Battle Against John

After boarding the ship, Carl immediately sought out Newgate.

"Brother Newgate, do you recognize these Devil Fruits?"

Carl spoke to Newgate inside the cabin, desperate to learn the names of these fruits.

He laid out the Devil Fruit he had found on the deserted island, the one from the auction, and the one he had taken from the scarred pirate, placing them one by one before Newgate.

"I do recognize a few, though I don't know this one. I can check the Devil Fruit encyclopedia once we return to the island."

Newgate pointed to the fruit from the auction, his expression filled with envy. He had not expected Carl to be so lucky, acquiring so many Devil Fruits in such a short time.

"This is the Paramecia-type Rain-Rain Fruit, and this one is the Zoan-type Ox-Ox Fruit."

Newgate pointed to the two fruits—the one from the deserted island and the one taken from the scarred pirate. As for the one from the auction, Newgate did not recognize it either.

Since Newgate didn't know, Carl had to pin his hopes on the system.

"Alright, thank you."

Although he hadn't identified them all, it was fortunate that at least two were known.

After a simple dinner, Carl returned to his room.

Clay was assigned to the room next to Carl's.

"System, what kind of fruit is this?"

Since the system had warned him earlier, it must know what this fruit was.

"Ding!"

"Congratulations to the host, your luck is truly excellent."

"This fruit was likely influenced by the energy released when I arrived in this world."

"It is the Energy Fruit. It can absorb all energy in the world, converting or releasing it."

"It is a fruit with a very high potential."

Carl was shocked to hear this. To be able to absorb all energy in the world, and not only convert it but release it as well?

Carl was not one of those people in the Pirate World who had never experienced the technological explosion.

Did "all energy" mean water energy, wind energy, kinetic energy, light energy, dark energy, thermal energy, and even negative energy?

If utilized properly, this was absolutely a top-tier Devil Fruit.

Looking at it this way, the potential of this fruit was truly unimaginable.

However, Carl did not want to use a Devil Fruit for the time being. In his view, using a Devil Fruit always came with a certain drawback: the fear of the sea.

As long as his current strength had not reached its limit, he would not consider using a Devil Fruit to increase his power.

After washing up, Carl tidied his things and went to sleep.

After all, if they arrived at Hachinosu tomorrow, a fierce battle might be waiting for him.

He had told Newgate that he wanted to become a captain, not join his crew.

And to become a captain, one had to go through battle.

Therefore, he had to conserve his energy and sharpen his skills.

Hachinosu, an island located in the New World, was named for its shape, which resembled a giant beehive.

The environment on the island was extremely harsh, shrouded in thick fog year-round. The island was populated entirely by pirates, with not a single civilian in sight; this was the headquarters of the Rocks Pirates.

That morning, a pirate ship slowly sailed into the port of Hachinosu.

Carl stood at the bow, gazing at the mysterious island before him, his heart filled with anticipation.

Because he was a nobody, it would be impossible to become a captain immediately without facing some difficulties.

He thought carefully about who among the Rocks Pirates was relatively weak at this time.

After much deliberation, he concluded that only John and Wang Zhi would be relatively weaker.

After all, Kaido was still just an apprentice at this time, and defeating him wouldn't make Carl a captain.

"How is it? Are you nervous?"

Newgate stood beside him and asked. During the journey, Carl had discussed his plan with Newgate—he wanted to become a captain directly.

Newgate, however, expressed concern. Although Carl's overall strength had reached the level of a Vice Admiral after several battles, there were no pushovers on the island. One mistake could lead to death, as the members of the Rocks Pirates were all bloodthirsty.

Carl was only difficult to deal with because of his great strength and rapid stamina recovery; he might fail if he wasn't careful, but that didn't mean there was no one who could beat him.

He had to be mentally prepared for this.

Especially against experts who used swords, like Golden Lion and Charlotte Linlin.

"Don't worry, I'm ready."

Carl said confidently. No matter what, given his current physical recovery, he wouldn't die instantly unless Rocks himself took action. As long as he didn't die, he still had a chance—at worst, he would just start as a crew member.

