Pittz's headless corpse collapsed onto the ground with a dull thud, sending a spray of blood into the air.
Just like that, he became the first Celestial Dragon to be publicly executed on the streets of Mary Geoise.
The cursed blade, Muramasa, in Carl's hand shimmered with an eerie black glow. Without even sparing the corpse a glance, he turned and said indifferently,
"Clean it up."
As soon as his words fell, two figures shot out from the crowd and landed behind Carl. They responded in unison,
"Yes, Captain."
One of them grabbed Pittz's body, while the other picked up his severed head. With a swift slash of his blade, flames ignited along the edge, instantly evaporating the blood on the ground. In the blink of an eye, the two disappeared again, vanishing without a trace.
Meanwhile, the two men in suits who had collapsed nearby slowly regained consciousness. They exchanged confused glances before abruptly realizing what had happened. Frantically, they searched for their master, Pittz—only to discover that he had completely disappeared from the area.
By the time they returned to the Topman family estate, Pittz was already neatly packed into a small box.
The other Celestial Dragons were so terrified they remained silent, watching in horror as Carl and his men strode away without a care.
...
On the way, Aramaki couldn't help but ask,
"Carl-sama, was that really okay? Won't this cause trouble for you?"
Aramaki had always been a staunch supporter of the Celestial Dragons—though now, he only recognized Carl. Compared to the title of "Celestial Fleet Admiral," he actually preferred calling him "Carl-sama."
Hearing this, Wanda and Carrot looked at Carl with concern.
Akainu and Aokiji both scoffed at the question. This time, before Akainu could speak, Aokiji exhaled a wisp of cold air and said,
"I'd love to see who dares to trouble the Fleet Admiral."
Akainu shot Aokiji a glance, adjusted the brim of his hat, and said in a deep voice,
"In wartime, all decisions should follow the supreme command of the military. That Celestial Dragon, Pittz, dared to challenge the authority of the Fleet Admiral—his crime is even greater than that of an ordinary person. There was nothing wrong with the Fleet Admiral's actions. If there's any flaw, it's that I should have done it myself."
Borsalino smirked, pushing his sunglasses up with a finger as he said lazily,
"Oh, come now, Sakazuki. This isn't the place to go destroying things. Why not let me handle it instead? Quick and efficient~"
Carl chuckled at Borsalino's remark and teased,
"Borsalino, have you forgotten that the Celestial Dragons also control the Navy's pension funds?"
Borsalino shrugged and grinned.
"Well, as long as you're around, Fleet Admiral, I don't have to worry about that, do I? I just know the Navy's budget is in your hands. I don't care about the rest~"
"Tsk..."
Aramaki inhaled sharply, realizing that despite Borsalino's usual carefree demeanor, he was remarkably shrewd when it mattered. That was some masterful wordplay!
Carl laughed even more heartily and clapped Borsalino on the shoulder.
"Borsalino, your words touched me just now. I've decided—I'm going to take care of you for life!"
For once, even Borsalino's thick skin couldn't save him. A cold sweat dripped from his forehead as he wiped it away and subtly edged closer to Akainu.
The others burst into laughter, and even Akainu smirked slightly before casually adding,
"Borsalino, when this war is over, should we have Ivankov give you another shot?"
The comment struck a nerve, making Borsalino's eyes widen in shock.
"Sakazuki! How do you—?!"
Akainu kept walking, not even turning his head as he said,
"I've seen the photos."
That single sentence utterly destroyed Borsalino. He stood frozen in place, only snapping back to his senses after the others had already walked some distance ahead. He quickly chased after them, shouting,
"Wait, Sakazuki! That was my cousin!"
"Oh? Your cousin?"
"..."
...
Back at the Figarland estate, aside from Wanda and Carrot, the others were no strangers to the place. When Carl had been in a coma, Akainu and the others had visited multiple times.
Wanda and Carrot, new to the estate, curiously observed their surroundings, marveling at the elite guards and maids moving about.
Upon entering the inner courtyard, they found an elderly man sitting in the central pavilion with his eyes closed in meditation.
Sensing their approach, Garling opened his eyes, waving his hand in a casual greeting to Akainu and the others.
Despite Garling being Carl's elder, Akainu and his group still held great respect for him, bowing politely.
Garling chuckled.
"You are all Carl's friends. There's no need to be so formal here—especially since the master of this house is now Carl himself."
Carl casually picked up a teacup from the table in front of Garling, took a sip, and said,
"Uncle Garling, this family belongs to all of us. Don't go ruining our unity now."
Ever since passing the family head position to Carl, Garling had become much more easygoing. Hearing Carl's playful remark, he smiled and replied,
"That's my mistake then. Let me see... Lucia, Ginny, do your chambers still have room?"
Lucia remained composed, while Ginny blushed and lowered her head shyly.
Carl laughed heartily.
"Uncle Garling, aside from Shirahoshi, my chambers could easily fit another hundred people."
"Oh? I almost forgot about that mermaid. Looks like you don't intend to let her go."
"Not yet. Poseidon was the closest Ancient Weapon to Joy Boy. If I let her go, who's to say he won't sway her?"
Garling shook his head with a chuckle. Then, turning to Akainu and the others, he said,
"Enough standing around. I've already arranged a banquet for you all. Let's go to the main hall."
Carl thought for a moment and said,
"Lucia, go to the chambers and call Monet and the others."
Before she could move, Garling waved a hand dismissively.
"No need—I've already sent someone to fetch them. With you here, how could they be left out?"
Carl laughed and then thought of Shirahoshi.
Lately, she had grown to over twelve meters in length. Because of her size, she couldn't attend these banquets. Though food was always specially sent to her, she must have still felt left out.
Perhaps he should find her a Devil Fruit. If he remembered correctly, there was a female giant with the Mini-Mini Fruit...
...
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+175 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg