The next day, G-10 Base.
After a full day and night of nonstop fighting, the base headquarters had been reduced to utter ruin.
Calling it a wasteland wouldn't be an exaggeration—there was barely a single intact structure left.
Gion was resting nearby, yet her attention never left Kaido and Karl.
If anything went wrong, she would intervene immediately.
Karl's condition was still excellent—
the only issue was that his uniform was torn to shreds.
That was unavoidable. After all, he had long since lost count of how many times Kaido's kanabo had smashed into him.
As for Kaido…
he looked as spirited as ever, even though several wounds on his body had yet to fully heal.
"Kaido, are you still planning to fight?" Karl asked.
"Marine support will be here any moment now."
Kaido replied impatiently,
"So what if they come? You think I'm afraid of the Marines?"
"Tsk tsk," Karl clicked his tongue.
"Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Akainu will be very happy to hear that.
Don't run away later, alright?"
Kaido froze for a moment.
Garp?
Akainu?
That bold?
But then he thought about it again—what did he have to fear?
Worst case, he'd just get captured. Big deal.
"I am Kaido of the Beasts!!!"
An invisible pressure erupted outward, sweeping across the entirety of G-10 Base.
This was the first time Kaido had released Conqueror's Haki during his fight with Karl—
a declaration of his kingly dominance.
"Descending Three Worlds: Ragnaraku!"
Kaido leapt into the air, spinning as he rose.
Whether his eyes were closed or not was unclear—
but black lightning had already wrapped itself around the kanabo as it came crashing down toward Karl's head.
Boom—boom—boom—
Karl's heart pounded wildly.
The air felt as though it had been forcibly drained away, making it hard to breathe.
So this is the power of a sea emperor?
This… is Conqueror's Haki?
Dodge?
No.
I don't want to dodge.
So what if it's Conqueror's Haki?
So what if he has the qualities of a king?
"Ding—Host's willpower has reached S-rank.
Conqueror's Haki awakening imminent…"
Boom!
A thunderous explosion echoed within Karl's mind.
An unfamiliar sensation surged through his body—
as though something deep inside him was about to break free.
Crack—crack—crack—
A terrifying aura erupted from Karl, rivaling Kaido's own.
Kaido's eyes flashed with shock.
Conqueror's Haki?!
A Marine Vice Admiral awakening Conqueror's Haki—
what kind of monster-level potential was that?!
If this man ever became an Admiral… then what?
…Well, maybe it wasn't that shocking.
After all, Sengoku had Conqueror's Haki too, didn't he?
And the Marines were still the Marines.
But witnessing Karl awaken it right in front of him—
That feeling… was complicated.
It even felt familiar.
Once upon a time, after he had beaten his daughter Yamato half to death,
she too had awakened the qualities of a king—
all while shouting about becoming Kozuki Oden.
This Marine… cannot be allowed to live.
At that thought, Kaido subconsciously poured even more strength into his strike, intent on killing Karl in one blow.
The next instant, a red gleam flashed through Karl's eyes.
Shusui and Raimei slashed upward simultaneously, blocking the descending kanabo.
BOOM!!!
A violent shockwave exploded outward.
Black-and-red lightning crackled wildly around both of them.
"OAAAAAH!!!"
Karl grinned.
His left hand suddenly exerted force, using Shusui to deflect Kaido's kanabo to the left.
Kaido instinctively closed the distance—
But he forgot one thing.
Karl's right hand was still holding Raimei.
Thank you, Teacher Kaido.
Slash—
Without the slightest resistance, Raimei slid straight into Kaido's abdomen—
as smooth as if it were coated in oil.
Kaido froze.
He looked down at the blade buried in his stomach, the metal already stained red, unable to speak for a long moment.
"Kaido," Karl said calmly,
"thank you. Without you, I'd never have awakened Conqueror's Haki."
Kaido swallowed hard, about to say something—
Then—
Agony exploded through his abdomen.
"AAAAARGH!!!"
Karl had twisted Raimei upward mid-sentence,
the blade turning vertical as he poured all his strength into an upward cleaving motion.
The slash tore through Kaido's abdomen and chest.
Blood poured down like rain, dyeing Karl crimson.
Kaido staggered backward, clutching his torn stomach, his face twisted in pain.
"AAAH—! You bastard! I'll—"
"Inugami Guren!"
Before Kaido could finish, a massive magma hound slammed into him, sending him flying.
Scalding lava engulfed Kaido, making him howl in pain as he rolled across the ground.
Akainu did not pursue further.
Instead, he looked down at Karl.
"Well done."
Karl gave a bitter smile.
"Thank you, Admiral Akainu. Kaido's a nightmare to deal with.
Is it just you?"
Akainu shook his head.
"No idea. I didn't see anyone else.
From here on out—leave this to me."
Karl nodded, then condensed golden Holy Light and infused it into Akainu's body.
"I'll leave him to you, Admiral."
Akainu said nothing.
His right arm transformed into magma, and the surrounding air grew unbearably hot.
Kaido quickly re-engaged Akainu.
The wounds Karl had carved out with such difficulty had already mostly healed.
Absolutely infuriating.
Taking advantage of the moment, Karl finally checked his own status.
Host: Karl
Age: 25
Physique: S- (Heartbreaker bonus applied)
Perception: B+
Will: S-
Haki:
Armament Haki LV8 (Hardening, Coating, Emission, Internal Destruction)
Observation Haki LV8 (Weakness Detection)
Conqueror's Haki LV1
Special Traits:
Still as a Maiden
Wild as a Mad Rabbit
Father of the Sea
Swordsmanship LV4
Fish-Man Arm Strength
Heartbreaker:
Stamina +33.103%
Stamina Recovery Speed +66.206%
Holy Light Devil Fruit: 39.5% (Awakening Progress)
Active Skills:
Frail as Paper (available)
Shadow Vision (active)
Finally… I've got Conqueror's Haki.
At last, he'd reached the so-called "minimum qualification" of the Pirate King's world.
Now he could walk around openly without feeling embarrassed.
Of course, at LV1, Conqueror's Haki was mostly good for clearing fodder—
but having it was better than not.
"Sigh… still need to keep slacking off."
Karl glanced back at Kaido and Akainu.
The two were locked in a ferocious battle, the intensity rising by the second—every move lethal.
And Kaido still hadn't even entered Hybrid Form.
Meaning up to now,
he'd basically been playing house with Karl.
Honestly, it was lucky that the opponent was Kaido.
At least Kaido's "cheese" relied on defense and regeneration—he could be endured, healed through.
If it had been Whitebeard instead…
No amount of healing would've saved him.
Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi was simply unstoppable.
That was why the Whitebeard Pirates were the strongest crew in the New World—
and why Whitebeard was called the strongest man in the world.
"Kid," a voice suddenly spoke.
"Why the long face?"
Karl turned his head.
"…Vice Admiral Garp?!"
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