"By the way, where's An?" Daphne asked, noticing her absence.
"She said she wants to get stronger and ran off to the training grounds to find Enel. Oh—and that reminds me, I just thought of something really fun, hehe~" Karl said, smirking mischievously.
"What are you up to this time?" Ellie asked suspiciously, seeing that familiar grin on his face.
"You'll find out soon enough," Karl replied mysteriously. He couldn't exactly tell them his idea was to have An fight Ace in the future, could he? At this rate, An's Haki might actually surpass Ace's someday!
Just then, a bright voice came from the doorway.
"Daphne-nee! You home?" Zoey pushed open the door to Karl's villa and stepped in without waiting for an answer.
"I'm here, I'm here! Come in, Zoey~" Daphne quickly stood up, wincing slightly as a sharp ache reminded her of Karl's… enthusiasm last night. She silently cursed that bastard in her heart!
"So you are home. You didn't go to the company today, so I thought I'd check in. Hello, Brother Karl, Sister Ellie!" Zoey greeted warmly, bowing her head politely.
"I'm fine, really. Just had a bit too much to drink last night, that's all," Daphne said with an embarrassed smile.
"Zoey, I just remembered something—can you access the information those mutated bees see?" Karl asked suddenly.
"I can't see what they see, but I can sense the information they transmit—basically what they've seen and heard. Why?" Zoey asked curiously.
"That's perfect! That means your hive can function as an intelligence network! Anywhere your bees exist, we'll know what's happening there. That's incredibly useful!" Karl said, clearly delighted. This Devil Fruit power was turning out to be even better than he expected.
"Uh… Brother Karl, that sounds exhausting. You do realize there are tens of thousands of bees, right? That's way too much information to process," Zoey said, her face paling at the thought of constant buzzing in her head.
"True, good point," Karl admitted after a moment's thought. "Alright, forget the intel for now. Once Ellie can replicate a few more of those Giant Bee Fruits, we'll assign others to handle intelligence. You'll just focus on the courier business."
"That works for me. Though… I'll need some of Zoey's blood to make those fruit copies, hehe~" Ellie said with a playful grin.
"Got it! A few drops of blood are better than managing a swarm's worth of gossip," Zoey agreed quickly, relieved.
"Dear, Doflamingo sent word—he wants us to set up a delivery station in Dressrosa. I haven't replied yet. Should we agree?" Daphne asked, remembering the call from the day before.
"Sure, why not? Business is business. But we're not getting involved in whatever's going on between him and the Riku royal family—that's none of our concern," Karl said casually. Doflamingo just wanted to strengthen his hold on the seas by partnering with more powerful forces.
"Alright, I'll let him know~" Daphne replied.
Two days later, after staying on Jaya Island, Karl, Daphne, and Ellie headed for Amazon Lily.
Boa Hancock had announced that she would officially step down as captain of the Kuja Pirates the following day, passing the title to Aforandra.
Under Elder Nyon's guidance, Aforandra's mastery of Haki had improved tremendously. With the aid of her Fruit of Fragrance, she was already the strongest warrior on Amazon Lily—second only to Hancock and Elder Nyon themselves.
Elder Nyon and Hancock's grandmother had already arranged for Hancock to remain as Empress of Amazon Lily for another three years. By then, Aforandra would be fully capable of succeeding her.
Hancock had agreed without hesitation. This was her homeland, after all—and she promised to keep supporting Amazon Lily however she could.
Elder Nyon was overjoyed. With Karl's growing influence—equal to that of a Yonko—the island's future safety was all but guaranteed.
Karl, meanwhile, couldn't help but admire the old woman's devotion. She truly was the very definition of "dedicating one's life to their homeland."
After half a day of flight, Karl and the others landed in the courtyard outside Hancock's private chambers.
"Lord Karl!" Hancock exclaimed, rushing toward him the moment she saw them. She had been waiting all morning for his arrival.
"Careful, Hancock~" Karl said quickly, catching her in his arms as she nearly crashed into him.
"I've missed you so much!" she said, clinging tightly to him without a care in the world.
"You're pregnant now, you know—you really should take it easy," Karl said with a helpless smile. It was impossible to stay angry with this woman.
"Hmph~ Hancock, do you only miss him? What about us?" Daphne teased, arms crossed.
"No, no! I've missed you too, sisters!" Hancock said hurriedly, finally remembering that the two "sisters" had come along as well. "Come on, let's go inside!"
Elder Nyon had already cleared the area, ensuring no one would see them. Officially, Amazon Lily was still a nation where no men were allowed. Though Karl had been seen on the island before, the citizens had been convinced—thanks to Nyon's clever lies—that he wasn't a man at all.
"Please, make yourselves at home, sisters," Hancock said, looking slightly nervous.
It was the first time they'd all met again since the wedding, and she felt oddly flustered—as if it had been much longer.
"Relax, Hancock. We're family, remember?" Daphne said gently.
"That's right," Ellie added with a smile. "Now, come here and let me check you over. You're pregnant, so it's time for a proper prenatal exam."
As she spoke, Ellie pulled a stethoscope from between her breasts—completely stunning Karl.
"O-okay! Thank you, Sister Ellie~" Hancock sat obediently while Ellie began the check-up.
Ellie gently pressed her hand against Hancock's belly, then used the stethoscope to listen before tucking it back into the valley of her chest.
"Everything looks perfect. Both you and the baby are in excellent health," she said with a satisfied nod.
"That's wonderful news. Thank you, Sister Ellie." Hancock beamed. The warmth of family—it felt so good.
"Ellie," Karl said curiously, "where do you keep that thing? I've never seen it before—and I've, uh, looked pretty closely…"
Ellie's cheeks flushed as she caught him staring at her chest.
"You pervert! Why are you even asking that? It's not like you have one!" she said, playfully swatting at him.
"Don't tell him, Ellie. That's a woman's secret," Daphne said with a smirk. She'd only learned after coming to this world that, apparently, women here could store a lot of things in there!
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