Chapter 22: Return to Beehive Island: The Battle at Sea

But on his way back, he unexpectedly ran into another pirate crew. He never thought this encounter would throw his plans into chaos.

“Captain, there’s a pirate ship up ahead!”

“Alright boys, bring us closer!”

“Ahahaha!”

Since Karl hadn’t raised the Rocks Pirates’ flag during this journey, Krell had no idea they belonged to the Rocks Pirates. And so, a battle began for all the wrong reasons.

“Boom!”

The enemy made the first move.

“Quick, fire back!”

The crew on Karl’s ship instantly trained their cannons on Krell’s pirates and launched a counterattack. After all, they were part of the Rocks Pirates—on these seas, hardly anyone dared face them head-on. But with no flag flying today, they’d somehow run into a bunch of fools brave enough to try.

Cannonballs exploded on the waves, sending water spraying high into the sky.

“Get them, boys!”

“We’re the Krell Pirates! Prepare to meet your end!”

In the first exchange, both sides fired a flurry of cannonballs. In seconds, the battle descended into pure chaos.

The Krell Pirates were one of several crews under the Giant Pirates’ banner, made up of both humans and a handful of giants.

Their captain, Krell, was actually the thirteenth son of Jorlul, leader of the Giant Pirates. Of course, Karl didn’t know any of this, which led to all sorts of misunderstandings.

“Lord Karl!”

Karl, looking skeptical, stepped out onto the deck as Krell greeted him right away.

“What’s going on?”

“Lord Karl, the other side claims they’re the Krell Pirates.”

“They attacked us the moment we crossed paths, making it clear we’re enemies.”

Since Krell had only just been rescued from slavery, he also had no idea that Jorlul’s thirteenth son was on the opposing ship.

So, with neither side knowing the other’s true identity, the fight was on.

“Alright, got it.”

If they were enemies, there was nothing to discuss.

Karl blocked incoming cannonballs with his fists while dashing forward, using Moonwalk to soar toward the Krell Pirates’ ship. Take out the captain first, and the battle would basically be over.

“Captain Krell, someone’s flying over here!”

“What? Let me see!”

Captain Krell was a giant, towering some twenty meters tall and built like a mountain.

He looked up and saw Karl racing through the air straight at him. Terror flashed across his face. Pirates capable of flight usually weren’t weak.

“Get me my weapon, now!”

“Yes, Captain!”

Two nearby giants hurried to bring him his weapon.

Krell gripped his massive sword, recovering his confidence at once. A mere human—hardly a threat.

“Hahaha! Watch this!”

“Wave Slash!”

Krell swung his greatsword, sending a blade of energy hurtling toward Karl.

Karl punched with full force, smashing through the flying energy as if he were breaking a raging river.

Karl then landed firmly on the deck of the Krell Pirates’ ship.

“No matter why you decided to attack, you should be prepared to die for it.”

“Normal Punch!”

Karl had no desire to kill innocent people, but that didn’t mean he’d spare ruthless pirates. In his view, aside from a few exceptions, most pirates in this world deserved no mercy.

He didn’t hold back. Charging with all his strength, he swung fists covered in Armament Haki at Krell.

“Clang!”

Krell quickly raised his sword to block, but the sheer weight behind Karl’s punch felt like an entire mountain crashing down.

But with Karl pouring Armament Haki into his fists—and after his recent gains—his strength now far surpassed that of any Vice Admiral.

“Crack!”

A sharp noise rang out. In an instant, Krell’s sword shattered into pieces. The fragments shot backward toward his own crew.

“Uh…”

“Aah!”

On deck, pirates dropped like flies as the shards sliced past them.

“Bang!”

By now, the two ships had smashed together.

“Krell Pirates? Ha! We’re the Rocks Pirates! Get them, boys!”

The squad leader led the charge, grabbing a long blade and rushing at Krell’s men.

“Kill them!”

Within moments, the ships were fully lashed together.

Krell led a group of pirates up to the deck and joined the fray against the Krell Pirates.

“Bang!”

Meanwhile, Karl’s iron fist didn’t slow down for a second. He smashed it right into Krell’s head, slamming him hard into the deck.

