Awakening

"Bang~"

"Clang~"

The Training Ship was constantly rocked by violent collisions, and the shockwaves from Zephyr and Weevil's battle nearly tore it apart.

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

At present, Weevil seemed evenly matched with Zephyr, perhaps even holding a slight advantage. However, he was completely outclassed by Zephyr in terms of combat technique.

Or rather, Weevil's fighting style had no technique whatsoever. He simply relied on overwhelming strength to work miracles!

This meant that Weevil's physical prowess was astonishing. With his monstrous strength and a white Crescent Mustache similar to Whitebeard's, it was no wonder people thought he was Whitebeard's son.

"Ahhh!"

Weevil let out a scream and was sent flying. He rolled around on the ground in pain. On closer inspection, it turned out Zephyr had just struck him squarely in the face, leaving him in agony.

"Holy Light Blessing!"

Carl immediately followed up with a Holy Light Ball, easing Zephyr's fatigue and healing his injuries. Fighting a monster with such immense strength placed an enormous burden on the body, and Holy Light happened to be able to alleviate it.

Zephyr turned his head toward Carl and forced out a smile before immediately returning to battle, not daring to relax for even a moment.

Carl really wasn't being overly cautious. This guy truly is a monster. Could he really be that bastard Whitebeard's son?

That was what Zephyr thought, but in the next moment, Weevil leaped into the air and swung his greatsword down at him. Zephyr took a deep breath and advanced instead of retreating, engaging Weevil at close range so he could not take advantage of his long-handled weapon.

"Good boy, are you still not done yet?" Miss Bakkin's voice came from nearby. It turned out she had already maneuvered her ship close to the Training Ship.

Weevil, who was still fighting, froze. After sniffing up a stream of snot, he 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 boy, hurry up and kill him. Then you can eat!"

Miss Bakkin, who called herself Weevil's mother but was actually manipulating him, knew exactly how to control him. Sure enough—

After hearing those words, Weevil swallowed several times in succession. Drool flowed down the right side of his sausage-like lips, and his fighting power suddenly surged.

Watching from a safe place, Carl's lips curled up slightly. She finally came right to me. All that hiding was worth it.

"Clap, clap, clap~"

Carl used Geppo to rise into the air, flashing from the Training Ship to a position above Miss Bakkin. Then he kicked down at her.

"Bang~"

"Ahhhhhh~ Stupid boy, come save your mother!!!"

Miss Bakkin covered her face and let out a shriek like a slaughtered pig. Tears and snot streamed down her face. When she spread her hands and screamed, a huge shoeprint was clearly visible on her wrinkled, ugly face.

"Damn you! Don't hurt Mom! I'll kill you!"

When Weevil saw this, he immediately tried to break through Zephyr and rush over to save his mother. But Zephyr could not possibly let him have his way.

"Damn it, don't get in my way! Get lost!!!"

Driven into a frenzy, Weevil actually remembered to use Observation Haki. After predicting Zephyr's position, he slapped him away and then charged toward Carl on his slender, noodle-like legs.

At that moment, Carl was pointing his sword at Miss Bakkin. When he saw Weevil charging over, he was not afraid in the slightest. He merely pushed Karasu a little farther forward.

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

Weevil slammed on the brakes, scratched his head foolishly, and said dejectedly, "Ahh! Sorry, Mom. I didn't see."

"Hey! You absolutely must not kill my mother. Otherwise, I'll definitely kill you!"

Hearing Weevil's foolish voice, Carl was caught between laughter and tears. The Weevil he had regarded as a formidable enemy really was a complete simpleton. The feeling was truly...

Miss Bakkin's beady eyes spun as she seemed to notice Carl letting his guard down. She then shouted at the top of her lungs, "Weevil, kill him!"

After an "Oh!", Weevil swung his sword at Carl without the slightest hesitation.

Carl felt the surrounding air freeze. Everything around him turned black, leaving only the greatsword flashing with a cold glint in his eyes. Its trajectory was so clear...

Zephyr arrived just in time to see this scene. His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he roared, "No!!!"

In the blink of an eye, just as the greatsword was about to strike Carl, a black blade rose horizontally before him.

"Clang~"

Sparks flew in all directions. Carl gripped Karasu's hilt with one hand and its blade with the other. Blood flowed along the blade to its tip before dripping onto the deck.

Carl's face was flushed, and the veins on his forehead stood out. He had used every ounce of strength he possessed to block Weevil's strike, yet even so, he had nearly failed.

But neither Zephyr, Carl, nor Weevil noticed that Karasu's blade had also been stained with a faint black hue.

Zephyr immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He leaped into the air and kicked Weevil's huge head, relieving Carl of the pressure.

"Phew~"

Weevil was sent flying, and the pressure on Carl suddenly eased. At that moment, Karasu fell onto the deck with a clang. Carl reached out with a trembling hand and condensed a ball of Holy Light, slamming it into his body. Only then did he recover.

Carl let out a faint sigh. "Monster..."

Zephyr and Weevil resumed their fierce battle, while Miss Bakkin had disappeared. Carl was temporarily safe.

But even now, he still felt shaken, because that had been the closest he had ever come to Roger.

Yet when he saw the suddenly appearing [Observation Haki Lv. 1 (Max Lv. 10)] and [Armament Haki Lv. 1 (Max Lv. 10)] on the system panel, he forced a strained smile.

So this is the life-or-death crisis Teacher Zephyr was talking about! It really is damn awful.

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

Today, he had finally experienced it himself...

Carl used his newly awakened Observation Haki and immediately sensed Zephyr and Weevil fighting fiercely, as well as Miss Bakkin moving around in an inconspicuous corner.

There were only four people on this ship. Who else could it have been besides her?

"Miss Bakkin!"

A murderous glint flashed through Carl's eyes. He picked up Karasu from the ground, gripped it in his hand, and silently approached her once more.

"Why is this damn marine so strong? Weevil still can't take him down even after all this time!"

"What bad luck. If I'd known this would happen, I never would have provoked them. I didn't expect him to be such a tough opponent."

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

"You..."

"Shh, shh, shh~ Quiet, or you'll die!"