"Karl, you're finally back!"
"Not bad, you actually killed a Celestial Dragon on your way back."
"Is this the legendary Mermaid Princess?"
"Hello, Princess Shirahoshi, do you remember my voice?"
"..."
In mid-July, Karl's group's large three-masted galleon finally returned to Gran Tesoro.
Because Karl's group used a private channel to dock the galleon at a private port.
So their return, and Shirahoshi on the ship, did not cause a sensation in Gran Tesoro.
Carina and the other girls, who had been informed of Karl's group's return in advance, were already waiting to welcome them at the private port.
Tama was the first to rush forward, throwing herself into the arms of Karl, whom she hadn't seen in nearly a year, her face wreathed in smiles, tears of joy welling up in the corners of her eyes.
After Karl hugged Tama, Carina and the other girls also walked up to him.
After teasing Karl for a few sentences, Carina and the girls' gazes turned to the timid yet excited Shirahoshi behind Karl's group, and they greeted her with a smile.
From their words, it was not difficult to tell.
Although Carina and the other girls hadn't seen Karl in nearly a year, they had Den Den Mushi and were in frequent contact.
Two of them, because of the Den Den Mushi, had already met Shirahoshi and had a good relationship with her.
"Sister Carina, and Sister Baccarat, hello... I'm Shirahoshi."
Looking at the two "Masters of Socializing," Carina and Baccarat, Shirahoshi's beautiful eyes instantly lit up, clearly recognizing their voices.
"Ushishi... you guessed right. It's a pleasure to meet you, Shirahoshi!" Carina said with a smile.
"Mhm, mhm..."
Because of their calls over the past year, Shirahoshi integrated into the crew extremely quickly, even N times faster than the initially cautious Robin and the humble Baccarat.
Seeing this, Karl, who had been separated from Nami for half a year, held Tama and said, "Since you all know each other, then let Carina show Shirahoshi around Gran Tesoro. Tama and I will go see Shiro."
"Go on, go on. Shiro has missed you a lot this past year too."
Carina naturally had no objection and nodded.
Because two batches had gone out on adventures and travels one after another, the little dragon, who needed to protect the city of gold and everyone in Gran Tesoro, had been separated from Karl for the first time for so long.
If it weren't for the fact that the little dragon would have to fly back to Gran Tesoro after being summoned, Karl really would have summoned the little dragon to his side when he was on the Boin Archipelago, for one person and one dragon to evolve together.
Even so, the little dragon's star level had successfully risen to seven stars in the past year.
One more star, and it would be an eight-star Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
As the little dragon leveled up, Karl, whose soul was bound to the card, had an increasingly strong premonition.
Perhaps with one more level up, the little dragon's body would undergo a huge change.
This change might be brought about by the star level, or it might be sharing his Monster Physique that could evolve infinitely—evolution.
If it really was evolution, Karl wondered in what aspect the little dragon would evolve.
At this point, Karl was full of expectations for the little dragon's future.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of July, Sea Circle Calendar 1519.
Several weeks had passed since the incident of Saint Charlos's murder.
During this period, Mary Geoise had not announced to the outside world how they would deal with Fish-Man Island and Shirahoshi, nor had they sent the Marines to subjugate Gran Tesoro.
They only increased Karl's bounty and gave a bounty to Yamato.
It was as if...
The World Noble being killed again, and taking a huge loss by being portrayed as the villain in the public opinion, they had clenched their teeth and swallowed it silently.
In fact, besides swallowing this huge loss, they had no other choice.
Mary Geoise was the world's largest international organization, not a giant kingdom.
The Celestial Dragons were just World Nobles who enjoyed all privileges, not kings who were above the member nations.
Unless Mary Geoise's side gained an advantage in public opinion and successfully fooled the other hundred-plus member nations, only then could they expel one of the member nations.
Otherwise, unless Mary Geoise wanted this international organization to collapse, they couldn't just expel Ryugu Kingdom from the list of member nations to vent the Celestial Dragons' anger.
Clearly, as it concerned the true face of Mary Geoise, the Five Elders did not dare to act rashly against Ryugu Kingdom.
Not only Ryugu Kingdom, but also Shirahoshi, who had joined Karl's group, was the same.
There was already a great deal of conflict between humans and Fish-Men...
If they were to put a bounty on their princess and turn her into a wanted criminal, it would undoubtedly be a more egregious matter than revoking Ryugu Kingdom's status as a member nation.
At that time, the hatred of merfolk and Fish-Men towards humans would reach an irreparable point.
So, unless the Neptune royal family lost their status as rulers of Fish-Man Island, and Shirahoshi was no longer the world-famous Mermaid Princess, Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters would never put a bounty on Shirahoshi.
Just as Neptune, as one of the kings of a member nation, had become sworn brothers with Whitebeard, Mary Geoise could only pretend not to see it.
As for taking it out on Gran Tesoro, Mary Geoise wanted to as well.
It was just a pity that Sengoku was now ignoring the Five Elders.
If they wanted to deal with Gran Tesoro, let the Mary Geoise army do it. The Marines would absolutely not play along.
They had the experience of the Buster Call being defeated, and the other party had a Float-Float Fruit user who could fly away with Gran Tesoro.
No matter how many human wave tactics they used, it would only increase the number of casualties.
Unless they could capture a member of Karl's group alone, and then use the pretext of a public execution to lure Karl into a carefully prepared trap, only then could they capture or kill this overlord of the seas.
But, was that possible?
Clearly, it was impossible.
Because when Karl went out, he either took Carina with him or left the little dragon by Carina's side.
Under the little dragon's 24-hour surveillance, and with Carina and the other girls all being Devil Fruit users, several of whom were even rule-based ability users.
The all-pervasive CP organization, the moment they got a little close to Carina and had the slightest emotional change, their identities would be seen through by the little dragon and they would be ruthlessly eliminated.
This time, with the death of the Celestial Dragon, Mary Geoise could be said to have a grievance they couldn't voice.
Because their enemy was simply too cunning, too shameless.
All kinds of unsolvable fruit abilities, and he was skilled at using their most proficient means, public opinion, to slander them in return.
They didn't know what kind of favor that birdman Morgans had received from that bastard Karl, to be fawning over him as if he were his own father.
Little did they know, Karl had given Morgans a monumental favor.
Or rather... monumental news that would surely shake the world and attract the attention of the entire world
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