Lafitte died a miserable death right before Teach and the others, and soon after, Doc Q and the rest followed suit, turning into nothing but pulp on the deck.
In just a short moment, Teach had been completely reduced to a lone commander without subordinates.
At this moment, Teach had no time to care about his fallen crewmates. Seeing Carl set his sights on him, he immediately screamed in terror,
"No! Carl-sama! Please, I beg you, spare me!"
This scene was not unfamiliar to Carl—Teach had pleaded the same way to Whitebeard during the war at Marineford.
However, Carl was not Whitebeard, and Teach was certainly no "beloved son" to him.
Instead of crushing Teach into a meat patty with his gravity field, Carl slowly leaned down, raising a hand to press against Teach's forehead.
Teach's forehead was covered in sweat from sheer fright. Carl frowned slightly, and a slow, dark mist began to rise from his palm.
Carl spoke indifferently,
"Marshall D. Teach... so you are also one of the D. clan."
Hearing this, Shanks was shocked. Only now did he realize that Teach's name also bore the initial "D."
Teach swallowed hard, his mind racing as he desperately tried to think of a way to survive. But Carl's next words shattered any hope he had.
"I don't know what kind of fate your D. name carries, but it seems that your so-called destiny ends here. Die."
Teach's eyes widened in horror as he screamed,
"No!!!"
Buzz!
A vortex of darkness emerged from Carl's palm, instantly grinding Teach's brain into a formless mush.
Teach's eyes turned hollow as the last traces of life rapidly faded from his body.
At that moment, a heart-wrenching scream echoed from the ship's cabin.
"Husband!!!"
Carl glanced toward the source of the voice, then straightened up and absorbed the Dark-Dark Fruit into the pages of the Dark Bible.
Turning to Shanks, he asked,
"Shanks, that voice didn't sound like Brûlée. So? When did you pick up another female crewmate?"
Shanks chuckled awkwardly, while Katakuri looked visibly uneasy.
Carl smirked at Shanks. Shanks knew he couldn't hide the truth from Carl, and just as he was about to explain, Katakuri spoke up first.
"That voice belonged to my younger sister, Chiffon. You've met her before—she was the bride at that wedding."
Carl nodded. "Ah, her. So that means her husband was Teach?"
Katakuri lowered his head. "Yes! I'll go bring her out right away!"
With that, Katakuri turned and walked toward the ship's cabin.
Shanks sighed as he watched Katakuri's retreating figure.
Carl chuckled, "What's with that sigh?"
Shanks shrugged helplessly. "Chiffon is Katakuri's biological sister, and she's also pregnant. I just can't bring myself to do anything to her. Honestly, I was thinking about having her hide somewhere to avoid this whole mess..."
"Avoid what? Me?"
"Heh heh... don't say that. Who could possibly deceive you? With your sharp hearing, I'm sure you knew about Chiffon's presence long ago. I just thought that if you didn't mention it, then maybe I could let it slide."
Carl crossed his arms and said coldly,
"Trying to play mind games with me now? Feeling a little too comfortable, are we?"
"No, no! My whole crew is watching—can't you at least save me a little face?"
Carl glanced around. Beckman and the others immediately turned their heads away, pretending they hadn't seen anything.
Seeing this, Shanks was internally fuming, shouting in his heart,
"Who the hell is your real captain here?! And Buggy! What's with that eager look on your face?!"
Carl shot Shanks a glare, and Shanks instantly behaved.
There was no helping it—this natural suppression from bloodline alone was more terrifying than even Conqueror's Haki.
Even though Shanks had grown significantly taller thanks to the Mythical Zoan Dragon Fruit, he still had to look up at Carl.
Carl casually lifted a finger and tapped Shanks on the forehead, making him shudder.
"You just said Chiffon is pregnant. Given her love for Teach, are you prepared to let an enemy who will one day come for your life walk free?"
Shanks laughed freely and said,
"I understand what you're saying, but Chiffon is Katakuri's own sister. I don't want to put him in a difficult position. And don't worry—if I could deal with Teach, I can handle his son too. If that kid ever comes for revenge, he'd better be ready to die."
Carl narrowed his eyes and flicked Shanks on the forehead, making him yelp in pain.
Rubbing his head, Shanks heard Carl snort coldly,
"That would still be a problem. Anyone who bears hostility toward the Figarland family must be eliminated."
Shanks thought Carl was truly angry, and his earlier bravado instantly vanished. He hesitated and asked meekly,
"So... are you planning to execute Chiffon...?"
"And if I must?"
Shanks gritted his teeth and said,
"Alright! Then at least leave her with an intact body. I beg you!"
Hearing this, Carl's lips curled up slightly. He nodded in satisfaction and said,
"Good. Remember, no matter what happens, you are a member of the Figarland family, and you must always stand firm. As for Chiffon... hmm, I'm in a good mood today. I'll let her live."
"Huh?"
Shanks looked up in surprise, his face lighting up with relief. Carl waved him off impatiently and said,
"What's with that face? Listen, I never actually planned on killing her. She's also close to Brûlée, and if I killed her, Brûlée would probably cry non-stop. That'd be annoying as hell."
"So, you were just messing with me?!"
"Hmph, not entirely. If I hadn't liked your answer..."
Carl cracked his knuckles, the sound crisp and ominous.
A drop of cold sweat slid down Shanks' forehead. He let out a forced chuckle and started whistling, looking away.
At this moment, Katakuri returned with Chiffon in tow. She looked pale and lifeless as she stared at Teach's corpse. Her voice trembled as she murmured,
"Kill me... I want to be with my husband..."
Carl slowly walked up to her and said calmly,
"How about sending someone else to accompany him instead?"
With that, he placed his dark, mist-covered hand over Chiffon's stomach.
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+230 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg