c6: Straw Hat Pirates!
"Lord Vice Admiral, what shall we do with this ship?"
After Carl brought the pirate vessel back from the skirmish, he turned to Flying Squirrel for further orders.
The Flying Squirrel furrowed his brow in thought.
They were about to cross the Calm Belt—a zone with little wind and infested with Sea Kings. Navigating with an extra ship was risky and inefficient.
"Move all cargo, weapons, and valuables over. Then notify the nearest East Blue naval base to retrieve and process the ship."
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines snapped into action, executing the order with practiced efficiency. Before long, the pirate ship was stripped clean and prepared for handover.
Meanwhile, Carl floated lazily in the air, hovering a hundred meters above the deck, scanning the ocean for more enemies.
The earlier fight had been a slaughter hardly a warm-up. He hadn't even tapped into a fraction of his power, and that left him unsatisfied.
Unfortunately, the East Blue was peaceful by comparison. After all, this was the weakest of the four seas running into two pirate crews in one day was already pushing the odds.
"Haha! Carl, stop floating around like a seagull! You're not going to find another pirate ship up there! Come back down already!"
Vice Admiral Flying Squirrel laughed from the deck, shaking his head.
Carl sighed, ready to comply—when something in the distance caught his eye.
A ship, small in size but distinct in design bright orange sun-shaped bow, lion-like face, stylized sails.
His expression sharpened.
"That's..."
"The Thousand Sunny?!"
Ding! Target ship Thousand Sunny detected. God-level Selection System has been activated!
Choice 1: Join the Straw Hat Pirates. Reward: Appointed Vice-Captain, unlock all six techniques of the Navy's Rokushiki style!
Choice 2: Ignore the ship until it leaves visible range. Reward: Gain Vice Admiral Garp's personal recognition and become his disciple.
Choice 3: Capture Monkey D. Luffy alive. Reward: All personal attributes increase by two full levels upon success!
Hearing the system's prompt ring in his head, Carl's eyes lit up like firecrackers.
He didn't hesitate.
"Option Three!"
The first choice—joining the Straw Hats was a joke. Even if the title of Vice-Captain sounded prestigious, Luffy would never officially designate one, and Carl didn't plan on becoming anyone's subordinate.
The reward of Rokushiki sounded tempting. But the most useful techniques—Soru for speed and Geppō for flight were obsolete for Carl. His mastery of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi made him faster than Soru and already capable of sustained flight without Geppō.
The second option, becoming Garp's student, was intriguing. Garp was a living legend—hero of the Marines, rival of Gol D. Roger, and mentor to greats like Koby.
But Carl had long chosen a different path.
He didn't need recognition. He had the system.
He would carve out power on his own terms.
Even if that meant targeting the grandson of a Marine hero.
"Another pirate ship spotted! Looks like... the Straw Hat Pirates! I'm going after them!"
Carl shouted down at Flying Squirrel, wasting no time.
"Wait! Carl get back here first and—!"
The Vice Admiral called out, clearly flustered, but Carl was already accelerating toward the Thousand Sunny, ignoring protocol.
"Quick! I need a full intel scan! Tell me about this 'Straw Hat' crew!"
"Sir! According to HQ records, the captain is Monkey D. Luffy bounty 30 million defeated Arlong and Don Krieg. He's the son of Monkey D. Dragon and the grandson of Vice Admiral Garp!"
Flying Squirrel's eyes narrowed.
"This is no ordinary crew."
He clenched the railing tightly.
"If Carl goes in unprepared... it might turn into a problem..."
The messenger did not dare to speak and instead handed the bounty poster directly to Vice Admiral Flying Squirrel.
After Flying Squirrel glanced at the bounty and name, his pupils contracted sharply—his expression stiffened into something uneasy.
"What kind of luck is this... I actually ran into Garp's grandson here?!"
"Move now—full speed ahead! Don't let Luffy die out there!"
After seeing Carl rush off without hesitation, Flying Squirrel had no choice but to act quickly.
