"I understand, my lord. I'll be waiting for you on Amazon Lily~"
After saying that, Hancock hung up the Den-Den Mushi, her heart pounding as she held her cheeks, thinking dreamily—Lord Karl is just too gentle!
Karl stared blankly at the Den-Den Mushi for a moment, then shook his head.
Hancock really is too easy to please…
He stepped into the courtyard but didn't see Ann anywhere—she must have gone to find Yamato.
"Ann, are you leaving tomorrow?" Yamato asked reluctantly.
"Yeah, tomorrow I'll be heading back with my uncle. Let's have one last match today!" Ann said, gripping her sword Hanyue, her fighting spirit flaring.
"Alright!" Yamato grinned. She too wanted another spar—after all, who knew when they'd see each other again? It would be a proper farewell.
Early the next morning, Karl and Ann departed.
Two days later, they finally arrived at Jaya Island.
Jaya was bustling more than ever—merchants flooded in, and every shop in Mock Town had been rented out.
Fortunately, Daphne was around to handle everything; otherwise Karl would've had a splitting headache dealing with it all.
That evening, as usual, the group gathered by the beach for a banquet.
"Captain, I didn't expect you to make such big news in Wano! Fighting Kaido for six whole days and nights—now no one in the world will ever doubt the strength of Shunfeng Express again!" Adrian laughed heartily.
During the past few weeks, while he and Zoë were setting up new courier stations across various nations, they'd met some resistance.
Many didn't believe in the so-called "Tiger God Karl"—they thought he was all name, no substance, since he'd never truly fought a top-tier powerhouse.
But after this, Karl's reputation now rivaled that of the Four Emperors themselves. The company's expansion would only get easier from here on out.
"Hahaha, I just got itchy hands. I've been out at sea for so long without a real fight. That Beast Kaido was quite the worthy opponent."
Karl was also delighted to learn that his battle had indirectly boosted the company's growth.
"Honey, you shouldn't fight people of that level so recklessly anymore," Daphne said with a frown. "The World Government's becoming increasingly wary of us. Our surveillance around Jaya's picked up a lot of CP agents recently. I think our rapid expansion in the Paradise region has put them under pressure."
"Mhm, I know. I'll be more careful from now on," Karl nodded solemnly—he understood the seriousness of the situation.
"Alright, enough worrying! I've got good news!"
Seeing everyone's tense faces, Airi stepped forward with a grin.
"What good news?" Karin asked curiously.
"My research has finally succeeded!" Airi announced proudly. "I've managed to replicate both the Float-Float Fruit and the Stone-Stone Fruit! From now on, as long as we collect the blood of a Devil Fruit user, we can create more and more ability users! How's that for good news?"
Her eyes sparkled with pride—this breakthrough had taken immense effort.
"Wow! That's amazing, Airi! We'll never have to fear anyone again!" Daphne exclaimed, throwing her arms around her.
At this rate, their company really would be smooth sailing in every way—business, fortune, and power!
"It's truly great news. You've done well, Airi," Karl said with a grin. An entire army of ability users… that would change everything.
"Still, Captain, we can't let this leak out," Jerry cautioned. "Even if we can only replicate Zoan-type Fruits, that alone is terrifying. If word gets out, the World Government might attack us outright—or demand we hand over the tech."
"True," Daphne nodded, now calmer. "If the replication gets exposed, we'd not only draw the Government's attention—every major force at sea would start fearing us. Unless it's absolutely necessary, we should never deploy these cloned ability users."
"Relax," Karl said confidently. "As long as we keep things quiet for three to five years, it won't matter even if the secret eventually gets out. By then, others might even come asking to cooperate with us."
"Exactly! When that time comes, we'll have the largest army of ability users in the world! Anyone thinking of crossing us better think twice!" Airi said proudly—after all, this was her creation.
"Alright, enough talk—cheers!" Karl raised his glass.
"Cheers!!!"
The banquet lasted until midnight before everyone finally dispersed.
Karl, Daphne, and Airi returned home together, heading straight for the bath.
After a long soak, one thing led to another—they poured out all their longing from the time apart, and it wasn't until dawn that their "battle" finally subsided.
It was already noon when Karl finally woke up.
He went to Karin's Gourmet City to pack several lunches.
That restaurant had really taken off—Daphne's exceptional design paired with Karin's top-notch cooking made the business insanely successful.
Word had spread far and wide—nobles from all across the Paradise seas came to taste their delicacies, and the lavish VIP suites Daphne designed were a huge hit.
The VIP rooms were built on the top floor—extravagantly decorated with Daphne's signature drifting cloud motifs, offering a panoramic view of the sea while dining. It was an experience of pure luxury—no wonder nobles lined up for months to get a reservation.
And these nobles truly had money to burn—some dishes cost outrageous amounts of Berries!
Lately, both Daphne and Karin had been grinning ear to ear—the profits were staggering.
Karl returned home with the food and found Daphne and Airi already up, faces still faintly flushed, an alluring charm lingering in their expressions.
"Hey, don't just stand there staring—bring the food over!" Airi said, embarrassed but hungry.
"Oh! Coming!" Karl hurried over with the lunchboxes.
The three sat down to eat together.
"By the way, Daphne, that luxurious VIP suite idea was yours, right?" Karl asked with a laugh. "Karin said reservations are booked out two months in advance—and at a hundred thousand Berries a pop! That's daylight robbery!"
"Of course!" Daphne said proudly. "My design and those clouds are worth every Berry. Besides, those nobles are loaded—if we don't fleece them, who will?"
Karin had nearly fainted when they'd first set the price, thinking no one would come—but now the place was packed every day.
"Oh, right," Daphne added with a chuckle, "a few days ago, a Celestial Dragon wanted to visit, but the Navy stopped them—apparently because you once declared that wherever you are, no Celestial Dragon shall appear!"
She burst out laughing. "Those pigs really aren't afraid of death!"
"Alright, my lovely wives," Karl said, leaning back, "how about we visit Amazon Lily in a few days? The company's on the right track, Zoë can handle the day-to-day, and with so many capable people around, nothing should go wrong."
"Yay! I've never been there before!" Airi's eyes lit up. "Is it true that there are no men at all on that island? I really want to see this legendary land of women!"
"Then it's settled—we'll set sail in a few days!" Karl declared with a grin.
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