The bloody scene brought the once-lively bar to an abrupt silence.
Garrot, who was the closest, stared blankly at the three lumps of flesh on the ground. She couldn't comprehend how three full-sized men had suddenly been reduced to compressed meat patties.
On the stage, Viola's expression turned grim as she murmured in a low voice,
"A Devil Fruit user! And judging by this... an incredibly powerful ability! Who did this?"
She quickly scanned the bar. Despite the dim lighting, her Glare-Glare Fruit ability illuminated everything as if it were broad daylight.
Finally, her gaze locked onto a man sitting in the corner—Carl.
Viola's Devil Fruit granted her the ability to peer into people's thoughts, yet Carl was the only one she couldn't read at all.
To her, he was like a terrifying black hole, exuding a strong aura of destruction. She didn't even dare to look at him for too long.
Biting her lip, she thought to herself,
What a terrifying man… Who is he?
After a brief silence, the entire bar erupted into chaos. Screams rang out like thunder, and people frantically rushed toward the exit. In the ensuing panic, a stampede broke out.
Viola's expression shifted. Though she was no longer the princess of Dressrosa, she still held an important position in the palace. She couldn't just stand by and watch.
She hurriedly shouted,
"I am the Minister of Justice, Viola! I will handle this—everyone, remain calm!"
But her voice was drowned out by the panicked crowd as they continued to shove and push each other.
Just as the situation was about to spiral completely out of control, Carl furrowed his brows and slowly stood up from his seat.
Viola, who had been watching him closely, felt her heart tighten.
Recalling his eerie ability, she feared that if he was even slightly displeased, he might turn everyone into lumps of meat like before.
Garrot suddenly leaped forward, landing lightly beside Carl after bouncing off a few heads. She looked up at him with a small, hesitant voice.
"Just now… I'm sorry. I caused you trouble."
Smack!
"Ow...!" Garrot winced, clutching her forehead, her face showing a hint of grievance. She mumbled softly,
"You flicked me again... But it wasn't my fault! Those guys wouldn't leave me alone…"
Though her words sounded like a complaint, there was a trace of playful sulking in her tone.
Carl glanced at her and said flatly,
"This little thing? Trouble? What are those claws of yours for? You could've just shut them up permanently."
Garrot blinked in surprise, while Carl continued,
"I thought you were sharp, but now you just seem like an airhead."
This time, Garrot didn't argue back. She just pouted and muttered a quiet "Oh."
Nearby, Wanda shook her head with a small smile. Seeing Garrot throw her a pleading look, she finally spoke,
"Garrot, next time you run into scum like that, don't waste time talking. Just take them out. Reasoning with garbage doesn't work."
Garrot nodded vigorously. "Got it, Wanda!"
From the stage, Viola watched this exchange and became even more certain—Carl was the one behind the earlier carnage. He must have stepped in to help the young Mink girl.
However, his method was utterly ruthless—he had slaughtered them outright. Clearly, he was a man who played by no rules.
What Viola didn't know was that the man she had fixated on represented the very heavens, and his word was law.
At that moment, Carl was growing increasingly impatient with the noisy chaos.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he said in a cold tone,
"Too noisy."
The moment the words left his mouth, his eyes snapped open.
Buzz!
A wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted like a tidal surge. With the explosive sound of shattering glass, the entire bar seemed to freeze in time. The uproar was cut off in an instant, and every person stood rigid, as if petrified.
A second later, the crowd collapsed like a field of wheat cut by a sickle, one after another falling unconscious.
Wanda and Garrot, standing closest to Carl, remained unaffected.
They stared at the scene in shock.
Wanda couldn't help but recall the time Garrot had inexplicably passed out just from a look from Joy Boy.
She remembered how Pedro and Shishilian had once spoken about this ability—Conqueror's Haki, the mark of a king. Just awakening it was a one-in-a-million feat, but Carl was controlling it effortlessly. The fact that she and Garrot were still standing proved that he was releasing it selectively.
Besides them, only one other person remained conscious—Viola. Of course, this was because Carl had intentionally spared her.
At that moment, her shock was even greater than Wanda and Garrot's.
She knew what Conqueror's Haki was. The tyrant who had seized Dressrosa, Doflamingo, possessed it as well. It was a power that could drive weaker beings to despair.
Seeing how Carl's companions remained unaffected, Viola realized that he not only had Conqueror's Haki but could control it at will.
Carl's cold gaze swept across the bar before finally settling on Viola.
As he looked at her, Viola shuddered involuntarily. Only now did she realize—he had chosen to let her remain conscious.
Regret filled her heart. She shouldn't have come to the bar tonight. While she was strong enough to deal with minor criminals, encountering someone like Carl was essentially walking into a death trap.
Carl stepped forward, walking across the bodies scattered on the floor, until he stood before Viola.
Looking up at the tall man, Viola swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay calm.
"I am the Minister of Just—"
Carl cut her off.
"Take me to the royal palace."
The moment she heard that, Viola's heart sank.
She cautiously asked, "May I ask why…?"
Carl answered indifferently,
"To sleep. With you leading the way, it'll save me some trouble."
"S-Sleep!? You think the royal palace is a hotel?!"
"What else would it be?"
With that, Carl tugged at his collar, revealing his face.
Viola's eyes widened in shock as she gasped sharply.
"Fleet Admiral Carl!?"
-----------
+190 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg