Chapter 8: Clash on the Open Sea

Out at sea, the crew led by Newgate was steering straight toward Beehive Island.

During the voyage, Karl’s mind raced with possibilities.

He pictured fierce battles with both the Giant Pirates and the X Pirates, turning over ideas on how to counter their strengths and find a way to beat them.

After all, just hearing their names, he knew both crews were made entirely of giants—and he’d never actually seen a giant before.

The salty breeze brushed gently against his face, carrying the distinct flavor of the ocean.

He felt the ship rocking beneath him and reveled in the freedom that sailing brought.

He knew—his pirate legend was about to begin from this very moment.

……

Karl sat at the bow, gripping a fishing rod and watching the line intently. Turns out he’d started to take a liking to fishing—the rush he felt each time a fish took the bait hooked him more than he’d expected.

Sunlight streamed down over him, highlighting the perseverance in his features.

The ocean breeze ruffled his hair with its faint briny note, giving him a rare sense of peace and freedom.

All at once, Titan Strength granted him heightened senses—nearly as sharp as Observation Haki. Sensing Navy ships ahead, he shot to his feet, accidentally knocking over the bucket of fish beside him. Fish flopped desperately in a spray of water.

Water splashed onto him, soaking his pant legs, but he barely noticed. Something else had caught all his attention.

“What’s up, Karl?”

Newgate was lounging mid-deck, taking a long swig from his wine gourd. When he saw Karl spring to his feet, he looked puzzled and called out immediately.

“I think I sense the Navy ahead.”

Karl said with genuine surprise.

After all, the latter half of the Grand Line was known as a graveyard for the Navy. Without real strength, a Navy ship here was as good as doomed. Unlike the start of the original tale, reaching this place was no easy feat. The three reigning overlords in this era—none of them feared the Navy.

Maybe it was a perk from Titan Strength, but his senses really were something special—almost like a built-in Observation Haki.

In fact, in some ways they felt even stronger.

“Navy?”

Newgate set his cup down in disbelief. But if Karl said so, there had to be something to it. He stood up straight away, unleashing a burst of powerful Observation Haki.

“Which direction?”

His senses locked onto the approaching presence, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

Looked like a clash was imminent. Having not fought the Navy in ages, he realized he might’ve gotten a bit rusty.

“Oh, it’s an old friend coming our way.”

A grin broke out on Newgate’s face. After releasing his Observation Haki, he instantly detected Admiral Kong, along with Garp and Sengoku, in the distance.

“All hands, get ready for battle!”

Newgate shouted with excitement—he hadn’t gone head-to-head with the Navy in far too long.

“We’ve got company!”

His voice echoed across the ship. Immediately the entire crew tensed, prepping for the coming fight.

The ship’s mood tightened in a heartbeat. This wasn’t their first brush with a Navy siege, and facing off only made their blood run hotter.

Out here, pirates and the Navy were born enemies—right?

Karl clenched his fists, a sharp light flickering in his eyes.

He knew this would be his first real clash with the Navy since arriving in this world.

“Get ready, everyone! The Navy’s closing in!”

Newgate’s emphatic voice rang from bow to stern. The crew cracked their knuckles and grinned, itching for the fight ahead.

The fire of battle blazed in each of them, fierce determination shining in their eyes.

“Enemy ships sighted! Get ready!”

A pirate stationed in the crow’s nest had already spotted the Navy fleet approaching.

“Cannons! Get the cannons in position!”

One of the squad captains barked orders while the rest of the crew snapped to their tasks.

The calm sea suddenly buzzed with disciplined energy as Newgate’s crew divided up duties, each hustling to get the ship combat-ready.

Meanwhile, at the bow, Karl and Newgate stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes fixed on the advancing Navy.

“Are you ready? We’ll be fighting the Navy in just a moment.”

Newgate realized this would likely be Karl’s first time going head-to-head with Kong.

“Ha, I’ve been waiting for this day.”

Karl grinned, barely able to hold back his excitement.

He’d dreamed of facing off against the best ever since coming to this world. Now, the chance was finally here. There was no way he’d let it slip by.

His real mission was disrupting the timeline, so a battle with the Navy was bound to happen. With Newgate at his side, there was little to worry about.

Resolve flickered in his gaze. His craving for battle was burning brighter by the second.

“What do you say? Let me handle Kong—I want to give it a shot.”

Karl could finally make out Kong’s features. He hadn’t expected Kong to look so young.

“Go ahead. Just make sure you can handle him.”

Whitebeard replied without any hesitation, full of faith in Karl’s strength.

He’d sparred with Karl before. Though Karl was a hair weaker in power, his stamina and endurance were leagues ahead.

To Whitebeard, it didn’t matter who he fought. But for Karl, this would be his first real duel with one of the world’s true elites.

Right now, Kong was definitely at admiral level. Karl knew he probably wouldn’t last long against him.

But nerves and excitement tangled inside Karl. This would be an epic fight—a chance to prove his worth.

He was desperate to know just how far he still lagged behind the best in this world.

The wind howled across the sea, carrying the shadow of the coming battle.

They were about to face a fight that could alter their destinies.

It was the perfect chance to see just where his strength stacked up now.

The system only gave him a composite score—he wanted to know if he surpassed his limit in any area individually.

“I’ll go first!”

With a shout, Karl leapt from the deck into the air, right hand drawn back and ready.

Whitebeard’s gaze narrowed as he watched the Navy fleet drawing near.

He knew this time the enemy wasn’t ordinary. Admiral Kong himself was leading Garp and Sengoku—their combined force was no joke.

“Everyone, stay sharp! These aren’t your average Navy fighters!”

Whitebeard’s serious tone whipped the crew into focus.

His words hit like a command, spurring everyone on.

“Aye, Captain Newgate!”

“Don’t worry, Captain. This won’t be our first scrap with the Navy.”

“Bring it on, Navy!”

The tension on deck ramped up again—everyone could feel the pressure building.

“Shock Fist!”

Karl soared overhead, face set in grim concentration. Breathing deep, he poured all his strength into his next punch.

He’d spent his nights mimicking some of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit’s techniques, weaving traces of its power into his own explosive style. It was nowhere close to the real thing, but he managed to blend some vibration force into his punch.

His fist shot forward, slicing through the air with a gust that shimmered with faint tremors.

Kong, watching from his own ship’s bow, frowned and immediately sensed the threat. He rushed to the front, bracing himself, and hurled a punch of his own to meet Karl’s attack head-on.

“Boom!”

Their fists didn’t touch, but when the shockwaves collided, the sea erupted in violent waves, pitching the whole deck. Crew members struggled just to keep their footing.

“Who the hell is this guy? Why does his attack feel like the Tremor-Tremor Fruit?”

“Could it be a weaker version of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit?”

No one in the files ever mentioned Karl. Where had such a powerful pirate suddenly appeared from?

Sengoku, ever the strategist, might have only been a vice admiral, but his strength was already nearly at admiral level.

“Most likely, this is Newgate’s target.”

Sengoku said quietly. He didn’t believe Newgate would meddle with anything that didn’t matter to him.

“Yeah, Newgate would never show up here for no reason,”

Garp chimed in. Back then, Garp hadn’t yet learned the Navy’s darkest secrets—his attitude was still a bit lackadaisical.

They didn’t realize Newgate’s arrival at this island was a total accident. But that didn’t matter anymore.

Karl used Moonwalk to zip straight to the front of the warship.

Kong knew now wasn’t the time to get lost in thought. The enemy was right there.

“Meteor Fist—Break!”

Kong had no choice but to deal with Karl’s attack first. Who he was could wait until later.