Carl spent a leisurely afternoon in the courtyard with Monet and the others until dusk approached, signaling that it was time to return to the palace.
Monet draped a loose black robe over Carl's shoulders, while she and the other women wore matching white attire.
Due to her massive size, Shirahoshi had already been escorted back. She had looked quite pitiful when she was sent away, but after Carl promised to summon companions from Fish-Man Island to keep her company, she left for her quarters in high spirits.
Surrounded by Monet and the others, Carl returned to his chambers.
The moment they stepped inside, they noticed a figure bound tightly in black threads—Iceburg, wrapped up like a mummy.
Upon hearing footsteps, Iceburg began to struggle violently, letting out muffled noises from behind his gag. However, the black silk threads restraining him were created from shadow fragments, adhering firmly to the ground. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't move an inch. To an outsider, he looked like nothing more than a wriggling black cocoon.
Hancock gently covered her red lips and asked, "Oh? Who is this, and why is he here?"
Carl smiled faintly. "His name is Iceburg. I brought him here."
As he spoke, he casually curled his finger, pulling Iceburg toward him.
Seeing Iceburg still struggling and letting out muffled protests, Carl casually threw a light punch at him. Immediately, Iceburg went silent.
Turning to Pudding, who was watching with interest, Carl said,
"Pudding, extract his memory fragments. I need everything related to Pluton."
Pudding's Memo-Memo Fruit allowed her to extract specific memories based on keywords. Hearing Carl's request, she stepped forward, placed her hand lightly on Iceburg's head, and pulled out several strips of film-like memory fragments.
At that moment, Nico Olvia suddenly spoke up. "Carl-sama, when you say Pluton, do you mean the Ancient Weapon?"
Carl smiled but didn't directly answer. "That's right. Otherwise, would someone like him be worth bringing here personally?"
As they spoke, Pudding tugged at the memory strips and reported, "Carl-sama, these are all the memories he has regarding Pluton. What do you want me to do with them?"
Carl pondered for a moment before instructing,
"Extract and store these memories for now. Also, can you make a copy? Only the parts that contain Pluton's blueprints."
Pudding smiled confidently. "Of course, Carl-sama. As you wish!"
With a gentle swipe of her hand, she separated a small portion of the memory fragment. Carl asked,
"How do I access this memory?"
"Just place your hand on it," Pudding replied.
Carl nodded, took hold of the fragment, and with a flash of dark energy from his palm, the memory vanished—transferring directly into his mind.
After skimming through Pluton's blueprints in his head, Carl quickly realized he couldn't understand them at all.
Of course, that wasn't a problem. After all, expertise comes with specialization. He never had any talent in mechanics, nor did he need to.
With his status and influence, he had access to the most capable minds to build Pluton for him—such as Dr. Vegapunk.
The Marine's warship advancements had always been overseen by that old scientist. As long as he had the blueprints, constructing Pluton wouldn't be an issue.
Smirking, Carl turned to Pudding and said, "Pudding, keep this original memory fragment stored."
Pudding, ever obedient, immediately preserved the fragment in her own mind.
With that taken care of, Carl glanced at Iceburg, and in the next instant, the black shadow threads tightened abruptly.
With a swift whoosh, Iceburg's entire body was compressed into the threads and vanished into thin air—a clean and efficient disposal.
The fact that Iceburg had aided the Straw Hats in shipbuilding was enough to warrant his execution a hundred times over.
Monet and the others remained calm and composed at the sight. As Carl's closest attendants, they were fully aligned with his interests. Having followed him for so long, they knew one thing for certain: Carl's enemies were their enemies. And to them, the death of an enemy wasn't something worth concern.
Monet retracted her gaze and asked, "Young Master, should I have dinner prepared?"
Carl smiled and nodded. Monet bowed slightly before stepping outside to make arrangements.
Olvia hesitated before speaking. "Carl-sama, then… I'll take my leave for now—"
Carl raised a hand to interrupt her.
"Leave? Why? Stay and have dinner here. From now on, just move into this palace. You'll share a room with Robin."
Before Olvia could react, Robin let out a joyful cheer and threw herself into Carl's arms. Standing on tiptoe, she planted a firm kiss on his cheek.
The other women, who had remained unfazed by Carl's execution of Iceburg, were now left wide-eyed and slack-jawed, each displaying their own unique expressions of surprise.
Robin suddenly snapped back to reality. She stared into Carl's eyes, then, as if jolted by electricity, quickly pulled away and bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle. Stammering, she said,
"F-Forgive me, Young Master! I overstepped! Please punish me!"
Olvia hurried over, bowing alongside Robin in apology.
Carl, of course, wasn't upset over something so trivial. Tilting his head, he chuckled.
"Alright, alright. It's just a kiss—it's not like I lost a piece of flesh."
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Hancock and the others, half-jokingly saying,
"You ladies want a turn as well?"
Hancock's face instantly lit up with excitement, though she was too shy to act on it. Instead, she lowered her head, fidgeting in embarrassment.
Surprisingly, it was Sugar who reacted first. She blurted out, "Really, Young Master?"
Carl hadn't expected someone to take him seriously, but since he'd already said it, he simply nodded.
In the next moment, under the astonished gazes of Hancock and the others, Sugar stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and lightly pecked Carl on the cheek.
Just then, Monet returned from outside and caught the scene. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she exclaimed,
"Sugar! What are you doing?!"
Still clinging to Carl's neck, Sugar turned to Monet with a playful smile and teased,
"Big Sis, the Young Master permitted it. You missed your chance~"
Monet stood frozen as if struck by lightning. "What… what did I just miss?!"
She then cast a somewhat resentful look at Carl, who simply pretended not to notice. Clearing his throat, he quickly changed the subject.
"Ahem, so… how long until dinner is ready?"
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+230 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg