Pudding was still in Carl's arms, her face filled with confusion from the explosion of laser light moments ago.
Carl, however, was more intrigued as he looked down at the small bear lying at his feet.
"So the Seraphim project has been completed? But judging by the situation, it's out of control."
Suddenly, a sultry voice called out from behind him.
"Carl-sama!"
Carl raised an eyebrow and turned to see York excitedly waving at him.
Lilith, standing nearby, wore a tense expression as she warned,
"Carl-sama, be careful!"
A faint rustling sound echoed as the small bear slowly got up from the ground. Wiping a smudge of black off his lips, he lifted his gaze toward Carl.
Seeing the enormous black wings extending from Carl's back, several times larger than himself, the small bear murmured,
"Same kind…?"
Carl immediately realized that this small bear wasn't thinking normally. Releasing Pudding, he gestured for her to step back. However, the bear spoke again.
"No flames… Enemy!"
The moment the words fell, the bear struck without hesitation. His palm, infused with the power of the Paw-Paw Fruit, slammed into Carl's abdomen.
Seeing this, Vegapunk instinctively cried out, "It's over!"
Of course, he wasn't referring to Carl—he meant the small bear.
From Vegapunk's perspective, the moment the bear attacked Carl, its fate was sealed. The first of the Seraphim he had painstakingly created was about to be destroyed!
The Seraphim were strong, but could they surpass an Emperor of the Sea?
That was the man who had personally annihilated three Yonko crews!
Yet, Carl didn't retaliate immediately. Instead, he remained calm, watching the bear in front of him. The small bear furrowed his brows in confusion—why hadn't this man been repelled by his ability?
Carl casually reached out and grasped the bear's arm. The bear's expression changed as he struggled to break free, but no matter how much strength he used, he couldn't move his arm even an inch.
Seeing this, Lilith gasped. "Unbelievable! The Seraphim bear is being held like a child!"
Atlas scratched his head. "Well… the Seraphim are kids."
"…"
Carl chuckled. "What a troublesome little bear."
With a casual flick of his wrist, Carl sent the bear flying, crashing heavily into the research facility behind him.
Moments later, a laser shot out from the wreckage, aiming straight at Carl.
Carl simply raised his hand and swatted at the laser, causing it to deflect into the sky, where it exploded like a golden firework.
The next second, the bear shot forward like a cannonball, his hands coated in Armament Haki, delivering a flurry of rapid strikes toward Carl.
Carl remained unfazed, standing still and blocking effortlessly with one hand. Waves of black lightning crackled outward from his Haki.
Vegapunk was stunned, muttering, "Is Carl just… playing with him?"
For once, he was right—Carl truly was just playing with the bear.
To Carl, the Seraphim bear was no different from a cub. Given that this one not only had the face of a bear but also contained actual bear genes, he wasn't about to go all out.
But discipline was necessary.
Carl's eyes narrowed slightly, and in an instant, deep purple gravitational rings enveloped the bear.
Sensing danger, the bear instinctively tried to retreat, but his body was already trapped under an overwhelming force. He couldn't move a single inch.
With a thunderous crash, the bear was slammed into the ground, arms and legs spread out just like when he first fell.
Buzzing vibrations filled the air as the gravity rings trembled. Carl crouched down, gently ruffling the bear's round ears as he smiled.
"Enough fooling around."
Then, with a flick of his finger against the bear's forehead, there was a loud thud, and the bear's eyes swirled as he instantly lost consciousness.
Carl straightened and, without looking back, said, "Vegapunk, hurry up and get someone to take him away."
Vegapunk snapped out of his daze and quickly signaled for the researchers to carry the unconscious bear away. As they passed Carl, they didn't dare lift their heads.
Carl glanced at the research facility, now missing its roof.
"Vegapunk, explain what happened. Why did the Seraphim go rogue?"
Vegapunk gulped before jogging over to Carl, hastily explaining that a mistake had been made when he was startled by Caesar, causing an accidental activation of the Seraphim.
Carl glanced at the "apple" atop Vegapunk's head, smirking.
"Do you have Parkinson's? Your hands sure shake a lot."
Vegapunk blinked in confusion. "What's Parkinson's?"
Carl didn't bother explaining. Instead, he waved for Pudding to follow as he stepped into the research facility. Pudding quickly scampered after him.
As Vegapunk stood frozen in place, his clones approached. York, irritated, scolded,
"Why are you just standing there? Didn't you see Carl-sama go inside? Hurry up and attend to him! If you annoy him, who will fund our research? Do you think we'll have any good days ahead?"
Lilith sighed and gave Vegapunk a push. "Come on."
When Vegapunk finally caught up to Carl, he found him standing inside a laboratory filled with large cultivation tanks. One of the tanks had already been opened, revealing a Pacifista modeled after Whitebeard Jr. Unlike previous versions, this one wasn't wearing the World Government's uniform.
Vegapunk quickly explained,
"Carl-sama, these are the mass-produced Pacifistas. They weren't activated earlier, but even if they were, they likely wouldn't have been able to stop the Seraphim. The three that were deployed earlier were all destroyed by the Seraphim. Sigh… The cost of those three units…"
For the record, the title 'Pacifista' had been decided by Carl himself.
Carl raised a hand, cutting him off. "Enough. I'll allocate more funds to rebuild the research facility first."
Hearing this, Vegapunk wisely shut his mouth. Behind him, York cheered, "Long live Saint Carl!"
However, Carl ignored her completely. Turning his gaze from the Pacifista, he said,
"Vegapunk, I came here because I need you to build me a ship."
For someone like Vegapunk, shipbuilding was hardly a challenge. He replied,
"No problem. Do you have any specific requirements?"
Carl turned with a slight smile. "Just follow the blueprint. Pudding, give it to him."
Before Vegapunk could react, Pudding had already stepped forward, pressing a film strip into his oversized forehead.
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+230 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg