Karl stared at the Marine warship slowly approaching across the sea and smiled in relief.
Finally.
If Raven hadn't stayed behind at Punk Hazard, he wouldn't have been stuck here waiting.
Swimming?
Absolutely not.
The ocean was cold.
And besides—Karl couldn't swim.
"Hehe, Karl! I'm here to pick you up!"
It was Ain, waving happily from the deck.
"Honestly, how did you end up in such a deserted place?"
Karl sighed.
"It's that guy Bartholomew Kuma…"
"…Forget it."
"Take me to Punk Hazard."
"By the way, where are we exactly?"
Ain replied,
"The New World."
"A small island near Punk Hazard."
Karl nodded.
"No wonder it looked familiar."
On Board
As Karl stepped onto the warship, a familiar voice greeted him.
"Vice Admiral White Crow!"
It was Tashigi.
Karl grinned.
"Tashigi, you're here too."
"Help me maintain my swords."
He handed over Shusui and Raikyu.
Tashigi froze in shock.
"Th-these are…!"
Her eyes shone with excitement.
"No problem, Vice Admiral! I'll take great care of them!"
She accepted the blades carefully, as if holding priceless treasures.
Karl chuckled.
"They're just swords."
Ain laughed.
"Tashigi has wanted your swords for a long time."
"Oh?"
"She once swore to collect every famous blade stolen by villains."
Karl nodded thoughtfully.
"I see."
"Then how strong is she?"
Ain shrugged.
"Her fundamentals are good."
"Her swordsmanship too."
"She's just… a bit absent-minded."
"But when fighting pirates, she's serious."
Karl smiled.
"That's good enough."
"With proper training she might become a Rear Admiral someday."
Ain laughed bitterly.
"You think it's that easy?"
"Not everyone is you."
Karl laughed and pulled Ain close as they watched the sea.
Three Days Later
Karl stayed at Marine Headquarters instead of departing immediately.
He was waiting.
Waiting for Dragon's signal.
Whether Dragon liked taking the blame or not—
The Kingdom of Olt still had to be destroyed.
Knock.
"Vice Admiral White Crow."
"Today's newspaper."
Karl nodded and flipped through it.
He ignored the articles praising him.
He was used to that already.
But then—
His eyes lit up.
"Ah."
"There it is."
The headline read:
"Revolutionary Army Leader Dragon Appears in Olt Kingdom."
The report claimed:
Monkey D. Dragon had reached an agreement with King Olt VIII
The Kingdom of Olt officially joined the Revolutionary Army
Dragon personally sank three Marine warships
Karl exhaled slowly.
Dragon truly was a clever man.
By doing this—
Karl could destroy Olt legitimately, without public criticism.
"Haha."
"Looks like it's time to depart."
Sengoku's Call
Buru buru buru—
"This is Sengoku."
"The Five Elders called earlier."
"They want you to act immediately."
"…Karl."
"Was the Olt Kingdom incident your doing?"
Karl shook his head innocently.
"I haven't even started my mission yet."
Sengoku fell silent for a moment.
"…Good."
"I'll explain things here."
"You just focus on completing the mission."
After hanging up, Sengoku leaned back in his chair and sighed.
For the first time in years—
He couldn't fully understand Karl.
Was Karl truly uninvolved?
Another Call
The Den Den Mushi rang again.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"This is Bartholomew Kuma."
"Several days ago Vice Admiral White Crow asked me to assist him with something in West Blue."
"I agreed."
"But I was occupied assisting Dr. Pythagoras with Pacifista research."
"I only had time to act today."
"So you're informing me?" Sengoku asked.
"Yes."
"Admiral Borsalino suggested it."
"Since you are the Fleet Admiral."
Sengoku sighed in relief.
"I understand."
"But you don't need to intervene."
"The Revolutionary Army already made their move."
"Understood."
Kuma hung up immediately.
Not giving Sengoku any chance to probe further.
Alone in his office, Sengoku rubbed his temples.
"…Forget it."
"I'll be retiring soon anyway."
Two Days LaterWest Blue — Olt Kingdom
The kingdom was small.
Slightly larger than Drum Island.
Karl raised his hand.
"All ships."
"Encircle the island."
"Yes, sir!"
More than a dozen warships spread out, forming a blockade around Olt Island.
Karl turned to an officer.
"Nelson."
"I'll inspect the island personally."
"No one acts without my order."
"Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
Aerial Inspection
Karl mounted Raven and flew above the island.
From the sky he smiled.
Most civilians were already gone.
The people remaining were mostly:
Pirates captured by the Revolutionary Army
Criminals already imprisoned in the kingdom
Dragon had arranged everything perfectly.
An empty island would look suspicious.
This setup was far more convincing.
After circling several times, Karl returned to the fleet.
He nodded to Nelson.
"Fire."
"Yes, sir!"
Bombardment
Cannons roared.
Dozens of black shells screamed through the air.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The entire island trembled.
Explosions engulfed Olt.
But that was only the beginning.
Karl's mission wasn't just destruction.
It was erasure.
Hours passed.
The bombardment finally stopped when the ammunition ran out.
The island was now nothing but ruins.
Crater after crater covered the landscape.
Karl looked down calmly.
"That should do."
He drew Shusui and Raven.
Leaping into the air—
Black lightning wrapped around the blades.
Conqueror's Haki.
Karl swung both swords.
"Elbaf Spear…"
"…Hegemon!"
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