A moment earlier, outside the Sunken Ink Auction House.
Karma lay on the ground, his entire body charred black, his flesh split open.
Smoker's attack had nearly blasted his body apart from the inside out. The scorch marks left by the white smoke still radiated heat.
Every breath felt as though fire were burning inside his chest.
He knew he was finished, but he was not dead yet—at least, not completely dead.
Karma struggled into the pile of pirate corpses, his blackened tentacles searching through them bit by bit.
Pirates lay fallen all around him. Some were still groaning faintly, but Karma paid them no attention. Nothing remained in his bloodshot eyes but hatred.
Finally.
He felt out a Den Den Mushi from beneath a pirate's corpse.
Its shell had been dyed red with blood, and its antennae trembled slightly.
Karma stared at it, the corners of his burned, split mouth slowly curling upward.
"Found it..."
He laboriously raised a tentacle and dialed the number he knew by heart. "Buru... Buru..."
After a brief silence, the Den Den Mushi connected. The venom in Karma's eyes instantly turned into a miserable, sobbing plea.
"Pops..."
"The Marines attacked your territory..."
"They killed so many brothers, and they even want to tear down your flag...!!!"
His words came in broken fragments, each one seeming to squeeze blood from his throat.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Marco's voice suddenly rang out. "Karma? What happened?!"
"Explain yourself!"
"We were just about to come find you—"
Before he could finish, Karma abruptly raised his tentacle and smashed the Den Den Mushi violently against the ground.
"Smash!"
The Den Den Mushi shattered into pieces.
Its broken shell rolled into a pool of blood, twitched twice, then went completely still.
Karma lowered his head