Chapter 16: Karl’s Trial: The Battle for Captaincy

“Shave!”

Karl used one of the Navy’s Six Powers—Shave—then burst forward at lightning speed toward John.

Karl dodged the blade’s energy arcs with ease as they swung behind him, tearing the ground to shreds in an instant.

“Get even further back!”

“Hurry!”

In the distance, some pirates who were watching for fun almost got caught by the slash from John’s sword.

“Tempest Kick!”

Karl immediately followed up with a Navy Six Powers technique—Tempest Kick—aiming a swift kick at John’s leg.

John wasn’t about to just stand there. He leapt up, gripping his sword with both hands and brought it crashing down toward Karl.

“Shave—Quick Step!”

Karl rapidly dodged by stamping the ground dozens of times in just 0.36 seconds, dodging John’s sword energy. In the same motion, he jumped nimbly behind John.

“Eight Extremities Fist—Collapse!”

John managed to avoid Karl’s Tempest Kick. He spun around fast, caught the attack with the back of his sword in one hand, deflecting Karl’s blow.

“Kid, you’re still too green for close combat.”

John sneered, completely confident in his skills. He figured Karl was just an arrogant brat, and believed he could win even without his giant sword.

But what John didn’t know was that Karl hadn’t gone all out either. He was holding back on purpose, just in case John turned out to be stronger than he seemed. Better safe than sorry.

“Conqueror’s Fist!”

John grinned savagely, stabbed his sword into the earth with his right hand, then raised a fist and slammed it down at Karl with immense force.

He wanted to show Karl that his hand-to-hand combat was just as fierce.

Karl’s gaze sharpened. He recognized this as John’s signature move—Conqueror’s Fist.

He quickly raised both arms, taking the hit head-on and using them as a shield to block John’s powerful punch.

A thunderous boom rang out, and Karl was forced back a few steps by the sheer force of the blow. His arms tingled, but he realized John’s close combat wasn’t as terrifying as expected. He could handle it—and secretly thanked John’s arrogance for opening a window to victory.

Without hesitation, Karl charged at John again. This time, he gathered even more Armament Haki in his right fist, while a faint golden glow shimmered around his body.

John’s face shifted in shock. The danger was clear; he’d underestimated Karl. But it was too late to reclaim his sword from the ground. Clenching his fists, John struck back in a flash, his punches moving like lightning.

Their fists met with explosive force, sending a violent shockwave rippling outward.

“Boom!”

Waves at the shore surged up, erupting into towering jets of water.

Karl poured every ounce of strength into his punches, letting out a low, animalistic roar. His entire body exploded with golden light, surging with unstoppable power.

At the same time, John realized his own strength was starting to get overwhelmed. His eyes grew fierce and he clenched his teeth, refusing to back down and fired back with everything he had.

Their fists collided again with a deafening crash, but this time Karl’s punch broke through—his strength overpowering John’s.

John staggered back several steps, his face twisted with shock and anger. He’d believed he could never lose to Karl, but only now did he realize he was wrong. It was too late for regret.

Karl didn’t give him a moment to breathe. He launched another relentless assault, his fists pummeling John like a whirlwind.

John desperately tried to dodge, but Karl’s blows landed several times. Each punch sent a fresh wave of pain through him.

“Not good!”

“Eight Extremities Fist—Iron Mountain Lean!”

Karl seized on John’s exhaustion and pressed his advantage.

“Heaven-Piercing Cannon!”

Karl’s combos kept coming, making it impossible for John to defend himself.

But John quickly adjusted to Karl’s attack rhythm, and soon the fight became a fierce standoff.

After several hours of brutal fighting.

John could feel Karl’s power rising with every passing minute.

Bit by bit he started to buckle under the pressure. He knew he’d underestimated Karl.

But Karl only got faster, never giving John a window to fight back.

Finally, after dozens more minutes, John’s arms dropped limply beside him. He slumped to the ground, his body unable to hold him up. He knew he’d lost.

He couldn’t believe he’d been beaten by Karl.

“I lost.”

John muttered bitterly, face contorted in frustration.

Losing to someone stronger was tough, but John was no sore loser. Still, he realized he’d fallen for Karl’s tricks—if Karl hadn’t worn him out with nonstop martial arts, this fight would’ve lasted much longer. John was a great swordsman, not a brawler.

Karl stood beside John, chest heaving, filled with a pride and strength he’d never felt before. He knew if not for the clever tactics, he could never have beaten John, though he figured he could still go a few more days in a fight.

Now that the battle was over, Karl finally noticed the aches and pains all over his body.

“Karl actually beat John.”

“Gurararara!”

“John really had some bad luck, falling for Karl’s tricks.”

Not far off, Newgate saw right through everything that played out.

“Captain John lost.”

“Impossible! Captain John can’t lose to that newbie.”

Hearing his crew whispering on the side, John shot them an icy glare.

The pirates instantly went pale and bowed, scurrying off in a hurry.

“This isn’t over.”

Regaining some strength, John rose slowly to his feet.

Karl figured becoming captain was now basically in the bag.

After all, the whole island was probably under Captain Rocks’ Observation Haki. Their showdown had definitely been noticed, and now Karl was confident he could run for captain.

All the other pirates watched, eyes full of awe.

Karl had defeated John and proven he could go toe-to-toe with a captain.

They realized a new division captain was about to rise. On one hand, the Rocks Pirates gained more strength; on the other, many pirates without a captain immediately got ideas about joining Karl’s crew.

“From now on, Karl is the captain of our Sixth Division!”

Just as everyone was plotting how to join Karl’s group,

a heavy voice echoed from the depths of the island.

Karl turned to look toward the heart of the island. In the distance, the figure of a burly man over three meters tall, draped in a red cloak and an old captain’s hat, his golden hair flowing, a long blade hanging at his side, strode forward.

This was none other than Rocks D. Xebec, captain of the Rocks Pirates—reputed as the most fearsome man in history.

“Welcome to the Rocks Pirates.”

“Hahaha!”

Rocks always sought to recruit the strongest into his crew to fulfill his ideals.

So when someone strong enough to stand against the division captains appeared, there was every reason to celebrate.

This brought him a step closer to his grand plan.

“Boys, let’s have a feast!”

“Let’s celebrate your Sixth Division Captain—Karl!”

Rocks barely glanced at Karl before commanding the crew to start the party.

“Hey, the feast’s starting!”

The pirates erupted into a roar of excitement. Feasts were a staple on Beehive Island.

And now there was a new Sixth Division Captain to celebrate.

While Karl and his new allies feasted, a spy from the Rocks Pirates had already reported every detail of the fight with John to Fleet Admiral Hill of the Navy.

When Hill heard, he realized Karl had gotten even stronger.

This young man was impossible to underestimate, rising rapidly in power. Hill immediately issued several orders regarding Karl.

He ordered the Navy’s intelligence division to monitor Karl closely and collect all information—skills, powers, even personality quirks—to prepare for future confrontations.

Hill also demanded the Navy’s science branch study Karl’s abilities in depth. Understanding his moves could give them the edge the next time they faced him.

……

When the party was over, Karl picked a handful of the friendlier-looking pirates as his first subordinates. They weren’t strong, but they could help with odds and ends.

He chose a spot on Beehive Island and got his men building a house—soon to be home base for the Sixth Division.

Charlotte Linlin, upon learning Karl had Titan blood, repeatedly hinted during the feast that she wanted to have children with him—though Karl turned her down every time.

But Linlin quickly realized Karl couldn’t hold his liquor, and a sneaky idea came to mind.

While Linlin schemed how to get closer to Karl, Rocks fell into silent thought, suspicion gnawing at him.

The battle for God Valley wasn’t far off. No one knew Rocks’ real plan, but with such a strong new member showing up out of nowhere, he couldn’t help being wary—what if Karl was a mole?

So, Rocks decided to test him—by sending Karl to attack a relatively weak World Government affiliate to prove his loyalty.

Just as backup, he’d also planted a spy among Karl’s new recruits the day before.

“Boss Karl, Captain Rocks wants to see you.”

The next morning, before Karl even got breakfast, a pirate showed up to deliver the summons.