Usopp's eyes rolled back as he collapsed silently.
Carl's marble-like projectiles moved too fast and were too small to notice. By the time anyone realized something had happened, Usopp already lay on the ground.
Closest to him, Chopper hurried to Usopp's side. The moment he saw the bullet hole in the center of Usopp's forehead, his face froze in horror.
Carl raised a hand, and with a swift motion, both Usopp's body and his oversized slingshot flew toward him, knocking Chopper aside.
Toki's eyes flickered as she quietly stepped back.
Carl grasped Usopp's head, twisting it off with a casual flick. Holding the severed head in one hand, he glanced at the slingshot in the other, chuckling softly.
"A child's toy?"
Boom!
An intense blaze swallowed Carl's figure as a deafening explosion erupted. The grass in the surrounding area turned to ash, revealing scorched earth beneath.
The spot where Carl had stood was now engulfed in a raging inferno.
Ace's right hand morphed into a claw-like shape, flames licking his fingertips. He stared at the inferno and muttered, "Did it work?"
Tatatatata…
Footsteps echoed from within the flames. Everyone froze as Carl emerged unscathed, holding Usopp's severed head in one hand and the slingshot in the other.
Glancing at the stunned Ace, Carl sneered.
"Hey, you almost burned my new toy."
Carl's eyes narrowed, golden light gleaming in his pupils.
Ace assumed the attack was coming his way and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
But instead…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Behind Ace, the weaker members of the Spade Pirates exploded into blood mist, while the slightly stronger ones collapsed, bleeding from their noses.
A single glance from Carl had decimated over half the Spade Pirates.
Ace turned rigidly to witness the gruesome scene behind him, his chest tightening as despair gripped him. When he turned back to Carl, his eyes burned with hatred, flames erupting like twin infernos.
Carl ignored Ace entirely. He set Usopp's head on the slingshot, aiming it at Luffy, who knelt on the ground in shock.
Seeing this, Ace's pupils shrank in terror. Without thinking, his body moved on its own, diving toward Luffy.
The next moment—
Splurt!
A hot spray of blood splashed across Luffy's face, jolting him awake. Yet the scene before him nearly made him faint again.
Two faces stared back at Luffy—one above the other. Ace's ashen face was above, while Usopp's lifeless, hollow eyes were below, lodged into Ace's chest.
Ace's face turned pale as he made choking sounds. Without speaking a word, he collapsed in front of Luffy, blood pooling around him.
Kneeling in the blood, Luffy wept tears of crimson. He extended a trembling hand toward Ace, only for Ace's body to be yanked backward, sliding to Carl's feet.
Carl extended his palm, and a vortex of darkness swirled to life. Ace's limp body was drawn in, his hair clutched in Carl's hand.
Even though Ace was mortally wounded, the bloodline of the Pirate King kept him clinging to a sliver of life.
Carl leaned close to Ace's ear, speaking coldly,
"Portgas… no, Gol D. Ace. It seems your fate as one bearing the Will of D is to die in Luffy's place."
With those words, Ace exhaled his final breath, his eyes still wide open in defiance.
Carl severed Ace's head and stored it in the Dark Bible.
A trophy like this—a Pirate King's son—would provide the Navy's propaganda machine enough material for years.
Meanwhile, Luffy trembled uncontrollably, muttering incoherently. Nami ran to his side, embracing him tightly.
"Luffy! What's wrong?!" she cried desperately.
Doom… Doom… Doom…
A mysterious drumbeat emanated from Luffy's chest. He broke free from Nami's hold, staring blankly at Carl.
Tears streaked his face, blending with the blood. His expressions oscillated between sorrow and an unsettling smile.
Ace's headless corpse lay at Carl's feet, yet Luffy let out a disturbing laugh.
Carl's eyes narrowed as he muttered,
"So, you couldn't hold it back any longer, Joy Boy."
Carl drew his cursed blade, Muramasa. But before he could strike, Luffy leaned backward, narrowly dodging the attack.
Pushing off with his legs, Luffy retreated to Toki's side.
"Use your Devil Fruit power now!" Luffy commanded urgently.
Toki, who had been preparing, unleashed her Time-Time Fruit abilities, enveloping herself, Luffy, and their allies in a radiant glow.
Carl's eyes flashed with a dark gleam as the entire Sabaody Archipelago was consumed by shadow. Vortices of darkness materialized, encircling Toki's group.
Toki's face paled. "I can't open the time corridor!"
Darkness, representing black holes, distorted space-time itself, rendering her abilities ineffective.
Luffy's demeanor shifted as he muttered,
"This body… is still too weak to bear my will. No matter… desperate times call for desperate measures."
Toki froze. "Luffy, what are you saying?"
Ignoring her, a white ribbon of flame-like clouds encircled him. Letting out a guttural roar, he unleashed an invisible force, temporarily scattering the surrounding darkness.
Toki seized the opportunity to push her power to its limit, but the lingering influence of darkness confined her to a single year's leap.
Exhausted, Toki collapsed after a final burst of effort, her nose bleeding. Multicolored beams enveloped her group before shooting into the sky and vanishing.
Carl stood motionless, his gaze dark as night. "So it begins…"
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+210 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg