The pressure on the candidate Admiral was truly immense. If Carl hadn't asked Marie to take the lead, Marie would have likely been lazy and fishing—avoiding the heavy fighting. However, with the Captain away, the only combination capable of stalling a candidate Admiral was Marie and Licky.
Left with no choice, Marie had resorted to a tricky maneuver. Her colorful psychological suggestions could make her as powerful as she wanted, but she had to remain perfectly calm throughout the process.
Although Chaton had been hit and sent flying twice by her and Licky, the truth was that she and Licky were under a great deal of pressure. It was only due to Chaton's initial contempt that they had gained an advantage.
However, this advantage wouldn't last long.
Because Chaton had been knocked away twice, the Marines and the Army were thrown into even greater chaos. Being hit once might have been a coincidence, but now it had happened again, delivered by a little girl's punch. Chaton himself admitted that the girl possessed both forms of Haki, which was utterly shocking.
Marie appeared to be less than ten years old, yet she had awakened two forms of Haki. Could anyone truly believe it? In contrast, those present who had not awakened any Haki felt they had wasted their lives.
Since Marie and Licky had beaten Chaton twice, the battle had taken a strange turn. The morale of the Marines and the Army plummeted, while the Straw Hats and Heart Pirates fought with great success.
Carl, who was currently dealing with two Marine Admirals, sensed the situation and couldn't help but smile. He knew Marie was lazy ; if it hadn't been for this critical moment, Marie would probably have continued to hide her true abilities.
Before this, Carl had wanted to find a Devil Fruit for Marie. But because he couldn't find a suitable fruit for the time being, Carl shifted his focus to Marie's superpower. This pigment-based psychological suggestion ability was incredibly potent, and not utilizing it properly would be a waste.
So, Carl used the combined knowledge and imagination from his two lives to share many of his ideas with Marie. However, Marie had simply munched on biscuits the entire time, making no comment and leaving him unsure if she had listened.
It was only later that Carl discovered this little girl had not only listened but had also creatively expanded on his ideas. Reaching this level now was astounding. Marie was undoubtedly the fastest-growing member of the Straw Hats, surpassing even Zoro and Sanji. This was because Marie's advantage lay not in her body but in her mind; once her mind was enlightened, her combat power naturally increased rapidly.
"Hey, hey! Carl, you little brat, you still have time to worry about your crew while fighting two Admirals? Isn't that utterly disrespectful to us? Admiral Fujitora, let's hit him with everything we've got!" Kizaru said with a carefree look, his lightsaber still attacking quickly.
Fujitora couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard this. He says that as if I haven't been fighting seriously. He had been using his full strength, but Carl wasn't treating the fight seriously. Most of the time, Carl chose to dodge, or he would spar with Kizaru as if they were playing a game.
This feeling was exactly like stalling for time!
But with Momousagi and Chaton sent to the other fight, shouldn't Carl be in a hurry? Shouldn't he quickly break away from this battlefield and run to save his crew?
Fujitora couldn't figure it out, clearly not understanding Carl as well as Kizaru did.
From Kizaru's point of view, Carl was indeed stalling for time for several reasons. One was that Straw Hat Luffy was on his way back. Another was that Roronoa Zoro had a way to counter the candidate Admirals. And third, Carl might have other arrangements.
In any case, this Carl was notoriously subtle; you could easily fall into his trap without realizing it.
Seeing Kizaru thinking, Carl suddenly smiled and said, "Admiral Kizaru, you're wondering why I'm delaying, aren't you?"
Both Kizaru and Fujitora were taken aback, staring intently at Carl, seemingly waiting for an answer.
"It's very simple," Carl continued. "It's because I came up with a brilliant idea. This time, you Marines and the Army will definitely suffer a massive loss. That way, you won't feel the need to keep trying to siege us all the time. You've been annoying me!"
A brilliant idea? What could it be?
Vaguely, they felt that what Carl said was true, but they couldn't find any solid clues.
Kizaru said, "Carl boy, are you that worried about your partners? You know that Gion and Chaton's strength is extraordinary. You've fought them before, so you know it well. Your partners are in great danger".
Carl didn't care. "Don't try to trick me. I won't tell you that Rayleigh is there, too!"
Rayleigh! Dark King Rayleigh!
Now Kizaru and Fujitora finally understood. No wonder this young man was so calm; the Dark King Rayleigh was over there, so he didn't need to worry about his crew facing an accident. And Carl had clearly leaked this information on purpose, deliberately playing a trick on them!
The more they thought about it, the more furious they became. One was a Marine Admiral, and the other was an Army Admiral. To be mocked by a mere young pirate was a slap in the face. If they tolerated this, they would lose all respect!
Just as the two were about to unleash their fury, their Transponder Snails (Den Den Mushi) rang almost simultaneously.
Carl graciously paused his attack, giving them time to answer the call.
Both Admirals were momentarily stunned, then took out their Transponder Snails with defensive expressions. When they hung up, the faces of both men were indescribably ugly.
Mariejois had been attacked by the Revolutionary Army!
At this moment, the two Admirals looked at the smiling Carl and immediately understood everything.
It was true: Straw Hat Luffy was the son of the Revolutionary Army leader, Dragon, and the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command was also Straw Hat Luffy's sworn brother. It was natural for the Straw Hats to have connections with the Revolutionary Army.
Carl had clearly received the news that the Marines and the Army were coming to surround and defeat him, and he then coordinated with the Revolutionary Army.
They had been wondering why this guy was delaying time; it was clearly to keep them tied up here for as long as possible, so he didn't need to fight seriously. Without the Marine Admiral and Army Admiral guarding Mariejois, the Revolutionary Army could easily enter.
Now, they were truly in trouble!
"Now that you've finished your phone calls, let's keep fighting. If we don't fight until dark, none of you are leaving!" Carl suddenly yelled loudly, his voice filled with excitement and fighting spirit. This was a stark contrast to his passive time-wasting earlier; now he wanted to actively delay them.
He would not let them return to Mariejois!
"You youngsters nowadays are truly full of tricks!" Kizaru no longer had his carefree attitude.
"Kizaru, you're responsible for holding him here. I'm returning right now..."
"I told you not one of you is leaving!" Carl interrupted Fujitora's words with a loud shout.
His entire body was suddenly covered in electrical arcs. The sky above also became covered by dark clouds, and a bolt of lightning struck down from the clouds, hitting Carl directly. Carl remained unharmed, however, as more electrical arcs spread out from him.
In an instant, a space made of lightning trapped all three of them.
"Lightning Profound Truth! Thunder Pond!"
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