Carl held the cursed sword Muramasa, his wings gently fluttering behind him as he slowly descended from the sky.
He glanced at Emet and others, including Nami, and said coolly,
"Making such a big ruckus, and now you want to run?"
Nami and the others swallowed nervously. They harbored deep resentment for Carl, all wanting to avenge the deaths of Zoro and the others. But when they looked at Carl again, they couldn't even muster the courage to speak.
It wasn't just them, this was the first time Lindbergh had faced Carl in person. As soon as he saw him, his fur stood on end, his instincts warning him that the man above was far beyond his strength.
Lindbergh couldn't even get into a battle stance. His teeth clenched as he trembled and said,
"Damn it, what is this oppressive feeling?!"
Joy Boy's brow furrowed in worry. His worst fear had come true—the Celestial Dragons had indeed found them here.
Amidst the silence, Emet's gaze was fixed on the cursed sword Muramasa in Carl's hand and the dark aura constantly radiating from him.
"So, you're really the descendant of that Cassilius!"
A dark gleam flashed in Carl's eyes as he looked down at the group. Slowly, he raised one hand, palm open, and a swirling dark vortex appeared in front of him.
Joy Boy's pupils contracted as he quickly spread his arms, seemingly trying to shield Nami and the others below.
In the next moment,
"Universal Pull."
Hum!
A dark gravitational force exploded from Carl's palm, and Joy Boy's obstruction had no effect. Emet's massive steel body was pulled toward the sky right before his eyes.
The sudden sensation of weightlessness caused Emet to panic, his limbs flailing in the air, nearly tossing Nami and the others from his grasp.
Before he could reach Carl in the sky, Carl's wings behind him transformed into two streams of black light, condensing into a pitch-black spear which he thrust toward Emet.
Joy Boy immediately leapt into the air, reaching Emet's chest before the dark spear could pierce him. Using his massive hands, he slapped the tip of the spear aside, but was pushed back with immense force, crashing into Emet as they both plummeted downward.
With a huge crash, Emet created a deep crater in the ground, while Joy Boy was pinned against it by the dark spear.
Crack!
A massive surge of red-black lightning burst from Joy Boy's hands, and with a roar, he threw the dark spear upward.
The spear split into two beams of black light and merged back into Carl's wings.
Joy Boy stood up from Emet's chest, head bowed, black hair rising on its own as it suddenly ignited into blazing white flames. The flaming clouds on his back solidified.
The Conqueror's Haki lightning raged around him as he raised his head. His golden pupils reflected Carl's image from above.
Emet lifted his head slightly and said,
"Joy Boy..."
Joy Boy turned to give Emet a smile before slowly crouching. Emet's body acted like a trampoline, compressing under Joy Boy's strength without causing harm.
Carl narrowed his eyes, and the cursed sword Muramasa started to glow with blood-red markings, becoming even more sinister.
At almost the same time, Carl and Joy Boy launched toward each other.
Two figures—one black, one white—collided mid-air, releasing a storm of Conqueror's Haki lightning. These bolts struck Egghead Island, instantly tearing it apart.
As Joy Boy fully entered combat, he let out a loud laugh in the air. Carl's expression remained as calm as water as they engaged in a fierce battle.
Endless darkness surged behind Carl, with countless arms extending from it, all reaching for Joy Boy.
Joy Boy exaggeratedly shouted, leaping and dodging the hands of darkness.
Seeing Joy Boy having fun, Carl didn't rush. He even stopped watching Joy Boy and instead turned his attention to Nami and the others below.
Lindbergh immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly flashed to the front of Nami and the others, shouting,
"Get out of here! He's focused on us!"
Before he could finish, Lindbergh's pupils suddenly widened as Carl, who had been in the sky, was now standing right in front of him.
Carl simply stared into Lindbergh's eyes. Even without doing anything, Lindbergh was drenched in sweat.
Carl smiled slightly and said,
"To be Dragon's subordinate, your sweat glands are quite developed."
Lindbergh gritted his teeth, suppressing the inexplicable fear rising in him. He lifted his claws and slashed at Carl's neck.
Carl raised his hand slightly and grabbed Lindbergh's claw with ease, even as Lindbergh tried with all his might to escape.
Lindbergh's gaze sharpened, and silver electric arcs started to shimmer along his arm, but to his shock, Carl showed no reaction to the lightning at all, as if the electric current had no effect on him.
Carl glanced at the silver arcs on his body and chuckled,
"Using lightning against me? And from a fur tribe no less... Heh..."
Whoosh!
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Brook, holding his sword, appeared behind Carl and struck him in the face.
However, Brook's strikes only left a tear in Carl's clothes, which immediately emitted black mist that swiftly reformed, returning the clothes to their original state.
The bullets aimed at Carl's face didn't even scratch his cornea.
Franky, holding his smoking finger, stared in disbelief,
"How is this possible!? Could he be a cyborg too?!"
Carl glanced at Emet, and a deep purple sphere enveloped Emet's massive form, pinning him to the ground with crushing force.
Carl then extended one finger, releasing a silver flash of lightning.
With an explosion, Nami's scream rang out,
"Franky!!!"
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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg