Lily ignored Garling and the others in the hall and grabbed Carl's hand, trying to drag him outside.
But with her strength gone, there was no way she could move Carl. No matter how much force she exerted, Carl stood like an unshakable mountain, completely unmoved.
Frustrated but unwilling to give up, Lily kept pulling anyway, her pretty face flushing red with effort.
Carl looked toward Garling and said,
"Garling-san, you and Sakazuki go on ahead. I need to handle something first."
Garling gave Carl a somewhat strange look, then left the council chamber with Akainu and the others.
...
Once only Carl and Lily were left in the hall, Carl suddenly pulled Lily into his arms with a mischievous smile.
"What's wrong, Lily? That eager to get started?"
Lily was already used to Carl holding her. She didn't struggle, only replied with a cold expression,
"To the Room of Flowers. I don't want to wait any longer."
Carl chuckled.
"Alright."
Lily was surprised by how readily he agreed, her eyes lighting up. But before she could feel happy for long, Carl's voice drifted out again, low and teasing.
"But I don't like being dragged around."
Lily frowned slightly. "Then what do you want?"
"Well, to put it bluntly, Lily, your tone just now really rubbed me the wrong way. Is that how one speaks to a king?"
Lily clenched her teeth in anger. "Then, Saint Carl, please accompany me to the Room of Flowers."
"Your expression is all wrong. Is that how you invite someone?"
"I'm not one of your handmaidens! I can't make that kind of face!"
"If you can't do it, then learn. Don't worry, I'm not that strict. As long as you're willing to try, I'll grant your request."
Backed into a corner, Lily began recalling how Sugar and the others behaved in front of Carl. After a moment of mental preparation, she settled on imitating Sugar.
Lily pursed her lips slightly and, with a hint of coquettish charm in her voice, said,
"Saint Carl, would you be so kind as to accompany me to the Room of Flowers?"
It was clear that mimicking Sugar didn't come easy for Lily, but Carl still nodded in approval.
"Sure. Let's go."
Before Lily could react, Carl tightened his grip around her, and in a flash, the two vanished from where they stood.
...
Pangaea Castle – Room of Flowers
In the sea of flowers outside the castle, Carl walked slowly with his arm wrapped around Lily's slender waist.
"Lily, you seem to have quite the fondness for flowers."
"It's just a way to pass the time."
"Your way of killing time is far more refined than most Celestial Dragons. As expected of you, Lily."
Lily fell silent, quietly leading Carl to the grand doors of the castle she had previously stayed in. She then turned and said,
"Saint Carl, please open the door."
"Hm? I remember it used to open automatically."
"...That was because I controlled it. I've lost that authority now."
Carl nodded, and his eyes flashed. A burst of repulsive force exploded from his body, violently blasting the doors open.
The layout inside remained unchanged, except the Empty Throne that once stood at the top had vanished.
Carl stopped teasing Lily and walked toward where the throne had once been. Lily quickly followed.
Together, they stepped up the platform. But as they reached the section filled with long swords embedded in the floor, something strange happened.
All the swords lit up with dazzling golden light, then shot into the air and surged toward Carl and Lily.
Thanks to the strength of his Observation Haki, Carl had already sensed the threat. He unleashed another burst of repulsive force, forming a white, dome-shaped barrier around them both.
The golden swords clashed against the forcefield with a chorus of sharp metallic screeches. The impact stirred up fierce gales, and the thick red carpet rippled like waves.
Carl's expression darkened. These golden swords were far more powerful than he expected. His repulsive field was already struggling to hold them back.
Lily remained silent, her gaze cold as she stared at the flashing swords clashing against the barrier.
Just as the forcefield began to collapse, Carl gave a low grunt. He wrapped one arm around Lily, thrust his other hand forward, and summoned a swirling black tornado from his palm that sucked in the golden swords.
The danger seemed to have passed as the swords vanished—but Lily suddenly warned,
"Be careful. That kind of attack doesn't end so easily."
Carl raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when golden beams erupted from the dark tornado. The swords had not been destroyed—they were breaking free.
This time, the golden swords didn't attack immediately. Instead, they clustered together in the air, forming a massive golden torrent that blasted toward Carl.
Rather than strike back right away, Carl held Lily close and dodged through the hall. While weaving through the barrage, he asked her seriously,
"What are these swords? Why are they attacking me?"
Burying her face in his chest, Lily's voice came weakly.
"Right now, we're both their targets. Think of it as a curse—from the Empty Throne."
"Tch, I knew there was something fishy going on. Lily, if I return the Empty Seal I took from you, will this curse go away?"
Lily looked up at him with irritation.
"In your dreams! Even if you returned those seals to me, I wouldn't remove the curse. In fact, I'd take it with me just to haunt you forever. Let me be clear—this curse can't be removed by any ordinary means. Your best bet is to fully absorb the Empty Throne Seal. Then maybe you'll figure out how to break the curse."
"So now you're threatening me? Lily, are you itching for another lesson?"
Unfazed, Lily lifted her chin defiantly.
"That's right. If you've got the guts, go ahead and try!"
...
As they spoke, the golden torrent caught up to them. Carl's eyes narrowed. He focused his Devil Fruit powers and Haki into a single punch, launching it at the oncoming wave.
The sheer force of that strike could have sunk a major island to the bottom of the sea—but all it did was slow the golden torrent momentarily. The resulting shockwave wasn't even enough to shake the "small" castle around them.
Carl's temper flared. His eyes turned into spinning black holes, and an overwhelming darkness billowed behind him like burning black flames.
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg