These were the Marines stationed at Sabaody Archipelago. Their weapons had all been seized by Kid's abilities, leaving them to rely solely on their martial arts to contend with the pirates.
However, the disparity in power was already evident. Without their weapons, the Marines were quickly overwhelmed, and the battle turned into a one-sided slaughter.
A Marine faced off against Killer, but within a few exchanges, his body was riddled with bloody gashes.
Standing behind him, Kid observed the scene with an increasingly sadistic grin. Raising one arm, he summoned a barrage of metallic weapons from the area, forming a massive mechanical arm.
He roared, "Killer! All of you, step back. Let me crush these insolent Marines myself!"
Killer immediately obeyed, stepping forward to block the Marines' escape. The remaining pirates followed suit, surrounding the Marines in an open clearing. Kid's colossal mechanical arm descended toward the Marines.
Just as annihilation seemed inevitable, a dark vortex appeared above the Marines, coalescing into Carl's figure.
With a mere flick of his finger, the entirety of Kid's mechanical arm shattered into fragments.
Kid's expression changed dramatically as he exclaimed, "You are..."
Buzz!
Before Kid could finish, he was pulled into the air by the swirling darkness emanating from Carl.
Carl's face remained impassive as he gripped Kid by the neck. A dark vortex materialized in his hand.
In full view of everyone's widening eyes, Kid's head remained stationary while his body spun 360 degrees beneath it.
With a sickening crack, Kid's lifeless body fell to the ground, his head still clutched in Carl's hand.
In a single move, the second-highest-bounty Supernova had been brutally executed.
Killer and the remaining crew stared at the headless body in stunned silence. Killer was the first to react, letting out a gut-wrenching scream.
"KID!!!"
He lunged toward Kid's body, kneeling and cradling it in his arms.
High above, Carl coldly surveyed the scene below. With a subtle motion of his fingers, a stream of blood erupted from Kid's severed neck, shooting like an arrow toward the pirates standing frozen in the back.
Thwack!
The blood arrow pierced through several pirates, stringing them together like beads.
It didn't stop there. Kid's body became a Gatling gun, spraying blood arrows in every direction. Even when Killer tried to redirect the "attack," the blood arrows arced around, targeting the pirates behind the Marines.
When the body's blood was entirely drained, the remaining pirates had already been reduced to corpses. In the blink of an eye, the once-dominant Kid Pirates were annihilated, leaving only Killer alive.
Killer clutched Kid's drained corpse, muttering, "This is a nightmare..."
Before he could process further, a massive shot from Carl's fingertip, reducing both Killer and Kid's corpse to ashes.
From Carl's arrival to now, less than a minute had passed, and the Kid Pirates had been completely wiped out.
The Marines, frozen in place, looked skyward at Carl. One of them stammered, "That… that's Admiral Black Dragon!"
But Carl had already transformed into a dark vortex, disappearing into the sky.
The hunt had only just begun.
Outside a residence, Hawkins stared pale-faced at a set of tarot cards in front of him, trembling slightly.
"Death probability… 100%," he murmured.
Smack!
A pitch-black hand landed on his shoulder. Hawkins stiffened and looked up to meet a pair of cold, golden eyes.
Unbeknownst to him, his entire crew lay dead in a pool of blood.
Carl's voice was quiet. "Your prediction was accurate."
Crack!
Hawkins' head and part of his spine were ripped from his body. His Straw-Straw Fruit abilities offered no protection against Carl.
In a nearby alley, Capone Bege's cigar fell from his mouth as he saw Carl in the distance. Inside his body, his subordinates trembled with fear.
One of them stammered, "There's no mistaking it—that's Admiral Black Dragon. He's here!"
Bege snapped his head down, growling, "Shut up!"
Without hesitation, he turned to flee, intent on putting as much distance as possible between himself and the monster.
What he didn't realize was that every Supernova on Sabaody Archipelago had already been locked onto by Carl's soundwave tracking.
Carl glanced toward the alley where Bege was hiding. Tossing Hawkins' haki-infused head lightly, Carl flicked it toward the alley.
The severed head punched through a building wall, embedding itself in Bege's chest cavity.
Bege's eyes widened as he emitted a choking sound. Blood gushed from his mouth as most of his subordinates were instantly crushed within his body. Those who tried to escape were met with another horrific sight as Hawkins' head glowed bright red before exploding.
The ensuing blood mist spread across the alley, and Carl, lighting a cigarette, exhaled softly before vanishing.
At Area 30's shopping street—
What was once a bustling area was now deserted. News of the Celestial Dragon's death had spread, leaving no one in the mood for leisure.
Mad Monk Urouge ran down the empty streets, while nearby, Apoo leapt from building to building like a monkey.
They appeared to be racing, but both were desperate to escape. Soon, they reached the street's end and found Carl waiting for them.
Carl flicked away his cigarette, gazing at Urouge. "Too slow."
Urouge's expression shifted as he clenched his fists, readying himself for a fight.
In an instant, Carl appeared before him and delivered a devastating kick to his head.
Pop!
Urouge's head exploded like a watermelon, and his headless body collapsed.
On the rooftop, Apoo, witnessing Carl's speed, realized escape was futile. Taking advantage of Carl's momentary landing, he unleashed his soundwave attack, targeting Carl with his Devil Fruit abilities.
The soundwave caused Carl's Marine coat to flutter slightly. Turning to Apoo, Carl's lips parted.
"Die."
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