Carl readily agreed and walked to Monet's side. Monet gave him a gentle smile and followed him toward the bathroom.
Seeing this, Hancock and the others naturally trailed along. When Carl was at home, this kind of scene was a common occurrence.
In the hall, only Shalria, Pudding, and Olvia remained. Shalria didn't seem surprised—being a Celestial Dragon herself, she was well aware that many male Celestial Dragons lived far more indulgent lives than Carl. Compared to them, his actions were nothing out of the ordinary.
Pudding leaned closer to Olvia and whispered,
"Aunt Olvia, how long do you think Saint Carl will be in there?"
Since Pudding was friends with Robin and Olvia was Robin's mother, calling her 'Aunt' was only natural.
However, after receiving Carl's 'first embrace,' Olvia's appearance made it difficult for others to believe she was Robin's mother—anyone seeing them together would assume they were sisters instead.
Watching her daughter, Robin, enter the bathroom as well, Olvia bit her lip and muttered,
"I don't know... but men usually don't take long to bathe, right...?"
Even as she said this, Olvia didn't believe it herself. But what could she do?
Could she resist Carl's authority? Of course not. More importantly, Robin had entered of her own volition...
For the next hour, Olvia sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the bathroom door.
Finally, the sound of the door opening broke the silence. Carl and Monet, along with the others, stepped out, freshly bathed.
Olvia let out a deep sigh of relief. Given Carl's monstrous physique, an hour really might have just been for bathing.
Pudding scanned Carl and the others excitedly, while Shalria muttered suspiciously,
'That's strange… was it really just a bath?'
Carl glanced at Shalria but quickly shifted his gaze to Monet, whose face was flushed red. In a calm voice, he said,
"Monet, tonight, you'll come to my room."
Monet froze as if struck by lightning. It was her younger sister, Sugar, who reacted first—pinching Monet's rear with a look of exasperation.
Monet let out a soft yelp, then lowered her head and murmured a barely audible "Mmm" under Carl's gaze.
Hancock and the others exchanged glances. Having been trained by Lucia, they weren't clueless about such matters.
Among them, Robin was particularly reserved on the surface but held a mischievous side. She didn't just enjoy reading history books—she often shared her private collection with Hancock and the others.
So, they all understood exactly what would happen between Monet and Carl tonight. There was no need to spell it out.
As night fell, the freshly bathed women soon retired to their rooms. Sugar, now without her sister's company, clung to Hancock. Though she hadn't become a Hobby-Hobby Fruit user in this timeline, her timid nature seemed to be ingrained in her very being—she was too scared to sleep alone.
Inside the bedroom, Carl leaned against the headboard, reading a newspaper. Monet lay quietly against him, her face adorned with a rosy blush.
Carl noticed her rapid heartbeat and smirked slightly.
Flipping through a page, he casually asked,
"Monet, what do you think of the content on this page?"
Monet blinked in surprise. She had been pretending to read the newspaper while secretly stealing glances at Carl. Given the current situation, how could she have focused on the article?
Carl, seeing her fail to answer, didn't press the issue. Instead, he remarked,
"Lately, there's been less and less news about pirates. The entertainment section seems to be taking over."
Monet quickly responded,
"That's because the Young Master has wiped out all the major pirates. The remaining ones don't dare to cause trouble anymore!"
As she spoke, her gaze toward Carl was filled with admiration.
Carl chuckled, setting the newspaper aside on the bedside table.
"Maybe so. But there are still plenty of people unwilling to give up their ambitions—especially that one wearing a straw hat."
"You mean Monkey D. Luffy? What's so special about him that you pay him such close attention?"
Carl picked up a cigarette, lighting it with a flick of his fingers. Taking a slow drag, he said indifferently,
"He has a parasite inside him. And that parasite happens to be an ancient enemy of my Figarland family."
Monet blinked, confused by his cryptic words.
Carl had no intention of explaining Joy Boy's story in detail. Instead, he suddenly turned to Monet with a smile.
"Monet, do you remember the first time we met?"
Of course, she wouldn't forget that day. She sat up slightly, the blanket slipping down to reveal her fair skin.
Her soft green hair draped over her chest, barely covering her figure. She nodded earnestly and spoke in a gentle voice,
"I remember… That was the day the Young Master rescued my sister and me from that slave trader."
Carl shook his head slightly.
"I wouldn't call it a rescue. I bought you two. And even if I hadn't, someone else would have bid a high price for you."
"No, it was a rescue!"
Monet uncharacteristically refuted Carl's words, meeting his eyes with firm determination.
"I will never forget the way those men looked at my sister and me back then. If one of them had bought us, our lives would have been worse than death!"
Carl studied Monet for a moment before asking,
"And are you satisfied with your life here?"
A radiant smile blossomed on Monet's face—one filled with pure happiness.
"Yes! Here, no one will betray me, no one will harm me or my sister. Even those arrogant Celestial Dragons wouldn't dare!"
And she wasn't wrong. With Carl's current status in Mary Geoise and his reputation for fiercely protecting his own, no other Celestial Dragon would dare to lay a hand on Monet or the others. In fact, outside of the Figarland estate, Monet and the other women held more prestige than most so-called queens.
After speaking, Monet felt a surge of emotion welling up inside her. She leaned forward, gently cupping Carl's face in her hands, and murmured softly,
"Most importantly… the Young Master is here."
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+230 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg