Restroom.
Karl casually tossed the newspaper aside and eagerly muttered in his mind:
"System, use all Attribute Enhancement Cards—boost Perception.
And use all Haki Enhancement Cards as well!"
Once the enhancement was complete, Karl instantly felt his mind become clearer, as if a layer of fog had been lifted. His awareness of the outside world sharpened significantly—
though his Perception stat still didn't level up.
The pleasant surprise was that both Armament Haki and Observation Haki had increased by one level, reaching LV2.
To test the effects of LV2 Armament Haki, Karl raised his right hand and activated Hardening.
In an instant, his arm turned pitch-black, gleaming faintly under the restroom lights.
He pressed his hand against the sink—
The snow-white ceramic surface was immediately coated in a thin layer of black.
"Heh, not bad. The strength's clearly improved," Karl said with satisfaction.
"Too bad I still can't use Haki coating yet… looks like I'll need to keep leveling it."
As for Observation Haki, the change wasn't obvious.
He figured the difference would only truly show in real combat.
"Pretty good overall."
A short while later, Karl walked out of the restroom feeling refreshed. He plopped down across from Kizaru, crossed his legs, and lit a cigar.
"Phew—Admiral Kiza—"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Kizaru glanced at him lazily.
Karl sighed and stood up to open the door.
"Ain? Why are you here?" Karl blinked, then remembered.
"Oh right—you went to work under Advisor Tsuru after your internship ended. Come in, come in, have a seat."
Ain glanced inside, saw Kizaru reading a newspaper, and immediately waved her hands.
"N-no need. Karl, come out for a moment."
"…Alright."
Karl followed her outside and gently closed the door behind him.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Ain put on a serious expression and stared straight at him.
"Karl… do you know what you've done?"
"???"
Karl was completely baffled.
I just got here today! What could I possibly have done?
"Hey, how would I know?" he said helplessly.
"Just say it straight—I hate riddles."
Ain put her hands on her hips and sighed.
"Just now, several senior sisters came to me asking about you. They wanted to know if you could help them… remove scars."
"…Huh?"
She quickly added, flustered,
"I mean—use your Holy Light to heal them!"
"Oh—wait. I get it now!"
Karl instantly thought of when he had used his ability on Gion, causing her tattoo to vanish completely.
News must have spread—
after all, Advisor Tsuru's department was full of female Marines.
Women caring about appearance was only natural.
And for female Marines constantly fighting pirates, scars were unavoidable.
If even a tattoo could be erased, of course they'd set their sights on him.
Karl cleared his throat and adopted a righteous tone.
"Ain, go back and tell them this: there'll be opportunities in the future—but not now."
"The Beasts Kaido is about to arrive. As a Marine of justice, I can't waste my stamina on trivial matters like this."
Ain stared at Karl—
who was speaking earnestly while holding a cigar in his right hand.
It wasn't that she didn't want to believe him.
It was just… Karl had too much of a criminal record when it came to excuses.
"…Yeah, that's what I told them," Ain said tiredly.
"I'll help you refuse this time. But next time…"
Karl patted his chest confidently.
"Don't worry!"
Next time?
Who knew when they'd even meet again.
Unless Advisor Tsuru managed to snatch him away from that monkey Kizaru—
but Karl doubted he'd agree anyway.
Twenty or thirty women?
He'd get eaten alive.
Ain left half-convinced.
Thinking of those sisters' pleading looks, she let out a quiet sigh.
Wano Country – Onigashima
"Damn Marines! They actually captured my precious subordinate!" Kaido roared.
"No way—I'm going to rescue him personally!"
Queen blew out a smoke ring and said calmly,
"Boss, letting Jack suffer a bit isn't a bad thing. No need to rush. I seriously suspect this is a Marine trap."
King nodded slightly.
"Boss, please reconsider."
Boom!
Kaido slammed the table to pieces, glaring at the two.
"I'm Kaido of the Beasts! Even if the Marines have some scheme, do you really think they can kill me?!"
"Boss—"
"Enough, King."
"Jack is my man. I won't sit around while he's dragged off by the Marines."
With a wave of his hand, Kaido strode out of the hall—and transformed into an Azure Dragon, soaring into the sky.
"Tch. Jack really is useless," Queen muttered.
"If it were me, I wouldn't need Boss to rescue me."
King glanced at him coolly.
"Jack's still young. He'll grow stronger."
"Unlike you—eating like a pig. Honestly, I find it hard to believe you'd escape from the Marines if you were captured."
"Idiot King!" Queen snapped.
"This isn't fat—it's muscle! Do you understand muscle?!"
"Heh."
G-2 Marine Base
Karl rolled over comfortably in bed.
He'd slept exceptionally well last night.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Karl, it's time for the meeting! Don't forget to come!"
"Got it!"
Kizaru really was great in this regard—
sleeping in, afternoon tea, all perfectly fine.
If it were Akainu, the door would've been kicked in already.
Karl quickly got up, washed up, put on his uniform, and strolled into the conference room.
Perfect timing—not late.
A moment later, Advisor Tsuru entered with a grave expression, a stack of documents in her hands.
"Intelligence reports confirm: Kaido has already left Onigashima and is heading straight for G-2 Base."
"The good news is—he's coming alone."
"According to my estimation," Tsuru continued,
"Kaido will arrive no later than tonight. Stay sharp. Be ready to engage him at any moment."
Karl scanned the room.
Kizaru. Aokiji.
Momousagi (Gion). Chaton (Tokikake).
Vice Admirals Momonga and Onigumo.
Two Admirals.
Two Admiral candidates.
Two Vice Admirals.
Tsuru herself would command rather than fight.
This lineup was… extremely respectful toward Kaido.
The only question was—
how long could he last?
In a top-tier battle like this, Karl could only play support.
If he actually tried to face Kaido head-on…
he'd probably get beaten until his eyes rolled back.
After the meeting, Kizaru and Aokiji were called away by Tsuru for a private discussion.
Karl was left alone, officially back to slacking.
This loneliness… who could understand it?
Gion walked over with a bright smile.
"Karl~ today I'll be relying on you a lot."
"Sister Gion, you flatter me," Karl replied politely.
"I can only offer some minor assistance. In the end, it'll still depend on you all."
"Hehe~ maybe not," Gion said.
"Kaido isn't an easy opponent."
Karl smiled noncommittally.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the blade at her waist—and his eyes lit up.
"That sword… that's Konpira, right?"
Gion immediately drew the blade for him to see.
"Good eye, little brother," she said with a smile.
"Konpira is one of the 21 Great Grade Blades. It's been with me for over twenty years."
Karl wasn't surprised that Konpira was a Great Grade blade.
What did surprise him—
Was Gion's age.
Forty? Fifty?
He didn't dare think further.
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