The Devil Fruit That Flew Away

Seeing Admiral Snow Lion perish, Carl looked at his hollow eyes, then scanned his surroundings before walking over to move a massive boulder, placing it atop the Admiral's body.

After all, he was a powerhouse at the level of a Navy Admiral; Carl did not want him to lie here in obscurity, only to have his corpse torn apart by wild beasts. That would truly be too cruel.

With that matter settled, he turned his gaze toward the battlefield.

The fighting on the main front had already concluded. Most of the pirates were charging into the capital of the Tyr Kingdom, and screams were erupting everywhere within the city walls. After all, many people were unwilling to abandon their kingdom, and some were even forced to return to the city because there were not enough ships to escape.

He stood in place for a moment to catch his breath, feeling the power surging up from the earth beneath him, which gradually restored his stamina. To be honest, this was the first time he had fought until he was completely exhausted, his body covered in wounds both large and small. If his strength hadn't increased during the heat of battle, he might well have been near death.

"Open system panel."

Host: Rocks D. Carl

Integrated Templates: The Outcast's Old Celestial Master. Legend of Qin's Sword Saint Ge Nie (unintegrated), Fox Spirit Matchmaker's Wangquan Fugui (unintegrated).

Skills: Armament Haki (Emission), Observation Haki (Advanced), Conqueror's Haki (Intermediate), Six Powers, Golden Light Incantation, Palm Lightning, Yang Five Thunders, Taiji Fist...

Talent: Titan Power

Money: 3.7 billion Beli

Items: Energy Fruit, Rain-Rain Fruit, Zoan Ox-Ox Fruit, Zoan Rhino-Rhino Fruit, Venom-Venom Fruit, Art-Art Fruit, Change-Change Fruit, Fish-Fish Fruit Mythical Beast Flood Dragon Form, Bird-Bird Fruit Mythical Beast Golden-Winged Peng Form, Logia Earth-Earth Fruit, Zoan Triceratops Fruit, Zoan Saber-Toothed Tiger Fruit, Great Grade Blade Ancient Moon Blade, Great Grade Blade Silver Harmony Blade... (Last time displaying this; I won't list so much in the future, lest I be accused of padding the word count.)

Evaluation: A super-tier powerhouse on the high seas; overall strength: Admiral.

Seeing his evaluation finally reach the Admiral level, Carl figured the next steps must be the Four Emperors level and the Hegemon level.

However, he didn't feel particularly relieved. Since joining the Rocks Pirates, the frequency of combat had been intense. It was either going out to fight or training incessantly on the island without a moment's rest, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.

A trace of regret and loss then appeared in his eyes, his expression turning sorrowful.

Before he knew it, he had already killed many people, both good and bad. He felt no psychological burden about killing the wicked; if they did evil, they deserved to die.

But Admiral Snow Lion was a truly good man. During their battle, their conversation had revealed that the Admiral was genuinely upholding justice on the seas. He shouldn't have died here.

He didn't know when he had become like this.

Could one act recklessly just for the sake of strength?

Could he no longer even distinguish between right and wrong?

When had he turned into this?

At this moment, Carl fell into a deep internal conflict.

But through the aftermath of the battle, he saw two small golden figures running rapidly toward him. He knew those two little ones had arrived.

Seeing that the battle on Carl's side had ended, Long Yi and Long Er ran toward him immediately.

This sight instantly reaffirmed his conviction.

To prevent such things from happening in the future, he had to use all his strength to bring liberation to this world as soon as possible.

Once there were no more pirates and everyone could live and work in peace, perhaps there wouldn't be so many tragedies.

His resolve hardened once more.

Changing the world would start with them.

He looked at Long Yi and Long Er not far away; they would be the first step in realizing his vision.

"Lord Carl."

"Lord Carl, are you alright? Are your injuries severe?"

Long Er looked at Carl, who was covered in blood, with a face full of distress. He had never seen Lord Carl in such a state and assumed he had suffered grave injuries.

"I'm fine; it's nothing too serious."

Carl's tone was slightly relaxed. His injuries had been quite severe just moments ago, but he had slowly recovered and could now walk normally.

"Really, Lord Carl?"

Long Yi's gaze held a hint of suspicion and confusion; to him, the wounds on Lord Carl's body did not look like "nothing serious."

"You two performed well; I saw it all."

"Let's go. Now is the time for the harvest."

Carl took the lead, bringing the two of them toward the palace of the Tyr Kingdom.

Although the two were full of doubts, seeing that Lord Carl had no trouble moving, they had no choice but to follow behind.

The two whispered to each other, wondering if Lord Carl was just forcing himself to hold on.

Carl ignored their quiet murmurs.

In his view, the Tyr Kingdom was likely the only formidable opponent the Rocks Pirates would face in the latter half of the Grand Line. After this, there shouldn't be any major battles in the rest of the sea, which would allow more time for rest and recuperation.

He would take advantage of this time to make arrangements; he could start putting certain plans into motion now.

Only then, after God Valley, would he be able to implement his scheme immediately.

He was already growing impatient.

As he led the two little ones into the town, he saw a sea of corpses. Pirates were running everywhere, looting all the wealth they could lay their eyes on.

Although he had become somewhat accustomed to such scenes, he still felt a sense of discomfort in his heart, so he quickened his pace toward the King's palace.

"Gurararara!"

"Carl, you've arrived."

Because his battle had concluded rather slowly, Newgate had just reached the entrance and had not yet stepped inside when he saw Carl approaching with two children in tow.

"Big Brother Newgate."

Carl also quickened his pace to reach him. He carefully scanned Newgate's entire body, noting that there were no obvious wounds; clearly, his opponent had failed to inflict any damage upon him.

"Are you alright?"

Only when Carl drew near did Newgate notice that his body was covered in wounds, some of which were still oozing blood.

"It's nothing, they're almost healed."

Indeed, Carl could feel that some of the minor wounds on his body had already completely closed, while the ones healing more slowly were still being affected by Admiral Snow Lion's Frost Power.

However, he could also clearly sense that these wounds were gradually mending, as they no longer had any lingering force behind them.

"Where is the Devil Fruit?"

Just as the two were chatting, a low, guttural roar suddenly erupted from within the palace.

Upon hearing it, the two exchanged a look, their expressions turning grave as they hurried inside.

Carl ordered Long Yi and Long Er to wait at the entrance and not to follow.

Because this roar had come from Rocks.

The two made their way down the corridor, where torches were mounted every few paces along the walls.

A brilliant light shone from the very front, and as they drew closer, they discovered that the innermost treasury was littered with scattered gold, but the several chests at the top had already been pried open, and the Devil Fruit that had been inside had long since vanished.