Joy Boy's fist, imbued with the assimilating power of the Nika Fruit, launched him through the air like a rubber spring. His punch shot straight toward Carl's heart as he bellowed:
"I've waited eight hundred years for this moment! I won't let you ruin it!"
Carl's cursed blade, Muramasa, glimmered with a deep black light, its edge shrouded in darkness that slithered like a living creature. With a reverse grip, he slashed horizontally—his blade clashing directly with the rubber fist.
Clang!!
Joy Boy's Haki-coated punch met Muramasa's edge, ringing with a metallic screech.
Carl's pitch-black eyes reflected Joy Boy's face.
"Waiting eight centuries must've been hell. Let me end your suffering today."
Darkness flowed along Muramasa's edge like water, swallowing the Nika energy on Joy Boy's body like a venomous serpent gnawing away at his power.
Joy Boy's brow furrowed. A white, flame-like aura flared from his body as he released a burst of Nika energy, forcing Carl back and creating distance between them.
...
Landing lightly, Joy Boy raised his eyes and spoke coldly:
"Looks like your control over darkness has already surpassed your ancestor, Cassilius."
Carl swung Muramasa casually and replied with indifference:
"It's been eight hundred years, Joy Boy. You—ghost of a bygone era—have long since been discarded."
Joy Boy let out a cold chuckle.
"Eras are shaped by people. What makes you think I was discarded?"
Carl didn't argue. He nodded slightly, speaking with a thoughtful air:
"You might have a point. So let me put it another way…"
He lifted his head, staring straight at Joy Boy as he slowly declared:
"In my era, there's no room for someone like you."
In an instant, an ocean of darkness surged from Carl's body, flooding the sky above. A massive black hole spanning ten thousand meters formed—a pupil of shadow glaring down at the world like a malevolent eye.
...
Even those fighting in the outer battlefield noticed the anomaly in the sky. Kuzan's face grew solemn.
"Carl's made his move."
Aramaki looked up in a frenzy, practically trembling with excitement.
"Joy Boy's doomsday is here! I'm going to assist Carl-sama!"
Akainu said nothing, transforming into magma and launching himself toward the Red Line. But even his speed couldn't match Borsalino, who had already vanished with his Yasakani no Magatama.
Kuma remained behind, helping the Marines on the battlefield wipe out the remaining Mink and Giant resistance.
...
Under the torrent of darkness on the Red Line, Joy Boy shimmered faintly with white light.
As the overwhelming power surged from every direction, he took a deep breath. His body expanded like a balloon—then slowly deflated.
Once his transformation completed, sharp muscle lines etched across his body like chiseled stone. His expression subtly shifted—the boyish air had completely vanished, replaced by a heavy, weathered presence.
Carl narrowed his eyes.
"So you've finally dropped the act, Joy Boy."
Joy Boy's expression was calm. Clenching his fists, muscles bulging, he spoke:
"Why would I ever need to pretend?"
Carl gave a faint smile, pointing Muramasa at him.
"Enough with that disgusting face. Come fight."
...
Bzzzz!
A dense purple beam, tangible and twisting with gravitational rings, fired from Muramasa's tip. Joy Boy extended his palm to block the blast—its weight easily in the tens of thousands of tons.
His wrist trembled as he scattered the lingering violet sparks in the air. Though he'd deflected Carl's gravity attack, it had clearly taken effort.
"The Gravity Fruit… its power truly is monstrous. Mind telling me how you've come to wield so many Devil Fruit abilities at once?"
"It's simple. All you have to do is die—once."
Shing!
Before he even finished speaking, Carl vanished and reappeared, swinging Muramasa wreathed in purple light.
Joy Boy's expression shifted. Two forces from opposite directions clamped down on him with crushing might. Even his resilient Nika body was instantly compressed into a flat, pancake-like shape, unable to recover right away.
Before he could react, Carl hooked him with Muramasa and flung him like a flying roti.
Joy Boy gathered Haki at the point of contact to keep his body from being pierced. At his level, he normally didn't need Haki to block blades—his perfected Nika form was invincible to most—but Muramasa was an exception.
Eight hundred years ago, it was this very blade that breached his defenses and led to his defeat.
Carl didn't expect to end him like this. He simply wanted to humiliate him.
If Joy Boy in his Nika form liked pulling ridiculous tricks to annoy others, then Carl saw no problem returning the favor—with some spinning flying pancake nonsense of his own.
Joy Boy, mid-spin, realized what Carl was doing. His anger flared to the heavens.
With a roar, a milky-white sphere enveloped his body. At its edge, explosive elasticity burst forth, even bending the blade of Muramasa.
Using the rebound, Joy Boy broke free and crashed to the ground far away. He bounced a few times before the glow faded—revealing a barely recognizable, humanoid figure.
...
Crack!!
Joy Boy's pupils shrank to needle points. Red and black lightning snaked across his body like wild dragons. His fist compressed sharply, forcing the air to scream with a sonic boom.
The crimson-black Haki lightning surged, tearing away the opposing gravitational force and restoring his body completely.
At the same time, both fists brimmed with devastating power. He drove them forward into the air in front of him.
The space between him and Carl twisted violently, like a warped mirror, as the shockwaves built layer upon layer, gaining strength like a rising tsunami until they smashed into Carl.
The twisted space drastically slowed Carl's phasing ability. He frowned and conjured a sphere of shadow energy around himself.
Crack-crack-crack!
Tiny white fractures spiderwebbed across the shield. Carl snorted coldly. A blinding white light erupted from his body, unleashing a repulsive force that leveled the distorted space like an invisible hand straightening crumpled paper.
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+150 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg