Chapter 54: The Second Round: Carl’s Stand Against the Admirals

At this moment Charlotte Linlin had no idea what had happened to Karl.

Fortunately they had a habit of calling each other regularly.

“Purururu! Purururu!”

“Purururu! Purururu!”

At exactly 10 p.m. Charlotte Linlin called Karl as usual.

But Karl’s Den Den Mushi had already been destroyed by the aftermath of battle.

“Something’s wrong with Karl.”

Charlotte Linlin instantly realized Karl was in danger. He’d never ignore her call at night.

“Zeus!”

“Yes, Mama!”

A dark cloud drifted in front of her at once.

It was Zeus, the homie Charlotte Linlin had forged from her Soul-Soul Fruit powers.

Since they shared a mental link the cloud swelled up instantly and Charlotte Linlin leapt onto it.

“You all return to Beehive Island.”

She ordered her pirate crew, then steered Zeus straight toward the Kingdom of Sook.

“Captain Linlin, what’s going on?”

“Who knows? If that’s her order we’ve got to head back and report.”

“Yeah, come on, let’s move.”

Truthfully the crew was more than a little scared of her. After all, when Linlin’s hunger pangs hit she could turn on anyone.

“Zeus, pick up the pace.”

“Got it, Mama!”

But Charlotte Linlin still felt Zeus wasn’t fast enough and ordered him to go full speed.

Meanwhile, over at the Kingdom of Sook—

Karl, bloodied and battered, was locked in fierce combat with Garp and Sengoku.

Garp and Sengoku hardly looked any better. They had just as many wounds as Karl did. All three were martial arts experts. Karl had no idea how many of his ribs had already been broken, but he gritted his teeth and snapped each one back into place by hand.

Fight after fight, attack after attack.

The three of them threw themselves into a battle that ignored life and death, disregarded defense, and unleashed pure rage. Garp and Sengoku forced Karl back into human limits with overwhelming strength, but he didn’t retreat an inch. He never stopped attacking.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

All three exchanged blows at breakneck speed. Sparks danced in the night air, lighting up the battlefield as if it were still daylight.

The harsh friction sounds never let up. For a full ten hours they fought, their clashes filling the night with afterimages—some fading, but more appearing with each passing moment.

“I can’t… my body can’t take it anymore.”

After another strike Karl felt, for the first time, his strength couldn’t keep up.

“It should be over soon.”

“Yeah, you’re right!”

After another clash Karl smashed into the ground, while Garp and Sengoku hovered above, a hint of respect in their eyes for Karl.

With Karl’s strength, if he truly wanted to escape, he probably could have.

They could all feel the lightning speed Karl possessed.

“Huff, huff, huff!”

Karl hauled himself up, gasping for air.

Then he pulled a green pill from his pocket—it was a Rejuvenation Pill.

The moment he pulled it out the pill radiated a powerful life force that Garp and Sengoku sensed right away.

“Not good, stop him!”

Sengoku dashed forward without hesitation.

“Gulp!”

Too late.

As soon as he pulled it out Karl popped it in his mouth.

The second the Rejuvenation Pill slid down his throat he felt its constant stream of life energy, rapidly restoring his stamina.

“Round two’s about to start.”

Within seconds Karl could feel himself surging back to peak condition.

“Boom!”

He shot to his feet just in time to block Sengoku’s attack.

“No… not good.”

Sengoku realized instantly that whatever Karl just swallowed had restored his power to its earlier heights.

He could even see Karl’s wounds healing right before his eyes.

“Ha ha ha!”

“You didn’t see this coming, did you? This stuff is amazing.”

“Let’s go again.”

Karl floated in midair, shouting with wild abandon. He hadn’t expected the Rejuvenation Pill to work so well, restoring his strength in seconds.

“Evil will never triumph over justice.”

In a flash Garp appeared right in front of him.

“Boom!”

The second round of battle was underway.

This time, their fight moved from the island’s edge all the way to the capital. Buildings along their path crumbled to rubble.

People on the ground fled wherever the battle raged. Whenever the fighting shifted, the crowds ran the opposite direction.

“Aren’t those both Navy men?”

A white-bearded old man peered up at the sky, troubled.

“Judging by the capes, yeah, they’re Navy.”

His wife gave his shoulder a little punch.

“Never thought that guy’d be that strong.”

Many locals who’d seen Karl before were filled with shock.

They’d thought the pirate leader who’d treated them civilly was just an ordinary man. Now they wondered how they’d ever get by with someone that strong around.

The booming explosions overhead reminded them they’d been lucky not to resist—it was clear nobody wanted to find out the consequences.

The whole island trembled and even the clouds scattered.

Karl still had enough points to buy another Rejuvenation Pill. He planned to wear the two men out and escape when their stamina failed.

Besides, the system required him to stay three days on this island—he figured his time was almost up.

Sengoku was burning with a sense of urgency—today, no matter what, Karl had to die here. He couldn’t allow Karl to grow any stronger.

He was already able to stand toe to toe with the two of them. If he got even stronger in another decade or two, wouldn’t the New World truly become a pirate’s paradise?

He couldn’t accept that.

He glanced at Garp.

Garp got his meaning instantly.

He moved in to draw Karl’s focus.

Karl quickly locked onto Garp, throwing himself into a tangle with him.

“Lion’s Mark!”

Just as Karl concentrated on Garp, Sengoku struck from the side, his right hand wreathed in Conqueror’s Haki, hammering into Karl’s waist.

“Ugh!”

Karl was sent flying, blood gushing from his mouth the moment he was hit!

“Advanced Conqueror’s!”

Karl hadn’t expected Sengoku to use advanced Haki techniques.

He could feel the energy churning inside him, unable to recover for a moment.

Now he knew he was in real danger.

“This is the end, Karl.”

Garp pulled back for now.

Sengoku stepped in, raining down attacks on Karl, each strike rippling with Conqueror’s Haki.

Karl’s body finally started to give out.

“Bang!”

“Ack!”

But Sengoku didn’t waste a single chance, refusing to give Karl any break. He knew all too well how quickly Karl could recover, so he pressed his assault.

When he saw Karl starting to stagger, it was clear his endurance was at its end.

Sure enough, after a brutal blow from Sengoku, Karl’s right arm snapped, bone jutting through his skin.

“Aaargh…”

Karl had never known such excruciating pain.

Desperate, he shoved the bones back into place and forced the arm together.

After so many injuries it was almost second nature to set his broken bones—but this time it did no good. He simply didn’t have the strength to heal anymore.

He couldn’t muster any power in his right arm.

Sengoku gave him no opportunity to catch his breath. The constant attacks didn’t even leave Karl time to fish out another Rejuvenation Pill.

“Am I really going to die here?”

“My dream… it’s still unfinished.”

“I haven’t even seen my three children born yet.”

“Ack!”

Karl could sense his whole body was falling apart.

He knew if this kept up his life would be over soon.

“I am Lux D. Karl!”

“My story isn’t ending here!”

With a furious roar, Karl’s Titan Strength broke through its limits.

It was as if his body were burning through its last reserves. He felt a surge of power, but deep down he knew the inner injuries remained and he couldn’t hold this state for long.

“Come on!”

Sengoku sensed Karl’s spike in power and urgently called Garp over.

Two hours later—

The roar of battle finally faded.

Karl, now eight meters tall, stood at the heart of the battlefield. The blood pooled beneath him formed a shallow crater.

“It’s finally over.”

“Rocks D. Karl!”

“Didn’t know he was related to Rocks. We never heard that before.”

Sengoku stared at Karl in the center of the battlefield. Truth was he’d misheard—it was Lux D. Karl, not Rocks D. Karl.

“Yeah, so young… maybe he’s Rocks’s illegitimate son?”

“At least it’s over now.”

“Let’s just hope nothing worse comes out of this.”

Garp finally relaxed, speaking with relief.

“Karl!”

Just then, a furious roar echoed from the distant sky!

…