New World
Karl was studying the intelligence report on the Butcher Pirates yet again.
According to Marine Intelligence, five days ago the Butcher Pirates had landed on Thunder God Island. They hadn't made any aggressive moves—just resupplied briefly before leaving, after which they vanished without a trace.
The Intelligence Department speculated that their next destination would be Aviles Island or Trent Island, both located along the same route. Unfortunately, Karl had already checked both places personally.
Nothing.
At this point, there was nothing he could do but wait for new information—or rely on sheer luck.
As for Kizaru, he'd received a call the day before and vanished in a flash of light without any explanation, leaving the Butcher Pirates entirely to Karl.
Well… not entirely alone.
There were still plenty of ordinary Marine soldiers aboard the warship—useful for errands and support, but expecting them to help capture a major pirate crew would be asking too much.
"R-Report, sir! A pirate ship has appeared ahead!"
Karl sprang to his feet.
"Is it the Butcher Pirates?"
"N-No! It's the Witch Pirates!"
Karl's expression instantly fell.
Of course… as if my luck would be that good.
Still, as a qualified Marine officer, he quickly adjusted his mindset.
"What's their background?"
"The captain of the Witch Pirates is Ice Witch Whitey Bay! Bounty—280 million Berries! She's… she's one of the allied crews under the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Karl immediately strode out onto the deck, raised his binoculars, and looked toward the distant pirate ship.
What he saw was a steel-plated vessel, its hull reinforced like an icebreaker. Snowflake motifs were embedded at both the bow and stern, while the mast and sails bore skull insignias. The design looked less like a traditional pirate ship and more like a ship built to cut through frozen seas.
Karl's gaze turned grave.
Whitey Bay herself wasn't the real problem.
The real problem was the man behind her—
Edward Newgate. Whitebeard.
The entire world knew how fiercely Whitebeard protected his people.
If anyone dared touch those under his banner, they had better be prepared to face Whitebeard's wrath.
His 43 allied pirate crews used his name to run rampant throughout the New World, to the point where even the Marines often chose to avoid direct conflict.
And Whitey Bay just happened to be one of the more notorious ones.
"Captain Karl… what should we do?"
Looking at the visibly shaken soldiers, Karl sighed inwardly.
So this is all it takes—just one allied crew under Whitebeard's name, and they're already panicking.
If this were the Moby Dick itself, these guys would probably wet themselves on the spot.
Of course, if Kizaru were here, the soldiers wouldn't be this terrified.
At the end of the day, they simply didn't trust Karl's strength yet.
The newspapers could praise him to the skies all they wanted—but without solid, firsthand achievements, those words meant very little.
Karl inhaled slowly.
Then again… maybe this was a chance.
If he couldn't find the Butcher Pirates, then he'd use the Witch Pirates to test the waters.
Whitey Bay—an old member of Whitebeard's crew. During the Summit War, she'd nearly been pushed into a desperate situation by Pacifistas alone. That alone spoke volumes about her actual strength.
A bounty of 280 million Berries?
In Karl's eyes, the water content was a bit high.
Defeating her wouldn't be the problem.
The real question was: what happens after?
With that in mind, Karl began issuing calm, decisive orders, steadying the troops while carefully observing the pirate ship's movements.
"You—contact Admiral Kizaru immediately.
Everyone else, prepare for battle. If the Witch Pirates get within range, open fire immediately!"
"Yes, sir!!!"
Aboard the Ice Witch's Ship
"Boss! There's a Marine warship over there!"
Whitey Bay lifted her binoculars. When she saw that the one commanding the ship was nothing more than a young man she didn't recognize, a confident smile crept onto her face.
The Marine ship bore no special markings, and the officer in command clearly wasn't someone famous.
If it had been one of those cursed dog-headed ships, she'd have turned tail and run without hesitation.
But this?
"Heh… looks like an ordinary warship."
"Men, full speed ahead," she ordered lazily.
"I want to see whether a Marine warship can withstand the impact of the Ice Witch."
"OOOOH!!!"
"Kill the Marines!!!"
The pirate ship adjusted its course and surged forward at full speed, the crew cheering wildly, their shrill laughter echoing across the sea.
On the Marine Warship
Watching the oncoming pirate ship, Karl shook his head helplessly and accepted the Den Den Mushi handed to him.
"Mosshi mosshi~ Karl here."
"Karl," Kizaru's voice sounded on the other end,
"if possible, just ignore them. Otherwise it'll become very troublesome, you know~"
"Sorry, Admiral," Karl replied calmly.
"It's too late to retreat. They're coming straight for us."
"Wooo~ how scary. In that case, handle it yourself," Kizaru said casually.
"I should be able to arrive in about an hour. Try to hold on~"
Karl chuckled softly.
"I'll do my best."
Click.
As the call ended, Karl's eyes sharpened.
He turned to the nearby Marines and said firmly,
"Listen carefully. No matter what, do not let that pirate ship ram us."
"I'll be right back."
"C-Captain Karl… what are you planning to do?"
Karl smiled faintly.
"Do what a Marine is supposed to do."
The moment he finished speaking, his figure vanished from the deck.
The soldiers looked up in shock as Karl stepped into the air, executing Geppo, sprinting across the sky itself toward the pirate ship.
"Boss! There's a Marine flying toward us!"
"What?!"
Whitey Bay snapped her head up.
Descending from the sky was a man clad in a white Marine uniform, a Justice cape fluttering behind him. His feet stepped on empty air as he rapidly closed the distance.
"Hmph. Overconfident fool," Whitey Bay sneered.
"Fire! Shoot him down!"
She flicked her wrist.
The pirates instantly raised their rifles, aiming at the airborne figure.
"Fire!!!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A volley of bullets tore through the air.
But Karl had already tilted his head slightly in advance, evading every shot with minimal movement, continuing his advance without slowing down.
"Damn it! Boss, he dodged everything—he's here!"
Karl landed gracefully on the bow of the ship.
He looked at Whitey Bay, the Ice Witch herself.
She was undeniably beautiful, with a well-proportioned figure—but beneath that beauty lay a heart as cold and merciless as ice.
Countless Marines and civilians had already died at her hands.
And thanks to Whitebeard's shadow, the Marines rarely dared to trouble her.
Karl slowly drew his repaired Uramaru, pointing its blade toward the motley crew of pirates.
His voice was cold and clear.
"Are you ready to die?"
"You scum."
The pirates froze for a moment—then burst into uproarious laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Pretty boy, who do you think you are?"
"Just one guy and you dare act so arrogant?"
"Heh, he's not bad-looking. How about we capture him and toss him onto the boss's bed tonight?"
"Hahahaha! Good idea!"
Karl almost wanted to ask—
Is being handsome a crime?
But he only complained internally.
There was no point wasting words on the dead.
Finishing this quickly and getting back to slacking off was the real priority.
Shhhk!
A flash of blade-light cut through the air.
The tall pirate standing in front of Karl clutched his throat in disbelief before collapsing onto the deck with a heavy thud.
"J-Jer!!!"
"Kill him!!! Avenge Jer!!!"
The pirates surged forward in a frenzy.
Karl showed no fear—if anything, there was a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
Whitey Bay, still reclining comfortably on her fur-lined chair, watched with an amused smile, calmly waiting for this ignorant Marine to fall into a pool of blood.
Only—
Things weren't unfolding the way she had imagined.
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