Chapter 76: Karl’s Reckoning in the Slave Den

“Sir, this is the place.”

The slave trader leading the way looked gaunt and wiry.

As soon as they reached their destination, he spun around flashing a sycophantic grin at Karl.

“S-So, sir… can you let us go now?”

A burly man with a scar on his face cupped his hands to Karl, his desperate expression just short of dropping to his knees.

Karl met their pleading eyes, thinking there was one thing he knew for sure—once a dog, always a dog.

That said, Karl still wanted to squeeze every last drop of value out of them.

“Do you know where slaves numbered 1 to 28 are being kept?”

The two of them were confused for a moment, unsure what this gentleman actually wanted. Was he here to buy slaves?

“We know, sir! Are you heading there right now?”

“Good. You two wait out here.”

“Don’t even think about running. Believe me, you won’t want to know what happens if you try.”

Since they knew what he wanted, he decided to spare them for now. And even if they did make a run for it, it didn’t matter—he’d already locked onto them with his Observation Haki, so there was no escaping.

“Y-Yes, we’ll be right outside waiting.”

“We’re not going anywhere!”

They forced awkward smiles that looked nothing like real joy and kept bowing over and over, embodying the perfect toadies.

Karl said nothing more and strode inside.

The two watched Karl disappear inside, whispering nervously between themselves.

“Are we really just going to wait here?”

“What’s there to be afraid of? Maybe this big shot’s just here to buy slaves.”

“If he’s in a good mood…”

The skinny pirate threw the scar-faced man a lewd glance while rubbing his thumb and forefinger together.

“Good thinking.”

…

Inside was a narrow, pitch-black corridor, just a sliver of light up ahead.

Even so, the place was surprisingly spacious. Probably to accommodate some giant slaves—he looked up, seeing the arched ceiling rising several dozen meters overhead.

“Hey, who goes there?”

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

The entrance was guarded by two low-level thugs, their only job to watch the door.

Usually only slave traders and slaves came through here.

But seeing someone stride in alone was definitely out of the ordinary.

“Me? I can’t stand traffickers like you!”

“That’s why I’m here today—to send you all to hell!”

A murderous gleam flashed in Karl’s eyes as a pressure rolled out from his entire body.

The sight of the traffickers and the desperate voices pleading from within brought back memories.

He suddenly recalled all the horrors he’d heard about people traffickers back on Blue Star—kids with value sold off, those judged worthless crippled or blinded, forced to beg on the streets for profit. He couldn’t help but think of the endless tears of those missing children’s parents.

Before coming to the One Piece World, his own aunt’s child had been kidnapped just the year before. His aunt had lost thirty pounds from heartbreak, crying herself to sleep every night. His mother would always curse traffickers whenever she spoke of her sister’s pain.

As far as Karl was concerned, traffickers all deserved the death penalty.

If he couldn’t do anything back on Blue Star, he sure as hell wasn’t going to let them off here.

Karl clenched his fists. Time to let these monsters taste justice, Eastern style.

“So you’re here to make trouble!”

“Sounds to me like you’ve got a death wish.”

Karl’s rage had reached boiling. He lunged forward, busting the doors open and slamming both men together into a heap.

“Iron Mountain Lean!”

“Boom!”

He unleashed his signature move—the Iron Mountain Lean from the Eight Extremities Fist!

Even in midair, the two men’s bones cracked with a sickening crunch. By the time they slammed into the main door, they were limp and mangled.

The noise of the door smashing open startled the people inside. A bald, muscular man instantly barked a challenge.

“Who are you?!”

“Looks like he’s here to cause trouble.”

“Unbelievable! Get him!”

On command, a crew of thugs brandished their weapons and charged at Karl.

The moment the door opened, Karl got a glimpse—cages lined the place, each filled with people of every race.

“You bastards don’t deserve to live!”

With bloodshot eyes, Karl charged the mob. Using Yama’s Triple Strike, he sent the first three flying, crashing them into the gang behind.

“Heaven-Piercing Cannon!”

He grabbed the nearest thug and beat him mercilessly.

Only when his victim hung limply, with all life snuffed out, did Karl’s rage cool—just barely.

He looked up to meet the stares of the remaining crowd, none of whom dared approach.

A wicked grin spread across his face.

“Bang!”

“Aagh!”

“Over here!”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Like a tiger let loose among sheep, he tore through the room in a frenzy. Blood mist sprayed everywhere, turning the air a surreal shade of red.

Karl’s expression grew even more unhinged, pushing the ferocity of the Eight Extremities Fist to the limit.

No one left sprawled on the floor was even close to unscathed—few had all their limbs intact.

Some pirates, realizing they couldn’t win, grabbed guns. But the bullets barely grazed Karl, falling harmlessly to the ground.

When the guns failed, several thugs hauled out a cannon.

“Boom!”

Karl didn’t even bother dodging. He snatched the cannonball from midair, feeling the heat burning his palm.

He glanced sideways at the men manning the cannon, then hurled it back like a shot put.

“Run! Get out of here!”

The thugs didn’t even have time to escape before the shell hit, setting off a chain reaction among the ammo crates. The explosion sent them flying, and hardly anyone in that section survived.

“Hello, Navy branch?”

“Yes, yes! There’s someone attacking us—he’s killed a ton of my men! Please, send backup!”

“Hurry, please!”

The bald thug cringed in a corner, calling the Navy branch with his Transponder Snail.

But the Sabaody Archipelago’s Navy branch was basically just the Celestial Dragons’ lapdog. After all, slave trading was perfectly legal here.

Just as he set down the Transponder Snail, he realized something was off—the silence on the scene had become chilling.

Slowly, he looked down to see himself swallowed by the shadow of a giant figure.

His body went rigid. An overwhelming dread crept over him, his face going deathly pale as cold sweat rolled down his back.

It felt like his neck was hinged on bricks as he forced himself to glance behind.

“Creak, creak!”

“What, never seen someone this handsome before?”

“Back in my day, my fists ruled the South Hill nursing home and my kicks terrorized the North Blue kindergarten.”

“What… what’s that supposed to mean?”

Terror and confusion twisted the thug’s face.

“Ah, doesn’t matter—you wouldn’t get it anyway.”

Karl looked a bit embarrassed, surprised he’d blurted out something so random.

His gaze hardened. In a flash, he kicked out with his right leg, sending the thug flying.

“Boom—crack!”

The man smashed through a wooden crate, spilling weapons everywhere.

“Who the hell are you?!”

“We work for the Celestial Dragons, you know! Aren’t you afraid of the trouble you’re causing?”

The man sounded bitter, never imagining anyone would dare attack them.

“Me? I suppose you could call me a hero—just doing this for kicks.”

“And as for the Celestial Dragons, if any of them show their face, I swear I’ll twist their heads off and use them as chamber pots.”

Karl leaned down, locking eyes with him.

The man gulped, feeling the crushing force in Karl’s bloodshot stare.

“Let me go! I’ll put in a word for you with the Celestial Dragons—you’ll be fine, I promise!”

The bald man propped himself against a crate trying to sit up, acting like he still had the upper hand. He thought Karl’s threats were just tough talk.

So he tried playing the Celestial Dragons card, hoping Karl would back off. After all, to his mind, no one dared cross them.

Seeing the thug try to threaten him yet again, Karl’s rage boiled up anew. He straightened, slowly raised his right foot.

“Enough talk.”

“There’s really no point keeping you alive.”

“Wait, sir—”

The thug didn’t even finish before Karl’s foot crushed his skull like a ripe watermelon.

He yanked his leg back and shook off the blood.

Karl looked around. Not a single guard was left standing.

In the cages—thousands of men, women and children of every kind—every last one shrank back, terrified of Karl and his brutal methods. None dared meet his eyes.

Seeing this made Karl’s lips twitch in faint frustration.

“Great, now I look like the villain.”

But he knew he couldn’t fix the world overnight.

“My name is Karl.”

“I’m the Sixth Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates.”

“I’ll unlock your cages.”

“After that, you’re on your own to find a way out.”

“If anyone wants to join me, I’ll be waiting at Beehive Island in the New World.”

Karl especially enjoyed scattering seeds all over the place—just to see whether the fruit that grew would turn out red or black.

……