One Piece: Signing In as a Pirate Begins with Roger's Execution

Karl's voice had barely fallen.

A massive Sea King emerged from the depths, leaping skyward with its colossal maw wide open, lunging toward Karl's ship!

The creature, nearly a kilometer in length, was considered one of the smaller Sea Kings. Yet, its size still dwarfed Karl's warship by a staggering margin.

For his journey to Enies Lobby, Karl had chosen to travel lightly, bringing only Bell-mère and Kuro along. The small vessel they used barely exceeded 100 meters in length, making it look like a toy compared to the enormous Sea King before them.

"You two, give it a try. See if you can drive it back."

In the Grand Line, individuals capable of taking down Sea Kings of this size with a single blow were plentiful. Training like this was essential for Bell-mère and Kuro if they hoped to hold their ground in such a treacherous sea.

Karl didn't expect them to kill the Sea King outright, but they at least needed to build their courage. If they couldn't face a Sea King without fear, it would be disgraceful in the future.

"I understand!"

Kuro took a deep breath, donned his Cat Claw gloves, and his gaze sharpened.

"Shakushi!"

Leaping into the air, Kuro charged straight for the gaping maw of the Sea King. His attack landed directly on the creature's eyes, causing it to howl in pain. Using his incredible speed, Kuro inflicted numerous wounds across its massive body.

However, his strength fell short. The attacks weren't enough to cause serious harm to the Sea King.

Bell-mère, following closely behind, sprang into action. Using Geppo (Moonwalk), she soared to the front of the Sea King and unleashed a powerful strike.

"Iron Body: Revised—Iron Fist!"

Boom!

The force of her blow caused the Sea King's head to cave in by several centimeters, sending it crashing back into the ocean. Though heavily injured, the creature managed to flee, still alive.

While Bell-mère had mastered the basics of the Six Powers, her techniques were still raw. Iron Body was one of her strongest moves, but even at full strength, she couldn't kill the Sea King.

Similarly, Kuro's attacks couldn't deliver a fatal blow.

This proved their current strength was far from sufficient for the challenges of the Grand Line.

"As I thought, time is too tight. If I had another year, your strength wouldn't be this weak," Karl remarked, shaking his head before casually drawing his sword.

With a single slash, a massive wave of energy crashed into the ocean.

Behind the warship, the sea split open, forming a thousand-meter-long canyon in the ocean.

He had cleaved the sea in two with one strike!

Karl smiled, satisfied with his current swordsmanship.

Meanwhile, Bell-mère and Kuro inhaled sharply, stunned. They watched as the enormous Sea Kings trailing their ship—each over a kilometer in length—were sliced in half by Karl's single attack. Not one survived.

The previously injured Sea King was, ironically, the luckiest, having escaped death by mere chance.

Though they knew Karl was immensely powerful, witnessing his strength firsthand left Bell-mère and Kuro in awe every time.

"I'm not asking you to reach my level of strength, but you must never slack off. I won't always be there to protect you, especially you, Kuro.

"Your infiltration of the underworld is known only to me, Bell-mère, Garp, and Sengoku. Although few know your identity, your strength is critical for your safety."

"Understood! I won't let you down—I'll excel in my role!" Kuro stood at attention and saluted, his expression solemn. Karl nodded and resumed steering the warship forward.

In the Calm Belt, Sea Kings frequently appeared. To train Bell-mère and Kuro, Karl deliberately engaged them in combat. Only when they were completely overwhelmed did Karl use his Conqueror's Haki to drive the creatures away.

During this time, he also observed the differences between Sea Kings in the Calm Belt and those in other regions.

After a day and a night of sailing, they were finally nearing the edge of the Calm Belt when Bell-mère spotted something unusual in the distance—a pirate ship!

"A pirate ship here? Are they not afraid of death?" Bell-mère exclaimed.

Hearing this, Kuro grabbed a telescope to observe.

"It's an unfamiliar flag. A skull surrounded by nine snake heads—it looks eerie."

"A skull with nine snake heads?" Karl was taken aback. "That's the flag of the Kuja Pirates! What are they doing here?"

He quickly took up a telescope to confirm.

At the same time, the Kuja Pirates had spotted Karl's warship.

The Kuja captain, Gloriosa, still in her prime and exuding a commanding presence, was a stunning beauty—not the elderly figure she would become in the future.

"Grandma! There's a Navy warship ahead. Should we rob them?"

A young girl with exceptional beauty and a natural charm asked excitedly. It was clear she was destined to grow into a remarkable beauty.

Gloriosa glanced at her and shook her head. "Hancock, this is your first voyage, so you must understand: our crew avoids conflicts with the Navy whenever possible."

"Why? We're pirates! Isn't fighting the Navy what we do?"

The young Hancock was naive about many things, and Gloriosa found it hard to explain.

"Hancock, we are not ruthless marauders committing heinous crimes. There's no need to provoke the Navy unnecessarily. For the sake of Amazon Lily, we must avoid offending them.

"Besides, you're only ten years old. If a real fight breaks out, your strength won't be enough to help."

"Hmph! Stupid grandma!" Hancock crossed her arms and pouted, her face full of childish indignation.

Gloriosa sighed, turning her focus back to the Navy warship.

But then, she noticed something terrifying—the warship was rising into the air, heading straight toward them!

"Trouble! Everyone, turn the ship around and retreat at full speed!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The Amazons followed Gloriosa's orders, though they didn't understand her urgency.

Hancock, confused, snatched the telescope from Gloriosa to look for herself.

Her jaw dropped, her face a mix of disbelief and awe.

"Grandma! Their warship is flying!"

"Yes, just like the Golden Lion's fleet," Gloriosa replied grimly.

---------------------------------

If you want to support me and read advance chapters, please visit:

patreon.com / madbot635