After returning to Onigashima, Yamato ran off somewhere—no one knew what she was up to.
Anne went back to Karl's quarters and told him what had happened that day, but he didn't seem particularly concerned. He just nodded lightly and said, "Got it."
Two days later, Zoe arrived, bringing with her thirty Shandians. Their leader was Wiper.
"Brother Karl, Sister Daphne told me to bring them over. She said that Wano is a very complicated country, so we need more people stationed here. She also sent ten sets of battle suits for them. Wiper awakened Armament Haki two days ago, so Sister Daphne assigned him as their leader," Zoe explained.
"Mm, good work, Zoe. Go get some rest first," Karl said, dismissing her before going to find Wiper.
"Lord Karl!" Wiper was visibly excited when he saw him.
"Wiper, although you've awakened Armament Haki, that level of strength still isn't enough for this place. I'm planning to give you a Devil Fruit."
With that, Karl took out a Zoan-type—Ancient Model: Saber-Toothed Tiger Devil Fruit.
"Thank you, Lord Karl! I'll keep training hard and make sure to guard Wano's courier station well!"
Wiper's voice trembled with emotion. Ever since arriving in the Blue Sea, he had understood how precious a Devil Fruit was, and the power it granted!
"All right, go ahead and eat it." Karl handed the fruit to him, and Wiper gulped it down in just a few bites. Terrifying.
Moments later, Wiper transformed into his full-beast form—a saber-toothed tiger over ten meters tall—towering before Karl and the other Shandians.
Then Karl told him to revert to human form and handed him a booklet—his personal notes on understanding Devil Fruits and training Haki.
Wiper treated it like a priceless treasure, swearing again and again that he would never betray Karl's expectations.
In the following two days, after setting up the Hive Base, Zoe returned to the surface world with the first batch of Seastone, saying Daphne needed it urgently.
Karl didn't bother to interfere—he knew Daphne was far better than him when it came to business.
"Anne, why haven't you gone out with Yamato these past few days?" Karl asked when he saw her training in the courtyard instead of going out.
"Yamato seems to be helping civilians in other parts of Wano. Apparently, she and Hiyori Kozuki decided that Hiyori will succeed Oden as the future shogun of Wano, and Yamato will go around winning people's hearts. I'm not really interested in that kind of thing, so I stayed here," Anne replied between swings of her sword.
"I see. Then keep training. I'll be heading out for a bit," Karl said. He still needed to collect the blood of several Devil Fruit users—otherwise Ellie might not even let him through the door when he got back.
Over the next few days, Karl ambushed several ability users and quietly collected their blood.
Even Kaido was eventually alerted, though Karl decided to stop before things got messy. Soon rumors spread throughout Onigashima that a powerful ghost had appeared—one that came and went without a trace.
When Karl heard this, he couldn't help but grin.
After all, he'd already gotten what he wanted.
"Uncle... that ghost story wasn't your doing, was it?" Anne asked suspiciously, seeing his mischievous smile.
"How could that be? Would your uncle do something like that? Anyway, how's your Armament Haki coming along?" Karl quickly changed the subject.
"Hmm~ I can already use Armament Haki freely now, and I can control my Conqueror's Haki too," Anne said proudly.
"Mastering Haki only means you've stepped onto the path of the strong. What matters now is improving its quality. Only then can you truly become powerful and do whatever you wish," Karl reminded her when he noticed her arrogance.
"I know, Uncle," she replied earnestly.
With their affairs in Wano settled, Karl started thinking about whether he should make a rubbing of the Poneglyph here.
He wasn't particularly interested in going to Laugh Tale, but his curiosity about the Poneglyph's contents got the better of him.
After some thought, he decided to go see it for himself and take a copy while he was at it.
Five days later, Karl found his chance and successfully sneaked into Orochi Kurozumi's shogunate palace, where he made a rubbing of the Poneglyph.
Now that his mission was complete, there was no reason to stay in Wano any longer.
"Anne, I'm planning to head back tomorrow. What do you think?" Karl asked as she returned from a sparring session with Yamato.
"Huh? So soon?" Anne had been improving rapidly while training with Yamato and wanted to stay a few more days.
"Yes, we've accomplished what we came here for. It's time to return," Karl said.
He was starting to miss Daphne, Ellie—and Hancock, who was still pregnant.
"How about two more days, Uncle? Yamato's leaving Onigashima for the other regions of Wano then. We can leave after that," Anne pleaded.
"All right, two more days," Karl agreed. After all, Yamato was Anne's friend.
"Yay! Thanks, Uncle!" Anne cheered and ran off happily.
Karl could only shake his head with a smile.
Still, it was about time to let Kaido know they'd be leaving. Leaving without saying anything would be rude.
"Wororororo~ Karl! You can leave, but not before having a fight with me first!" Kaido laughed when Karl came by. He'd thought Karl was there for drinks, not farewells.
"Sure. But we'll need a proper place for it—too cramped here," Karl said.
He'd been wanting to go all out in a fight. Over the years, he'd sparred with Roger, Rayleigh, Garp, and even "Uncle Huang" (Kizaru), but never at full strength. It had always left him unsatisfied.
"Fine by me! Let's go!" Kaido roared, transforming into a massive dragon and soaring into the sky. Karl followed, taking the form of a mythical Pixiu.
When the people on Onigashima saw the two turn into full-beast forms again, they panicked, thinking another massive battle was about to break out.
King and Queen even ordered everyone to prepare for the shockwaves.
But the next moment, the two vanished into the clouds, flying far from the island.
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief—thankfully, they weren't fighting here.
"Strange... what are Uncle and Kaido doing?" Anne muttered as she stepped out, having just seen the two disappear into the distance.
Kaido and Karl eventually found an uninhabited, desolate island and dove straight down.
"This'll do. Perfect spot for a fight!" Karl said.
"Good! Let's do it!" Kaido roared, unleashing a burst of Conqueror's Haki that tore through the air. Karl answered in kind, and in an instant, the entire island was engulfed in crackling black-and-red lightning.
From afar, a news bird belonging to Morgans happened to capture the scene on camera.
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