That evening, within the Figarland family estate, Carl summoned the high-ranking officers of the Navy Headquarters—those of Vice Admiral rank and above—for a grand celebration banquet.
For someone like Akainu, this wasn't anything unusual, but for Vice Admirals like Momonga and the others, it was their first time stepping foot into the domain of the Figarland family. Even among the upper echelons of the Navy, few truly knew much about this elite household among the Celestial Dragons.
Still, that didn't stop them from feeling awe in the presence of the Figarland family.
In this war, they had seen firsthand the true foundations of the Celestial Dragons: the God Knights, the Five Elders, the Figarland family, and that so-called Saint Imu—any one of these forces alone could upend the entire world.
Only now did they finally understand how those seemingly idiotic Celestial Dragons outside had managed to maintain control over the world for more than eight hundred years.
With that thought, their gazes instinctively shifted toward the man seated at the head of the table—Carl.
At Carl's table sat Lucia, the other Admirals, and also Ginny and Sharlia.
Besides them, there were two extremely prominent figures present—Lily and Garling.
The two were seated on either side of Carl, while the maid group led by Monet occupied the adjacent table.
Normally, people of servant status like maids would never have the right to sit at the table in a Celestial Dragon household.
But now? In the entire Mary Geoise, who didn't know who these women were?
They might be called the "maid group" in name, but everyone knew—they were Saint Carl's wives in all but title!
And Carl was not the kind of Celestial Dragon who treated women as disposable playthings. If any Celestial Dragon dared to make a move on this so-called maid group, they would be slaughtered without hesitation.
...
Sugar popped grapes one by one into her mouth from her fingertips, her big round eyes constantly sneaking glances toward Carl. She leaned over and whispered to Monet,
"Big Sis, why is Young Master's hand always on Lady Lily's back?"
Monet shot Sugar a glare. "Eat your grapes. Don't ask questions you shouldn't."
Sugar pouted and stuffed two giant grapes into her mouth at once, puffing out both cheeks adorably.
At that moment, Garling unexpectedly voiced the same question out loud:
"Carl, what's going on with your hand?"
The question caused everyone—Akainu and the others—to turn and look at Carl and Lily. Clearly, they had been curious for some time.
Lily's cheeks flushed slightly. She picked up her glass of red wine, took a small sip with closed eyes, and pretended not to hear.
Carl, however, smiled and replied calmly,
"Lady Lily injured her back during the fight with Joy Boy. I'm helping her recover."
Aokiji raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Carl-senpai, you can heal injuries too?"
Under the table, Aramaki kicked Aokiji and scolded,
"What's so surprising? Saint Carl is capable of anything!"
Carl snapped his fingers. A maid immediately stepped forward and refilled his empty wine glass, then offered it to him with both hands.
After taking a small sip, Carl turned toward the usually stoic-faced Lily and smiled brightly.
"No helping it. The power of Nika left by Joy Boy can only be neutralized by my Dark-Dark Fruit. Looks like I'm stuck with it for tonight."
Lily's eyes shot open and she glared at him in fury.
"Do you even want it or not?!"
Without hesitation, Carl replied,
"Of course I want it. But the process can't be too quick. If it's too easy, there's no fun in it."
"You...!"
"Hmm?"
Lily's words caught in her throat. She could feel a cold sensation radiating from Carl's hand on her back—a clear sign he was preparing to use his dark power.
She forced herself to calm down and said in a low voice,
"If that's the case, then I'll accompany you a while longer."
"Oh my, being accompanied by Lady Lily herself... I'm truly honored."
"Heh... Mary Geoise is yours now anyway. I suppose I no longer matter to you."
Carl merely smiled in response. He picked up a shellfish, sucked out the tender white flesh at the center, and slowly chewed.
For some reason, watching his movements made Lily feel a wave of discomfort.
She said coldly, "Saint Carl really enjoys shellfish, doesn't he?"
Carl swallowed the meat with a gulp and smiled.
"Of course. It's fresh, juicy, and has an excellent texture. Want to try some, Lady Lily?"
As he spoke, Carl picked up another piece and held it to Lily's lips. She initially wanted to refuse, but the sensation from her back made her swallow her words. In the end, she opened her mouth and accepted the piece.
Carl beamed as he watched her swallow it whole and shook his head slightly.
"Lady Lily, you're supposed to savor delicacies slowly. Swallowing it whole like that is just a waste."
Fearing he'd try to "feed" her another one, Lily quickly said,
"Thank you for your kindness, Saint Carl. But I really don't have much of an appetite right now."
"Understandable. After all, we just came through a big battle."
Carl emphasized the word "battle," and Lily immediately picked up on his meaning. She clenched her teeth and muttered,
"Exactly. Which is why I need rest now."
With that, she closed her eyes tightly, choosing to bury her head in the sand and avoid Carl altogether.
...
Everyone at the table had witnessed the entire exchange. It was obvious by now that something was going on between Carl and Lily.
Garling looked at Carl with a complicated expression. He couldn't fathom how his dear nephew had gotten involved with Lily.
The tension from Carl and Lily's little verbal sparring match had dulled the atmosphere a bit, until Carl suddenly turned to Garling and said,
"Garling-san, Nusjuro is dead. One of the Five Elders' positions is now vacant. Don't you think we should fill it immediately?"
Garling paused for a moment, then replied,
"Of course it needs to be filled."
As he spoke, he glanced at Lily, who sat beside Carl with her eyes closed. Her face betrayed no emotion.
After a pause, Garling continued,
"Since you're asking, I assume you already have someone in mind?"
Carl nodded.
"Nusjuro was the Warrior God of Finance. The control of finances must be placed in reliable hands."
Hearing that Carl and Garling were seriously discussing who would take a seat among the Five Elders, Akainu and the others all set down their utensils and listened intently.
Garling nodded solemnly.
"Then who do you have in mind to be the new Warrior God of Finance?"
Carl smiled. Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, he turned and looked directly at a completely dumbfounded Borsalino.
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+150 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg