"Once we reach the Grand Line and earn enough money, I’m definitely buying a large sailing ship and turning an entire deck into a cold room."
After filling the barrels and the ice room, Karl looked at the nine-tenths of the sea cow that remained and spoke with heartache.
"We might not make it to the Grand Line that soon."
Carina quipped, "Those old-tirs say the Grand Line’s weather changes nonstop—sotis you can get all four seasons in an hour. If we hit a storm, our little boat could get erased by a single wave."
"My sloop only has one deck and two rooms. Nami and I even feel crowded sharing one. Once we deal with Arlong, I should switch to a new ship."
The two of them hadn’t considered changing ships before.
But now that their duo had beco a trio, Carina felt it was ti to find a new ho.
After taking down the sea cow Momoo, the three quickly spotted an island.
"That’s my ho—Cocoyasi Village."
Nami spoke through gritted teeth. "And it’s also the Arlong Empire’s headquarters."
"So that’s why they hid in a small place, colluded with the Marines, and had that sea cow—no wonder even the black market had no info on them," Carina remarked.
As the East Blue’s strongest bounty-hunter duo, Carina was naturally familiar with the Arlong Pirates.
She had even tried to track them, but neither fellow bounty hunters nor the intel-dealing black market had any information on them.
To help Carina grow, Karl hadn’t told her the Arlong Pirates were in Cocoyasi Village.
"How many mbers are in the Arlong Pirates?" Carina asked Nami.
"Counting , fifty-seven," Nami answered at once.
Clearly, she had morized the faces of all her enemies.
"Knowing the headcount makes this much simpler."
Carina patted Karl’s shoulder and teased, "Sir Knight, ti to rescue the princess. Since you made Nami promise to cook for you for life, you can handle those fish-n alone."
"Exactly what I had in mind."
Karl rested his hand on the knight’s sword at his waist, looked at Nami, and the corner of his mouth lifted. "Want them dead or alive?"
"Eh? Karl, Carina..."
Nami blinked, her blue eyes widening. "Are we attacking head-on right now? No plan?"
"If we didn’t know the numbers, then yes, we’d need a plan to avoid letting any slip through the net."
Carina patted Karl’s shoulder again and said to Nami, "But now that we know, there’s no need to make it complicated. With Karl’s speed, even master swimrs can’t escape his pursuit."
"Alright—how about we make a bet."
Seeing Nami stunned, Carina suddenly proposed, "Karl, head out now. If you finish off those fish-n before I reach the Arlong Empire’s base, Nami and I will grant you three small requests. How about it?"
"It’s a deal... splash!"
Not giving Carina a chance to go back on it, Karl jumped straight into the sea before Nami could react, turning into a white arrow that cut through the waves.
"Carina... is this really okay?"
The Arlong Pirates, who had driven her to despair, were now reduced to a bet and a ga between Karl and Carina. Nami felt it was absurd beyond belief.
"Relax. It’ll be fine."
Carina patted Nami’s shoulder and comforted her. "I forgot to ntion—besides his monster physique and the spear of light, Karl has two hidden trump cards. As long as those fish-n are on that island, they can’t escape his ’sight.’"
"Instead of worrying about Karl, you’d do better to think about making peace with the villagers once this is over."
Just as Carina said—
the mont Karl set foot on the island, his Observation Haki spread like an endlessly expanding net, covering half the island where Cocoyasi Village lay.
Life auras ten tis stronger than ordinary humans imdiately lit up on his "map."
"Haven’t used my sword in a while—ti to have a taste."
Fixing his gaze on the nearest "target," Karl drew the knight’s sword at his waist. In the next second, his figure blurred into an afterimage and vanished.
Schlkk—
A dozen seconds later, fish-n patrolling a forest—or slacking off—
their blue skin and burly bodies branded with the Sun Pirates’ mark—
heard the sound of cloth being torn.
Blood spurted from a chest. The fish-man looked down.
The pain didn’t catch up to the spray. His vision slid downward, blurring, and then his body fell in two, utterly silent.
Without even a scream, life was taken.
He never even saw the enemy’s shadow.
Karl appeared behind him as if by teleportation, flicked the blood from his sword, and vanished again in an afterimage.
A large fra has its perks.
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, for example—their talents max out strength and defense.
But a smaller fra has perks too.
Karl’s talents max out strength and speed.
Especially his speed—it wasn’t rely "high-speed movent," it surpassed the Navy’s Soru.
It was even more ghostly than Kuro’s Silent Step, and, wielding swordsmanship, more terrifying than Cavendish’s second persona.
Before sound or shadow could register, a head was already split from its body.
With Karl at full speed, a god’s-eye view would show him like a sniper round: one mont in one zone, then a few, a dozen, dozens of seconds later, in another.
The knight’s sword in his hand beca the reaper’s scythe, shearing fish-n like paper, then moving to the next target.
By the ti the little sloop had only just docked, every fish-man patrolling inside Cocoyasi Village—or outside on the island—had been killed.
"Sothing’s happened—I... I saw a fish-man’s corpse!"
"Hurry and call everyone outside back! Arlong’s going to explode!"
"I need to get my story straight. I can’t let Arlong vent his rage on !"
"..."
When Nami entered the village with Carina, she found the villagers weren’t hiding indoors as usual. Instead, they were anxiously hurrying about.
"Everyone..."
Nami paused, calling out on instinct.
"Nami, when did you get back?"
"Friends of yours? This isn’t the ti. Get them out of here, quick."
"..."
With fish-n suddenly turning up dead, the villagers couldn’t keep up the act with Nami. They rushed forward, worried and urging her to leave.
Seeing their anxious faces, even trying to send her away, Nami’s eyes grew wet.
So that’s how it is... I’ve been such a fool.
"Everyone..."
Suddenly, Nami showed a smile as bright as in her childhood. "It’s okay now!"
Yes, it was okay.
Because her "Knight," her "Hero," her "Savior" had arrived.
Reviews
All reviews (0)