As Karl's body trembled slightly, everything else suddenly felt dull and insignificant.
Karl had grown stronger.
And he still had his hair.
His Observation Haki jumped straight from LV5 to LV7, far surpassing the minimum requirement to use Weak Point Perception.
"Activate Observation Haki: Weak Point Perception."
His updated status immediately appeared.
Status Panel
Host: Karl
Age: 24
Physique: A−
(Bonfire of Hearts + Fish-Man Arm Strength bonus)
Perception: B
Willpower: B+
Haki:
Armament Haki LV6
(Hardening, Imbuement, Emission, Internal Destruction)
Observation Haki LV7
(Weak Point Perception)
Special Abilities:
[Still as a Virgin]
[Swift as a Hare]
[Child of the Sea]
[Fish-Man Arm Strength]
[Swordsmanship LV3]
[Bonfire of Hearts]
Stamina +25.051%
Stamina recovery speed +50.102%
Holy Light Fruit: 27.8% (Awakening Progress)
Active Skills:
Frailty (available)
Shadow Vision (used)
But that wasn't the end.
After briefly studying the Special Skill Upgrade Card, Karl didn't hesitate—he used the first one on [Child of the Sea].
"Upgrade successful.
[Child of the Sea] has evolved into [Father of the Sea].
Detected conflict between Holy Light Fruit and [Father of the Sea].
Correction in progress… correction complete."
[Father of the Sea]
While in the ocean, the host can:
Ignore water pressure
Breathe freely
Move at high speed
Continuously recover stamina
Be immune to Devil Fruit's negative effects
Karl's lips curled upward.
He'd gambled right.
From now on, the sea was no longer a debuff to him.
With one upgrade card remaining, Karl thought for a moment before using it on [Swift as a Hare].
"Upgrade successful.
[Swift as a Hare] has evolved into [Mad Hare]."
[Mad Hare]
In combat state, stamina consumption is reduced by 75%.
At this point, Karl had fully transformed into a stamina monster.
With [Still as a Virgin], [Bonfire of Hearts], and [Mad Hare] stacked together—
Karl officially named this build:
'Pseudo Infinite Sit-Ups'
Right now, the only thing he felt he was missing… was Conqueror's Haki.
Maybe he should go "bump into" Teacher Kaido someday?
Who knows—maybe he'd awaken it on the spot.
"Huh… why do I feel like you got taller?"
Karl froze.
He'd just boosted his physique—did that come with height growth too?
He stood up immediately.
…It really did seem that way.
Before, he was about a head taller than Ain.
Now?
More than that.
"You did get taller!" Ain said excitedly.
"Wait here—I'll get a measuring tape!"
...
"See? I told you! You're 198 cm now—six centimeters taller than before!"
Karl gave her a half-smile.
"Oh? And how do you know I grew exactly six centimeters?"
"I just—!" Ain flushed bright red.
"Hmph! I can tell just by looking, okay?! I'm going to play with Shirahoshi!"
She turned and ran off.
Karl laughed helplessly, then suddenly slapped his forehead.
Right—he almost forgot to test Weak Point Perception.
He activated Observation Haki.
In his perception, Ain's body immediately revealed over a dozen weak points—standard anatomical vulnerabilities that Karl already instinctively targeted even without Haki.
But Weak Point Perception didn't stop there.
As Ain moved, the exposed weak points shifted dynamically.
That meant this ability updated in real time, changing with an opponent's movement and techniques—constantly presenting the optimal strike location for a critical hit.
"…Nice. Very practical."
"If I could add future sight or telepathy later, that'd be perfect."
Bang bang bang!
A knock sounded at the door, and Smoker immediately phased through the crack in a swirl of smoke.
"The Flying Pirates have landed on Fish-Man Island. They're causing chaos in Waterwheel Town right now."
"Jinbe has already taken people over. We should move too!"
"Waterwheel Town?"
Karl frowned slightly.
That was the town farthest from Ryugu Palace.
Why there?
"Don't rush," Karl said calmly.
"Let Jinbe handle it. We'll stay here and wait."
Smoker was about to argue—then suddenly froze.
"You mean… Vander Decken is using a diversion?"
"Very likely," Karl nodded.
"With the Marines gone, the most dangerous person on Fish-Man Island is Jinbe."
"If Jinbe isn't here… then Ryugu Palace—"
Karl chuckled softly.
"I don't think I need to explain the rest."
Outside Ryugu Palace
"How's the situation?"
"Don't worry, boss. Jinbe has already rushed to Waterwheel Town."
"Only a few Sea King Army soldiers are left here. We'll storm in and grab Princess Shirahoshi directly."
Vander Decken's lips curled into a lecherous grin.
"Heh… hehehe. Princess Shirahoshi—your groom has arrived!"
Boom—
The outer wall of Ryugu Palace collapsed.
Over a dozen vicious fish-man pirates rushed inside.
"Charge! Kill anyone who gets in the way!"
"OHHHHH!!!"
Nelson lowered his binoculars and smiled.
"Just as expected."
"Pirates incoming! Everyone—stay sharp!"
"Yes, sir!"
Ain, who had been playing with Shirahoshi, also heard the explosion.
She immediately turned to Karl.
"That's probably Vander Decken. I'll go check it out!"
Karl nodded lazily.
"Leave it to you. No restrictions—dead or alive."
Even after the recent power boost, Karl had zero interest in stepping in.
If he had to personally deal with trash like this, what was the point of slacking off?
Elsewhere
After marking a Sea King Army soldier, Vander Decken immediately hid behind the palace and casually tossed a small knife.
The blade curved through the air as if guided by fate, piercing straight through the soldier's forehead.
Instant kill.
"Tch. The Sea King Army really is trash."
His gaze drifted toward the Hard-Shell Tower, his excitement growing hotter by the second.
After a full year—
He could finally see Shirahoshi again.
After wiping out the remaining guards with his men, Vander Decken arrived at the tower entrance.
The lack of guards felt strange—but the weapons embedded all over the tower walls confirmed it.
Shirahoshi was definitely here.
"Hehehe~ Shirahoshi! Guess who came to visit you!"
Creaaak—
Vander Decken pushed the door open.
And froze.
Over twenty Marines stood inside, guns aimed directly at him.
Nelson, Ain, and Smoker stood at the center, smiling faintly.
"Marines?! How are there Marines here?!"
"Didn't you leave?!"
Ain sneered.
"We did leave."
"And then we came back."
"You child-loving freak—prepare to die."
She lunged forward without hesitation.
Vander Decken felt his soul nearly leave his body.
"Damn it—we fell into a trap! Retreat! Retreat!!!"
"Lay down your weapons, pirate!"
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