Awakening

"Bang~"

"Clang~"

Violent collisions rang out continuously from the Training Ship. The aftershocks of Zephyr and Weevil's battle nearly tore the ship apart.

Carl watched their battle with a frown, roughly estimating their strength.

At present, Weevil could fight Zephyr evenly, perhaps even gain a slight edge. In terms of combat skill, however, he was completely suppressed by Zephyr.

Or rather, Weevil's fighting style had no technique to speak of at all. It was nothing but brute force overcoming everything!

That meant Weevil's physique was incredibly formidable. With his monstrous strength and that similar white Crescent Mustache, it was no wonder people thought he was Whitebeard's offspring.

"Ahhh!"

Weevil let out a miserable scream and was sent flying. He rolled around on the ground in agony. A closer look revealed that Zephyr's last strike had hit him squarely in the face, leaving him in unbearable pain.

"Holy Light Blessing!"

Seizing the chance, Carl immediately sent over a Holy Light Ball, easing Zephyr's fatigue and healing his injuries. Clashing physically with a monster of such immense strength placed an enormous burden on the body, and Holy Light was just what he needed to relieve it.

Zephyr turned to look at Carl and forced out a smile before immediately returning to a combat stance, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Carl hadn't been cautious for nothing. This guy really is a monster. Could he actually be Whitebeard's son?

Zephyr thought so, but the next second, Weevil sprang up from the ground and raised his Dadao to slash at him. Zephyr took a deep breath and advanced instead of retreating, engaging Weevil at close range so he could not exploit the advantage of his long-handled weapon.

"Good son, are you not done fighting yet?" Miss Bakkin's voice came from nearby. She had apparently already maneuvered her ship close to the Training Ship.

Weevil, who was in the middle of battle, froze. He sniffed up a mouthful of snot and hurriedly said, "Mom! This old man is really strong. He hit me so hard!"

"He's just an old man. How strong could he be? Good son, hurry up and kill him. Then you can eat!"

Miss Bakkin, Weevil's mother in name but his controller in truth, knew perfectly well how to manipulate Weevil. Sure enough—

After hearing those words, Weevil swallowed several times in a row. Drool ran down the right side of his sausage lips, and his combat strength instantly surged by a great deal.

Carl, watching from a safe spot, curled his lips into a faint smile. She had finally delivered herself to him. All that hiding had not been for nothing.

"Tap, tap, tap~"

Carl used Geppo to leap into the air, shooting from the Training Ship to above Miss Bakkin like lightning before kicking at her.

"Bang~"

"Ahhh! Stupid son, come save your mother!!!"

Miss Bakkin clutched her face and let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, snot and tears running everywhere. When she spread her hand and cried out, a huge shoeprint was clearly visible on her wrinkled, ugly face.

"Damn it! You're not allowed to hurt Mom! I'll kill you!"

Weevil could not stand for this. He immediately tried to break through Zephyr and rush over to save his mother, but how could Zephyr let him have his way?

"Damn it, stop getting in my way! Get lost!!!"

In his extreme fury, Weevil actually remembered to use Observation Haki. After predicting Zephyr's position, he sent him flying with a slap, then ran toward Carl on his thin noodle-like legs.

At that moment, Carl was pointing his sword at Miss Bakkin. Even when he saw Weevil charging toward him, he showed no fear, merely thrusting Karasu slightly forward.

"Ahhh! Weevil, you idiot, stop right now! Can't you see your mother is about to be killed?"

Weevil slammed on the brakes. Scratching his head foolishly, he said dejectedly, "Ah! Sorry, Mom. I didn't see."

"Hey! You better not kill my mother, or I'll definitely kill you!"

Hearing Weevil's foolish voice, Carl did not know whether to laugh or cry. The Weevil he had regarded as a formidable enemy was actually such a simple-minded brute. This feeling was truly...

Miss Bakkin's little eyes rolled, and she seemed to notice Carl had relaxed somewhat. She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Weevil, kill him!"

With an "Okay!", Weevil swung his Dadao at Carl without the slightest hesitation.

Carl felt the air around him freeze. Everything around him turned black, leaving only the Dadao gleaming with a cold light in his eyes. Its trajectory was so clear...

Zephyr, rushing over at full speed, saw this and roared with his eyes splitting in fury, "No!!!"

Just as the Dadao was about to strike Carl, a black blade appeared before him.

"Clang~"

Sparks flew everywhere. Carl gripped Karasu's hilt with one hand and its blade with the other. Blood flowed down the blade to its tip, dripping onto the deck.

Carl's face was flushed red, veins bulging. He had used every ounce of strength he possessed just to block Weevil's strike, and even then, he had nearly failed to stop it.

But neither Zephyr, Carl, nor Weevil noticed that Karasu's blade had also taken on a faint black sheen.

Zephyr immediately breathed a sigh of relief, leaped into the air, and kicked Weevil's huge head, getting Carl out of danger.

"Huff, huff~"

Weevil was sent flying, and the pressure on Carl instantly lessened. Karasu then fell onto the deck with a clang. Carl extended a hand that would not stop trembling, condensed a ball of Holy Light, and pressed it into his body. Only then did he recover.

Carl sighed faintly. "Monster..."

Zephyr and Weevil began fighting again. Miss Bakkin had vanished without a trace, leaving Carl safe for the moment.

Yet even now, his heart still pounded with lingering fear, because that had been the closest he had ever come to Roger.

But when he saw [Observation Haki lv1 (Max Level lv10)] and [Armament Haki lv1 (Max Level lv10)] suddenly appear on the system panel, he forced out a difficult smile.

So this was the life-or-death crisis Teacher Zephyr had spoken of! It really was damn awful.

No wonder Teacher Zephyr always said that fighting powerful pirates was the best opportunity for awakening.

Today, he had experienced it firsthand...

Carl used his newly awakened Observation Haki and clearly sensed Zephyr and Weevil locked in an intense battle, as well as Miss Bakkin moving about in an inconspicuous corner.

There were only four people on this ship. Who else could it be but her?

"Miss Bakkin!"

A trace of killing intent flashed in Carl's eyes. He picked up Karasu from the ground, gripped it in his hand, and silently approached once more.

"Why is this damned Marine so strong? Weevil still can't take him down after all this time!"

"What terrible luck. If I'd known, I never would have picked a fight with them. I didn't expect them to be such a tough opponent."

Hiding in the corner, Miss Bakkin watched the battle while muttering complaints under her breath. Suddenly, she felt a chill at her neck—that familiar sensation.

"You..."

"Shh, shh, shh~ Be quiet, or you'll die!"