Sword Master

"Thump, thump, thump!"

Carl was sitting inside the cabin, deep in thought, when she heard a knocking at the door.

"Come in!"

"Lady Carl."

"We have arrived at the Phil Kingdom."

Clay opened the door and said to Carl with excitement.

"Oh, we're here already?"

"Then let's set out."

Carl walked toward the deck.

Clay followed closely behind her.

Carl had actually been communicating with the system just now; she wanted to know if her joining the Rocks Pirates had affected the timeline of the Pirate World.

However, the feedback from the system was that since there was still a long time before the start of the main plot, the timeline impact of her joining the Rocks Pirates was too small and might even be corrected by the world's consciousness.

Therefore, in terms of the overall timeline, there hadn't been any major changes.

Hearing this, Carl knew that if she wanted to interfere with the timeline, she had to commit some major historical events.

After all, even the God Valley incident would eventually fade into obscurity, and her joining the Rocks Pirates was insignificant compared to that.

So, she didn't feel discouraged; she knew that as long as she participated in more major events, she could definitely accumulate enough influence to truly affect the timeline.

"Alright, boys, head straight for the capital of the Phil Kingdom."

Carl curled the corners of her lips slightly as she stood at the bow of the ship and addressed the pirates under her command.

"Fire the cannons! Fire!"

The gunners immediately adjusted the muzzles and bombarded the port of the Phil Kingdom.

"Charge! For the gold!"

The rest of the pirates leaped onto the shore and began to slaughter their way toward the center of the Phil Kingdom.

"Oh no, pirates! Notify the Royal Guard quickly!"

The moment the pirates opened fire, the guards on the shore realized that these pirates were here to attack them. Since the Phil Kingdom usually allowed some pirate ships to dock for supplies, they hadn't reported the ship's arrival to the Royal Guard immediately, assuming it was just like any other day.

"Give me your lives!"

"Hahaha!"

"It's all mine!"

But it was already too late; most of the pirates had landed at the port and begun their pillaging.

For a time, the sounds of cannon fire and fighting filled the port, and the seawater was stained red with blood.

Carl strolled along leisurely, heading toward the center of the Phil Kingdom. Since they were making a scene, she would take care of the strongest opponents and leave the rest to her subordinates to wreak havoc; that should be enough to fulfill her duties. After all, she hadn't yet abandoned her sense of morality and shame, and she didn't want to slaughter ordinary people.

Although coming to the Phil Kingdom to kill wasn't Carl's original intention, since she had become a pirate, this was a process she was bound to experience.

"Fire your guns, quickly!"

"Raise your rifles!"

In the distance, hundreds of people approached, raising their rifles, while even more Royal Guards were rushing toward them from further away.

The Royal Guard had arrived.

"Fire!"

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire erupted everywhere.

"Fish-Man Karate: Shoulder Throw!"

Clay stood at the port and unleashed Fish-Man Karate, instantly smashing the seawater from the harbor onto the guards, sending hundreds of them tumbling over in an instant.

"Well done, Lord Clay!"

"Follow Lord Clay's lead, charge!"

The pirates laughed excitedly and charged madly toward the guards.

In just a short time, the fallen guards were slaughtered to a man.

"Damn pirates, how dare you invade our Phil Kingdom!"

A voice came from Carl's right.

Carl turned her head to look and saw a middle-aged man in golden armor sprinting toward them.

"I am General Klein."

"Pirates, your end has come."

"Slash Wave!"

General Klein saw the heavy casualties among his guards and immediately drew his sword, swinging it toward Carl.

A blue energy sword aura manifested out of thin air.

A master swordsman, interesting.

Carl had not expected the Feier Kingdom to harbor a master swordsman.

"Tyrant Fist!"

Carl coated his right hand in Armament Haki. By this point, he could already extend the coating to his entire arm, a testament to how quickly he had grasped the technique.

His fist met General Klein's sword aura, and the collision erupted into a massive energy shockwave that shattered the surrounding buildings.

The nearby pirates immediately cleared the area, terrified of being caught in the aftermath of the battle.

General Klein was shocked to see his sword aura neutralized by Carl, though his expression remained unchanged.

He realized at once that Carl was no mere amateur, so he gathered his focus and prepared to fight with everything he had.

General Klein brandished his sword, unleashing a series of exquisite sword techniques.

His sword aura flowed like continuous waves, striking at Carl from all directions.

Carl remained unfazed, channeling his Armament Haki to harden his arms even further.

He dodged and weaved, using his Haki-coated right hand to parry General Klein's strikes while closing the distance, until blade and fist soon clashed repeatedly.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The two fought for dozens of rounds, and Carl, relying on his formidable physique, grew more comfortable with every strike.

General Klein, meanwhile, gradually began to lose ground.

"Warm-up over."

It was time for the real fight to begin.

Carl's aura shifted; his entire body radiated a dazzling light, his muscles tensed, and he became a source of immense danger.

He vanished instantly, moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye, his overwhelming presence and powerful body appearing right beside General Klein to deliver a punch with enough destructive force to sweep away everything in its path.

General Klein's eyes widened, his mind unable to process what was happening; he hadn't expected Carl to be this strong—did that mean he had just been playing with him?

But his body reacted on instinct, his right hand raising his sword to block. The next second, the sword shattered into pieces, and his body was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the ground.

He had failed to withstand Carl's punch. He could clearly feel his life slipping away and knew his time was running out.

"This farce ends here."

Carl did not look at Klein, walking straight toward the palace instead.

He knew General Klein would not survive; his life force was slowly fading.

In his perception, he was the strongest living presence on this island.

"Wh... what is your name?"

General Klein clutched his chest, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and asked with a tremor. He had not expected that in Carl's eyes, this was merely a farce.

He knew his life was ebbing away, but he was filled with regret; he had failed to protect his kingdom.

"When you report to the afterlife, remember my name: Carl."

Carl kept walking, answering coldly as he heard the question.

Although he knew Klein was a loyal man, that did not mean he would hold back.

Fighting with full strength was a form of respect in itself.

"Carl, is it? Phil Kingdom... I... I truly did my best..."

General Klein slowly collapsed to the ground, his breath fading away.

"Lord Carl, some of the rescued slaves wish to join us."

"Most of them are from the auction house."

Just as Carl finished the battle and strolled toward the palace, Clay trotted up to his side.

"Oh, this island has an auction house?"

Carl was somewhat surprised. The island had a small population; he hadn't expected an auction house. Could the King be trafficking people in secret?

"These are the slaves rescued from the Phil Kingdom auction house. Most of them want to join our crew."

Clay led a group of emaciated people before him.

They looked at Carl with hopeful eyes. Clay wanted Carl to take them in; having been sold as a slave himself, he felt a shred of sympathy for them.

"If you follow me, your lives are no longer your own."

Carl didn't mind. He looked at the gaunt people before him, knowing that being slaves was not their choice, but he could not change their circumstances either.

"Thank you for saving us, My Lord. We are willing to serve you with our lives."

The group bowed to Carl in unison.

They knew that if they escaped only to be caught by traffickers again, they would simply be sold as slaves once more.

They had no other choice; rather than being captured, it was better to join the pirates, where at least they would no longer have to live in such darkness.