Comprehending Armament Haki

Steel Bone Kong took a deep breath, deciding to defeat Carl first.

Without hesitation, he unleashed the secret technique of the Six Powers he had mastered—Star Breaker!

His figure soared into the air like a gale, his fist coated in Armament Haki smashing toward Carl like a meteor.

A massive shockwave of force carrying a destructive aura rapidly closed in on Carl; the pressure of the fist arrived even before the blow itself.

The energy fluctuations in the air grew increasingly violent, as if the very clouds in the sky were being torn apart by this power.

Facing Steel Bone Kong's fierce assault, a look of gravity flashed in Carl's eyes. He knew he could not take this head-on, or he wouldn't last long; since he was not standing on solid ground, his stamina was not recovering as quickly as he had hoped, and he could clearly feel his energy draining away rapidly.

He knew Steel Bone Kong had unleashed his full power, and the consequences of being hit by this punch would be unimaginable.

Carl shifted his position rapidly, turning into a blur as he nimbly dodged Steel Bone Kong's attack while continuously closing the distance.

Once close, Carl did not show weakness, countering with his own Navy Six Powers techniques; the blue light unleashed by his Tempest Kick instantly filled the sky.

The battlefield turned chaotic in an instant, the flashes of blades and shadows of fists intertwining to spark a flurry of collisions.

The two figures wove together, their instantaneous explosive power leaving onlookers unable to keep track.

Meanwhile, Steel Bone Kong took a moment to witness his own Navy forces losing ground against Newgate's subordinates, feeling a pang of heartache—these were the elites of the Navy.

He knew the consequences of dragging this out would be disastrous, a reality the Navy did not want to face. They needed to withdraw from this battlefield; after all, with Carl's interference, their plan to surround and capture Newgate had effectively failed.

As he made a swift decision, he leaped high into the air and kicked down with his right foot.

Beneath his foot, it was as if a meteor were crashing to earth, unstoppable.

"Well done."

Carl let out a low grunt, his expression solemn. This blow was not to be underestimated, so he gathered all his strength into his fist, condensing a terrifying amount of power.

Carl let out a roar.

"Mountain Crusher!"

Drawing on the experience gained from destroying dozens of mountains on the island, he unleashed a deafening punch.

The moment their fist and foot collided, a massive boom erupted in the sky.

The impact pushed the sea level down by dozens of meters, and Carl, struck by the violent force of Steel Bone Kong, was instantly driven into the ocean.

Water splashed and waves churned as Carl sank rapidly into the deep sea. Just then, he noticed his fist had turned pitch black.

Clearly, without realizing it, he had mastered Armament Haki.

He opened his mouth to laugh out loud, but the salty, wet taste reminded him that he was underwater.

His consciousness clearly told him that if he didn't get out, he might die here, so he hurriedly began to swim upward.

At that moment, he felt intense pain radiating throughout his body. Looking down at himself, his exposed skin was covered in bruises and contusions.

It turned out he had sustained such heavy injuries without even noticing; if his physique hadn't been extraordinary, he likely would have died on the battlefield.

Carl gritted his teeth, struggling to swim upward toward the light of the surface.

He knew that only by returning to the surface would he have a chance to rejoin the fight.

He still wanted to battle Steel Bone Kong a while longer; he wanted to test how much his strength had improved after using Armament Haki, and he didn't want to waste this opportunity.

After all, chances to fight such a powerhouse were rare.

Steel Bone Kong realized Carl was about to return to the surface, so he broke off the engagement and immediately charged toward Newgate.

He knew that to end this battle, he had to quickly drive back Newgate. Carl had only been knocked into the sea, and his Observation Haki could clearly sense him swimming up at high speed.

Steel Bone Kong made his move, flying behind Newgate to launch a sneak attack before he could turn around.

Although these events sound numerous, they occurred in just a few seconds.

A heavy, powerful punch slammed directly toward Newgate; the speed and force tore through the air, nearly distorting space itself, followed by a violent explosion.

It was a powerful punch that scattered the clouds gathered in the sky.

Sure enough, because Steel Bone Kong's transition was so swift, Newgate hadn't reacted in time and took the heavy blow on his back, flying backward onto the deck of his pirate ship.

"Retreat!"

He immediately ordered his crew to withdraw quickly.

Their battle had ended somewhat abruptly, but Steel Bone Kong knew that in this dangerous New World, the strength of pirates generally exceeded that of the Navy.

He did not want to see his men suffer further casualties in this fight, especially since the mission could no longer be completed.

Furthermore, the longer they delayed, the more disadvantageous it became, as reinforcements from the Rocks Pirates could arrive at any moment. He could not gamble with the lives of his men.

The Navy fleet sailed away from the battlefield, leaving only Newgate and his crew in the sea.

Newgate did not pursue; he knew the battle was over.

He rubbed the deep red bruise on his chest.

Watching the retreating Navy fleet, he revealed a smug smile.

"Steel Bone Kong, let's fight again next time!"

He shouted loudly, his voice echoing across the sea.

The marines present retreated one after another to their warships, and the entire fleet quickly sailed away.

Although Newgate had not had his fill of fighting, he did not wish to continue clashing with Steel Bone Kong. After all, Steel Bone Kong had brought elite marines this time, and the casualties among his own pirate crew were quite heavy.

Seeing Steel Bone Kong pulling back, Newgate did not pursue, merely throwing out a Quake Punch as a farewell.

A hundred-meter-high wave surged across the sea surface, rushing toward Steel Bone Kong.

Steel Bone Kong had already sensed that Carl was about to surface, so while ordering the fleet to quickly depart the battlefield, he threw out a series of heavy punches, the force of his blows neutralizing the waves.

"I miscalculated this time. I didn't expect there to be such a formidable figure on Newgate's ship. Why was there no intelligence on this before?"

Steel Bone Kong wore a look of regret.

He knew the reason for this failure was primarily the presence of a powerful young man on Newgate's ship.

The atmosphere on the battlefield gradually calmed, leaving only the sound of crashing waves and the whistling wind.

Deep in the water, Carl was still swimming desperately. Relying on sheer willpower and determination, he finally succeeded in breaking through the surface.

He took a sharp breath, feeling the fresh sea breeze, his entire body trembling with excitement.

"This time, I will definitely make them pay the price."

He made up his mind, preparing to rejoin the battle.

He flew toward the battlefield, carrying anger and resolve, ready to fight Steel Bone Kong once more.

However, what Carl did not expect was that by the time he wanted to rejoin the fight, Steel Bone Kong's fleet had already sailed far away.

He watched the fleet as it drifted further and further away.

He could only return to the deck and shake his head helplessly.

"Rest assured, there will be other opportunities."

Newgate said comfortingly.

"Then I'll settle the score with them next time."

Carl leaned against the back of White Tiger.

"Hiss!"

"This is no ordinary pain."

As his expression relaxed, the excruciating pain from all over his body finally registered in his nerves.

"Victory!"

"Lads, let's have a banquet!"

Seeing that Steel Bone Kong and his men had withdrawn, Newgate knew they had won this battle, so he ordered his pirates to hold a banquet to celebrate their victory.