Facing John

After coming aboard, Carl immediately went to find Newgate.

"Do you recognize any of these Devil Fruits, Big Brother Newgate?"

Carl asked Newgate in the cabin. He was eager to find out what these Devil Fruits were called.

He laid out the Devil Fruit he'd found when he first washed up on the deserted island, the one from the auction, and the one he'd taken from the scarred pirate, one by one in front of Newgate.

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

Newgate pointed at the fruit from the auction. He wore an envious expression, never having expected Carl to be so lucky as to find so many Devil Fruits in such a short time.

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

The two fruits Newgate identified were the one Carl had found on the deserted island and the one he'd just taken from the scarred pirate. As for the fruit from the auction, even Newgate didn't recognize it.

Since Newgate didn't know what it was, Carl could only pin his hopes on the system.

"Alright, thanks."

Though he hadn't identified them all, at least he'd recognized two.

After a simple dinner, Carl returned to his room.

Clay had been given the room next to Carl's.

"System, what kind of fruit is this?"

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

"Ding!"

"Congratulations, host. You're incredibly lucky."

"This fruit must have been affected by the energy I released when I came to this world."

"It's the Energy Fruit. It can absorb all the energy in the world and convert or release it."

"It's a fruit with an extremely high ceiling."

Carl's expression turned to one of shock. The fruit could absorb all the energy in the world, and not only convert it but release it as well.

Carl wasn't like the people in the Pirate World, who had never lived through the explosive growth of the technological age.

Did all energy include water, wind, kinetic, light, dark, and thermal energy, even certain kinds of negative energy?

If he could put it to use, this would definitely be a top-tier Devil Fruit.

If that was the case, then the fruit's potential was truly unimaginable.

But Carl didn't want to use a Devil Fruit for now. As he saw it, eating one always came with a drawback: fear of the sea.

Until he reached the limits of his current strength, he wouldn't consider using a Devil Fruit to make himself stronger.

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

After all, if they reached Hachinosu tomorrow, they might be in for a fierce battle.

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

And to become a captain, he would have to fight.

So he needed to be well rested.

Hachinosu was an island in the New World, shaped like a giant beehive, which was how it got its name.

The island's environment was extremely harsh, and it was shrouded in thick fog year-round. It was inhabited entirely by pirates, with not a single civilian in sight. This was Hachinosu, the home base of the Rocks Pirates.

Early that morning, a pirate ship slowly sailed into Hachinosu's harbor.

Carl stood at the bow, gazing at the mysterious island before him, his heart full of anticipation.

He had no standing in the crew, and it would be impossible for him to come here and become a captain without facing some difficulties.

So he thought carefully about who in the Rocks Pirates was relatively weak at this point in time.

After turning it over in his mind, he figured John and Ochoku were probably the weakest.

Kaido was only an apprentice at the moment, after all. Even if Carl defeated him, he wouldn't become a captain.

"Feeling nervous?"

Newgate stood beside him and asked. On the way there, Carl had told Newgate about his plan to become a captain right away.

But Newgate was worried. After several fights, Carl's overall strength was now at the Vice Admiral level, but no one on the island was a pushover. One mistake could cost him his life. After all, the members of the Rocks Pirates were all bloodthirsty killers.

Carl was only so troublesome to deal with because of his immense strength and rapid recovery. If his opponent let their guard down, they might lose, but that didn't mean no one could beat him.

He had to prepare himself for that possibility.

Especially since the crew included skilled swordsmen like Golden Lion and Charlotte Linlin.

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

Carl answered confidently. No matter what happened, given his current ability to recover, he wouldn't die outright unless Rocks himself stepped in. As long as he didn't die, he still had a chance. At worst, he could start out as a crew member.

He hoped he'd face John or Ochoku. His odds of success would be much higher that way.

What they didn't know was that Golden Lion had already gone out to sea and wasn't on the island. Otherwise, Carl would have been in serious danger today.

"If you've thought it through, then let's go."

By the time they finished talking, the ship had already docked. The pirates aboard hurried to unload the cargo and take it onto Hachinosu.

Hachinosu was a kind of home to the pirates. Though most of the things they plundered from elsewhere were brought there and first handed over to Rocks for distribution, whatever wealth they received afterward belonged entirely to them.

Rocks ruled his crew through force, bringing them together against their will. A crew like that might have had no unity, but its fighting strength was extraordinary. After all, the weak had probably been killed long ago.

"Newgate, who's that you brought back?"

"Ma-ma-ma-ma!"

Newgate and Carl turned toward the voice and saw Charlotte Linlin walking over to them.

Charlotte Linlin had also seen the wanted poster. She'd come to recruit Carl into her crew.

"Well? How about joining my crew?"

"I guarantee you'll be my deputy captain."

As soon as Charlotte Linlin approached, she invited Carl to join her.

"No, I want to be a captain."

Carl gave an awkward smile and politely declined. He didn't want to be anyone's subordinate, but he hadn't expected Charlotte Linlin to be the first to recruit him.

Charlotte Linlin seemed to have anticipated that answer. Strong people didn't like being under someone else, especially someone Newgate had brought back.

She smiled faintly and said to Carl, "You can think it over. My offer stands, so come find me whenever you like."

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

Newgate smiled at Carl, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Keep at it. I hope you achieve your dream soon."

Carl nodded solemnly and headed deeper into Hachinosu.

He knew that if he wanted to stand out among the Rocks Pirates, he would have to work even harder.

"Who's making such a ridiculous boast over there?"

A shout rang out in the distance.

John was walking toward them with a greatsword in hand.

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

John had been watching from the side, but he hadn't expected Carl to make such a bold claim.

A bounty of 500 million Beli wasn't all that impressive on Hachinosu. Hearing Carl boast like that, John decided to come over and test his strength.

"Take this!"

"Sword Style: Slash Wave!"

As he spoke, John stomped his left foot down with enough force to instantly leave a huge crater in the ground. He leaped into the air and swung the greatsword in his right hand at Carl.

The blade turned pitch-black in an instant, clearly coated in Armament Haki, and a blue slash shot toward Carl.

Carl didn't back down. He hadn't expected John to challenge him first, but he was looking forward to the fight.

He bent his knees, pushed off hard, and shot toward John like a cannonball.

He coated his right hand in Armament Haki as well and charged straight into John's greatsword. Though Carl had only awakened his Armament Haki recently, it was enough.

With Newgate's guidance aboard the ship, Carl had grasped a deeper level of Armament Haki, even if he hadn't mastered it yet. After all, his body had long since reached the threshold for using it.

"Clang!"

The moment Carl's fist collided with the greatsword, a crisp metallic clang rang out.

At the instant of impact, a circular shock wave rippled outward, knocking the pirates along the shore off their feet.

"Oh, the captains are fighting! Run!"

"Get away from here! We'll get caught in it!"

"R-run!"

The pirates nearby knew that when captains fought, even the shock waves from an ordinary battle were more than they could withstand.

If they failed to get out of the way, they could lose their lives, so as soon as John and Carl started fighting, they scattered from the area.

John's first strike missed. He stepped back and said,

"Not bad, kid. But if that's all you've got, it's not enough to be a captain."

"Take another one!"

John bent his knees slightly, then gripped the greatsword with both hands. The veins on his arms bulged as he put all his strength into a vicious slash at Carl.

A crescent-shaped blast of energy shot toward Carl.

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