Carl looked at Aramaki, who was kneeling on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, and couldn't help but say with a hint of exasperation:
"Aramaki, you're one of the Five Elders now. At least try to maintain some dignity."
Hearing this, Aramaki hastily wiped his face with his hand, but the result was far from ideal—it only made him look more disheveled.
Fortunately, he finally remembered his Devil Fruit ability. His face began to turn green, and in an instant, all the tears and snot were completely absorbed.
Kuzan pursed his lips and said with a disgusted expression,
"Ara ara... Aramaki, did you just eat your own snot? That's kinda gross..."
But Aramaki, overwhelmed with emotion, completely ignored Kuzan. His eyes were fixed on Carl, who seemed to radiate a divine glow.
At this point, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Aramaki was practically in heat. Carl had to urge him to quickly return to his seat.
...
Carl then turned to look at Sakazuki, and the others followed suit. Now that the Five Elders were complete, they were all eager to know what Carl had planned for him.
Sakazuki remained seated upright, as composed as ever. With his character, even if he received no promotion or new title, he wouldn't feel the slightest resentment. Nor would he harbor jealousy over the rise of his old comrades.
His motivation for joining the Marines had always been to purge the seas of pirates and uphold justice. In the original timeline, he had fought Kuzan over the position of Fleet Admiral solely to better enforce the justice he believed in. He was a man who had truly stayed true to his ideals.
Now, with pirates no longer able to stir up much trouble and the so-called Great Pirate Era nearing its end, Sakazuki felt deeply fulfilled. Even if Carl told him to resign from all posts and return to his hometown to live as an ordinary man, he would gladly accept it.
That said, Carl had no intention of letting Sakazuki go into retirement—nor would he ever let him "age out."
...
Instead of speaking immediately, Carl exchanged a glance with Garling. Garling gave a small nod, then took the initiative to say:
"Carl, let Sakazuki take over the role of Warrior God of Justice."
As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone present was stunned—even Lily shot Garling a surprised look. No one had expected Garling to voluntarily give up his position as one of the Five Elders.
After all, Garling wasn't like Saturn. Garling was Carl's blood uncle, and their relationship was more like that of father and son. Everyone close to Carl knew that he regarded Garling as a father figure.
Saturn couldn't help but speak up:
"Saint Garling, you mean to say...?"
Garling waved a hand and replied,
"I never cared much for the position anyway. Sakazuki is a fitting successor—let him have it."
Carl didn't try to persuade him otherwise. He had already discussed this privately with Garling at the banquet the night before.
Garling truly had no interest in being a Five Elder. His status as Carl's uncle alone already placed him above that rank. To be listed alongside people like Borsalino would only cheapen his standing.
So instead of dragging down his own prestige, why not pass the title to someone he genuinely admired—Sakazuki?
Sakazuki, however, looked completely lost. He instinctively turned to Carl, only to find Carl smiling at him warmly.
Carl said firmly,
"In that case, Sakazuki is the new Warrior God of Justice. This is an order."
That single command was enough to erase all hesitation in Sakazuki's heart. He nodded solemnly and said,
"Saint Carl, Saint Garling—I will not disappoint you."
Garling gave a rare smile, while Carl looked at Sakazuki with absolute seriousness and said,
"You've never disappointed me. You are the most outstanding soldier I've ever known."
Borsalino and the others felt a deep sense of agreement. Brave, resolute, absolutely obedient to command—Sakazuki was the perfect military model.
Upon hearing those words, Sakazuki felt a heat rise within him more intense than magma. Emotion surged in his chest as black smoke slowly began to waft off his body.
Seeing this, Borsalino's expression changed. He quickly elbowed Kuzan, who immediately understood. With a wave of his hand, a wave of cold air shot out and hit Sakazuki, rapidly cooling him down before he could start erupting with lava.
The sudden chill brought Sakazuki back to his senses. He exhaled a puff of black smoke and sat down like a stone statue. Then he shot a cold glare at Borsalino, who was sitting with his legs casually crossed.
Borsalino twitched his lips and silently uncrossed his legs, sitting upright just like Sakazuki.
...
Suddenly, Lily spoke up.
"Saint Carl, you've already assigned all the Five Elder seats. What about you?"
Carl crossed his arms and said with a faint smile,
"Tell me, what was your position before this, Lily? Maybe I can use that as reference."
Lily replied flatly,
"I was the ruler of all things in this world."
Carl spread his hands and said,
"Then aside from a few people in Mary Geoise, who even knows that? The world seems a lot more obsessed with that so-called Pirate King."
Lily sneered in disdain.
"He's nothing more than a slightly more notorious bandit. Not even worthy of the stage."
"That may be, but a true king isn't one who hides behind the curtain."
Lily frowned slightly and said in a serious tone,
"I don't need fame. Such things are meaningless."
She paused, narrowed her eyes, and looked at Carl.
"Don't tell me you're planning to hold some kind of coronation ceremony?"
"We'll talk about that later. Right now, let's settle the matter between us."
The tone of that line was... suggestive. Lily's mind instantly jumped to that kind of situation. Her cheeks flushed red with a mix of shame and irritation.
"W-What? What do you mean, the matter between us?! Don't speak such nonsense!"
Carl gave an exaggeratedly innocent look.
"Didn't you insist on giving it to me before, Lily? What, in no rush now? That's fine, we'll take our time."
As he spoke, he subtly moved the hand resting on her back. That's when Lily finally realized what he was referring to—the Empty Throne.
She shot him a sharp glare. Of course she understood he'd deliberately spoken ambiguously—and of course she'd fallen for it.
Carl ignored her glare and chuckled.
"Well, that's everything I needed to say today. Lily, come back with me to the family."
"No! We haven't settled things between us yet! Let's go to the Flower Chamber!!"
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg