Chapter 84: Clash at Punk Hazard: Karl’s Reckoning

While John and his group plotted in secret, Karl and his crew arrived near Punk Hazard.

“Sengoku, I can’t wait to see you again,” Karl said, anticipation in his voice.

“How so, Captain?”

They drew closer and closer to Punk Hazard.

Davis and the others quickly realized this was a Navy base.

That meant they understood exactly why Karl had brought them here.

After all, no pirate visits a Navy base just for tea and a chat.

“This is my personal grudge. You guys don’t have to get involved.”

Davis, seeing the calm look on Karl’s face as he walked alone to the front of the deck, immediately tried to stop him.

“No way! There’s no chance we’d let our captain head in alone!”

“Yeah, don’t worry, Captain!”

Fields and Notty had been itching for a good fight. There was no way they’d let Karl take on the Navy by himself.

“Do your best, Captain!”

Jennifer cheered everyone on. Though she was the only woman on board, small in stature, and their ship doctor,

she wasn’t someone to underestimate.

After months of training, her strength was almost at a Rear Admiral’s level.

Anyone who looked down on her would be in for a nasty surprise.

“Hahaha, then let’s have a real, no-holds-barred battle!”

Karl looked proudly at his crew. He wasn’t going to fight alone again.

“Quick! Report to Vice Admiral Sengoku—a pirate attack!”

“Riiing…”

They didn’t try to hide. Instead, they sailed straight for the Navy branch.

Naturally, the Marines on shore spotted them right away.

Navy soldiers hurriedly wheeled out cannons.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

“Clang!”

“Is this really all the New World Navy’s got?”

Brown, sword in hand, knocked every incoming cannonball out of the sky.

“That’s just the appetizer. The real fight is coming up next,” Karl said.

With his arms crossed at the bow, Karl stood tall as their ship bore down on the Navy branch at full speed.

G-6 Branch—Vice Admiral Sengoku’s Office.

“Knock, knock, knock!”

“Come in!”

To the sound of the door opening, a messenger rushes in to brief Sengoku, his face flustered.

“Vice Admiral Sengoku! Pirates attacking the harbor!”

Since Sengoku had been stationed here, it’d been rare for pirates to charge the branch directly.

“Well? Do you know which pirates?”

“That flag—looks like the Rocks Pirates!”

Sengoku stared dumbly at the messenger’s words.

“What? That’s impossible!”

He sprang to his feet, ready to dash out.

But then he paused, something felt off. According to his intel, Rocks had shown no strange behavior lately.

“How many are there?”

A dreadful thought flickered through Sengoku’s mind. Could it be Karl?

After all, among all the division captains of the Rocks Pirates, only Karl wasn’t on Beehive Island.

The messenger, seeing Sengoku’s anxious expression, rushed to answer.

“Just one ship, looks like a dozen or so people.”

Sengoku’s expression darkened. His hunch was dead-on.

“This is bad. Real bad.”

“Call Vice Admiral Garp right now! Tell him Karl is attacking. We need backup!”

“Yes, Vice Admiral Sengoku!”

Watching the messenger dash out, Sengoku hurried towards the port, praying it wasn’t Karl. If it was, things would get ugly.

Last time, it took both him and Garp working together to bring Karl to the brink of death.

But now, he was alone.

“This won’t end well!”

…

“Bulu bulu!”

“Hello? Sengoku?”

“Trying to beat my donut-eating record?”

Garp was still on Lucy Island, munching donuts, not a care in the world.

“It’s bad, Vice Admiral Garp! Karl is attacking! We need emergency backup!”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Alright, I’m on my way!”

The news jolted Garp out of his relaxed mood. Instantly, his face turned grim.

He tossed his donut aside, threw on his cloak, and rounded up his men—heading straight for Punk Hazard.

…

The harbor at Punk Hazard!

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Brown stood on the shore slicing every bullet and cannonball that came their way.

“Captain, these Navy soldiers aren’t that great… Unless…”

He couldn’t help but wonder if Karl had suffered some secret defeat here before, and they’d come back for payback.

Karl ignored him, standing motionless on the port, eyes locked on the approaching Vice Admiral.

“They’re here!”

The crew spotted Sengoku and his group marching toward them.

“I’ll go first,”

“Take this!”

Fields jumped in, eager for a real fight. He’d waited this long for a worthy opponent, and now was his chance.

He charged straight at Jeremy, the lead Vice Admiral.

“Pirates, coming here is the biggest mistake you’ll ever make.”

“Boom!”

The shockwaves from their clash blasted Navy soldiers off their feet, sending them flying dozens of meters.

Thunderous booms echoed through the air!

Fields and Jeremy were trading blows in the middle of the chaos.

“Everyone, pick your target!”

Notty cracked his knuckles.

He dashed into the fray, taking on Vice Admiral Upton.

“Don’t get cocky, pirates!”

Luth charged in headlong, leading his squad.

“Count me in!”

Halil grinned as Luth came at him, eager to meet him head-on.

Brown and Hunter paired off against Vice Admiral Watt.

Davis stayed to mop up the fodder and keep an eye on Jennifer.

Smith was by Jennifer’s side too. After all, the crew’s precious medic had to be protected.

In an instant, the battlefield split into several intense duels. The air rang with the sounds of battle as the fight heated up.

Marines nearby scrambled out of the way, terrified of getting caught in the crossfire.

“Sengoku, long time no see.”

“It’s been a while, Karl!”

They walked toward each other, the chaos of battle circling them, almost like the fight had drawn them together.

Sengoku looked at the fallen Navy soldiers around him and glared at Karl, anger simmering in his eyes.

“This ends here. I’m taking you down today.”

“You’d better worry about surviving first.”

“Titan Form! Golden Light Spell!”

Karl’s body swelled to ten meters tall, blazing bright in the sunlight.

“Eight Extremities—Heaven-Piercing Cannon!”

With blinding speed, Karl’s massive frame charged straight at Sengoku, leaving a trail of afterimages.

“Buddha Transformation!”

“Shockwave!”

“Dong…”

A sound like a temple bell thundered out as a colossal shockwave erupted in the air.

Notty, Davis, and the others, realizing how fierce the battle had gotten, hurried to draw their opponents away from the main clash.

They didn’t want to get caught by stray attacks.

Watching Karl duel Sengoku, Halil felt his blood boil.

“Hahaha! So this is what a top-tier fight looks like? I can’t help but get fired up!”

“Damn fishman, show some respect!”

“Bang!”

Luth seized his moment—knocking Halil flying hundreds of meters and smashing him straight into a mountainside.

“Cough, cough!”

Halil looked at the blood on his hand and only grew crazier.

“Come at me again!”

He bounced off the wall and tore back toward Luth at full speed.

“Sengoku, are you stuck in place or what?”

“Hahahaha!”

Looking at Sengoku nearby, Karl could sense he wasn’t as strong as he’d been last time.

“Damn it!”

Sengoku could hardly believe it—Karl’s power had risen so much in such a short time.

He had to stop him today. If not, the Navy’s justice would fall apart.

Karl could easily become the next Rocks.

“Advanced Conqueror’s Haki—Shatter!”

Sengoku knew he’d have to go all out to keep Karl in check, praying Garp would hurry up and arrive.

“Perfect! Let me feel what the most powerful force in the Pirate World is like!”

Karl wanted to master advanced haki, hoping to learn a thing or two from Sengoku.

Of course, he wasn’t the main character, so there was no way he’d suddenly grasp advanced haki in a single clash—but he was eager to try.

“Eight Extremities—Iron Mountain Lean!”

“Clang!”

An ear-splitting sound rang out as Karl’s right elbow smashed into Sengoku’s right fist.

A flash of red lit Karl’s eyes. His Conqueror’s Haki burst forth like a volcano, enveloping the entire island.

“Thud! Thud!”

“It’s a Conqueror’s Haki shockwave!”

“Move the unconscious to the back!”

Everyone here had fought New World pirates before—they knew exactly what they were dealing with.

So they quickly moved the collapsed comrades out of harm’s way.

Karl could feel the Haki inside him tearing at his body.

But it was nowhere near as damaging as last time. Thanks to his deeper mastery of the Golden Light Spell, the energy reached inside, shielding his organs.

He sensed that the destructive force was being whittled away by the Golden Light Spell from within.

“Sengoku, your power really has gone down.”

“Looks like you won’t be stopping me today.”

“We’ll see about that!”

Karl watched Sengoku keep up his bravado, then cloaked his fist in Armament Haki and swung hard at Sengoku’s gut.

Sengoku reacted fast—blocking with his leg just in time.

“Whoosh!”

“Bang!”

A sly grin crept across Karl’s face. He’d set Sengoku up. Taking advantage of the block, he swung his left foot in a vicious side kick at Sengoku’s waist.

“Smack! Thud thud thud!”

Sengoku’s eyes widened as he was sent flying, bouncing and rolling across the ground.

Sliding backward, Sengoku slammed his right fist into the ground, trying to stop himself.

“Boom!”

“Your little tricks won’t work on me!”

Sengoku steadied himself and charged at Karl, roaring in anger.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

The two clashed up close, trading blow after blow. The sound of blows echoed across the ground like hammers on steel.

…

“Stop right there!”