Basil Hawkins' Wara Wara no Mi ability isn't unlimited. His straw dolls act as substitutes, but each strike from Carl eliminates one.
Carl's approach? No matter how many lives Hawkins has, he'll take one more!
Brutal, but effective.
Boom!
A deafening impact echoed as Carl's fist smashed into Hawkins' head.
Too fast! No one could react!
Carl's purplish-red Haki-infused right eye made him look like a devil walking the earth. The ground beneath him cracked open, forming a deep black crater.
At the bottom, Hawkins lay slumped, body convulsing.
Carl peered down. "Not so great at divination now, are you?"
Hawkins coughed, an unreadable look in his eyes.
Every attack from Carl crushed another straw doll. Even with ten lives, it wasn't enough.
Too fast.
Too relentless.
At that moment, Carl's expression shifted. His eyes flicked upward.
"Wuhaha—!"
A strange laugh echoed as a towering figure dropped from the sky, landing at the crater's edge.
A massive hexagonal iron pillar crashed down beside him.
"'Mad Monk' Urouge!" one of Hawkins' crewmates exclaimed in shock.
"That's not all!" another pirate gasped, pointing.
A muscular man with an 'X' scar across his chin and chest strode forward.
"Fallen Rear Admiral… X. Drake!"
Three of the Eleven Supernovas were here.
Sweat dripped from a pirate's brow. This Marine has been a complete monster since the moment he arrived!
Hawkins had been utterly powerless.
But now, three Supernovas, each with a bounty in the hundreds of millions, stood together.
Maybe, just maybe, they stood a chance.
Carl smiled faintly, glancing at Drake.
This guy… isn't he one of the old man's undercover agents?
Oh well. Undercover or not, he'd be getting the same treatment.
Urouge peered into the crater. "Hawkins… this Marine did all this to you?"
Hawkins, still reeling, exhaled. "He's strong."
Drake's eyes darkened. "I can tell."
Urouge grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Then let's see how he handles me!"
Gripping his iron pillar, he charged.
Clang!
The impact rang like a bell, dust kicking up around them.
Urouge's eyes widened in shock.
Carl had stopped his attack—with one hand.
The iron pillar trembled in Urouge's grip.
His monstrous strength, which had bulldozed enemies before, was utterly useless.
A terrifying counterforce surged back through his arms, making his hands go numb.
Carl's voice was indifferent. "A question for you. Where are the Celestial Dragons?"
Urouge gritted his teeth, straining to lift his pillar again. "Like hell I'd know that!"
Carl sighed. "Then you're of no use to me."
The purplish glow in his right eye intensified.
His leg lifted—faster than the eye could follow—before sweeping out.
Boom!
Crack!
A sickening crunch of breaking bones.
Boom!
Urouge's massive frame rocketed backward, crashing through a distant building.
Carl glanced over, his Observation Haki confirming the rapid decline of Urouge's presence.
"Since you're useless, I'll just finish this quickly."
In an instant, he vanished.
Behind Drake.
Drake's pupils shrank.
His instincts screamed.
But—too late.
Boom!
Another kick.
Boom!
Drake's body smashed through another building.
Dust and rubble filled the air.
Carl turned back.
Only Hawkins remained.
Hawkins, having just climbed out of the crater, stared at Carl's right hand gripping the hilt of Shusui.
Even with his usual stoicism, his lip twitched.
Where the hell did this Marine come from?!
Suddenly—
"Bling bling bling…"
Carl's transponder snail rang.
He clicked it open.
"Yeah?"
"Colonel Carl?!" Brett's frantic voice rang out.
Carl nodded. "It's me."
"Colonel! Straw Hat Luffy, Captain Kid, and Trafalgar Law have scattered! We're unsure which to chase!"
Carl's brow lifted.
"That's easy. Go after Straw Hat Luffy," he said. "Report their locations to me. I'm heading there now."
"Yes, sir!"
Carl hung up and glanced at Hawkins.
Looks like Hawkins' tarot readings were spot-on.
If Carl ignored Luffy and finished Hawkins now, the Hanged Man prophecy would come true.
But priorities mattered.
Hawkins was small fry compared to the main culprit.
Carl exhaled, his right eye shifting from '4' back to '6.'
"Forget it," he muttered. "Bigger fish to fry."
Hawkins exhaled in relief.
The monster was leaving.
But—
"Yohoho! Don't leave just yet!"
Carl's gaze lifted.
On a nearby rooftop, a long-armed man leaped down.
Hawkins' face darkened. "Scratchmen Apoo…"
'Roar of the Sea' Scratchmen Apoo—one of the Eleven Supernovas.
Captain of the On-Air Pirates.
"Ababababa!" Apoo cackled, slapping his chest like a drum.
"Boom!"
A shockwave erupted.
An invisible attack hit Carl dead-on.
Apoo grinned. "How'd ya like my—"
His words cut off.
Carl exhaled a puff of white smoke.
"Sonic attacks?"
In an instant—Carl disappeared.
And reappeared behind Apoo.
Boom!
A brutal kick struck Apoo's waist.
His body shot through the air like a cannonball.
Carl scoffed. "You lot don't know when to quit."
Apoo's aura plummeted in Carl's Observation Haki.
With no one left to stop him, Carl turned away.
Whoosh!
He soared into the sky.
Sabaody Archipelago, Area 24
Law, Kid, and Capone Bege arrived.
Law spotted Hawkins. "Hawkins? What happened?"
Bege frowned. "Where's Urouge and Drake?"
Hawkins sat on the ground, silent.
Law stepped closer. "Are you injured?"
"Hey! Get him medical attention!" Law ordered his men.
"No need."
Hawkins' voice was eerily calm.
Kid scoffed. "Tch. Marine fodder couldn't hurt us."
Bege puffed his cigar. "So where are Urouge and Drake?"
Hawkins was quiet, then slowly pointed at the collapsed buildings.
"They're in there."
Law's eyes widened.
Kid clenched his fists. "No way…"
Bege's cigar nearly fell from his mouth.
"No Admirals were here, so what the hell happened?"
Hawkins' voice was low.
"That Marine…"
A pause.
"The pressure he gave me…"
He exhaled.
"It was no less than an Admiral's."
Silence.
Then—
Kid scowled. "Bullshit. No way the Marines had an Admiral-level guy here!"
They had been on Sabaody for days, and no Marines had dared to act.
So why now?
Bege narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you still standing here?"
Hawkins' expression didn't change.
"Because…"
His voice was hollow.
"…I already died three times."
Law's pupils shrank.
He turned sharply.
"Straw Hat Luffy is in danger."
Sabaody Archipelago, Area 12
A sonic boom split the air.
Carl landed.
The Straw Hat Pirates stiffened.
Luffy's eyes widened. "It's you!"
Zoro's hand gripped his sword hilt.
Sanji's cigarette trembled.
Usopp and Nami held their breath.
Only Franky, Brook, and Chopper were confused.
"Who's he?"
Sanji's voice was grim.
"He's a monster."
Carl smirked.
"Ready?"
A terrifying aura erupted.
Luffy and his crew froze.
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