There was no denying that Alvida possessed considerable strength.
Yet Luffy had blasted her away with a single punch.
The gap between them was obvious to anyone who witnessed it.
And since Karl was Luffy’s companion, the pirates naturally assumed he was just as terrifying, despite his seemingly ordinary appearance.
Unfortunately, years of fear and obedience toward Alvida left them with little choice.
Even if they had to throw themselves into danger, they still had to fight.
“Get him!
He’s only one guy!
We can overwhelm him!”
As the pirates hesitated, unsure who should make the first move, a voice suddenly cut through the crowd.
“That’s right!
There’s only one of him!”
Another pirate immediately joined in.
“There are dozens of us!”
“We can take him down!”
“If we don’t fight, Lady Alvida will kill us when she gets back!”
The crowd instantly erupted into noise.
One pirate shouted after another, creating such a chaotic racket that Karl felt like he had somehow wandered into a crowded marketplace.
Watching the mob rush toward him, he casually stuck a finger into his ear and smirked.
With a flick of his wrist, a slim metallic rod appeared in his hand.
He swung it lazily.
At once, the rod stretched outward, transforming into a long metallic whip.
Then something even stranger occurred.
The whip slithered across the floor on its own, racing toward the scattered metal fragments left behind when Luffy had blown apart the reinforced barrel.
It moved like a living creature.
Every piece of metal it touched was instantly absorbed.
The fragments melted and merged seamlessly into the weapon.
It grew longer.
Heavier.
Deadlier.
The entire thing resembled a gigantic steel serpent devouring everything in its path.
The pirates froze in horror.
These were merely small-time East Blue pirates.
Most had never witnessed anything remotely resembling a Devil Fruit ability before.
Their courage evaporated almost immediately.
Fear of the unknown replaced it.
The pirates charging at the front slowed down.
A few came to a complete stop.
Others hesitated, hoping to let somebody else take the lead.
The problem was that the pirates behind them had no idea why the front ranks were stopping.
Unable to react in time, they crashed directly into one another.
The result was immediate chaos.
People tumbled to the floor.
Shouts erupted everywhere.
Several pirates screamed in pain.
Those who fell desperately grabbed at anyone nearby, trying to use them as shields against further trampling.
In an instant, the already-disorganized assault collapsed into complete disorder.
Karl stood there speechless.
“…What?”
He stared at the disaster unfolding before him.
Then he covered his face and sighed.
“Are pirates really this unprofessional nowadays?”
This was supposed to be the first battle of his journey.
And this was what he got.
“Seriously, guys.”
Karl let out another sigh.
“This is my first fight at sea.”
“You’re making it really hard for me here.”
Looking at the pirates who were practically defeating themselves before he had even attacked, Karl found it impossible to feel angry.
Instead, he felt something closer to pity.
Maybe they were simply unfortunate people trying to survive.
“Perhaps they’re victims too…”
Karl shook his head.
For the first time, he gained a deeper understanding of the Great Age of Pirates.
Not everyone became a pirate because they wanted that life.
Many had probably been forced onto this path by circumstances they couldn’t control.
“If you need someone to blame,” Karl muttered softly, “blame this broken era.”
Then he finally made his move.
The metallic whip shot forward.
It wrapped itself around one particularly large pirate who happened to still be standing upright.
“W-Wait—!”
Before the man could react, Karl swung him through the air.
WHAM!
The unfortunate pirate became a living wrecking ball.
His body smashed into his companions, sending them flying in every direction like bowling pins.
Karl repeated the process twice more.
A few moments later, every pirate in sight was sprawled across the floor unconscious.
The battle had ended.
Only Karl and Koby remained standing.
“Amazing…”
Koby’s eyes practically sparkled.
“Karl, that was incredible!”
There was no hiding the admiration in his voice.
“If you work hard enough, you can become strong too.”
Karl smiled at the pink-haired boy.
For a brief moment, he saw a reflection of his former self.
The stranded survivor struggling to stay alive on a deserted island.
The person who had once surrendered to reality.
“I really believe you can do it.”
This time, Karl meant every word.
“Really?”
Koby looked hopeful, though uncertainty still lingered in his eyes.
“Of course.”
“Then…
could you help me with something?”
Karl gestured toward the unconscious pirates scattered around the cargo hold.
“Find some rope and tie them up.”
“I’d rather not have them causing trouble later.”
“Yes, sir!”
Koby immediately nodded.
“As for me…”
Karl glanced toward the ceiling.
“I should go check on my captain.”
The metallic whip shot upward.
Using it like a grappling hook, Karl launched himself into the air. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Moments later, he landed on the deck above.
“You’re still not done?”
“Huh?”
Luffy turned around.
“Karl?
Why are you up here?”
“Because if I hadn’t come,” Karl replied with a deadpan expression, “we’d probably miss lunch.”
His gaze shifted between Luffy and Alvida.
Then he sighed.
“Seriously.”
“Are you two playing house or something?”
“But this old lady keeps saying she’s the most beautiful woman on the seas!”
Luffy complained, clearly dissatisfied.
It was obvious the two had spent the entire time arguing.
Judging by Luffy’s expression alone, Karl could already imagine the endless exchange of insults.
“Maybe your wording needs a little adjustment.”
Karl turned toward Alvida.
“Adjustment?”
Alvida immediately struck a dramatic pose.
“What is it, handsome?”
“Do you not think I’m the most beautiful woman on the seas?”
“Or do you think I’m actually the most beautiful woman in the entire world?”
Karl’s eye twitched.
Good grief.
If this woman owned a mirror, she wouldn’t be this confident.
“Actually,” Karl said patiently, “I think you should replace the word ‘beautiful’ with ‘strong.'”
“The strongest woman on the seas?”
Alvida thoughtfully stroked her freckled face.
“Hm…”
“That actually sounds pretty good.”
“But somehow it feels a little strange.”
A few seconds later, realization finally hit her.
“Wait a second.”
“Are you saying I’m ugly?”
“Why would being called strong be an insult?”
Karl replied with complete innocence.
“Men love being called strong.”
“But I’m a woman!”
“Gender equality.”
Karl nodded with a perfectly serious expression.
Alvida blinked.
“Huh…”
“When you put it like that…”
She immediately fell into deep contemplation once again.
Luffy grinned from ear to ear.
“Karl, you’re really good at this!”
“I kept telling her the exact same thing, but she wouldn’t listen!”
Karl rubbed his forehead.
You called her an ugly old woman directly to her face.
Of course she attacked you.