Shua—
Carol's figure appeared from the bottom of the island,
Teleporting directly above the Tongtian Staircase, into the castle surrounded by the residential area.
The sky had not yet fully brightened.
But under the oppression of the Poker Pirates, the entire island's inhabitants were already awake and toiling, assembling parts for the so-called 'King Cannon'.
And constructing a massive castle for the pirates to reside and indulge in.
When Carol materialized inside the palace, King Bear, the powerful pirate, was sound asleep, embracing a captive resident.
The burly King Bear resembled a three-meter-tall gorilla. Carol frowned and took out a high-explosive electric grenade.
Ka—
A crisp sound echoed.
Instantly startling King Bear awake, he snapped his eyes open.
His entire body turned to steel, and he flipped out of bed, facing Carol.
"Intruders!!!"
His thunderous roar sent all members of the Poker Pirates within the castle into a state of alert,
Rushing towards the central palace.
Carol remained still, holding the high-explosive electric grenade and looking at King Bear.
"King Bear, captain of the Poker Pirates."
"Paramecia-type Steel-Steel Fruit user."
"His dream is to build the 'King Cannon' and rule the world."
The chaotic sound of footsteps grew closer from outside.
King Bear's pupils contracted, and he regarded Carol with suspicion, staring intently at him.
"You know quite a lot."
He knew his devil fruit ability, his dream, even his intelligence capabilities were something he associated only with the Navy.
Shua—
Carol's figure vanished.
Like a watery wave, a paste-like substance rained down, exploding and coalescing where Carol had been.
Missing the attack, the watery paste surged into Carol's windbreaker, which fluttered in the wind, and coalesced into a figure.
Sweet Queen, one of the only two devil fruit users in the Poker Pirates, descended from the sky.
She looked at Carol, who had reappeared on the bed, having sent away the resident King Bear had taken, and then returned.
"Such a handsome young man."
"Interested in joining us~"
King Bear roared,
"Stop fantasizing! This guy might be from the Navy!!!"
A flicker of regret crossed Sweet Queen's beautiful face.
"That's a real shame."
Then, three other strangely shaped executives, along with a group of assembled pirates, stormed in.
With everyone gathered, King Bear finally felt a sliver of confidence.
It wasn't for any other reason...
But because that guy was too calm... so calm as if nothing else mattered...
Just as he was about to speak, he saw Carol raise the hand holding the high-explosive electric grenade.
King Bear frowned and said,
"You're from the Navy, aren't you."
"Was that teleportation earlier a devil fruit ability."
"Truly terrifying..."
"However, beneath our palace lies the lifeblood of the entire island."
"The mechanism that drives the whole island."
"If it's destroyed, the entire island will fall, and all the residents will die."
"Navy..."
His gaze fixed on Carol.
Carol chuckled lightly,
"That's right, I am from the Navy."
"But... what does that have to do with me."
"Are you trying to emotionally blackmail me?"
His cruel smile stunned the pirates in the palace for a moment.
This... was a Navy member???
Shua—
Carol's figure disappeared.
Gulu gulu...
The high-explosive electric grenade, at some unknown time, rolled into the center of the group.
Apart from King Bear, who was entirely turned to steel, and Sweet Queen, the user of the special Paramecia-type Slime-Slime Fruit, everyone else scrambled to run.
But as soon as they lifted their feet...
Zzzt—
High-voltage electricity instantly surged through the entire palace.
No one was spared, not even the two devil fruit users...
After all, steel and paste... are not perfectly insulated...
Shua—
Carol reappeared, yawning.
"Idiot, I was lying to you."
Carrying two devil fruit de-crystallizers, he ignored the pirates screaming and twitching on the floor, and walked over to King Bear, squatting down.
Although paralyzed by the electricity, King Bear maintained his full steel form.
Carol smiled, his arm a blur.
The needle of the de-crystallizer, imbued with Armament Haki, pierced directly into King Bear's pupil, sinking deep into his brain.
The intense pain turned King Bear's body crimson, and beast-like roars escaped his throat.
Carol tapped King Bear's body with his hand, producing a resonant thud.
"It's turned to steel on the inside as well."
He stood up and lightly drew his sword Sakura Ten from his waist, drawing it across King Bear's neck.
King Bear's head detached... rolling a few times. Within the de-crystallizer, a devil fruit slowly took shape.
Carol casually tossed the other de-crystallizer, piercing it into the half-paralyzed Sweet Queen's body, and swung Sakura Ten down.
Another devil fruit slowly took shape within the de-crystallizer...
He withdrew the two de-crystallizers, looked at the devil fruits within, and at the unconscious, convulsing pirates scattered across the room. He then tossed out two more high-explosive electric grenades.
Shua—
He vanished...
Under the onslaught of three waves of high-voltage electricity, not a single pirate in the palace survived.
Appearing below the island, Carol swept his Observation Haki and mused,
"So convenient."
Taking them all down in one go...
-------
New World, Punk Hazard.
Early morning.
Carol, carrying several devil fruits, appeared in the underground research facility with a weary expression.
If nothing went wrong, Vegapunk would arrive late at night.
Groggily finding a spot, he lay down...
As he drifted off to sleep, he felt an itch on his face. Yawning, he opened his eyes.
He found two unfamiliar faces present.
One was a rather serious individual conducting an experiment, and the other was the girl in front of him.
The itching sensation on his face was caused by this smirking girl tickling him with a feather.
Carol got up, his brow furrowed.
"Who are you?"
The smirking girl said,
"My name is Lilith, and that guy is Shakya."
The person named Shakya put down his experiment and turned, saying,
"No need to worry, Mr. Carol."
"We are clones of the original."
"The original is the Vegapunk you speak of."
Carol nodded slightly.
"Is that so..."
"What time is it."
Shakya replied,
"It's almost three in the afternoon."
Carol gave a soft 'hmm'.
The bag containing the devil fruits was still at his feet. Carol picked it up.
"Then I'll leave this to you."
"Inside are the Mera Mera no Mi, the Steel-Steel Fruit, and the Slow-Slow Fruit."