Marine Warship
"Colonel, should we open fire?"
Karl shook his head.
Fire? No need.
Moria would make his move.
The Blaze Pirates had already taken the bait. Karl didn't believe for a second that Moria would just let them go—if anything, even the people aboard this Marine warship might end up being targets.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea, huh…
They were nothing like what pirates claimed—lackeys of the World Government or the Marines.
"Master, the prey has taken the bait. It's the Blaze Pirates."
A voice reported from the shadows.
"But there's also a Marine warship following behind them."
On the throne, Gecko Moria, who had been pretending to nap, slowly opened his eyes. He spread his arms and laughed.
"Heh-shi-shi-shi~ Pirates or Marines, doesn't matter—I want all their shadows!!!"
"Leave it to you, Absalom."
"Yes, Master!"
Absalom turned and left the castle, preparing to close the net.
At Sea
The Blaze Pirates were fleeing at full speed.
They had tried to fire a warning shot earlier—but the moment one cannonball flew out, a huge flying slash came from behind and cleanly shaved off their lookout tower.
That single strike nearly scared them half to death.
Flying slashes meant only one thing.
A swordsman.
And not just any swordsman—a Marine swordsman.
Someone like that was absolutely not someone they could afford to provoke.
So they ran. Desperately.
Karl wasn't in any hurry. He simply followed behind the Flame, neither closing the distance nor falling back.
"Boss! Something's wrong up ahead—there's a wall!"
"What?! That's impossible! How could there be a wall in the middle of the sea?!"
Roche rubbed his eyes, disbelief written all over his face.
But there it was—a massive stone wall stretching for over a kilometer, blocking the sea entirely.
And directly ahead of them… a single gap.
Even an idiot could tell something was wrong.
But the problem was—behind them was a Marine warship.
If they didn't go through that opening, they'd just be turned into minced meat by that terrifying Marine swordsman.
"Damn it… we're going in!"
"Turn the ship toward the opening!"
"Boss! That's ghost bait! Once we go in, we'll be devoured by evil spirits!"
Roche spun around and slapped the man hard.
"To hell with that! Are you the captain, or am I?!
Get us in there! Would you rather be dragged to Impel Down by the Marines?!"
In the end, the Flame adjusted its course and headed straight for the gap.
Marine Warship
"Colonel, they're heading into the opening! Should we follow? This is obviously a trap!"
Karl waved his hand casually.
"Follow them. Marines don't fear conspiracies or tricks."
"Yes, sir!"
Ten Minutes Later
As Karl's warship entered the opening, a thunderous rumble echoed behind them.
The gap was closing.
With a final boom, the stone walls sealed shut—like a giant beast snapping its jaws closed.
The atmosphere instantly grew oppressive and eerie.
If Karl hadn't been standing calmly at the bow, the Marines might have already panicked.
On the open sea, something this absurd and unnatural easily made people think of demons and ghosts.
Karl spared a glance at the nervous soldiers but felt no need to comment.
Human nature was human nature.
"I have to admit," Karl muttered,
"Fat bastard Moria really knows how to build atmosphere."
Knowing full well who was behind all of this, Karl was completely unbothered.
Honestly, if Moria hadn't become a pirate and instead opened a haunted house, he'd probably be filthy rich—maybe even crowned the King of Horror.
"Colonel! The Blaze Pirates stopped moving!
—Wait, they dropped anchor?!"
Nelson stared in disbelief.
Moments ago they'd been fleeing for their lives, and now they were anchoring right in front of them?
The nerve.
What Nelson didn't know was that the Flame was already in chaos.
Blaze Pirates' Ship
"Who did that?! Which idiot dropped the anchor?!"
The crew looked at each other in terror.
No one had touched it.
"…Boss, l-look!"
Roche stared at the completely locked anchor, then froze as he heard heavy thud-thud footsteps echoing across the deck—
Yet there wasn't a single person in sight.
The screams that followed were higher-pitched than any woman's.
"G-G-GHOSTS!!!"
"THERE ARE GHOSTS!!!"
BOOM!
Karl descended from above, landing heavily on the deck.
Looking at the scene before him, he couldn't help but laugh.
They weren't even on the island yet, and they'd already been scared into this state.
No wonder Moria ruled this place like a fish in water.
"Pirates," Karl said calmly,
"you are under arrest."
To the panic-stricken Blaze Pirates, Karl's voice sounded like salvation.
One pirate immediately slid across the deck and dropped to his knees in front of Karl.
"Take me away! Send me to Impel Down—anywhere! This place has ghosts!!!"
"It's fine," Karl replied kindly.
"You won't have to be scared anymore."
Graaak.
The raven on Karl's shoulder cried out and transformed into a blade, slicing cleanly across the pirate's throat. Blood sprayed across the deck.
"THE MARINES ARE HERE!!!"
"SCREW THE GHOSTS—KILL THAT BASTARD MARINE!!!"
Karl smiled faintly and advanced, Raven in one hand.
A Few Minutes Later
The only one still standing was Roche Thompson.
Even then, both his arms had already been severed.
For a crew that butchered civilians and raped women, Karl felt he'd been merciful.
At the very least, they died quickly.
Karl fired a Holy Light Bullet into Roche's body, preventing him from dying of blood loss, then had him bound.
"Nelson, throw him into the brig."
"Yes, sir!"
Nelson saluted excitedly.
This was a pirate crew with a combined bounty of around 140 million Beli, and Colonel Karl had wiped them out almost single-handedly.
Brutal, yes—but for pirates like these, it was exactly what they deserved.
Edge of the Battlefield
Watching everything from the shadows, Absalom was close to wetting himself.
He didn't dare make a sound.
This Marine was more terrifying than Hogback.
A demon who killed without blinking.
"No good… I need to report this to Master immediately!
That Marine is way too strong—there's no way I can take him on!"
Carefully, Absalom tiptoed through the corpses and slipped away.
He thought he was perfectly hidden.
In reality, Karl's Observation Haki had already picked him up—but Karl simply pretended not to notice.
"Hahaha… he didn't see me!"
Absalom felt a surge of joy.
"My power really is amazing!"
He hurried toward the distant silhouette of the Thriller Bark.
Marine Warship – Deck
"Colonel, Roche has been secured in the brig. What should we do next?"
Karl smiled faintly, looking at the massive shadow looming ahead.
"Earlier, a pirate tried—and failed—to ambush me. He escaped."
"Go gather the men.
We're going inside to take a look."
A perfect excuse.
Even if Moria confronted him face-to-face later, Karl would have justification.
Nelson stared at Karl, dumbfounded.
"…A pirate escaped from you, Colonel?"
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