Carl cast an indifferent glance at the suddenly agitated Sea Kings around him, then turned to Shirahoshi and asked,
"Shirahoshi, what are they yelling about?"
Frowning, Shirahoshi repeated what the Sea Kings had just said. Hearing this, Carl scoffed disdainfully and looked at the massive, pufferfish-like Sea King in the center.
"You beasts seem to be mistaken about something. It's not that I'm by your king's side—it's that your king is following me."
The moment his words fell, Carl's eyes slightly widened, and an overwhelming surge of Conqueror's Haki, intertwined with dark purple lightning, exploded from his body. The surrounding seawater roiled violently as if an invisible fist had struck every massive Sea King, causing their bodies to convulse.
Yet despite the sheer intensity of Carl's Haki, Shirahoshi, standing beside him, remained completely unaffected, as if shielded from its influence. This alone was enough to demonstrate just how refined Carl's mastery of Conqueror's Haki had become.
Carl had pushed his Haki to an unparalleled level—even his younger brother, Shanks, was slightly inferior in comparison.
Dark purple lightning crackled around Carl as an inky-black aura billowed from his back. Though his figure was minuscule compared to the gargantuan Sea Kings surrounding him, the oppressive force radiating from him felt as vast and boundless as the sea itself.
However, these creatures had survived the great war eight hundred years ago. They wouldn't be cowed into submission by mere presence alone.
Recovering from their initial shock, their eyes turned blood-red, and their thousand-meter-long bodies thrashed violently, stirring up chaotic currents.
Yet no matter how much they churned the water, Carl remained suspended in place, unmoving. He had considered using his abilities to stabilize Shirahoshi, but the moment the currents reached her, they softened, causing no harm whatsoever. Clearly, as one of the Three Ancient Weapons, Poseidon's power was far more than just the ability to communicate with Sea Kings.
Seeing that Shirahoshi was safe, Carl was free to deal with these oversized creatures as he pleased.
A dark sphere enveloped his body as he slowly ascended, finally stopping at the center of the Sea Kings' converging gazes.
In the next instant, an infinite abyss of darkness erupted from behind him, morphing into colossal black tendrils.
The swirling black appendages coiled behind Carl like a dark sun, and at that moment, every Sea King opened their abyssal maws and lunged at him simultaneously.
Narrowing his eyes, Carl smirked. He hadn't summoned these creatures merely to guard Mary Geoise. He had another goal—to test their obedience, to see if they would follow Shirahoshi's orders and align themselves with him completely.
After all, eight hundred years ago, these very Sea Kings had stood with Joy Boy. If they couldn't be used, then they needed to be eliminated early. Otherwise, once war broke out, they might launch a sudden attack from the depths, slamming into the Red Line.
With that thought, a glint of cold intent flickered in Carl's eyes as the black tendrils lashed forward, striking at the advancing Sea Kings.
These creatures weren't just enormous, they were intelligent. Most of them twisted their bodies to evade the eerie black tendrils rather than meeting them head-on.
But two of them weren't as lucky.
The tendrils, appearing deceptively soft, transformed into razor-sharp spears upon piercing the Sea Kings' bodies, driving deep into their flesh. A torrent of blood gushed out, instantly dyeing the surrounding water crimson.
The two wounded Sea Kings let out agonized roars, while the others, still untouched, barely had time to breathe before the tendrils whipped back, ensnaring them in an inescapable grip.
Watching them struggle in vain, Carl sneered.
"Disobedient beasts should be slaughtered. I imagine your meat is far more delicious than that of ordinary Sea Kings."
Although Carl couldn't understand their language, the Sea Kings could comprehend human speech.
The thought of being eaten filled them with terror and rage. One of them, a bird-beaked Sea King, broke free from the tendrils, its serpentine body coiling before launching forward like an arrow, spinning violently as it surged toward Carl.
Carl smirked contemptuously and muttered,
"Hmph. Foolish beast…"
Raising his hand, he aimed his palm at the charging Sea King. A rapidly expanding vortex of darkness materialized.
A surge of crushing gravitational force exploded outward, pulling the Sea King, along with the surrounding seawater, into the swirling abyss.
The instant its beak touched the vortex, it shattered, followed by its massive head being shredded into a fine mist of blood and flesh. A creature that had lived for countless centuries perished in an instant.
Carl, however, didn't destroy its entire body. The moment its head was gone, he ceased his ability, leaving the serpent-like corpse floating in the ocean.
As he had mentioned earlier, Sea Kings had incredibly tender meat, and a carcass this large could feed an entire nation for days. Wasting it would be a shame.
He might as well haul it up and have Aokiji freeze it.
Of course, frozen meat never tasted as good as fresh.
With that in mind, Carl's gaze toward the remaining Sea Kings turned playful.
He wondered—should he keep them half-alive, let Aokiji freeze them, and then thaw them bit by bit whenever he wanted to eat? Cutting fresh meat off a living Sea King certainly had its appeal.
Just as Carl was considering turning these creatures into his personal food reserves, Shirahoshi, who had been silent until now, suddenly let out a siren-like cry...
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+170 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg