Chapter 75: Darkness

### Chapter 75: Darkness

Who would have thought that today, a small recruiting office would gather more than 80% of the top combat power of the Navy Headquarters?

Among the crowd were students cheering for Carl, while the surrounding Marines were individuals who could casually throw a brick and hit someone at least at the level of a Marine Colonel.

Carl himself hadn't expected the situation to escalate this far. He thought to himself,

*"I originally wanted to take advantage of the chaos to do something to Dragon, but this situation is a bit tricky..."*

Despite this, he kept a smile on his face, waving at Lucia and the others.

Aokiji observed Carl with admiration and said,

"Senior Carl is so popular; everyone likes him."

Aramaki, still annoyed at being dragged into this, shot Aokiji a glare.

"You ignorant country bumpkin, do you even know what happens when Carl gets angry? We're not going to have a good time!"

He wanted to say that if Carl's true identity was revealed, the admiration he'd receive would be overwhelming. But he quickly remembered that revealing Carl's title here was a bad idea, so he stopped himself awkwardly.

Dragon, standing ahead of them, looked back and said calmly,

"When the battle starts, stay away from me. I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

"Huh?"

Aramaki raised an eyebrow, clenched his fists, and cracked his knuckles.

"You guys really annoy me."

Aokiji scratched his head, confused about why a fight was breaking out before the actual battle had even begun.

Fortunately, Zephyr's voice cut through the tension.

"Alright, you can start! Carl, I emphasize again—hold back!"

As soon as he finished speaking—

**Whoosh!**

A sudden gust of wind erupted around Dragon. Aokiji and Aramaki, caught off guard, stumbled. By the time they reacted, Dragon had already merged into the wind, rushing toward Carl.

But getting close to Carl this way was a mistake.

Carl reached out, and a dark vortex formed in his palm.

**"Universal Pull."**

"Nani?!"

Dragon's startled voice came from within the wind as green wisps of air were forcefully drawn into the vortex's gravity.

In the blink of an eye, Dragon materialized from the swirling wind, his body forcibly extracted. He glanced at Carl's hand on his shoulder, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Is this possible? Why can't I..."

Before he could finish, Carl drove a heavy punch into his abdomen.

Dragon coughed up blood, but not a single drop touched Carl—his darkness absorbed it all.

From the crowd, Garp frowned. Meanwhile, the students erupted into cheers.

The punch snapped Dragon back to reality. He still didn't understand why his Devil Fruit powers weren't working, but he knew that taking more hits like this would end the fight quickly.

With gritted teeth, Dragon raised his hand, now wrapped in Haki, and grabbed Carl's arm.

**"Dragon's Claw!"**

Many of the spectators gasped at the sight of the technique.

Carl wasn't surprised. At 24 years old, with Garp as his father, it would be shocking if Dragon *didn't* know Haki.

Carl released Dragon's shoulder and shifted his stance, easily dodging the attack.

Dragon's claw struck nothing but air. His eyes widened in shock.

Before he could recover, Carl delivered a sweeping kick to his waist, sending him flying like a broken kite. He crashed between Aokiji and Aramaki.

Aramaki smirked.

"Oh, no wonder you told us to stay back. Almost took *me* out there, huh? Such a noble guy."

Dragon, struggling to rise, heard Aramaki's mocking words and nearly collapsed again from sheer frustration.

Finally, Aokiji, unable to watch any longer, offered him a hand.

Dragon took it, his expression dark with frustration. No matter how composed he tried to seem, his discomfort was obvious.

Without looking back, he muttered,

"I underestimated his strength. I can't beat him alone. Let's go together."

Aramaki let out a low chuckle.

"I think you *overestimated* yourself. Should I call you brave or just plain stupid?"

Aokiji, ever the reasonable one, stepped in.

"Come on. This is a rare chance to fight someone like Carl. We should go all out. If we don't perform well, how can we expect to earn his recognition?"

Aramaki flinched. That… actually made sense.

If Carl was the key figure here, then proving his worth in this fight was important. Otherwise, would Carl even remember him?

His expression shifted. He patted Aokiji's shoulder seriously.

"Didn't expect you to say something insightful. Respect!"

Aokiji gave him a skeptical look as Aramaki turned toward the battlefield.

"You're a Logia too, right?" Aramaki called back. "Show some real power. Don't drag me down."

The trio exchanged glances before stepping into position, surrounding Carl in a triangular formation.

In the next moment, their powers erupted simultaneously.

Dragon's **cyan hurricanes** howled, lifting sand and debris.

Aokiji's **vast ice field** spread across the ground, chilling the air.

Aramaki's **green vegetation** sprouted rapidly, covering the battlefield.

These elements surged toward Carl.

He observed their combined attack with an intrigued look and murmured,

"Interesting..."

**Boom!**

Darkness exploded from Carl's body, rippling outward in all directions.

The battlefield became a chaotic clash of **black, green, blue, and cyan**.

Yet, as the elements collided, it became clear—

Carl's **darkness** was slowly devouring them all.

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+65 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg

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