Chapter 169: A New Beginning Under Starlight

They built a wooden cabin for Karl right there and put him inside, making a fire at the doorway.

“Let me tell you, back when we were still at Sabaody Archipelago, a giant busted in out of nowhere. In just a few moves, he defeated that slave trader.”

“Then that guy introduced himself—said his name was Karl. Told us if we wanted to follow him, all we had to do was find him in the New World. Since then, I’ve always taken pride in joining Karl’s pirate crew.”

At this point, Baruch paused, as if lost in the memory.

“Come on, Captain, don’t stop there!”

“Yeah, we want to hear the rest.”

Baruch, cut off mid-story, growled, “You little brats!”

“But when I got to the New World, I learned that Lord Karl didn’t even have his own crew yet.”

“But, judging by what he said, it sounds like later on he might actually form one.”

“So I was thinking about that too, I guess.”

“Captain Baruch, you’re really lucky,” Veras said with a wry smile.

His eyes were bloodshot, forcing himself not to dwell on those awful days as a slave. “All I knew was someone saved us, but trapped in a black sack, I never saw who was out there.”

“It wasn’t until we escaped and asked around that we learned our savior was Karl. That’s why we joined your crew.”

“Yeah, exactly!”

At least half the pirates there nodded—they’d all once been slaves freed in Sabaody Archipelago.

“…”

Karl now stood inside a pitch-black space.

The darkness stretched endlessly, not a hint of light in sight.

Sizzle—

Suddenly, a flash of gold blazed before his eyes, making him blink.

After a few moments, his gaze shifted to the golden light.

It turned out to be his System panel.

“Host: Lux D. Karl (Bounty: 3.5 billion Berries)

Fused Templates: The Outcast—Elder Heavenly Master, Stealing the Stars—Liuxing. Legend of Qin Swordmaster Gai Nie (not yet fused), Fox Spirit Matchmaker—Wang Quan Fugui (not yet fused), Rakshasa Street—Cao Yanbing (not yet fused), Scissor Seven—Qi (not yet fused).

Skills: Armament Haki (Top Level), Observation Haki (Top Level), Conqueror’s Haki (Top Level), Golden Light Spell, True Fivefold Thunder, Mastery of Fist Techniques, etc.

Talent: Titan Strength

Funds: 378 billion Berries

Items: Shaolin Great Rejuvenation Pill (13 bottles), Rejuvenation Pill (9), Bloodline Pill (7 bottles), Lu Bu’s Halberd, Dragon Spring Blade, Great Blade—Ancient Moon Blade, Great Blade—Silver Alloy Blade…

Devil Fruits: 18

Evaluation: A top-tier powerhouse on the sea, composite strength—half-step emperor!”

“But…how do I get out of here?” He looked around at the deep darkness, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

The System panel had appeared, but he had no way to utilize the space.

Just then, a voice echoed in his ear.

“Cheers, Captain—I’ll drink to you!”

The voice drifted in and out. He sprinted toward the source.

There was no sunlight or sense of time here—he had no idea how long he’d been running, only that there was a faint glow ahead.

The closer he got, the brighter it became, and the sounds from outside grew louder.

He rushed straight through the halo of light without hesitation.

The next instant, his eyes snapped open.

What he saw was a wooden cabin. He glanced around, smelling the heavy dampness in the air—this place had just been built.

He was tucked under a warm quilt, but as he turned, chunks of it slipped off—it had clearly been patched together piece by piece.

“Wait, that’s…” He looked out the door. Starlight poured in, and he spotted Baruch and his group drinking not far away.

As Karl sat up, the cabin rattled and collapsed all around him.

The hut had only ever been loosely pieced together, not built solidly from scratch.

“Lord Karl, you’re awake!”

Baruch, startled by the noise, spun around and gaped at Karl.

As for the others, they were so stunned that they couldn’t get a word out—they’d never dreamed of interacting with someone of his strength.

“Ah—slept great.”

“By the way—who are you?”

A few strides brought Karl right up to Baruch, peering down at him.

The scare sobered Baruch instantly—just Karl’s massive presence radiated overwhelming pressure.

“Lord Karl, I used to be a slave at Sabaody Archipelago. You saved me.”

“My name’s Baruch.”

“Sabaody Archipelago…I do remember that.” Karl’s memory kicked in. The slave rescue happened when he was just returning from the Four Seas to the New World, which meant it’d been over three years already.

Time flies faster than he thought—it’d been more than four years since he first arrived in the One Piece world.

“By the way, Lord Karl, about…” Baruch hesitated to finish.

He’d heard the news too. Rumors claimed Karl died in God Valley, and while he had no idea what really happened, he was surely curious.

When he first found him afloat at sea, he thought it was Karl’s corpse and wanted to recover it.

But as he was cleaning Karl’s wounds, he felt a pulse—Karl was alive.

“It’s nothing, just a scratch—not worth worrying about.”

“You’ve done well. If you ever need anything, come find me in the New World.”

“How long has it been since God Valley?” Karl asked.

Baruch grabbed a newspaper nearby and handed it to Karl. At the same time, he answered: “It’s been eleven days since the God Valley incident.”

“Good. Baruch, right?”

Baruch stood to attention at once. “Yes, sir!”

Karl glanced at the horizon, getting his bearings, then told Baruch, “There are still things I have to take care of, so I can’t stay any longer.”

“Take care of yourself.”

With that, before Baruch could say a word, Karl leapt into the air and shot off in the direction of the New World.

“Captain, he just up and left like that?” Veras stared at Baruch with a pout.

Baruch shouted, “He’s already gone! If you think it’s so easy, you go after him!”

He was about to say more when he suddenly fell silent. A square piece of white paper drifted gently down from the sky.

“A Vivre Card?”

“Could it be Lord Karl’s Vivre Card?”

Veras stood up and tried to snatch it from Baruch’s hand.

Baruch planted a foot and kicked Veras to the ground. “Keep your hands off!”

“With this Vivre Card, most places in the New World will be safe for us.”

Viske sprang to his feet, eyes shining as he stared at the card. “Then, Captain, does that mean we…”

Baruch suddenly burst out laughing.

“What are you waiting for, boys? No more drinking—it’s time to charge into the New World!”

“Owwooo!”

“Set sail!”

They knew that with this Vivre Card, things wouldn’t be nearly as tough in the New World as before.

Why? Because the Vivre Card was infused with the owner’s very life force.

Strong enough pirates could sense who the card belonged to from the aura alone. So unless they ran into the Navy, odds were they’d have smooth sailing from here on.

Back in Wano, chaos was breaking out all over the country.

“Mama mama mama!”

“Looks like you lot really aren’t interested in living well, huh?”

Charlotte Linlin, Davis, and Ledfield had already reached Wano ahead of the others.

Leading the Fishmen Corps stationed at Rabi Well, they began the counterattack.

“Sovereign Nation!”

“Peach Blossom Shirotaki!”

Kozuki Sukiyaki fought bravely, holding off Charlotte Linlin’s onslaught.

As for Kozuki Oden, he hadn’t shown up because when the trouble started in Wano, he’d already been secretly imprisoned on Cake Island—though he didn’t know it himself.