Krell sat up, rubbing his head. That punch had left him dazed and dizzy.

“Armament Haki, full power!”

Karl didn’t give him any time to recover. He pressed the attack, fists swinging wildly.

Krell, still not fully conscious, couldn’t dodge in time.

With one final punch, Karl shattered Krell’s skull completely.

“Boom!”

Krell’s body crashed to the deck with a heavy thud.

Karl shook the blood off his hands.

Then he looked around. They’d seized the advantage.

Krell, captain of the Krell Pirates, was the thirteenth son of the Giant Pirates’ leader.

He’d snuck out on his own, but with his level of strength, he never should’ve left the main fleet.

He simply wasn’t powerful enough to survive out here—no surprise he died today facing Karl.

Karl let out a deep breath, finally feeling at ease.

Just moments ago in the Fill Kingdom, witnessing his own men slaughter civilians had left him with a burning anger inside.

Maybe it was because he’d originally come from Blue Star—kindness and mercy still tugged at his heart.

Yet he knew he couldn’t change much. These weren’t loyal followers, just men he’d picked up off Beehive Island.

If he banned them from killing, it would only backfire—his crew might start ignoring his commands.

That only reinforced Karl’s resolve to raise his own loyal forces. From now on, his men would never act like that.

The battle ended quickly. Though his side took some losses, nothing too serious—most casualties were former slaves from the island.

The enemy was made up of small fry. No real threats among them.

Krell alone was more than enough to handle things, not to mention all the other pirates fighting alongside him.

They didn’t take any prisoners. The big enemy ship was soon ablaze, burning down to nothing.

In these waters, taking rival prisoners was just asking for trouble.

Afterward, their return to Beehive Island went smoothly.

The day slipped away, and soon evening came.

…

“Beehive Island ahead!”

The lookout’s shout echoed throughout the pirate ship.

“Are we here already?”

“That was fast!”

“Let’s have a feast!”

…

Pirates poured out of the cabins, cheering as they rushed onto the deck. Every time they finished a raid, the first thing to do back on Beehive Island was throw a party. They could hardly wait—when your life hangs by a thread every day, a wild party is the only way to unwind.

Hearing the ruckus outside, Karl stepped out to join them.

Gazing at the lights in the distance, he thought, Maybe this time, Rocks won’t suspect me of anything.

Long Yi and Long Er stood beside him, both staring excitedly at Beehive Island.

The whole island was lit up, shining bright against the night.

“Brother, is that Beehive Island?”

Long Er hadn’t seen much of the world, especially nights filled with lights. It had been ages since he’d witnessed anything like this.

“It is. Starting today, we’re not slaves anymore.”

Long Yi patted Long Er’s head. His happiness was genuine. He knew their lives would change. Whatever the future held, it had to be freer than living as slaves.

“Krell, take these two to their quarters. I need to report to Captain Rocks.”

“Understood, Captain.”

Krell picked up Long Yi and Long Er, carrying them toward their new home.

Karl had already guessed there were spies from Rocks on his ship. Still, he had to go report in—those were two different matters.

“Hello, Captain Karl.”

“Captain Karl!”

Pirates they passed greeted Karl with respect all along the way.

…

“You got lucky this time.”

From a distance, Kaido muttered to himself. He hadn’t expected the Fill Kingdom’s people to be so weak. Seeing Karl return without a scratch left him disappointed.

Maybe the strong can sense each other. As Karl glanced his way, Kaido looked right back, neither willing to back down.

“Gura ra ra ra!”

“Karl’s back!”

Karl headed toward the council hall, spotting Newgate sitting on a barrel by the roadside, chugging down wine.

“All good. There weren’t any strong foes in the Fill Kingdom, but I have to report to Captain Rocks first.”

Karl turned his attention to Newgate.

“Go for it, Karl!”

Newgate raised his mug in salute.

“Let’s have a drink soon.”

Karl finally understood why the strong liked to drink—to let alcohol tamp down whatever was boiling inside.

“Alright, Karl. I’ll be right here waiting for you.”