Koala leaned against the wall, struggling to stand. She lifted her head and glared fiercely at Carl. Carl chuckled and said,
"Not bad. I like that look in your eyes. But a glare alone won't be enough to kill me."
Koala spat out a small mouthful of blood and growled through gritted teeth,
"You monster! One day, you will pay for everything you've done!"
Clap, clap, clap...
Carl clapped his hands as he slowly approached Koala, smiling.
"Well said! I'm starting to appreciate you even more."
Though she spoke bravely, Koala's body instinctively retreated, but all that awaited her was the cold, unyielding wall behind her.
Carl stopped before her, looking down with a smile that, in Koala's eyes, belonged to nothing less than a devil.
Grabbing her chin, Carl leaned in and whispered into her ear,
"You must know where Luffy is, don't you?"
Koala's expression changed instantly. She quickly turned away and replied coldly,
"I don't know."
Carl spread his hands as if in helplessness and said,
"Why make this difficult? I was even planning to make it quick for you."
Koala's eyes narrowed sharply. Without hesitation, she turned and tried to slam herself into the wall, but the moment she moved, deep purple gravity rings materialized above her, forcing her down into a spread-eagle position on the floor.
"Ugh!"
The crushing force of the gravity was unbearable. Koala felt as if her organs were about to explode, and she coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
Carl snapped his fingers, and the gravity rings vanished. Koala suddenly felt lighter, but before she could take a breath, an invisible force yanked her toward Carl.
Smack!
Carl grabbed her hair, lifting her face close to his as he smirked.
"Thinking of playing the noble martyr?"
Koala locked eyes with him and gritted her teeth.
"You'll never get a single word from me!"
Rob Lucci stepped forward and said,
"Carl-sama, hand her over to me. I have ways to make her talk."
Without looking back, Carl casually waved him off.
"No need, Lucci. Your methods are too crude. I prefer a different approach..."
Lucci hesitated, but before he could react, Carl's eyes flashed red, and he sank his fangs into Koala's neck.
In an instant, the hatred in Koala's eyes faded into emptiness, her body frozen in place.
Blood-red markings spread from the bite wound, slithering across her pale skin, converging on her forehead to form a dark diamond-shaped emblem.
Lucci frowned and instinctively glanced at Lucia, who stood beside Carl. She bore the same emblem, except hers was a vibrant crimson.
As Koala regained her senses, she staggered back, clutching the bite mark on her neck, her voice trembling.
"What... just happened?"
Carl smirked wickedly. With a mere twitch of his finger, the emblem on Koala's forehead gleamed with dark light. Her eyes widened in terror as her body moved against her will, stepping toward Carl.
"W-What is this?! What did you do to me?! Stop this!"
Lucci watched in astonishment as Koala, despite her protests, walked straight into Carl's arms, pressing herself against his chest.
Even as she listened to his strong, steady heartbeat, she kept crying out in resistance.
"No, I don't want this...!"
Carl gazed down at her and murmured,
"Don't want this? Sounds like you're asking for something even more exciting."
Realizing what he meant, Koala's face flushed red, her voice shaking.
"You... what are you going to do to me?"
"Nothing much—just letting you experience death."
With that, Carl raised his hand and slowly clenched his fingers.
"Aaaaaahhh!!!"
Agonizing screams echoed throughout the ship's cabin. Koala collapsed at Carl's feet, convulsing violently as if struck by a bolt of lightning.
Her eyes were bloodshot, her hands clutched tightly over her chest, feeling as though her very heart was being toyed with.
And in reality, Carl was indeed mimicking the act of rolling a walnut between his fingers, rhythmically squeezing the air.
Each movement sent Koala into another wave of unbearable pain.
Her screams grew weaker until she could only shiver on the floor, muttering through broken breaths,
"Kill me... please... just kill me..."
Lucia remained expressionless throughout the ordeal, while Lucci's eye twitched slightly, his gaze toward Carl filled with something resembling awe.
Carl casually flipped his wrist, and his cursed sword, Muramasa, materialized in his hand.
He crouched beside Koala, placing the blade in her trembling grasp and smiled.
"Fine. But you'll have to do it yourself."
Koala gripped Muramasa's hilt, her resolve solidifying as Carl's voice echoed in her ear.
"Of course, you could also try stabbing me instead. It's up to you."
She wanted nothing more than to run him through, but her rational mind knew better.
With Carl's monstrous durability, she could hack away at him for a year and still fail to break his skin.
Her only option was to take this chance and end her own life.
Determined, she clenched the sword with both hands and mustered what little strength remained, aiming it at her heart.
Yet, despair set in almost instantly.
Muramasa's tip pierced through her clothing and rested coldly against her skin—but it went no further.
Koala's hands trembled as she looked up, only to see Carl holding his forehead, laughing.
"This body no longer belongs to you. You're my blood slave now. Without my permission, you don't even have the right to die."
Tears streamed down Koala's cheeks.
True despair—unable to live, unable to die.
Muramasa dissolved into black mist, merging back into Carl's hand. He straightened up and said casually,
"Don't worry, I'll set you free. But not before I extract the memories in your head. Once that's done, I'll let you return to Luffy and the others. Looking forward to it?"
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+210 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg