A long slash ripped clean through Mihawk's body. Crimson blood poured from the wound, splattering on the shattered deck of the war-torn ship.
Step. Step.
Sengoku's boots echoed on the blood-slick boards as he approached. He sighed deeply, looking at the silhouette in the distance. "That's the Kuja Pirates' ship… Boa Hancock's 'Perfume Yuda,'" he muttered, tsking with some disbelief. "You've really been put through hell, Carl."
Moments later, Luffy's group—including the Straw Hats, 720 Rayleigh, and the okamas from Kamabakka—had all been captured and escorted onto the opposite Marine battleship. The warship slowly began to pull away from the harbor, creaking under the tension that hung in the air.
Sengoku walked over to Carl, placing a weathered hand on his shoulder. "It's not the end of the world. You're still alive. And compared to dying here… going to Impel Down isn't the worst outcome."
"Yes!" T. Penn responded briskly, trying to steady his emotions.
Suddenly, he staggered. "Where… am I?" His eyes were dazed, still full of confusion. "That Marine from earlier…"
"Oak Dragon Vice Admiral…" Penn muttered under his breath, his expression mixed. "Are we really doing this? I heard that Vice Admiral Garp—"
Before he could finish, Carl called out casually, "Let's move."
Everyone on the deck turned to look at him.
Luffy, still barely conscious, struggled to open his eyes, only to see Carl flicker from sight—too fast for his battered body to track.
"So fast!" Luffy gasped, even in his dazed state. Carl's silhouette had already reappeared elsewhere on the ship.
Carl's gaze fell heavily on Sengoku and Garp. "I'm only in charge of the arrest," he stated coldly.
With a gentle wave of his fingers, glimmering pink sakura petals enveloped Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, and the others, lifting them into the air and ferrying them toward the Thousand Sunny, now docked nearby like a ghost of freedom they'd never reach.
Carl's technique, reminiscent of Fujitora's gravity manipulation but softer—almost artistic—kept the Straw Hats suspended and helpless.
"They came to provoke, but none of them dared to kill," Carl whispered.
His earlier slash against Mihawk had nearly drained his vitality completely. The once untouchable Warlord lay unconscious, his breath ragged, blood painting his black cloak.
Beside Mihawk was Luffy, still bound in Kairoseki cuffs, his chest barely rising.
Carl couldn't just let them go—responsibility came with victory.
"Wait," his voice came from above.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A distant thunder of footsteps echoed on the deck—boots against steel. Another Marine warship emerged on the horizon, its sails bearing the symbol of justice.
"My beloved will not allow you to detain him!" Hancock shouted from the deck of the Perfume Yuda, her eyes blazing.
A pink heart surged in her palm.
With one graceful leap, she closed the gap and delivered a Mero Mero slap at a Marine attempting to intercept her—his body petrified mid-step.
She looked at Carl and sighed. "Forget it. I'll consider this a favor… for teaching me the Six Powers."
One by one, the Straw Hats collapsed like dominoes. Luffy's battered friends—Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, Franky, and Brook—all rolled their eyes back, falling in turn.
"No need…" Hancock muttered, visibly restraining herself from causing more chaos.
The battlefield was a mess—scorched, torn, and stained with blood. The scent of war still clung to the wind.
Sanji clenched his teeth, sweat dripping down his neck. "Our eyes… can't track him at all!"
He collapsed next.
"Hahaha, that's fine," Sengoku chuckled while stroking his white beard. "I haven't stepped into Impel Down in years…"
"It's his decision," he added. "We just make sure the rules hold."
Crash! Hancock's figure was knocked back, smashing through the deck of her own ship.
On the sea, muffled sounds of impact continued.
Sengoku stood at the bow of the Marine warship and watched the Perfume Yuda disappear into the mist.
"Let it go. She's still a Shichibukai—for now," Carl said with a shake of his head. He stepped lightly and returned to the deck of the Thousand Sunny in an instant.
A dark shadow rose behind him. A palm slammed down from above.
"Yes!" T. Penn answered, activating the Transponder Snail attached to his wrist.
None of the intruders had intended to shed Marine blood—they came to disrupt, not to destroy.
An overwhelming, invisible pressure flooded the area.
Carl stared toward the distant sea, his voice even. "If the old man really intends to send his grandson to Impel Down… so be it."
He turned to Penn. "Deliver them."
Boom!
"…Is that so?" Garp said with a pained smile. "Thanks, Carl. I owe you one."
Carl knew that if his stamina remained, theoretically, he could cut down anyone. Even a Yonko.
The entire Straw Hat crew now lay in defeat.
He was the first to break the unspoken agreement by going all out.
Thanks to Emily's presence, and the fact that no Marines had died, the paperwork would be light.
"Really?" Carl tapped his lip. "Let's hope so."
The power behind his slash earlier had no upper limit—it simply depended on his resolve and Haki output.
"Yeah…" Garp sighed, "Maybe it's all for the best."
Carl said nothing. The air turned still and heavy.
With one eyebrow raised, Carl grabbed Sanji by the leg and tossed him into the gathering pile of captives.
"Move out!"
The Straw Hat Pirates and the okamas from Kamabakka—all of them were being hauled to the warship.
Shichibukai weren't technically enemies of the Marines. They were government dogs… or allies, depending on who you asked.
Garp had remained silent all this time, but now, with finality, he stepped forward. "Let me escort them. It's this old man's responsibility."
Carl, already turning away, raised a brow and nodded.
"Fine. Notify Bright and the others to assess the damage to the port and base," he ordered.
"Understood," Garp replied, eyes heavy. "They'll be sent to Impel Down."
Carl glanced toward Mihawk's motionless form and sighed. "Truly incredible… Even now, you still deserve the title of world's greatest swordsman."
Then his eyes shifted to Sengoku and Garp.
"So… what are you two really here for?"
After all, the Shichibukai were never meant to be Marine enemies.
They were tools created by the World Government.
The crackling black lightning radiating from Carl's fist clashed violently with the scorching red flames on Sanji's legs, the two opposing forces neutralizing one another in bursts of energy. Yet now that Sanji had been caught, the situation had completely changed.
Moments later, a warship neared the battleground.
It was en route to Impel Down, the underwater fortress prison feared across the seas.
"If Luffy is going to be locked in Impel Down," Carl muttered, his tone chilling, "then I'll be the one to put him there myself. Better to keep these people out of sight."
"You don't need to say that!" Sanji growled through gritted teeth, before being knocked back by a powerful strike.
Hawkeye Mihawk, the world's strongest swordsman, defeated—just like that?
Sanji's eyes widened, unable to believe it. He could sense the battle's outcome, but his body simply couldn't keep up.
Carl calmly approached Mihawk, who was kneeling, barely conscious. He patted the man on the shoulder. "You're still a Warlord of the Sea. I'll spare you—for now."
T. Penn, standing at the edge of the ship, looked toward the horizon, visibly conflicted. "Sending Garp's grandson to Impel Down… Why must this fall on Vice Admiral Garp?"
Carl's gaze sharpened. He looked at Garp with a solemn expression and said, "Don't do anything stupid, old man. You should remember your position."
He turned to look at the defeated Luffy and his crew, all bound tightly. "Catching them was easy enough. But I don't have any seastone cuffs on me. I'll call for the prison ship to transport them."
Carl moved with the same ease as someone out for a casual stroll.
"Oh?" His eyes narrowed as he noticed Hancock stirring. "Are you sure you want to move now?"
He had to get her off the battlefield before she regained her full faculties.
Hancock's eyes flickered with awareness, but before she could react, a sweep kick landed on her side.
Boom!
Nearby, Marine soldiers began escorting the bound Straw Hat crew toward the approaching warship.
Luffy groaned faintly, his body barely responding.
"Guess dying in battle wouldn't be so bad after all…" Carl exhaled slowly, not even turning around.
Sengoku, standing silently until now, stiffened at the sight. He hadn't expected things to go this far.
Vice Admiral Garp, expression unreadable, had remained speechless ever since approaching. His eyes stayed locked on Luffy aboard Carl's ship.
Carl never went all the way—he hadn't crossed the final line.
His face expressionless, Carl blew out a puff of smoke and remarked, "You might want to lie down for a bit."
That voice rang out behind Hancock. If she regained full consciousness, she'd absolutely fight again.
Crack! A nearby structure split from the tension.
Elsewhere, Yamato and Nobita had finished assisting Coffey, subduing the swarm of giant insects.
Boom!
On the ship's bow, Garp sat cross-legged, bottle in hand, his mood unreadable.
"These things don't concern me," Carl said nonchalantly, waving his hand as he walked by Mihawk and approached Luffy and the others. "Now then… it's your turn."
He offered a faint smile. "Well, they did try to stop me from arresting pirates."
Whether or not to capture the Straw Hats didn't matter to Carl. It was entirely up to his whim.
"We came here for a vacation," Sengoku muttered with a dry smile, glancing at Garp. "But you actually caught the Straw Hat crew, Carl. Didn't expect that."
Sanji launched a flaming kick backward with everything he had, spinning midair in one final burst of strength.
"I'll keep an eye on him," Sengoku said quickly.
Two figures stood silently on the deck, watching.
Carl glanced down at Hancock's ship, the Perfume Yuda. Its elegant form was now battered and unrecognizable.
"Well then, call in the prison ship," Carl nodded. "Send them all to Impel Down."
He paused, then added with a smirk, "Interesting… your Observation Haki isn't bad at all."
No matter what the Warlords had done, Mihawk had still killed many pirates in the name of justice.
On the harbor's edge, a lone enemy lay pinned under a Marine's foot, their resistance crushed.
After Carl's departure, the Kuja warriors on the Perfume Yuda quickly moved to rouse the two giant snakes, retreating with haste.
To be fair, Marines and Warlords were supposed to be allies—but lines blurred quickly in times like these.
Carl's own Observation Haki was monstrous. He could feel just how outlandishly fast his own body now was.
Swish!
"Oak Dragon Vice Admiral!" T. Penn saluted as he reported, "The troublemakers on the shore have also been apprehended!"
Luffy stirred, his eyelids twitching faintly.
"Well…"
Carl slowly retracted his right hand and exhaled a final puff of smoke.
"…Perception doesn't matter much if you can't keep up."
"Yes, sir!"
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