One Piece: Starting as a Marine Lieutenant, I Slack Off and Get Stronger

Im said calmly, "Indeed, he asked some questions he shouldn't have asked, so I killed him."

"Why did you kill him? Let me guess, the question he asked touched on your secret, didn't it?"

"what do you want to say in the end?"

Karl straightened his expression and slowly walked towards Im, saying as he went, "Don't be so nervous. I don't actually know much, and I don't need to know that much."

"If I'm not mistaken, you must have had an anti-aging surgery to be able to live from 800 years ago to the present day."

"800 years have passed, and you haven't even been able to erase the historical records, which are extremely influential to your rule. Was this unintentional or deliberate?"

Upon hearing this, Im's eyes widened in shock, clearly astonished that Karl knew all this.

Seeing that Im remained silent, Karl continued, "800 years ago, there was Joy Boy, and now there is Monkey D. Luffy. Oh, right, the person you asked me to take care of back then was him, the Gum-Gum Fruit user."

"However, you should be more familiar with its other name, Nika fruit."

"what?!"

At this moment, Karl had already walked up to Im and said calmly, "I already knew eight years ago. Although the Five Elders found out later, they definitely knew this news. But it's ironic that you, as their master, didn't know."

huh~~~

Im let out a long sigh, seemingly suppressing his anger: "You mean, they're deliberately hiding it?"

"Haha, I didn't say that. After all, I'm not familiar with them, and besides, they really have no need to tell you."

"If I'm not mistaken, you started targeting those who ate the Nika Fruit 800 years ago because you believed it could overthrow your rule, is that right?"

"But Mary Geoise has stood on the Red Line for 800 years, which means that the previous owners of the Nika Fruit never awakened its true power. Unawakened Nika Fruit users pose no threat to you at all."

"As for the Straw Hat Luffy, he doesn't seem to have shown any signs of awakening, so the Five Elders naturally won't tell you. Perhaps in their view, as long as the Nika Fruit user is eliminated as before, everything will return to normal, and the singing and dancing will continue as usual."

Im stared intently at Karl before him, watching his smiling face, while a storm raged within him. Where did this Marine get all this information from?

When the Five Elders first reported Karl's information to her, she only felt that Karl was a very promising naval officer and a powerful protector of the future World Government.

But to everyone's surprise, this naval officer's growth far exceeded the Five Elders' expectations, and also exceeded her expectations.

Before Karl, there were Cyborg Kong, Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr... but none of them could ever be like Karl.

"Where did you get this information from?" A faint black mist appeared behind Im.

Karl smiled slightly and said, "Did you know that if you cultivate Observation Haki to its peak, you can foresee the future?"

Observation Haki can indeed predict the future, but only for a short time. Even with a system cheat, Karl couldn't do it. He had to rack his brains for a long time to piece together what he knew from fragmented memories.

"Predicting the future? Can Observation Haki be trained to this extent?"

"Heh, looks like you've really been in this godforsaken place for a long time! Tsk tsk tsk, eight hundred years, I really don't know how you survived."

"Observation Haki, when cultivated to its peak, not only allows one to foresee the future, but also to hear the voices of all things, perceive the weaknesses of living beings, and listen to the thoughts in people's hearts... Of course, all of this varies from person to person, and I happen to be able to foresee the future."

"So what kind of future do you see?"

Chapter 324 We are the same kind of people

"In this world, there are no eternal dynasties. Just as you thought, Straw Hat Luffy will awaken soon."

"He will carry on Joy Boy's will and bring something different to this world..."

Im remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Is this why you've been so insistent on the Navy distancing itself from the World Government?"

Karl hadn't expected Im to say that, but he still replied, "That's right. As a member of the Navy's high command, I don't think the Navy needs to shed blood for a regime that is doomed to fail."

"Are you so certain that my rule will be overthrown?"

"It's not that I'm certain, it's that in the future I see you will definitely fail. No matter what you think, everything I see in the future has come true."

"This is a once-in-a-century change. You should be well aware of this. Eight hundred years ago, Poseidon awakened, the Revolutionary Army rose, and Joy Boy's successor appeared. Even if the Navy is still on your side, it will be of no use."

"Of course, you can do nothing or do everything and see if you can continue to maintain your rule."

Im fell silent again, then, as if struck by a thought, said in a deep voice, "But you have already changed the future, haven't you? How can you be so certain about a changed future?"

"Hehe, you're right. I have indeed changed many aspects of the future, and the future is quite different from what I initially envisioned. But the Celestial Dragons' rule has been overthrown, and no matter how much it has been changed, it is irreversible because it was destined."

Karl slowly walked to Im's side, put his hands on his hips and looked at the grass and flowers around him, and said with some emotion: "The change of dynasties is just the cycle of history. The old regime dies, the new regime comes to power, and then it follows the old government's old path, declines, decays, and is destroyed, and then enters the cycle of history again."

"For you who have undergone the anti-aging surgery, time is just a number. You've been the behind-the-scenes ruler for 800 years, spending every day in this cramped place. Aren't you tired of it yet? Why not take this opportunity to liberate yourself and change your way of life? Otherwise, endless loneliness will erode your eternal lifespan. Or is it that you have many things you can't let go of?"

Are you trying to persuade me to surrender?

Carl grinned. "It's just a suggestion. Actually, I could do nothing at all, because I have plenty of time. After all, we're the same kind of people..."

Karl raised his right hand, revealing a solid gold bracelet on his arm.

"what is this?"

"Pure gold. As long as you wear it, you can gain immortality. Otherwise, why do you think my appearance has not changed at all since I was 24?"

Im didn't doubt that Karl was lying, because there was no need. Looking at the solid gold bracelet in Karl's hand, Im murmured, "Immortality..."

“Karl, we can cooperate…”

"cooperate?"

Im nodded slightly: "That's right, we can cooperate. You help me, and I can share the whole world with you."

Wow~ Is this making him the second Im? Sounds tempting...bullshit! Letting him stay in this godforsaken place every day is worse than killing him.

"No no no no no no no, no no no~" Karl said "no" many times in a row, which showed how firm his attitude was.

“I have no interest in ruling the world. For you, eternal life means eternal loneliness, but it’s different for me. I have a fiancée and a lover, and they both have eternal life.”

"But we are not interested in power or strength. What we pursue is completely different from yours. If you want to win me over to help you maintain your rule, I'm sorry, I refuse."

"Then you should just die!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, three shadow arrows pierced Karl's brow, heart, and Jiyir respectively. It was clear that Im's methods were quite ruthless. However, before the shadow arrows could even touch Karl, they were blocked by the shield of divine protection.

"Although I don't know what you've been doing for the past eight hundred years, one thing is certain: you are very strong, but not strong enough to inspire despair. If you want to kill me, I'm sorry, but I refuse."

"Really? What about this move then?"

Im's figure suddenly vanished, reappearing ten meters away, creating distance between himself and Karl. He then raised his right hand, summoning a barrage of shadow arrows that pierced towards Karl.

Ding Ding Ding ~

The invisible, transparent shield teetered precariously amidst the shadow surge, and cracks soon appeared.

Click~

The shield shattered, and the remaining Shadow Bolts surged towards Karl.

Karl's lips curled into a slight smile, then his gaze sharpened, and his entire body turned dark and glossy. Armament Haki first strengthened his body's defenses, then appeared around him, releasing a field to block all attacks.

However, Im's Shadow Arrows showed no signs of stopping.

"Holy Light Revelation!"

Golden light appeared around Karl, gathering behind him to form wings of light. Karl calmly drew the Raven from his waist, its blade a tapestry of black and red Conqueror's Haki, reflecting the golden holy light.

"One-Sword Style: Holy Light Judgment!"

Holy Light, Banishment, Shadow...

The golden shockwave shattered countless shadow arrows and rushed towards Im. If no measures were taken to stop it... even if Roger were resurrected, he would have to die again.

As Im saw the slashing wave so close at hand, his red pupils shrank to a point, and he quickly conjured a shadow shield to block it.

Boom~

The entire flower garden suddenly trembled, and flower and grass debris flew everywhere.

Im retreated more than a dozen steps, finally managing to neutralize the slashing wave. By this time, Im was no longer as calm as before.

"how come?"

Sa~

Karl suddenly appeared in front of Im, pointing the raven at Im: "Your power is great, but you don't seem to be able to fully unleash it. What's wrong? Have you forgotten how to fight after 800 years of staying at home? Or do you simply not know how to fight at all?"

"Hmph! This is none of your business! Do you think you can take me by the nose?"

Karl shook his head: "No, I just want to tell you that we are not enemies, and there is no need to fight to the death. But it is impossible for you to make me submit with violence, because I have the ability to overturn the table at any time. Since I dare to stand in front of you, I am not afraid of you overturning the table."

"Since we've come to this point, there's nothing more to say to you. I'll leave you with this advice: don't think too highly of yourself. The world will continue to function normally without you."

"When the World Government comes to an end, you and I will both be witnesses and participants. That day is not far away. Take care of yourself."

Zheng~

Carl put the raven back into his waistband and turned to leave.

Watching Karl's departing figure amidst the surrounding chaos, Im sighed softly.

However, Carl suddenly turned back, getting within 20 centimeters of her, and she could even feel his breath.

"Im~ Lord~, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Chapter 325 Departure from Wano Country

At this moment, Karl's face was full of smiles, showing no trace of his previous seriousness.