Crack—crack—crack.
Weevil clenched his fists, joints popping one after another.
The sound was heavy, distorted—like something crawling out from the depths of hell.
"You killed my mommy…"
"So I'll kill you!"
"No—I'll kill all of you!!!"
Boom!
Weevil suddenly burst forward, throwing a devastating punch straight at Karl.
At this moment, there was no one he hated more in the world than the man who had killed his mother.
"SHIT—Six Powers Secret Art: Six King Gun!"
Karl's arms instantly turned pitch-black as Armament Haki surged forth.
He clenched both fists together and met Weevil's punch head-on.
BOOOOM—!!!
The clash detonated into a terrifying shockwave.
The small boat beneath them let out a scream of protest, its hull cracking under the pressure.
But brute force was brute force.
Karl was being pushed back—he was about to give way—
"MOVE!"
Zephyr rushed in without hesitation.
"Six Powers Secret Art: Crushing Fist!"
A fist as large as a cannonball slammed into Weevil's head like a meteor.
Weevil staggered back several steps, but after shaking his head and rubbing the struck spot, he roared again and charged straight at Zephyr.
Karl barely had time to breathe.
"His upper body defense is insane!" Karl shouted.
"Go for the legs—his lower body is weak!"
This wasn't a random guess.
Weevil's torso was built like a monster's—
but his legs were thin, almost flimsy, like noodles.
"I'll try!" Zephyr replied.
The two tangled fiercely as Zephyr maneuvered, searching for a clean opening.
Karl picked up Uwamari from the deck and tightened his grip with both hands.
Not a sneak attack.
This is a righteous backstab.
The battered boat finally reached its limit.
Then—
An opening.
Zephyr locked Weevil's elbow, shifted his center of gravity, and suddenly hooked his right foot behind Weevil's supporting leg.
"Down you go!!!"
With a surge of power, muscles bulging, Zephyr executed a brutal shoulder throw.
BOOOM—!!!
Weevil crashed hard onto the deck.
Karl's eyes lit up.
Now!
He leapt high, raising Uwamari overhead, and brought it down with all his strength—
not at the thigh—
but straight at the knee, precisely targeting the patellar tendon.
Slash—!
"AAAAAAAGH—!!!"
Weevil screamed in agony, wildly flailing as he struck Karl away with a slap and rolled across the deck clutching his knee.
"Zephyr-sensei—break his legs!"
Zephyr didn't hesitate.
He coiled power into his right leg and kicked with pinpoint precision at the injured knee—
Crack.
A crisp, horrifying sound rang out.
Weevil's right leg collapsed completely.
A long, miserable wail tore from his throat.
"Finish him while he's down!"
Without exchanging a word, Karl and Zephyr reached the same conclusion.
Zephyr moved first—
systematically crushing Weevil's remaining leg.
Left leg—gone.
Mobility—zero.
With both legs destroyed, Weevil's monstrous strength became meaningless.
Now—
he was nothing more than a beast waiting to be slaughtered.
Half an hour later.
Weevil lay unconscious, yet still breathing.
His vitality was terrifying—far beyond normal human limits.
"Zephyr-sensei," Karl asked, breathing heavily,
"what do we do? Kill him?"
Zephyr nodded, panting.
The battle had exhausted him completely.
Even with Karl's Holy Light and Ain's support, his age had caught up to him.
"You're asking me?" Zephyr scoffed.
"Weren't you planning to kill him from the start?"
Karl scratched his head and stepped closer, Uwamari in hand.
"There's something… strange about him. Look at these scars."
Zephyr followed his gaze.
Three massive, grotesque scars crossed Weevil's body—
injuries that looked like his arm, his head, or even his body had once been cut apart.
"I noticed them earlier," Zephyr said slowly.
"At first, I thought his recovery was simply abnormal."
"But that doesn't make sense. If he truly healed that well, scars like these wouldn't remain."
Karl nodded silently.
Was Weevil some kind of experimental chimera created by the Marines' science division?
It was only a suspicion—no evidence.
"Forget it," Karl said quietly.
"That's not our problem."
"Let me end this."
Zephyr turned away.
"I'll stay out of it."
A moment later—
Shlk.
The sound of steel sinking into flesh echoed.
Zephyr closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
After an exhausting effort, Weevil finally left this world.
But Uwamari's blade now bore a deep crack along its body.
Karl guessed it had formed when he blocked Weevil's earlier strike.
"The sword's finished," he muttered.
Still—no big deal.
There's a Black Blade waiting in the Florian Triangle.
"Zephyr-sensei, I've already fired the signal flare," Karl said.
"Binz and the others should be back soon."
Zephyr nodded and headed toward the cabin.
Just before entering, he turned back.
"Karl—remember to contact Marine Headquarters."
"Our ship probably won't make it back."
"Understood."
Half an hour later, several lifeboats returned.
The new recruits swarmed back onto the deck.
When they saw Karl calmly smoking a cigar by the railing, they finally relaxed.
"Karl! Is Zephyr-sensei alright?!"
Karl smiled over his shoulder.
"He's fine—just tired. Don't disturb him."
"Then… the battle earlier…"
Only now did they fully notice the ship's condition.
Holes.
Deep gashes.
The hull creaking like it could collapse at any second.
"Th-that pirate… the one with a 320 million bounty—"
"Was he killed by Zephyr-sensei?"
"Yeah," Karl said calmly.
"The body's on the other boat. If you're going to look, search the ship while you're there."
"There should be treasure. Bring it back—everything gets confiscated."
"YES SIR!!!"
Most of the recruits immediately rushed to the sinking boat.
When they saw Weevil's massive corpse—
they all sucked in cold air.
"So this is what Zephyr-sensei and Karl fought…"
"That thing's a monster!"
"And look at his mustache—it's just like Whitebeard's… could they really be related?"
The recruits buzzed excitedly, pointing and whispering, until the ship was nearly submerged.
Only then did they hurry to loot the treasure Miss Bakkin had accumulated—and return to the training ship.
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