If Luffy were killed, Garp would absolutely lose his mind!
And he wouldn't be the only one to suffer for it—Flying Squirrel himself might face the wrath of a Marine legend.
But what Flying Squirrel didn't know was that Carl's mission was to capture Luffy alive.
Killing was not part of the plan.
At the same time
Aboard the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hat crew was in high spirits, throwing a small feast in the galley.
Usopp laughed as he pulled out the latest issue of the Sea Times, waving it triumphantly.
"Hahahaha! That guy we ran into the other day was actually a big shot! Look here—it says the legendary pirate Golden Lion Shiki, the one who stood alongside Roger and Whitebeard back in the day, was just killed by the Navy!"
"Wait, wasn't that the same crazy old man we bumped into before in Merveille?"
"Hmph! Looks like the Navy's taking the credit again just like when Luffy took down Crocodile in Alabasta and they pinned it on Smoker."
Zoro had a toothpick in his mouth, leaning back casually until he glanced upward.
Suddenly, his body tensed and he reached for his swords.
"Everyone, heads up we've got an incoming threat from above!"
"What?!"
"Something's flying at us?!"
"No way!"
"Could it be a Logia user with flight powers?!"
The crew froze in place. They had encountered many Devil Fruit users, and flight usually meant serious power.
Their instincts told them this wasn't going to be a simple visit.
"I must be lucky to come across Straw Hat Luffy here with a 100 million berry bounty, this is a huge opportunity."
Carl smirked, descending casually onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny, choosing not to attack immediately.
Even though the current Straw Hats had strong members, they were still only as strong as mid-to-high-ranking officers—around colonel or commodore level.
Any capable Marine rear admiral or above could handle them with relative ease.
He had no concerns about being overwhelmed.
"Who are you supposed to be are you here to rob us?"
Nami took a defensive stance, her eyes wary.
Carl grinned, raising his arms slightly as he manipulated his swords, Deadwood and Sakura Ten, with floating precision.
"I'm a Marine officer. I'm here to make arrests, of course!"
Before he even finished speaking, Deadwood and Sakura Ten shot forward like twin bolts—aiming straight for Luffy.
Zoro and Sanji reacted instantly, intercepting the blades mid-air with clashing steel and flaming kicks.
But the moment the weapons connected, both of them recoiled slightly in shock.
"These swords...! They're Shiki's—the Oto and Kogarashi! How did you get these?!"
Zoro's eyes narrowed in disbelief.
Carl answered coolly, not even blinking.
"What's so strange about that? I killed the Golden Lion myself. His swords are my spoils of war. Problem?"
"What?!"
The Straw Hats collectively gasped.
Only then did they realize this was the very man they'd just read about in the paper.
"Hahahaha! Whoever he is, back off! I'm taking this guy on myself!"
Luffy adjusted his hat and grinned with his usual confidence.
"You stepped onto my ship—so now I'm gonna beat you personally!"
Hearing Luffy's declaration, Zoro and the others hesitated, then stepped back watching carefully, weapons still ready.
Carl couldn't help but laugh at Luffy's boldness.
"Monkey D. Luffy... no wonder you're Garp's grandson. That kind of guts—it runs in the bloodline."
"Hmph, so you know my gramps?"
"I know of him. He doesn't know me—yet. But he will soon enough."
Carl's eyes narrowed into sharp slits. With a subtle wave of his hand, the entire ship—the Thousand Sunny began to rise into the air.
The Straw Hats gasped. This was too familiar.
That same eerie sensation from when they encountered Shiki...
"Impossible! That's Shiki's power! Why do you have it?!"
Nami backed up instinctively, her face pale.
Carl chuckled, then abruptly threw the ship downward.
The Sunny plummeted, crashing into the waves with a tremendous impact!
The crew grabbed masts, railingsanything to avoid being hurled into the sea.
When the ship finally leveled out, only the hull remained visible above water, half-submerged.
And then Carl finally answered Nami's question.
"Just lucky, I guess."