THE ABSOLUTE HAKI IS COMPLETED

"Wait, why didn't you tell Colonel Josh about such an important thing?"

Roy suddenly reacted, his expression urgent. "If I had known you were a Devil Fruit user, the Colonel definitely wouldn't have let you start as a Seaman Recruit!"

"At the very least, he would have made you a Marine Commander immediately!"

After all, in the Marine ranking system, Seaman Recruit was the absolute lowest position!

Of course, Marine Commander here didn't refer to the rank equivalent to Rear Admiral or higher—it was more of a broad term for any officer with authority.

In the Marines, anyone ranked Ensign or above was considered an officer, and those of Captain rank or higher proudly donned the distinctive white cloaks with "Justice" emblazoned on the back.

"That kind of thing doesn't matter," Carl waved a hand indifferently. "I don't care about ranks. Whether I fight pirates as a soldier or an officer, it makes no difference."

If he truly wanted an instant promotion, he wouldn't have come to this small East Blue branch.

Wouldn't it be much simpler to follow Vice Admiral Garp back to Marineford?

But he wasn't reckless—no, he was cautious.

"I see… Sorry, I misunderstood you!"

Roy's eyes were filled with admiration. "So you're a man of pure justice!"

His words left Carl speechless.

Little brother… are you seriously misunderstanding something here?

Roy had joined the Marines simply to get free meals and a stable life—he had never once thought about the ideals of justice.

"Let's go. Didn't you say you were going to show me the dormitory?"

"Oh, right! Follow me."

Roy led the way, but suddenly, he hesitated.

Looking back, he asked uncertainly, "Carl… Are you really not going to tell Colonel Josh that you have a Devil Fruit ability?"

After a brief pause, he added eagerly, "I'm not saying this because of ranks or promotions, but… isn't it better to inform the Colonel?"

"If he knew your strength, wouldn't he send you out to fight more pirates?"

Roy's intentions were simple.

If Colonel Josh knew about Carl's true power, he would naturally send him to battle against stronger pirate crews.

Wouldn't that help Carl achieve his goal of fighting pirates more effectively?

"???"

Carl took a deep breath.

"I really don't need that. I don't care for empty titles."

"So that's how it is! As expected of you!"

Roy grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.

Such a mentality—one of selfless dedication—was what the Marines were supposed to embody!

Just at that moment—

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The deafening sound of cannon fire exploded from outside the base.

The ground trembled violently beneath their feet.

"W-What's happening?!"

Roy's face paled with panic. "Could it be a pirate attack?!"

Carl remained calm.

As far as he knew, there were no particularly powerful pirates operating in East Blue.

But what did surprise him was the audacity of a pirate crew daring to launch a direct attack on a Marine base!

Outside, the sounds of shouting erupted.

"Kill them all!"

"Rush in before the Marines can organize a defense!"

"For Captain Kingsley's glory!"

Immediately, the Marines stationed at the base surged forward to meet the attack.

At the same time, Colonel Josh rushed out, his saber drawn.

Seeing Carl, he paused for a moment.

"Carl, step back. Stay behind the lines and avoid the battle."

After all, Carl was Vice Admiral Garp's acquaintance—it wouldn't do for him to be exposed to danger.

Carl remained silent, so Colonel Josh assumed he was frightened.

With a shake of his head, he left Carl behind and charged outside.

"C-Carl…" Roy swallowed hard. "What should we do?"

This was the first time he had encountered pirates bold enough to attack a Marine Base head-on!

"There's nothing to do. Let's go see for ourselves."

With a calm expression, Carl walked outside.

Roy hesitated but followed closely behind.

"Colonel! It's the Tekken Pirates!"

A Marine's urgent voice rang out.

Colonel Josh's eyes widened in shock.

He knew that name.

On the battlefield, a bald man stood grinning cruelly, his muscular arms crossed.

Then—

BOOM!

With a single punch, a Marine was sent flying like a ragdoll, his body crashing against the base's outer wall.

The sheer power of that strike was terrifying!

"Captain Kingsley of the Iron Fist Pirates… Bounty: 10 million Berries…"

Colonel Josh muttered under his breath.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire rang out as Marines fired their flintlocks at Kingsley.

But—

It was useless.

Bullets barely seemed to faze him.

After all, in this world, guns… were often unreliable.

Not to mention, most Marines and pirates had marksmanship so terrible that hitting the target was a feat in itself!

"Hahahaha! Is this the strength of the Marines? How pathetic!"

Kingsley laughed wildly, completely ignoring the bullets pelting his body.

With each step forward, he sent another Marine flying with a single iron-hard punch.

Seeing this, Colonel Josh's gaze sharpened.

"Tekken Kingsley! Your fight is with me!"

With a determined shout, he unsheathed his saber and charged.

"Huh?"

Kingsley turned his head—then simply swung his fist.

BOOM!

A muffled impact.

Colonel Josh's eyes widened in disbelief—

His saber had been stopped by Kingsley's bare fist?!

"Oi oi… so we finally have an officer who isn't total fodder?"

Kingsley's grin widened.

His fist was coated in a black, armor-like sheen—

At first glance, it almost looked like Armament Haki.

But—

It wasn't Haki.

It was something else entirely.

"You're about to witness… true power!"

Kingsley's voice boomed as his body began to change.

Before the horrified eyes of the Marines—

His muscles swelled, his skin darkened, and a thick, black exoskeleton formed over his entire body.

A single, curved horn sprouted from his forehead.

"Captain's transformation…!!"

"The strongest form of Captain Kingsley!"

"Marines, you're all finished! Hahaha!"

The surrounding pirates erupted into cheers.

"You… you're a Devil Fruit user?!"

Colonel Josh's hands tightened around his saber as a cold sweat ran down his back.

"Oi oi…"

Kingsley licked his lips, his voice filled with wicked delight.

"I'm a Zoan-type user."

"I ate the Mushi Mushi no Mi: Model Beetle."

He flexed, his monstrous physique now fully revealed.

"Look at this perfect body! Unbreakable defense! Unmatched strength!"

With an arrogant smirk, he raised his arms, flexing his massive muscles in a grotesque display.

"Burn this image into your mind—"

His expression twisted—

Then—

BOOM!

His massive fist came crashing down toward Colonel Josh!

"DIE!!"

With no other choice, Colonel Josh desperately raised his saber to block the attack—