In an open clearing in front of the palace, Carl quietly rested his head on Robin's lap. Carl and Chopper were the only ones in the Straw Hat crew who enjoyed this kind of special treatment. Of course, since Chopper was a reindeer, Carl was technically the only human who could say he enjoyed it.
Carl pulled out his Devil Fruit radar and began to check for any nearby signals. After a moment, he set it aside with a sigh. There were no Devil Fruits left near Dressrosa. He guessed that Sabo and the Revolutionary Army had probably taken any available fruits, including the Multiplier Fruit, when they evacuated. He wondered if any of Doflamingo's artificial Devil Fruits remained, but it seemed the warlord's experiments hadn't progressed very far.
Carl felt a sense of relief. If the artificial fruits were gone, then Momonosuke would never eat that failed experiment. Furthermore, without the need to escort Momonosuke or Kin'emon to Wano, the crew might avoid that complicated mess entirely. While he might miss meeting little Otama, Ace was still alive and well. Ace still had his promise to Otama and Yamato, so Carl figured Ace could handle the heroism in Wano instead.
The prophecy about the future of Wano was now completely invalid. The Straw Hats wouldn't have to save a country full of strange characters; they could leave that to Ace. Maybe Ace would marry Yamato and adopt Otama as a daughter. It would be a perfect life for him.
"By the way, where did Marco and the others go?" Carl asked.
"They said goodbye to Luffy and left," Robin answered softly as she fanned Carl.
"Sengoku and the other Marines are still here, so it wasn't safe for them to stay," Mari added while munching on a biscuit. "Ace left because he knew Sabo was already gone. Luffy is pretty upset about it."
Luffy was indeed disappointed. He had hoped the three brothers could finally sit down and share a drink together. Ace had managed to say a few words, but Sabo had vanished without even showing his face. To Luffy, meeting his brothers was the most important thing in the world, and he couldn't understand why Sabo had rushed off.
"However, I did see the girl you mentioned before," Robin said suddenly.
"Which girl?" Carl asked, curious.
"The girl rescued by the Sun Pirates. Luffy's second sister-in-law, Koala!" Robin replied.
"What?!!" The entire Straw Hat crew shouted in shock. Luffy's neck stretched forward, his face a mask of total disbelief.
Robin explained that while she was sneaking through the palace with the Tontattas, she ran into Koala and the murloc, Hack, who were searching for supplies. Koala recognized Robin and started a conversation. After some clever questioning, Robin confirmed Koala was indeed the same girl from Fisher Tiger's legendary story—and that she was very close to Sabo.
"It's a shame I didn't get to meet her. Sabo ran away too fast!" Luffy grumbled.
"She's very beautiful and kind, Luffy," Robin laughed. "Sabo is very lucky."
"Is that so? That's great!" Luffy cheered, genuinely happy for his brother. Then he frowned. "I have a second sister-in-law, but when do I get a first one? Ace is failing me!"
"Luffy, you already have a first sister-in-law," Carl interrupted.
"I do?"
"Yeah," Carl said. "Ace met a girl in Wano and they grew very close. Ace even bragged to her about his amazing little brother, Luffy."
"Really? Ace actually found a girl?" Luffy asked. "Who is she?"
"Her name is Yamato. She's Kaido's daughter," Carl stated calmly.
The entire crew nearly choked. Even Law, who usually remained calm, looked at Carl with wide, disbelieving eyes. For Ace to pick the daughter of a Yonko, he must have a very brave heart.
"Mr. Carl, is that true?" Luffy asked urgently. "How do you know so much about it?"
"I just know," Carl shrugged. "If you don't believe me, just ask Ace the next time you see him. Ask if he knows Yamato and if he likes her. He'll definitely say yes."
Carl smiled to himself. He was playing a bit of a trick. Ace viewed Yamato as a brother and a friend, so he would naturally say he liked her. The Straw Hats would misunderstand that as romantic love, cementing her title as "sister-in-law." It didn't matter that Yamato claimed to be a man; her heart was feminine, and she was stuck in a woman's body.
Luffy looked worried. "If my sister-in-law is Kaido's daughter, does that mean we can't fight Kaido?"
"Don't worry about that," Carl waved his hand. "Yamato has been imprisoned by Kaido for years. She hates him and wants to defeat him herself."
"Oh, okay. That's fine then," Luffy said, looking relieved. He didn't like Kaido anyway and was glad he wouldn't have to hold back. Now that he knew both his brothers had found someone special, Luffy decided it was time for a banquet. They had to celebrate the brothers' happiness and their massive victory in Dressrosa.
Carl breathed a sigh of relief, glad the questioning was over. Whether Ace and Yamato or Sabo and Koala were officially couples didn't matter to him—they were perfect matches in his mind. If it turned out to be a misunderstanding later, he'd just apologize.
Meanwhile, King Riku was meeting with Sengoku. Sengoku offered a deep apology on behalf of the Marines for failing to see the tragedy in Dressrosa. He bowed to the King, acknowledging the Navy's failure. While his pride as a Marine kept him from kneeling in public, his regret was sincere.
King Riku did not blame the Marines, but he had two requests. First, he wanted the Donquixote Family arrested and imprisoned for life. Second, he asked that the Marines refrain from arresting the Straw Hats while they were still in Dressrosa.
Sengoku agreed immediately. Doflamingo and his executives were already in custody, and their status as Warlords had been stripped away. The Donquixote Family's reign of terror was officially over.
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