I first arrived in this world.”

“It’s the Energy Fruit. It can absorb all forms of energy in the world, convert them or unleash them as you please.”

“This is a fruit with almost limitless potential.”

The words made Karl’s face go stiff. Being able to absorb any kind of energy—convert it, unleash it? That was insane.

Unlike the pirates here who’ve never seen the peak of technological explosion, Karl came from a different world.

All forms—water, wind, kinetic, light, darkness, heat, even negative energies? Wouldn’t that include everything?

If he could master it, this would be one of the top-tier Devil Fruits.

Judging by that, its potential was beyond imagination.

Still, Karl wasn’t in a hurry to use any Devil Fruit. He knew every one of them comes with its flaw—mainly, the weakness to seawater.

Until he reached his physical peak, he wasn’t planning on relying on a Devil Fruit to boost his power.

After washing up, Karl tidied his things and went to bed.

After all, if they reached Beehive Island tomorrow, there could be a big fight waiting.

He’d told Newgate himself—he didn’t want to join as a mere member. He wanted to be a captain.

To be a captain, he’d have to fight for it.

Which meant he needed to be at his best.

……

Beehive Island—an island deep in the New World, shaped just like a giant beehive, hence the name.

Its climate was brutal, shrouded in thick fog year-round, home to only pirates, not a single civilian. This was the infamous base of the Rocks Pirates, Beehive Island itself.

This morning, a pirate ship slowly pulled into the island’s port.

Karl stood at the prow, gazing at the mysterious island ahead, feeling excitement build inside.

He was an outsider here, and coming to claim a captain’s title wouldn’t be easy.

He racked his brain—who was weakest among the Rocks Pirates at this point in time?

Thinking it over, the only options were probably John or Wang Zhi. Maybe they were a little weaker.

Kaido was still just an apprentice here. Taking him on wouldn’t make Karl a captain.

“Nervous?”

Newgate had come up beside him, asking gently. Karl had shared his intention for captaincy on the way.

But Newgate was worried. After several fights, Karl was strong—maybe about rear admiral level—but nobody on this island was an easy target. One mistake could be fatal. Members of the Rocks Pirates were all killers.

Karl’s strength and stamina made him resilient, but it didn’t mean nobody could beat him. He had to be careful.

He needed to be mentally prepared for anything.

Especially against monsters like Golden Lion and Charlotte Linlin, both masters of swordplay.

“Don’t worry—I’m ready.”

Karl spoke with confidence. With his current recovery ability, unless Rocks himself came after him, he wouldn’t die on the spot. And if he wasn’t killed outright, he’d have another shot—he could always start as a crewmate.

Ideally, he’d face John or Wang Zhi. That would give him better odds.

What he didn’t know was that Golden Lion had already left on a voyage, so he wasn’t on the island today—or else things might’ve ended much worse for Karl.

“Since you’re ready, let’s get moving.”

While they spoke, the ship had already docked. Pirates spilled off, unloading their loot onto Beehive Island.

This place was like home for pirates. Most plunder from outside would be brought here first, distributed to Rocks for allocation, and after that, it belonged to whoever got it.

Rocks ruled his crew with overwhelming strength, forcing them into line. The crew may not be united, but their combat power was unmatched—the weak rarely lasted long.

“Hey Newgate, who’s this you’ve brought back?”

“Mamamama!”

Karl and Newgate followed the voice, spotting Charlotte Linlin striding toward them.

She’d already seen Karl’s wanted poster. She was here to recruit him to her own crew.

“So? How about joining my team?”

“I promise you’ll be vice-captain from day one.”

As soon as she walked up, Charlotte Linlin wasted no time with her invitation.

“No thanks, I want to be a captain.”

Karl smiled awkwardly, declining as politely as he could. He’d never planned on following anyone else—still, he hadn’t expected her to be the first to make an offer.

Charlotte Linlin didn’t seem surprised by his response. She knew strong types hated being under others—especially someone Newgate had brought back.

With a graceful smile, she told Karl, “You can think about it. My offer stands anytime. If you change your mind, just let me know.”

With that, Charlotte Linlin turned and left, leaving Karl and Newgate where they stood.

Newgate gave Karl an encouraging pat on the shoulder, grinning. “Good luck. Hope you achieve your dream soon.”

Karl nodded seriously and strode deeper into Beehive Island.

He knew—if he wanted to stand out here in the Rocks Pirates, he’d have to give it everything he had.

“Who’s over there running their mouth?”

A loud voice boomed out from a distance.

John approached, greatsword in hand.

“If you want to be a captain, you’ll have to get through me.”

John had just been observing, but hearing Karl boast like that, he decided to test him.

A 500-million-beli bounty wasn’t even that rare on Beehive Island. John’s pride bristled hearing Karl act so cocky—he wanted to see for himself what Karl could do.

“Take this!”

“Sword Wave Slash!”

John stomped hard with his left foot, cracking the ground before leaping into the air and swinging his greatsword at Karl.

As he swung, the sword turned pitch-black, clearly armed with Armament Haki. A flash of green sword energy tore toward Karl.

But Karl didn’t back down. John threw the first challenge—something he hadn’t expected, but he was looking forward to the fight.

Bending his knees, Karl launched forward like a cannonball at John.

His own right hand gathered Armament Haki, slamming straight into John’s greatsword. He hadn’t mastered it for long, but it was more than enough.

Under Newgate’s guidance aboard the ship, Karl had reached a deeper level of Haki—even though he wasn’t fully skilled, his body could already handle it.

“Clang!”

At the moment fists and greatsword collided, a crisp metallic ring echoed through the air.

A circular shockwave burst out from the impact, instantly blasting pirates and cargo all along the shore.

“Whoa, captains are fighting! Get clear!”

“Hurry, move it if you don’t want to get caught in the middle!”

“Go—go now!”

Everyone nearby knew: when captains fought, the shockwaves alone could be deadly. Best to clear out while you could.

Nobody wanted to die needlessly, so as soon as John and Karl started they all backed way off.

John missed his strike and stepped back.

“Not bad, kid. But if that’s all you’ve got, you’re not captain material yet.”

“Try this one!”

John bent his knees, gripping his greatsword with both hands. Muscles bulging, he unleashed a brutal slash at Karl with everything he had.

A crescent-shaped wave of energy shot straight at Karl.

Karl knew—if he wanted to be captain, this was his chance. He had to beat John head-on.