He hoped to face John or Wang Zhi, as that would give him a much higher chance of success.

What they didn't know was that Golden Lion had already set sail and was not on the island at the moment; otherwise, Carl would have been in grave danger today.

"Since you've made up your mind, let's go."

As the two of them spoke, the ship docked, and the pirates on board began moving their cargo onto Hachinosu.

Hachinosu was considered a home for the pirates. Although much of the loot plundered from abroad was brought here to be distributed by Rocks, the wealth remained entirely their own once allocated.

Rocks ruled his pirate crew through force, holding them together by sheer might. While such a crew lacked cohesion, their combat power was far from ordinary—after all, the weak had likely already perished.

"Newgate, look at who you've brought back."

"Ma-ma-ma-ma!"

Newgate and Carl turned at the sound to see Charlotte Linlin walking toward them.

Charlotte Linlin had already seen the bounty poster, and her purpose in coming over was to recruit Carl into her own team.

"How about it? Why not join my crew?"

"I guarantee you'll be a vice-captain the moment you join."

As soon as Charlotte Linlin approached, she extended an invitation to Carl.

"No thanks, I want to be a captain."

Carl offered a wry smile and politely declined; he had no desire to be anyone's subordinate, though he hadn't expected Charlotte Linlin to be the first to scout him.

Charlotte Linlin seemed to have anticipated this response. After all, the strong rarely liked to serve under others, especially someone Newgate had brought back.

With a tall, imposing figure and a faint smile on her face, she said to Carl, "You can take some time to think about it. My offer stands, and it won't be too late to come find me whenever you're ready."

With that, Charlotte Linlin turned and left, leaving Carl and Newgate standing where they were.

Newgate looked at Carl with a smile, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Keep at it. I hope you realize your dream soon."

Carl nodded solemnly, took a step forward, and headed toward the depths of Hachinosu.

He knew that if he wanted to stand out among the Rocks Pirates, he would have to put in even more effort.

"Who is making such bold claims over there?"

A loud shout echoed from a distance.

John was seen walking toward them, wielding a large sword.

"If you want to be a captain, you'll have to get past me first."

John had originally been watching from the sidelines, but he hadn't expected this Carl to talk such big talk.

A bounty of 500 million berries wasn't actually that much on Hachinosu, and hearing such arrogance made John want to test his strength.

"Eat my blade!"

"Sword Wave!"

As John spoke, he stomped his left foot, creating a massive crater in the ground, leaped into mid-air, and swung the longsword in his right hand toward Carl.

The blade turned pitch-black instantly, clearly coated in Armament Haki, as a cyan sword wave surged toward Carl.

Carl did not retreat. Although he hadn't expected John to challenge him, he was actually looking forward to a fight.

He bent his knees and pushed off, launching himself toward John like a cannonball.

He concentrated Armament Haki into his right hand and struck directly at John's greatsword. Although his Haki had only awakened recently, it was sufficient.

Under Newgate's guidance on the ship, Carl had grasped a deeper level of Armament Haki, though he wasn't yet fully proficient in it—after all, his physical condition had long since reached the threshold required to use it.

"Clang!"

The moment their fists met the greatsword, a crisp sound of clashing metal rang out.

At the point of impact, a circular shockwave radiated outward, instantly blowing the nearby pirates off their feet.

"Oh, the captains are fighting! Retreat!"

"Get out of here, or we'll get caught in the crossfire!"

"Quick... run!"

The pirates on the sidelines knew that when captains engaged in even casual combat, the aftermath was more than they could handle.

If they didn't get out of the way, they might lose their lives, so as soon as they saw John and Carl begin to fight, they scrambled away from the scene.

John missed his strike, stepped back, and said, "The kid's got some moves, but that alone isn't enough to be a captain."

"Try this one."

John bent his knees slightly, gripped his greatsword with both hands, and with veins bulging on his arms, he swung with his full strength at Carl.

A crescent-shaped energy attack surged toward him.

Carl knew that if he wanted to be a captain, he couldn't ignore John's challenge; he had to defeat him.