Chapter Thirty-One: Battle?

Dozens of battleships were assembled on the flank of a nearby Marine base, just out of sight. To think they managed to deploy so many ships overnight was astonishing enough, but even more exaggerated was the presence of the three Marine Admirals—Yellow Monkey, Blue Pheasant, and Red Dog—as well as Garp and a dozen Vice Admirals. Such a formidable lineup! Are they trying to stop me from entering the New World, or are they afraid my entry will throw the pirates into further chaos?

Karmio glanced in that direction. Standing high up, he could just make out the massed battleships. They must be lying in wait to intercept us once we set sail.

“What a damn hassle. If I just leave on my own, that shipload of people below is probably doomed to become fish food,” Karmio muttered to himself, lighting a cigarette and casting a sidelong glance at the ship below.

Forget it; let them witness a grand spectacle. This force is several times stronger than the Buster Call. Tomorrow’s newspapers are sure to report on it—damn it, can’t I keep a low profile? All I did was kill a Celestial Dragon! Are they really so important that the Marines would dispatch so many battleships just to deal with me? Aren’t they afraid of being ridiculed by the pirates? Karmio thought with irritation.

If I use my current strength, I should have the upper hand. If I use that, one move would be enough! But no, it’s best not to reveal everything—might as well play along for a bit, Karmio decided. With that, he vanished from the sky in a flash step.

Joria woke early to find Karmio absent from the ship. He didn’t dwell on it, continuing preparations to depart, when suddenly Karmio reappeared on the rail, glanced his way, and leapt down.

“Joria, I’m afraid you won’t be able to keep this ship,” Karmio said with a slight smile, but his words were ominous.

“Ah! Mr. Karmio, you didn’t leave? What do you mean, I can’t keep the ship?” Joria was initially happy to see Karmio had not left, but his next words left him confused.

“What’s going on?” Joria pressed, not wasting time.

Karmio looked a little embarrassed. After all, it was all his doing, so he decided to help them. “Heh, you know the three Marine Admirals? They’re right there at that base. I figure once you set sail, they’ll surround you.”

“What! The three Admirals?” Joria exclaimed, startled. His crew overheard and gathered around.

“Heh, I suppose they’re here to catch me,” Karmio replied easily, taking a drag from his cigarette and blowing out a few smoke rings as he looked at Joria.

“So, what should we do?” Joria was nearly in tears. Having a powerhouse on board brought benefits but also disasters!

“It’s simple. In a moment, set the sails and make a run for it. I’ll intercept the battleships. Don’t worry about me; just leave and find somewhere to train. Once I’m done, I won’t come looking for you,” Karmio instructed.

Seeing Karmio’s confident face, Joria agreed. He trusted that the Marines couldn’t do anything to Karmio, and that he was only a burden.

“Raise the sails! Prepare to depart!”

Karmio stood at the rail, frowning as he watched the Marine battleships loom ever closer on the horizon. “Joria, just keep going straight. Don’t worry about me.”

“Yes, we believe in Mr. Karmio!” Joria responded firmly, though worry filled his eyes. They knew Karmio could defeat the three Admirals, but with more than thirty large battleships, could he handle it alone?

If only they knew Karmio’s true strength—they’d probably go mad.

As the battleships drew ever nearer, Karmio turned back, nodded slightly, and vanished from sight before Joria and his crew.

...

“Hey, Garp, don’t you think the Celestial Dragons are ridiculous? They’re forcing us to catch that bastard Karmio, but he’s not someone you just catch,” Yellow Monkey said, frowning at the distant pirate vessel, addressing Garp, who was sunbathing nearby. Blue Pheasant and Red Dog looked over as well.

“Haha, that brat probably won’t wait for us to catch him. I’d bet he’ll just come to us,” Garp laughed heartily. It seemed he knew Karmio well.

“Yo, Garp, you really know me!” came a languid voice that drifted into their ears.

The three Admirals and Garp instantly stood up, turning to see Karmio standing atop the ship’s main cannon.

“Heh, speak of the devil and he appears!” Garp hadn’t expected his prediction to come true.

“All ships, halt! Ignore that pirate ship. The main character is right here!” Yellow Monkey ordered the officers below, his eyes betraying a trace of nervousness as he looked at Karmio.

