Chapter 47: A New Resolve Amidst Ashes

Seeing the Snow Lion Admiral lying lifeless, his eyes empty and hollow, Karl looked around before dragging over a massive boulder, pressing it down over the fallen admiral’s body.

After all, he was a Navy admiral, a warrior worthy of respect. Karl couldn’t stand the thought of leaving him here to die anonymously, his corpse torn apart by wild beasts. That felt unbearably cruel.

With that settled, Karl turned his gaze back to the battlefield.

The main battle was over now. Most pirates had stormed into the capital of the Tyr Kingdom—the city’s streets rang with screams and chaos. Many people refused to abandon their homeland, while some, facing a shortage of ships, had no choice but to return to the city, desperate and unwilling.

Karl stood his ground for a moment, letting the power surge up from deep within the earth and slowly restore his strength. This was honestly the first time he’d fought until sheer exhaustion, his body covered in wounds large and small. If not for growing stronger mid-battle, he might have ended up dead himself.

“Open system panel.”

“Host: Lux D. Karl

Templates fused: Elder Heavenly Master from ‘One Person’s Story.’ Sword Saint Gai Nie from ‘Legend of Qin’ (not yet fused). Wang Quan Fugui from ‘Fox Spirit Matchmaker’ (not yet fused).”

Skills: External Armament Haki, Advanced Observation Haki, Intermediate Conqueror’s Haki, Navy Six Powers, Golden Light Spell, Palm Thunder, Yang Five Thunders, Tai Chi Fist…”

Talents: Titan Strength”

Funds: 3.7 billion Berries

Items: Energy Fruit, Rain-Rain Fruit, Zoan-type Golden Bull Fruit, Zoan-type Rhino-Rhino Fruit, Poison-Poison Fruit, Draw-Draw Fruit, Morph-Morph Fruit, Fish-Fish Fruit—Mythical Dragon Form, Bird-Bird Fruit—Mythical Golden-Winged Roc Form, Logia Earth-Earth Fruit, Zoan-type Triceratops Fruit, Zoan-type Saber-Toothed Tiger Fruit, Great Blade—Ancient Moon Blade, Great Blade—Silver Alloy Blade… (This will be the last time I show off everything—no need to accuse me of bloating word count.)”

Evaluation: A top-tier powerhouse on the seas. Overall strength: Admiral level.”

Karl felt a sense of relief—he’d finally reached admiral-level. Above this, only the Four Emperors and the ultimate overlords were left.

Yet, he couldn’t relax. Ever since joining the Rocks Pirates, life was an endless cycle of brutal combat and relentless training. There was never a moment to breathe, leaving both his body and mind exhausted.

A flicker of grief and regret flashed in his eyes; sadness weighed him down.

He hadn’t realized how many people had died by his hand—villains and innocents alike. Killing the wicked never bothered him much. If you commit evil, death is what you deserve.

But the Snow Lion Admiral had been a genuinely good man. In their battle, he’d learned the admiral truly fought for justice on these chaotic seas. A man like that never should’ve had to die here.

He wondered when he’d started becoming this kind of person.

Did power truly justify doing whatever it took?

Was there no longer any difference between right and wrong?

When exactly had he changed so much?

These questions dragged Karl into a deep internal struggle.

But his thoughts broke off as he saw two streaks of golden light darting toward him. He instantly knew the two little ones were on their way.

Long Yi and Long Er, seeing that Karl’s battle had finished, immediately rushed over to his side.

Their arrival, in that instant, rekindled Karl’s resolve.

He made up his mind: the only way to prevent this tragedy from happening again was to give his all, so the world might be freed someday.

If there were no pirates, people could live peacefully, and maybe tragedies like this would finally end.

His belief in that future grew stronger than ever.

To change the world, I’ll start with you.

He looked over at Long Yi and Long Er—not far away, the first step toward his vision.

“Lord Karl!”

“Lord Karl, are you alright? Are those wounds serious?”

Long Er’s face was full of worry as he stared at Karl’s blood-soaked body. He’d never seen Lord Karl in such a miserable state and thought he must be gravely injured.

“It’s not too bad, nothing serious really.”

Karl tried to sound casual. Truthfully his injuries had been bad earlier, but he’d already managed to recover a lot and could walk normally now.

“Really, Lord Karl?”

Long Yi’s eyes were filled with suspicion and doubt. To him, all those wounds didn’t look like “nothing serious” at all.

“You two did well. I saw it all.”

“Come on, it’s time for the spoils.”

Karl led the way, heading toward the palace at the heart of Tyr Kingdom with the two following close behind.

The two still looked doubtful, but seeing that Lord Karl was moving fine, they could only trail after him.

Behind them, the pair whispered in hushed voices—was Lord Karl just forcing himself to stand strong?

Karl ignored their quiet concerns.

In his eyes, after this victory the only strong opponent left for the Rocks Pirates in the second half of the Grand Line was the Tyr Kingdom itself. After this, there shouldn’t be any more massive battles—finally, a chance to rest, recover, and set things in order.

He planned to use this window well; there were things he wanted to put in motion.

Only then, when God Valley came around, could he put his plans into action right away.

He was already getting impatient.

As he led the two children into town, they strode through a sea of corpses. Pirates were everywhere, frantically looting any treasure they could lay eyes on.

He had gotten used to scenes like this, but they still made him uneasy. Quickening his pace, he hurried for the king’s palace.

“Gurararara!”

“Karl, you made it.”

Newgate, having finished his own drawn-out battle, caught sight of Karl and the kids just as they approached the palace gates.

“Big Brother Newgate!”

Karl quickly stepped forward to greet him, taking a close look. There wasn’t a single real wound on Newgate—clearly, his opponent hadn’t managed to touch him.

“You okay?”

It wasn’t until Karl drew closer that Newgate noticed the wounds all over him, with some still bleeding.

“I’m fine—healing well enough.”

Karl could actually feel some smaller cuts had already healed, though a few deeper ones were slow to close—the Snow Lion Admiral’s frost power was still lingering.

Still, he had no doubt those injuries were steadily recovering, since there was no energy left keeping them fresh.

“Where are the Devil Fruits?”

As they chatted, a deep, furious roar echoed from within the palace.

The two exchanged a heavy look and quickly hurried inside.

Karl ordered Long Yi and Long Er to wait outside and not follow them in.

After all, the one roaring in anger was Rocks himself.

They hurried down the passageway, torches flickering every few steps along the walls.

Ahead, a dazzling light shone from the treasure vault. But as they drew closer, they saw gold scattered everywhere—yet the crates containing Devil Fruits had already been broken open, and the fruits were gone without a trace.