"Ma... ma..."
That indistinct sound from Amara instantly made both Garling and Shanks tremble as they turned to look at her together.
Makino stared blankly at the Amara in her arms. Before anyone could recover from the surprise, Amara called out "Mama" again—this time clearer, more coherent.
Makino could no longer hold back. Her eyes welled up instantly as she lowered her head and kissed the baby in her arms, murmuring repeatedly,
"Mama's here, Mama's here..."
Even though Amara hadn't called them grandfather or father just yet, the excitement in Shanks and Garling's hearts wasn't any less than Makino's.
The two of them moved with the fastest speed of their lives, flashing to Amara's side one on the left and one on the right, speaking in unison:
"Amara, Papa's here..."
"Amara, Grandpa's here..."
After speaking, both men paused, looked at each other, and burst into laughter.
Carl walked over, reached out to tease Amara, and chuckled,
"She's already calling Mama at this age? As expected of the Figarland bloodline."
That was exactly the kind of talk Garling liked to hear. He nodded seriously and said,
"There are no weaklings in the Figarland family!"
Amara seemed to understand the words. She clenched her tiny fists and waved them a few times, letting out a string of babbling sounds. The atmosphere in the room grew even more joyful.
Shanks couldn't hold back anymore and stepped forward to take Amara from Makino's arms. Perhaps it was the pull of blood, but Amara showed no resistance to this man she was meeting for the first time and let herself be held.
Her large, curious eyes stared at Shanks, and as he looked down at her, his grin nearly reached his ears.
He kept making funny faces to amuse her, and Amara responded with flailing arms and giggles. A few little fists even smacked Shanks in the face, but he didn't mind in the least. To him, this kind of happiness was something completely different from the adventures of the sea. This feeling—this was what happiness truly meant.
While pulling another silly face, he muttered to himself,
"If only that clown Buggy were here... he'd be way better at this than me..."
Truthfully, Shanks really did wish Buggy could see his precious daughter right now.
In just a short time, Shanks and Amara had already bonded like a pair of old friends.
Garling joined in soon after, and with Amara bridging the gap between them, the atmosphere between him and Shanks felt much less awkward.
Seeing this, Carl seized the chance to say,
"Alright, let's stop standing around—let's go inside and sit for a bit."
As he said that, Carl couldn't help feeling a bit awkward.
Why does this feel like I'm playing matchmaker or something...?
And so, the whole group made their way to Garling's private chambers. Of course, "chambers" might not be the right word—just the main hall alone was grander than most royal palaces.
Shanks had been to his fair share of royal palaces out in the world, but learning that this was just Garling's residence still made him sigh at the extravagance of the Celestial Dragons.
...
Once seated, Garling and Shanks chose spots across from one another. After the earlier bonding outside, Shanks was clearly more relaxed. He glanced at the Quake-Quake Fruit still in Garling's hand and said,
"You'd better eat that Devil Fruit soon. That thing gives me bad vibes."
Shanks said this entirely because of that Rubber Fruit from back then. He'd originally intended to give it to Ace, but somehow, Dragon's son Luffy ended up eating it—and that stirred up no small amount of chaos.
Later, Carl told him that the Rubber Fruit contained Joy Boy's will. No matter what, it was destined for Luffy—because he was Joy Boy's chosen successor.
The moment Shanks heard that, he immediately understood why Roger had acted so strange back then. Roger must've figured out the truth. After chasing a dream for a lifetime, only to realize it had already been predetermined—it must've felt like getting gifted Buggy's red nose.
Garling, hearing this, strongly agreed. What he recalled was Rocks. He'd once had the Dark-Dark Fruit in his hands but hesitated and never ate it. CP ended up stealing it and storing it in the Valley of Gods, where it somehow ended up in the hands of Carl—who back then couldn't even be called a decent fighter.
Had Rocks eaten the fruit right away, or even taken it during the battle at the Valley of Gods, then based on Carl's later development, he could've easily escaped—and even forced the World Government to pay a steep price.
Realizing that, Garling broke out in a cold sweat.
What Garling didn't know was that it hadn't been easy to develop. Even Carl had taken years to master it—and it was only possible thanks to the memories of Earth, specifically inspired by Obito. Without those memories, even Cassilius from 800 years ago had failed to unlock such a power.
Garling glanced at the Quake-Quake Fruit in his hand. No more hesitation. He took a big bite right in front of everyone. Pale blue juice dripped from the fruit to the floor, and in that moment, the pulp in his mouth was already swallowed.
Carl and Shanks never took their eyes off Garling's face, both eager to see him get disgusted by the infamous taste of Devil Fruits.
Garling was indeed nauseated by the flavor, but he noticed the two of them watching and decided he'd rather die than give them the satisfaction. So he maintained a calm expression—face like still water—not even a twitch of the brow as he swallowed the pulp.
Seeing that, Shanks widened his eyes in disbelief.
Does Garling not have taste buds?!
Carl had other thoughts: As expected of Garling-san... he's seriously committed to the act.
Suppressing the urge to gag, Garling slowly raised his hand and tried to channel the unfamiliar new power within.
The next moment, a translucent ripple of energy flickered in his palm, growing more solid.
With a slight curl of his fingers, the space around his hand began to quake. Cups on the table rattled violently. Shattering sounds echoed as porcelain burst and shards flew.
Some pieces shot toward Makino, who was still holding Amara. As an ordinary person, Makino didn't even have time to react. But before the fragments could reach her, they froze in midair—and then vanished, as if they'd never existed.
Carl, seated on a nearby couch, let the golden light fade from his eyes and said helplessly,
"Garling-san, you really shouldn't be testing the Quake-Quake Fruit here..."
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+120 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg