"This old guy…" Carl turned back, the red glow fading from his eyes.
Silvers Rayleigh's body surged forward, steeled by unwavering willpower. No hesitation, no fear. Even at the cost of a shattered arm, he had one goal: reach the Thousand Sunny at all costs.
His charge was so decisive that even Carl failed to react in time.
For a top-tier powerhouse to willingly sacrifice a limb—that was beyond reason. But that's exactly what Rayleigh did, and he did it without blinking.
Even Yamato, who had been watching from the perimeter, was stunned. "This old man…"
Sa!
Rayleigh's figure blurred, disappearing into a streak as he rushed toward the anchored Thousand Sunny at the edge of the battlefield.
"'Dark King' Rayleigh?!" T. Penn's pupils shrank sharply, the long sword in his hand snapping into a defensive stance almost by reflex.
Just a moment ago, he had been clashing blades with Rear Admiral Oakdragon on the shoreline. In the blink of an eye, that pressure vanished—only to reappear directly in front of him.
T. Penn's mind reeled.
Rayleigh was rushing toward the Marine platoon detaining Luffy and the other Straw Hats, who were tied down behind the front lines.
Regaining his composure, T. Penn shouted, "I won't let you through!"
He swung his blade, unleashing a sharp horizontal slash glowing blue, its edge in the shape of a bird's head.
"Right-Angle Avian!"
But Rayleigh didn't even flinch. He raised his hand calmly, intercepting the attack midair.
Puff—!
His grip closed on the slash like a vice crushing foam—utterly nullifying it.
At this moment, Rayleigh's aura exploded. In the realm of Kenbunshoku Haki, he felt like an erupting volcano—raw, volatile, and on the brink of collapse.
His Haoshoku radiated so wildly that it distorted the battlefield, forcing even veteran soldiers to their knees.
"The difference… 720 battle levels apart?" Cold sweat streamed down T. Penn's face.
His full-force slash had disappeared like a drop of water into the ocean.
Boom!
The soldiers surrounding the captured Straw Hats were hurled away like debris in a hurricane.
With a grim look, Rayleigh reached down and tore off the seastone-lined ropes binding Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
Just then—
"You think I don't exist?"
Carl's voice came from behind, flat and frigid.
Rayleigh's pupils narrowed sharply—but he didn't turn around. Instead, he grabbed Luffy by the back of the shirt and flung him across the battlefield with the force of a cannonball.
"Luffy!!" Hancock's eyes widened as she leapt forward, catching him midair onto the Perfume Yuda.
Slash!!
Carl's blade 'Sakuraten' carved into Rayleigh's back—splitting flesh from shoulder to lower spine.
"Pfft—!!" Rayleigh coughed up a torrent of blood, but gritted his teeth and lifted the others—Usopp, Nami, Chopper—and launched them one by one toward Hancock's ship.
Carl's eyes narrowed. Another slash came down, this time from Rayleigh's neck all the way to his waist. Black lightning surged from the sword—evidence of Advanced Haoshoku coating.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Rayleigh didn't fall.
He stood trembling, looking dead ahead. "At least… I was able to do it…"
His voice was hoarse. His life force had nearly bottomed out.
Carl, unfazed, pulled out a cigar, lit it, and took a drag. "Was it worth it?"
"To give your life for a kid you have no obligation to protect?"
Rayleigh, eyes half-closed, smiled weakly. "It's worth it."
"Luffy… he'll make it."
Carl exhaled smoke and shrugged. "One Piece or not—I couldn't care less."
Turning toward the shoreline, he called out, "Hey, Bright!"
Bright, standing by with a rifle slung on his back, turned immediately. "Carl Vice Admiral!"
"Call Emily. Patch this old guy up and prep him for Impel Down."
"Yes, sir!"
Bright ran off toward the battlefield medics, where Emily, Marine medic of the Special Ops Division, was tending to the wounded.
Rayleigh coughed blood again. "I'm a relic of the past… Why not just let me die here?"
Carl didn't even blink. "Because I said so."
He looked down, tone turning cold. "If you want to die, try doing it after I've arranged a retirement party on Level 6 of Impel Down."
Rayleigh's eyes widened slightly.
"'Eternal Hell'—doesn't that sound poetic? For folks like you, it's much worse than death."
He wasn't wrong.
Level 6 of Impel Down—where the world's most dangerous criminals are kept—was known for driving even hardened pirates mad with despair.
"…I see," Rayleigh whispered bitterly.
Carl looked at him with mild amusement. "Also—don't think just because the Straw Hats are now on that woman's ship, they're out of reach."
Rayleigh's gaze snapped toward the Perfume Yuda.
On deck, Hancock was crouched, tending to Luffy's wounds. But hearing Carl's words, she stood up, eyes fierce.
"Marine! This concubine is a Shichibukai! Those men are my trophies! Under the contract I signed with the World Government, you have no right to take them!"
She was right.
If the Straw Hats were treated as an independent pirate crew, the Marines could attack.
But if they were claimed as war trophies by a Shichibukai, then under World Government law, Marine action was restricted.
The Shichibukai system was designed to maintain balance—and part of that meant respecting each Warlord's authority over their conquests.
"Contract?" Carl smirked, exhaling a cloud of smoke, his eyes briefly flickering red with Observation.
"You don't seriously think every Marine officer follows the rules to the letter, do you?"
After all, even an Admiral like Aokiji had once disobeyed Buster Call protocol to spare Nico Robin.
This kind of incident was typically handled by simply turning a blind eye.
It wasn't worth escalating into a full-scale war over such trivial matters.
But Hancock's expression grew increasingly grim. "If you dare make a move, this concubine shall never forgive you!"
"Do you intend to ignite a war between the Marines and the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Marine?!"
A powerful wave of Haki exploded from her body, her fighting stance locked and ready.
The Marine standing before her was no ordinary figure—he was a monster, through and through.
Even with her confidence as the Pirate Empress, she remained on high alert.
"Don't exaggerate. A war between Marines and Shichibukai?" Carl rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed.
The Shichibukai had never been a truly unified force.
They weren't allies in the traditional sense—more often, they were rivals, sometimes even enemies. Their shared title was more of a political tool than a bond. Unless their collective interests were directly threatened, expecting them to band together was a fantasy.
If things could escalate that easily, the seas would have already been turned upside down long ago.
"My concubine will not hand Luffy over to you!" Hancock's voice was sharp and resolute.
Carl gave a faint, dismissive smile. "Then try to stop me."
A chilling wave of killing intent began to spread.
In truth, he held no particular concern for the fate of Luffy and his crew.
To Carl, this was merely a small matter, an inconsequential footnote—so long as it didn't obstruct his objectives.
But Hancock's unwavering stance intrigued him enough to change his mind. He now chose to keep the Straw Hats around, if only out of curiosity.
"Vice Admiral Carl!" A clear voice rang out from behind.
It was Emily—her long blonde hair flowing as she arrived aboard, now appearing as a loli thanks to her recent transformation.
Carl turned his head slightly. "Oh, Emily, you're here. Hurry and patch up the old man. Try not to let him die."
Rayleigh's pupils had begun to dilate. He teetered on the brink of death.
Despite his current state, his physical constitution was extraordinary. This was the man who once swam through the Calm Belt alone.
With his mastery of Haki bordering on perfection, Rayleigh's resilience was legendary.
However, he hadn't resisted Carl's strikes at all.
Carl's top-tier Armament Haki, infused with killing intent and devastating sword aura, had brought him to the edge of death in just a few slashes.
"I understand!" Emily rushed to his side.
Her palm lit up with a pure white healing light and pressed down on Rayleigh's chest.
"Just stabilize him. Keep him breathing," Carl instructed calmly.
"Yeah! Got it!" Emily nodded with a serious face.
Meanwhile, the Perfume Snake, Hancock's Kuja pirate ship, was being dragged away by the two giant snakes—Salome's kin.
Carl clicked his tongue and turned his gaze in that direction. "Did I say you could leave?"
In his blood-red right eye, a glowing number surfaced.
[Hell Path – Active!]
An invisible spiritual shockwave surged forward.
In a flash, the two massive snakes were struck as if by lightning.
Their eyes rolled into spirals like mosquito coils, and they froze, paralyzed.
The Perfume Snake suddenly lost all propulsion.
"Damn it!" Hancock clenched her teeth and whirled around, a shimmering pink heart forming in her palm. "Are you truly declaring war on this concubine and Amazon Lily?!"
"A war? You call this a war?" Carl raised a brow, amused.
He raised Sakura Ten, his black-bladed katana—imbued with his sword will so potent it sliced the very air around it.
"Ugh… what's going on?" groaned Luffy from the deck, finally regaining consciousness.
"Ahhh! My head hurts!" He clutched his head and winced in pain.
Carl had slammed him into the deck earlier, and the blow had not been gentle.
Unlike Emily, the Kuja crew had no doctor with a healing Devil Fruit, and Luffy's recovery had to rely on sheer vitality.
Even so, his ability to wake up so soon was impressive.
But suddenly, Luffy fell silent. His eyes widened.
An overwhelming sword aura flooded the deck of the Perfume Snake.
It was suffocating.
"Try to stop this—if you can," Carl said coldly
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