In the rainstorm, the black sphere slowly rose into the air. The members of the Flying Pirates were not ordinary pirates, they could feel a deep sense of danger emanating from the black sphere.
But what shocked them most was the headless body lying on the deck—it was their captain, the Golden Lion who had been strutting confidently not long ago.
"Captain Shiki!!!"
Someone shouted, and soon a large number of pirates rushed onto the deck. They couldn't believe that the Golden Lion was dead, but there was no time for them to confirm the news.
In the sky, the black sphere had been drawn into the thick clouds, and then a terrifying gravity burst out from it, instantly pulling in the surrounding black clouds.
The rainstorm stopped suddenly, and the sun poured down. The pirates below were all stunned. They looked up at the sky and saw that the original black sphere had expanded several times, resembling a black sun.
Someone murmured, "What is that?"
As soon as the voice fell, the sea became violent again, and streams of water rushed up into the sky, all converging towards the black sun.
All members of the Flying Pirates, along with their ship, were sucked into the sky by a terrifying gravitational force. The pirates struggled desperately, but their bodies were pulled uncontrollably upward.
On the way, many pirates were pierced by rapidly rising ship fragments and died instantly.
First, countless ship fragments wrapped around the surface of the black sun, and the pirates were drawn to it like ants.
Finally, a large amount of seawater wrapped around it, forming a clearly layered, massive sphere suspended in the air.
The Sea returned to its usual tranquility. If it weren't for the giant sphere hanging in the sky, no one would have believed a fierce battle had just taken place here.
The result of this battle was the complete destruction of the Flying Pirates...
Carl returned to the warship. The Navy personnel on the warship were stunned when they saw him. Their eyes widened, and their jaws dropped. Even Sengoku the Buddha and Garp were dumbfounded.
The reason for their shock was, of course, the bloody head in Carl's hand. Though disheveled, everyone instantly recognized it—it was Shiki the Golden Lion!
After a long silence, Sengoku came to his senses, still wearing an expression of disbelief.
He swallowed hard, walked up to Carl step by step, and whispered, "Carl, this is… Shiki? Shiki the Golden Lion?"
Carl smiled slightly and raised the head so that Shiki's face was clearly visible to Sengoku. The Admiral could still see the strong unwillingness in Shiki's wide eyes.
Sengoku was silent. Garp rushed over, examined the Golden Lion's face closely, and exclaimed, "Unbelievable, Shiki is really dead!"
At his shout, the entire warship erupted. Everyone felt as if they were in a dream. Shiki, the Golden Lion, who had been at his peak, was dead!
Sengoku took several deep breaths to suppress the shock within him. He looked at Carl and asked in a deep voice, "Carl, was Shiki killed by Roger, or..."
He already knew the answer. From the state of Shiki's death, it was unlikely to have been Roger's doing, Roger was not known for such ruthlessness.
Carl threw the Golden Lion's head to the ground and said, "I killed him. It was luck. I barely made it out."
Carl then briefly recounted what had happened. Sengoku was stunned. Looking at Shiki lying on the ground with his eyes wide open, he didn't know what to say.
He couldn't help but wonder what Shiki had done to be so cursed by fate.
It was also a natural disaster, yet Roger had escaped unharmed, even benefiting from it. Meanwhile, Shiki lost most of his men and was knocked unconscious by a ship's rudder during the chaos.
Of course, a large part of the blame lay with Shiki himself. Arrogant and showy, he chose to float above the tsunami, only to be overwhelmed when the tidal wave struck, rendering him powerless.
Then, he crossed paths with Carl, who seized the moment for a decisive, life-or-death encounter...
Garp felt relieved. He caught a crucial point—Roger had escaped, giving him another chance to pursue him.
But the news of Shiki's death was monumental for both the Navy and the world. Navy officers on the ship cheered, and Sengoku's spirits soared, his face flushing with excitement.
Patting Carl on the shoulder, Sengoku exclaimed, "Well done, Carl! I'm glad you came along!"
Carl smiled and said, "As a Vice Admiral, this is my duty."
His calm and composed demeanor made it hard to believe Carl was only an eighteen-year-old Vice Admiral. After all, he had just slain Shiki with his own hands!
Sengoku grew more and more fond of Carl. If he were the Fleet Admiral, he would have promoted Carl to Admiral immediately based on this achievement!
Not everyone could face Shiki and live to tell the tale. Although Shiki's subordinates were mediocre, their sheer numbers made the Golden Lion a formidable opponent.
Thinking of this, Sengoku asked casually, "Carl, there must be a lot of Flying Pirates left. They're dangerous. Where did they flee? We should eliminate them."
Carl responded, "There's no need to chase, Admiral Sengoku. I've already taken care of them. We should head to inspect the battle results."
"What?"
Sengoku was surprised again, but given the impressive feats Carl had already demonstrated, he refrained from questioning further. He quickly ordered the warship to proceed.
When they reached the destination, the waters were calm. Everyone on the warship looked around, expecting to see debris or bodies.
Instead, all they saw was water. As they wondered if they were in the wrong place, Carl pointed to the sky...
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+75 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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