"Bam!"
"Crash!"
Admiral Snow Lion managed to withstand Carl's punch, but his body carved a trench hundreds of meters long through the ground!
Then he said, his face full of shock,
"What incredible strength!"
"This isn't over yet."
"Wind God Leg!"
Carl was exhilarated. He had never experienced such powerful strength before. And though her body had grown enormous, her movements had actually become even more agile.
She pushed off the ground and leaped into the air, kicking fiercely at Admiral Snow Lion with her right leg.
"Frost Claw!"
Admiral Snow Lion's expression tightened. He wasn't without the ability to fight back. He covered his claws with the chill inside his body.
"Zzzzt!"
Both of them were clad in Armament Haki, but Admiral Snow Lion still managed to drive the chill inside his body into Carl's right leg.
From their earlier clash, Admiral Snow Lion knew that he couldn't match Carl in strength alone. His only goal was to send the chill into her body.
"Hiss!"
Carl's massive face twitched. She could clearly feel a chill spreading from her right leg throughout her body, leaving the entire limb stiff.
"Golden Light Incantation!"
Carl was startled by how devastating the Frost Power was. She immediately circulated the Golden Light Incantation throughout her body, and the chill inside her gradually faded.
Seeing the frost on her leg quickly recede, Admiral Snow Lion hurriedly launched a rapid assault.
"Frost Claw!"
Before Carl could catch her breath, Admiral Snow Lion rushed in and attacked her Titan body furiously.
Though Carl kept blocking his relentless attacks and desperately circulated the Golden Light Incantation, she gradually felt her body stiffening. Ice and snow were beginning to cover her.
The battle between Newgate and Cthulhu had also ended. Newgate could tell that Cthulhu was nearing the end of his life.
"I never thought I'd be the last one."
Covered in wounds, Cthulhu looked up at Tyr and Giles before him, his face wreathed in a bitter smile.
He then glanced at the people farther away, hiding in corners and inside houses, and saw the fear in their eyes.
He knew what horrors might come next, but he no longer had the strength to change anything.
"I'm sorry..."
The sky seemed to dim, as if bidding them farewell.
A few fallen leaves drifted past Cthulhu's feet, seeming to symbolize their lives fading away.
Though Cthulhu had fallen in battle, he still stood straight on the soil of Tyr Kingdom.
"Military strategist Cthulhu is dead, too. Let's go!"
"Run! Retreat!"
After Cthulhu fell, most of the soldiers there lost heart and fled toward the rear.
At first, one person ran, then ten, then a hundred. Finally, everyone on the battlefield fled for their lives. After all, they didn't want to die.
Since they could no longer hold their ground, they had no choice but to scatter.
When the pirates saw the soldiers fleeing,
"Argh!"
"Men, charge!"
On the other side of the island, ships of every size had already filled a harbor.
Most of Tyr Kingdom's people had begun packing their belongings and preparing to flee by sea as soon as they learned the Rocks Pirates were attacking.
Tyr knew that if they lost, the Rocks Pirates wouldn't spare a single person on the island.
So, along the road they would take to evacuate, he scattered gold in hopes of drawing the pirates' attention elsewhere.
It had to be said: although Tyr failed to protect his kingdom, at least most of his people managed to escape the island.
"Gold!"
"Hahaha, it's mine!"
The first pirate to arrive saw the gold scattered everywhere and grinned lecherously. He immediately grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his clothes.
More pirates spotted the sea of gold and stopped in their tracks, laughing wildly.
This bought the people of Tyr Kingdom a great deal of time to escape.
Everyone's attention gradually shifted to Carl and Admiral Snow Lion.
The two were now fighting without regard for life or defense, both driven into a furious frenzy.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
"Clang, clang, clang!"
A golden flash and a snowy-white streak collided in midair at incredible speed, broke apart, then collided again. Each impact sparked a fierce shower of sparks, accompanied by an endless, grating clang of metal.
The air thundered with the sound of their clash.
In that brief time, the two had already exchanged hundreds of blows. With her powerful physique and irresistible strength, Carl kept throwing punches.
Admiral Snow Lion, meanwhile, used his incredible speed and sharp claws to keep inflicting wounds on Carl. Every strike drove Frost Power into her body.
As Carl continued to attack, she also felt the power surging endlessly within her. It was so powerful that she could barely control it.
But Carl gradually realized that the power welling up inside her was no longer enough to counter Admiral Snow Lion's Frost Power. That made sense: Admiral Snow Lion was an Admiral-level powerhouse, while her bloodline power remained undeveloped.
Carl knew that if the stalemate continued, she would be the first to fall.
"That's enough warm-up."
"I hadn't planned on revealing this so soon."
"But there's no choice now."
After punching Admiral Snow Lion back, Carl said solemnly.
Then lightning began to flicker across her skin. In moments, purple lightning covered her entire body.
"Thunder Titan!"
Admiral Snow Lion sensed Carl's strength suddenly surge to a whole new level. His hair stood on end, and danger washed over him.
Of course, Admiral Snow Lion couldn't just stand by and let Carl finish gathering her attack. Just as he moved to interrupt her, countless bolts of lightning came crashing down from the sky.
"You can wield lightning, too?"
Admiral Snow Lion was stunned. He hadn't expected Carl to possess the power of lightning as well.
"I've never even heard of your Devil Fruit."
While dodging the lightning raining from the sky, Admiral Snow Lion tried to ask about Carl's abilities.
But Carl's face was contorted.
Just controlling the berserk energy within her took all her strength, so she had no time to answer Admiral Snow Lion.
"Thunderbolt!"
At last, Carl channeled the wild lightning inside her into her right hand. Then, as if throwing a stone, she hurled the frenzied energy at Admiral Snow Lion with all her might.
A purple trail formed in the air along the lightning's path.
The air itself grew scorching hot.
The attack shot toward Admiral Snow Lion like a bolt of lightning. He could feel it had locked firmly onto him.
"Ice Storm!"
Sensing the attack was far from ordinary, Admiral Snow Lion's expression turned grave.
The gigantic lion he had become opened its jaws and unleashed a blast of energy made of wind and snow, meeting Thunderbolt head-on. Wherever the Ice Storm passed, several meters of ice formed.
At the moment of impact, it was as if the world had fallen silent.
Then a mushroom cloud rose from the center. The energy shattered the dim sky, and dazzling sunlight poured down upon the earth.
Carl had given it everything she had. By now, she no longer had the strength to maintain her Titan form.
Her body gradually shrank back to its original size.
Admiral Snow Lion was hurled backward by the blast, crashing into the mountains behind him.
Carl walked over slowly.
Before long, she reached the crater. The surrounding flowers, grass, and trees had been burned away by the heat of the raging lightning.
Admiral Snow Lion's hands were nowhere to be seen. Blood ran from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air.
"Why didn't you leave?"
Carl asked, puzzled.
The question had been on her mind for a long time.
Ever since she sensed Admiral Snow Lion, she had wondered about it.
As she saw it, an Admiral-level powerhouse could easily have left before they arrived. There was no need to throw his life away here.
"You wouldn't understand."
At that moment, Admiral Snow Lion seemed strangely at ease.
"Everyone who comes into this world searches for the meaning of their existence!"
"My purpose is to protect the weak and uphold justice across the seas."
"You and I believe in different things. What a shame..."
Admiral Snow Lion looked regretful, as if lamenting that someone as powerful as Carl hadn't joined the Navy.
Carl understood what he meant. But they were on opposing sides, and his ideals could never be put into practice in the Navy.
"It's just a shame I never got to see the cherry blossoms in my homeland."
"If you don't mind, I hope you can take me to Wano Country and see whether the cherry blossoms of my homeland have bloomed."
Snow Lion looked at Carl expectantly.
"Don't worry. I'll go if I get the chance."
After hearing Carl's promise, Admiral Snow Lion slowly closed his eyes.
Before you continue