Karmio felt a little relieved—if they’d gone after the ship, things would have gotten tricky. Yellow Monkey was looking more agreeable by the minute.

Yellow Monkey caught the gratitude in Karmio’s eyes, was momentarily confused, but said no more.

“Eros D. Karmio, known as the ‘Violet Emperor,’ bounty of eight hundred million Berries. Am I right?” Yellow Monkey asked, though he already knew the answer.

“You all know who I am. So, tell me, what’s with all these toys blocking my way? I can’t believe you’re planning to sink that pirate ship,” Karmio said, lighting a cigarette with a puzzled look.

He was curious—Sengoku shouldn’t be after him anymore. Even if he didn’t know Karmio’s full strength, he ought to realize the Marines were no match.

“Toys?!” The Marines below nearly rushed forward—these warships, called toys!

Garp idly blew smoke rings—smoking one of Karmio’s Da Zhonghua cigarettes—and stopped the agitated Marines with a sigh. “It’s the Celestial Dragons. They want us to bring you in and make you their slave. Could we refuse?”

Blue Pheasant and Red Dog said nothing, but worry clouded their eyes. The man before them was no joke. They had numbers, but whether they could win was another matter.

The Vice and Rear Admirals below stared in shock—the youth who’d appeared was speaking so casually with the Admirals. Was he not afraid of being captured? They’d heard the ‘Violet Emperor’ was formidable, but he looked barely twenty—maybe not even that.

“Damn, do they want to die? Should I go massacre the Holy Land?” Karmio suddenly realized—only that bunch of idiots would try to deal with him. Sengoku wasn’t that foolish, and the Five Elders didn’t care about the Celestial Dragons. It must be the Dragons themselves who contacted Marine Headquarters.

“Whoa, no, don’t do that! If you really go, the world will be thrown into chaos!” Garp was startled by Karmio’s words and quickly tried to dissuade him. If Karmio really went, no one could stop him. After the killing, no one could stop his escape either…

“Hey, Yellow Monkey, Garp, and you two over there, how exactly do you plan to catch me?” Karmio wouldn’t be so reckless as to massacre the Celestial Dragons. Though his strength could handle any problem, he didn’t want to lose control of his own future.

Yellow Monkey and Garp exchanged glances, then Garp spoke: “Let’s fight it out. Catching you is impossible—if we don’t even try, those idiots will never shut up.”

Karmio found himself increasingly annoyed with the Celestial Dragons.

“Heh, then get ready!” Karmio suddenly grinned wickedly, lost in unknown thoughts.

“Hey, all of you below, back away. If you get caught in the crossfire, it’ll be ugly,” Yellow Monkey ordered the officers and soldiers.

Soon, the Marines retreated, leaving the decks of the warships empty and the space clear for battle among these powerhouses.

“Heh, goodbye!” Karmio glanced at the Grizzly, already vanishing from view, muttered these words, and instantaneously disappeared from the deck.

Yellow Monkey, Garp, and the others, poised for battle, were caught off guard by Karmio’s sudden departure.

“Where’d that guy go?” Yellow Monkey wondered. Even with the four of them, they shouldn’t have posed a real threat to him.

“Hmph! That kid never intended to fight—he was just buying time for that pirate ship to escape!” Garp said, annoyed and frustrated.

Blue Pheasant and Red Dog both breathed a sigh of relief. To fight that man would be to court disaster.

“Withdraw. Just say he couldn’t stand against us and ran away,” Garp declared harshly. Truth be told, he was glad to see Karmio go, though he could only grumble about it.

A glint of relief flashed across Yellow Monkey’s eyes—if they’d fought, they’d probably have lost. That guy was unfathomable!

...

None of them realized that Karmio hadn’t truly left—he was simply standing in the sky more than a thousand meters above.

“Retreating, are you? I have no interest in fighting you. It would only benefit you, making you stronger as the fight goes on. Better to seek out Red instead,” Karmio mused to himself, taking a drag of his cigarette before speeding off toward the New World.

...

Ah, no fight broke out, sorry to disappoint everyone! Please support and cast your votes!

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