Early the next morning.
Buru-buru-buru~
"Karl, phone call. Go answer it—should be for you."
Karl opened his sleepy eyes and glanced at the phone snail with its unmistakably sleazy expression.
Without even thinking, he knew who it was.
"Hello, Admiral Kizaru? Mm-hmm, got it. So I just need to stay at Headquarters for one more day. Alright, goodbye."
Karl hung up, yawned, and casually pulled Monica, who was wearing a sling nightgown, into his arms.
"What happened?" she asked softly. "Are you going on a mission again already?"
Karl idly played with her curly hair and sighed.
"Yeah… but not today. I get one more day of rest before leaving tomorrow. At least I can stay with you another day."
Monica smiled sweetly and kissed him on the cheek—
then immediately felt something beginning to wake up.
"You kept me up all night yesterday—how are you still so energetic?"
Karl looked utterly innocent.
Hey, you were the one insisting on riding.
Besides, with [Still as a Maiden] and [Swift as a Hare] both active, he wasn't even holding back, alright?
Training Ground
Looking at the empty field, Zephyr smiled faintly.
His students had all gone on to their own paths.
As a teacher, there was nothing more gratifying.
"Oi! Zephyr! You old monster—still going strong, huh?"
"I heard you killed a pirate worth 300 million Beli a few days ago?"
Hearing that shameless voice, Zephyr grinned.
"So your vacation's over?"
The man walking toward him laughed loudly while picking his nose.
"Been over for a while. Just spent the last few days chasing that bastard Red-Hair."
The two bumped fists, sat down, and crossed their legs casually.
"I heard you trained another good disciple?"
Zephyr tried not to brag—
Unfortunately, Garp was forcing his hand.
"Hahaha, what makes you think that?"
Garp pouted.
"I was looking for senbei in Sengoku's office and saw the report."
"That kid called Karl, right?"
"Correct," Zephyr said calmly.
"He's the most talented new-generation Marine I've seen in the past ten years."
"Given time, he'll become a pillar of the Marines."
Garp's eyes widened.
"That high a rating? So… is he a Logia type?"
Zephyr chuckled.
"I knew you didn't read carefully."
"No. He's a Paramecia user."
Garp scratched his head.
Paramecia… just like his troublesome grandson.
Thinking of Luffy made Garp angry all over again.
Damn Red-Hair!
What kind of spell did he put on that brat?
Beaten half to death and still insisting on becoming a pirate.
"Not an ordinary Paramecia, I'm guessing?" Garp asked.
"That's right," Zephyr replied.
"His Devil Fruit is the Holy Light Fruit."
"He can release holy light that heals injuries and strengthens the body—and more importantly, it works on others."
Garp's jaw nearly hit the ground.
"What?! That kind of ability exists?!"
In all his years as a Marine, Garp had seen countless Devil Fruits—
but something like this?
It was practically designed for the Marines.
"That's right," Zephyr continued.
"In past internships, there were always casualties."
"But because of Karl, this year had zero deaths."
"Two pirate crews were wiped out under his support, and one student who took over twenty bullets was dragged back from the brink of death by him."
"Now do you understand how powerful his ability is?"
Garp sucked in a sharp breath.
"Then where's this kid going now?"
"If there's no arrangement yet, let me take him! Old man like me could use that kind of support!"
"Hmph."
Zephyr snorted.
"Too late."
"You can't imagine how sought-after he is."
"Who's he with now?" Garp asked. "Akainu?"
Zephyr shook his head.
"Akainu invited him. He refused."
"If nothing changes, he'll be reporting to Kizaru."
"Kizaru?!"
Garp almost jumped.
"Are you serious?"
He had expected Akainu or Aokiji—
never in a million years would he have guessed Kizaru.
"…It's a long story."
Zephyr then explained how Kizaru discovered Karl's abilities and everything that followed, thoroughly enjoying Garp's increasingly shocked expression.
After a long while, Garp's curiosity reached its peak.
"Zephyr, how about you call the kid over?"
"Let me meet him myself."
"I want to personally experience this so-called holy light!"
"I'll try."
Crescent Bay
Karl, who was strolling around with Monica, took out his phone snail.
"Teacher Zephyr?"
"Yes. Are you still at Headquarters?"
"If you are, come to the training ground. Someone wants to meet you."
Karl paused.
Nothing else to do anyway.
"Alright, Teacher Zephyr. I'll be right there."
After hanging up, he grabbed Monica's hand.
"Come on, let's go together."
"Huh? Is that… appropriate?" Monica hesitated.
"It's fine," Karl waved it off.
"Teacher Zephyr won't eat you. Come on."
Training Ground
Garp's sharp eyes immediately locked onto a handsome young man walking in with a blonde girl in his arms.
"Zephyr, is that Karl?"
"That's him."
"Teacher Zephyr—uh, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Karl wasn't surprised.
On the way here, he had already guessed that the person wanting to see him was most likely Garp the Hero.
Among the Marine higher-ups, Karl had met almost everyone—
except Garp.
Seeing him in person now, he looked just like in memory:
tall, broad-shouldered, and overflowing with intimidating presence even with a head of silver hair.
Truly worthy of the title—the older, the more monstrous.
"Hahahaha! I'm Garp!"
Zephyr's bragging nearly blew my ears off just now!"
"Uh… hehe, Teacher Zephyr overpraises me. I'm just an ordinary Marine."
Garp exchanged a glance with Zephyr, then stood up and patted Karl on the shoulder.
"Kid, I'll cut the nonsense."
"Let this old man feel that… holy light of yours, yeah?"
"No problem."
Karl immediately condensed a ball of holy light and sent it into Garp's body.
Garp closed his eyes, quietly sensing the change.
After a long moment, he opened them again.
His gaze toward Karl was complex—mixed with emotion.
No wonder Zephyr valued this kid so much.
This kind of ability was exactly what the Marines needed.
"Karl," Garp said seriously,
"work hard."
"And don't waste the power you've been given."
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