I'm the Great Pirate, and I'm waging the Holy Grail War!

Chapter 310 The Blessing of the God-King, Super Karna

On a modified speedboat in the New World waters.

Ace steered the boat, flames occasionally spilling from his palms, propelling the small boat through the waves.

Karna stood at the bow of the ship, his golden armor reflecting a dazzling light under the blazing sun, but his brow was slightly furrowed.

"Arjuna is no longer the same as before. He has stolen divinity and devoured concepts; his current level of power is above mine."

Ace clicked his tongue.

"What should we do then? Is there really no way to defeat him?"

Karna turned around and looked at Ace.

His gaze passed through Ace and looked towards the distant horizon, where a faint, unusual white outline could be seen.

"There is a place where we might find a way to counter him."

"where?"

"Sky Island," Karna said.

"There dwells a spirit of the same origin as me, Indra. In ancient epics, he shares a deep connection with me and with Arjuna."

Ace's eyes lit up: "That guy we fought before? He can help us?"

"Uncertain," Karna shook his head, "but he is currently the one who understands Arjuna's true nature best." He paused, sensing the subtle aura in the air that stirred his blood.

"Arjuna is changing the fundamental laws of this world through the absorption of the Heart of the Clouds."

"The closer we get to the source of his power, the more obvious this change becomes. The Sky Island, as the place where Indra descended and took hold, may allow us to see more of the truth."

Ace gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"Let's go to the Sky Island! It's better than crashing into Blackbeard's lair!"

The speedboat turned around and sped off toward the white silhouette where the sky met the sea.

The closer to the sea area of ​​Sky Island, the more obvious the anomaly becomes.

At first, the seawater simply darkened in color, taking on a viscous, dark gold hue.

Then, things that shouldn't be there began to appear on the sea surface.

Broken stone pillars carved with Hindu deities, and lotus-shaped metal fragments covered in seaweed.

A small piece of the substance, which had solidified into a golden, ghee-like substance, slowly wriggled in the sunlight, emitting a cloyingly sweet odor.

"What the hell is this?!" Ace manipulated the flames, carefully navigating around the golden sea of ​​oil.

"The embodiment of divine contamination," Karna's voice was low.

"Arjuna is extracting possibilities, starting this world from this sea, and transforming it into the land of Bharata, suitable for the manifestation of his divine kingdom."

"But these concepts conflict with the laws of the world, resulting in distortions and aberrations."

They passed by a small island that should have been a prosperous trading island.

The sight on the island made Ace gasp.

The architectural style has completely changed.

The original wooden and stone structure is now covered with reliefs and spires with a distinct Hindu style.

People on the street—or rather, things that were once people—wandered aimlessly.

Their skin had an unhealthy golden hue, their eyes were vacant, they murmured unintelligible Sanskrit words, and their movements were rhythmic like a dance.

A child squatted by the roadside, holding a wriggling ball of light in his hands. The light seemed to have a life of its own, trying to penetrate the child's eyes, but the child just smiled foolishly.

Karna raised his hand, and a tiny ray of solar fire swept past, evaporating the ball of light.

The child looked up blankly, glanced at his empty hands, then lowered his head again, continuing to stare blankly.

Finally, the outline of the sky island became clearly visible.

But the sky island before him was completely different from the fantastical kingdom of white clouds and island clouds that Ace remembered.

With Karna's magic unleashed, they set foot on this sky island, once the kingdom of the gods, now shrouded in oppressive thunder.

The clouds were no longer pure white, but swirled with dark purple and dark gold lightning, as if the gods were angry.

Indra stood at the highest point of the temple ruins.

He was clad in tattered Thor's armor, holding a dull vajra in his hand, his face showing unprecedented weariness, as well as a trace of relieved peace.

"As expected—" Indra murmured, "Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu—you sent me here, saying it was for the sake of humanity's survival, to fight for a glimmer of hope for human history before the two worlds collide—"

He looked up at the distorted sky.

"But you didn't tell me that I was facing my own son—and a son who had gone astray to such an extent."

Footsteps approached.

Indra did not turn back.

"You've arrived, Karna. You're even later than I expected."

Karna and Ace stepped onto the ruins. Ace warily surveyed their surroundings, while Karna stared directly at Indra's retreating figure.

"You knew we were coming," Karna said.

"Lightning can transmit information." Indra turned around, and lightning flashed in his eyes.

"I can sense that Arjuna is using me to devour the possibility of this world through the Sky Island."

"With each bit he devours, his power grows, while I—weaken."

He looked at Karna.

"You've felt it too, haven't you? Isn't the sun's radiance starting to feel heavy?"

Karna was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Arjuna is extracting the concept of light from this world in an attempt to complete his divine body. As the son of the sun god, I am naturally the first to be affected."

Ace frowned: "So you're all getting weaker? How are we supposed to fight then?"

"So we need to complete this." Karna looked at Indra. "You summoned me here, surely not just to reminisce."

Indra smiled, but his smile was full of bitterness.

"Karna, do you remember many years ago? Do you remember—before you died, I disguised myself as a Brahmin and asked you for your armor and earrings?"

Karna's eyes were very calm.

"I remember. I gave you my armor and earrings as alms, yet I was ultimately defeated by Arjuna."

"Yes," Indra admitted. Indra readily admitted it, a hint of bitterness on his face.

"I have tainted what should have been a fair fight between you through conspiracy."

"I used trickery to deprive you of your advantage so that my son Arjuna could live. That was the selfishness of a father—and the shame of a god-king."

He walked down the steps and came to Karna.

"Now, I'm going to return that selfishness to you, with interest."

Indra stretched out his hand and placed it on his chest.

Lightning surged from his body, coiling around his arms and condensing into a purple core containing endless thunder.

"This is my divine core, the spiritual core of Indra as the thunder god and the king of the gods."

"It carries all the power I have manifested in this world, and it also carries—the mission I received from Brahma. Now this is the mission Brahma has given you."

Ace was stunned: "A mission?"

"It is no accident that the spirits of heroes have descended here." Indra's voice became ethereal.

"Human reason and this world are colliding. We are the vanguard, the probe, and also—the anchor. Our very existence is accelerating the fusion of the two worlds. And the result of this fusion—"

He looked at Karna.

"Either this world is swallowed up by human reason, becoming a new chapter in human history; or the two worlds collide and perish together. Or—"

"A third path will emerge," Karna interjected.

Indra nodded.

"Brahma and the others are betting on the third path. But they don't know what this path is, so they throw us in to observe the variables' reactions. And I, the extra mission I've been given is—to monitor Arjuna."

"Surveillance?"

"In the original epic, Arjuna was a hero destined by heaven. His spirit origin has extremely strong adaptability and growth potential."

Brahma feared that if Arjuna lost control in this chaotic world, it might give rise to monsters beyond imagination.

Indra smiled wryly, "Now it seems—they were right."

He handed the divine core to Karna.

"Take it. Merge with it. In this way you will gain divinity equal to Arjuna, and the battle between you will no longer be a crushing force, but a duel of wills."

Karna did not answer immediately.

"Why are you giving it to me?"

"Because you are Karna," Indra said.

"You are a hero of charity, a saint who generously faced death even knowing he was being deceived."

"Arjuna is now walking the path of devouring all imperfections; nothing in his eyes matters."

"And the path you can take is the one that carries everything. Imperfection contains possibility, and imperfect things also have a reason to live."

He paused, a fatherly love and guilt flashing in his eyes.

"And—this is also my atonement. For my deception back then, for my failure as a father."

"I hope that the two children can have a truly fair duel on this stage that will determine the fate of the world, without any conspiracy."

Karna fell silent.

Ace was about to say something, but Karna stopped him by raising his hand.

After a long while, Karna raised his hand and grasped the divine core.

A burst of lightning erupted instantly, engulfing him.

Ace instinctively stepped back, his body protected by flames.

Within the light, Karna's golden armor began to change.

Lightning patterns spread, the blazing white of the sun and the purple-gold of the lightning intertwined, condensing into a new sun disc behind him.

Half light, half thunder.

His aura surged, breaking through a certain limit and reaching a level that rivaled the dark golden divinity in the distance.

The light dissipated.

Karna opened his eyes; his left eye burned like the sun, while lightning flowed through his right eye.

"How do you feel?" Indra asked, his body beginning to become transparent.

"Heavy," Karna said, "but—clear enough."

Indra smiled.

"That's good. Go, Karna. Go to my misguided son—and then, with your gun and your heart, tell him—"

His body completely turned into specks of light, leaving only his last words echoing in the air.

"Whether it's God or man—the path is one's own choice."

The light spots scattered.

The thunder from the sky island gradually subsided.

Ace walked up to Karna.

"He... disappeared?"

"He's returned to the Throne of Heroes." Karna gazed into the distance. "He entrusted everything to me."

He turned around and looked at Ace.

"Now, we are qualified to fight Arjuna."

Ace grinned, flames burning on his fist.

"Then let's go. Let's find Blackbeard and end this."

Impel Down, the lowest level of the deep-sea prison.

The black-bearded man sat cross-legged on the ground, with a strange magic circle drawn in blood spread out in front of him.

The count's phantom appeared and disappeared behind him, while Arjuna hovered in mid-air with his eyes closed, his body surrounded by a dark golden divine light that flickered like his breath.

Suddenly, Arjuna opened his eyes.

"He — has become stronger."

The man with the black beard looked up: "Who?"

"Karna," Arjuna said, "he has merged with Indra's divine core—now, he possesses power that originates from me."

The man with the black beard grinned, revealing a toothless smile.

"Hahaha! Isn't that perfect? ​​You always said you couldn't find a worthy opponent, and now you have one!"

Arjuna landed slowly, his dark golden eyes filled with a complex expression.

"Karna—my brother—my other half—"

The count let out a low laugh.

"So, that old man Indra has finally put his bet on the other side? Interesting."

Blackbeard stood up and cracked his wrists.

"So, Ace, that kid, is heading this way with an upgraded Karna?"

"I can sense their karmic connection drawing near," Arjuna said. "Soon, they will reach this sea."

.

"Then let's not keep them waiting." A greedy glint flashed in the black-bearded man's eyes. "Let's set off too! To the sea, and have a good fight!"

He looked at Arjuna.

"Are you sure? Karna is currently blessed by Indra."

Arjuna remained silent for a moment.

"In terms of strength, it's a fifty-fifty split. But what determines victory or defeat is never just strength."

He raised his hand, and dark golden divine light condensed in his palm into a bow that seemed to be woven from countless threads of cause and effect.

"This battle will determine whether judgment or acceptance is the answer to this chaotic world."

Blackbeard laughed loudly.

"Well said! Let's make a decision then! The revolutionary army and the government are fighting quite fiercely outside, let's go take a look!"

"Use your fists, your gun, your bow, anything!"

"Hahaha! Let's go!!"

The new world is above.

Karna and Ace were speeding above the clouds in their modified airship.

Ace lay on the ship's side, gazing at the ocean rushing past below.

"Karna, tell me—why did Arjuna choose the path of devouring?"

Karna sat cross-legged in the center of the deck, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.

"Because he saw nothingness," Karna said.

"In the process of becoming a god, he also glimpsed the end result of the collision between the two worlds, which would most likely be destruction."

"So he chose to devour imperfection and control everything in an attempt to preserve himself amidst destruction."

"Secure what?"

"Preserve existence itself." Karna opened his eyes. "Even if existence is eternal stillness, a cage devoid of all possibilities, at least—existence still exists."

Ace frowned.

"What kind of security is this? In a world like that, what's the difference between being alive and being dead?"

"The difference lies in the choice," Karna said. "Arjuna chose certainty, while I—chose possibility."

He looked at Ace.

"Your father, Roger, must have seen a future full of uncertainties back then, right? But he still chose to start the Great Pirate Era and leave the choice to his descendants."

Ace paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Yeah—Dad said that Roger's specialty is dumping messes on others."

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"But he believed that future generations would forge an even more brilliant path than he had." Karna stood up, walked to the bow of the ship, and said, "Now, it's our turn."