Shanks and Big Mom locked eyes in a strangely "affectionate" stare, as if the devastating clash just moments ago had never happened.
In reality, the slight rise and fall of Shanks' chest betrayed his condition—
he was starting to get tired.
Big Mom wasn't in great shape either. More than a dozen sword wounds crisscrossed her body, but overall they hadn't affected her much. Her combat power remained near its peak.
"Not bad, Red-Haired brat!"
"You're not bad either," Shanks replied with a faint smile.
"All these years, and you're still this strong."
"Mama-mama-mama~" Big Mom laughed.
"I'm serious, Red-Haired boy—join me! Let's rule this sea together!"
Shanks shook his head lightly.
"Same answer as before. I won't join anyone. What I pursue is ultimate freedom."
"So," he added calmly, "are we still fighting?"
Big Mom clenched her teeth, grinding them audibly.
Shanks' strength had clearly exceeded her expectations. She'd thought she could crush him with ease—but even now, after fighting to this extent, he still refused to submit.
"You trashed my territory and think you can just leave?" she sneered.
"Don't dream."
Shanks sighed.
"Then come on. I'm not afraid of you, Charlotte Linlin."
"How dare you!!!"
Big Mom grabbed Napoleon and slashed at Shanks.
This battle was far from over.
Elsewhere, Karl—still wearing his "pirate outfit"—continued to masquerade as a member of the Red-Haired Pirates, fighting fiercely with a Charlotte Family officer.
As for who it was—Karl didn't really know.
The guy looked like a scarecrow, oddly shaped and unimpressive. After putting on a brief show, Karl cut him down.
"Heifat! You killed Heifat!"
Seeing Heifat fall, his brothers and sisters flew into a rage. Several of them rushed over, surrounding Karl.
"What—only you're allowed to kill our people? Ours can't die?"
Honestly—if I weren't helping you, you'd have lost a lot more people already.
You even owe me a thank-you!
Ungrateful brats. Threatening me instead—what a pack of white-eyed wolves.
"Don't listen to him! Kill him—avenge Heifat!"
"Kill him!"
The group charged all at once. Karl sighed, condensed brilliant golden Holy Light, and pressed it into his body.
Blessing of Courage!
If someone checked his stats now, they'd find his physique temporarily boosted from A+ to S-—a qualitative leap.
One-Sword Style · Instant Radiance!
Raven's blade erupted with blinding golden light. The pirates rushing in instinctively shut their eyes.
That was when Karl moved.
A golden arc flashed with surgical precision across each of their throats.
Karl twirled his blade, instinctively making a sheathing motion—
then remembered Raven didn't have a scabbard.
The next second—
Six bodies collapsed. Heads rolled.
"Cantin!" "Babaluya!" …
Six siblings died in an instant.
Even Charlotte Katakuri was furious now.
"None of you are leaving today!"
"I'll make you pay with your lives for my brothers and sisters!!!"
Benn Beckman stared toward Karl in shock.
This man—
he definitely wasn't one of theirs.
"Did you see that, you Charlotte mutts?" Karl roared deliberately in a rough voice.
"This is what happens when you mess with the Red-Haired Pirates! Come on! One comes, I kill one! Two come, I kill a pair!"
Between the disguise and the act, no one would easily connect him to the Marines.
"Kill him!!!"
"Kill that arrogant bastard!!!"
The real Red-Haired Pirates exchanged bewildered looks.
Who the hell is this guy?!
They'd been fully focused on fighting the Charlotte Family and hadn't even noticed Karl earlier.
But the Charlotte Family saw it differently.
From start to finish, they believed Karl was a Red-Haired Pirate—and an especially devious one at that.
Both sides gradually focused their attention on Karl.
Pressure mounted instantly.
Damn. My identity's probably been exposed to the Red-Haired Pirates…
"Brothers, charge!" Karl shouted again.
"The Charlotte Family are trash mobs—easy kills! Wipe them out and we'll go help Shanks!"
"You're too arrogant!"
"Brother Katakuri, ignore the others—kill this loudmouth first!"
Seeing the situation turning bad, Karl slashed out several flying sword waves at the Charlotte siblings.
"Watch out—dodge!"
Some dodged.
Some didn't.
Life and death hung on a hair's breadth.
Karl knew when to stop. He raised his voice loudly:
"Vice Captain Beckman! Hold on! I'll bring the ship over!"
Then—old trick.
He unleashed another burst of blinding light.
Karl called it the Continuous Flashbang—
perfect for escaping.
Unless you're Fujitora, your eyes are getting fried.
"Damn it! I can't see—where'd he go?!"
"He escaped! He went into the sky!"
"Shit, everything's white!"
"He said he was going to the ship—send people to block him!"
By then, Karl was already riding Raven, flying straight out of Whole Cake Island.
Situation bad—retreat immediately.
No—temporary withdrawal. He'd sneak back later.
"Oh? This is Red-Hair's ship? Yeah… should be."
Karl jumped off Raven and landed directly on the deck.
"Who are you?"
The people guarding the ship were no longer Red-Haired Pirates—
they were Charlotte Family members.
Made sense. Their main force was inland on Whole Cake Island; they only needed a few people here to control the ship.
Karl didn't answer.
He slashed once.
The speaker clutched his throat and fell.
"Too noisy."
Glancing around at the Red-Haired Pirates tied up on deck, Karl said nothing.
First—kill all the Charlotte guards.
Slash—slash—slash!
Blade flashing, Karl cut down over twenty BIG MOM Pirates without even blinking.
Then he calmly walked up to one of the bound pirates and pointed Raven at his throat.
"Where do you store your treasure?"
"Dream on! I'll never tell you!"
Karl shrugged and sent him to meet Gol D. Roger.
Next one.
"And you? Talk or not?"
"I'll never be a trai—"
Stab.
"You. Talk or not?"
"I—I'll talk!"
Karl looked at the corpse he'd just stabbed, scratched his head, and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry. Didn't hear you clearly. Speak louder next time, yeah?"
He turned to the next one.
"You. Talk or not?"
The pirate stared at the blade and panicked.
"I'll talk! I'll talk! If I tell you, will you let us go?"
"Relax," Karl said calmly.
"I'm a man of my word. If you tell me, I definitely won't kill you."
"O-Okay! Deal!"
Red Force · Treasure Hold
Karl kicked the door open and stared at the dazzling piles of treasure inside.
He grinned broadly.
"Didn't expect Shanks to be this rich."
"Well then—
I'll just help myself." 😄
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