Thinking of this, Carrot gritted her teeth in anger and said,
"That big bad Joy Boy! We must drive him out of Zou!"
Beside her, Wanda gently patted Carrot's little head and said softly,
"Don't worry, Carrot. Joy Boy won't be able to cause trouble for much longer."
Carrot nodded, her eyes sparkling as she looked toward Carl. Noticing her gaze, Carl couldn't help but tease,
"Why are you looking at me like that? Not afraid of me anymore?"
Carrot raised an arm and declared loudly,
"Not afraid! Now I know—you're the one on the side of justice!"
Viola was amused by her words and covered her mouth as she laughed, saying,
"Little girl, who in this world represents justice more than the Fleet Admiral? Hasn't the Navy always upheld justice?"
Carrot's expression froze as she hesitated, "Oh... that's true..."
Carl shook his head beside her and said, "Fool."
Carrot scratched her head. This time, she didn't puff up in anger but instead silently moved a little closer to Carl.
Wanda noticed Carrot's behavior and smiled in satisfaction. She thought to herself that this silly girl was finally coming to her senses—at least she now knew who she should rely on.
After a brief conversation, the atmosphere became much more relaxed. At least, that's how Viola felt. She wasn't as nervous as before.
However, just as she was about to engage in a deeper conversation with Carl, they arrived at the King's Plateau.
If Carl hadn't reminded her to go negotiate with the guards, she might have completely forgotten why she was here in the first place.
Viola hurried forward, ordering the guards to step aside. Then she quickly returned to Carl's side, enthusiastically leading him and his companions inside, leaving the guards utterly baffled.
After Viola escorted Carl and the others into the palace, one of the soldiers couldn't help but ask,
"Who were those three that Lady Viola just brought in?"
"Didn't Lady Viola say they were honored guests?"
"Of course, but if they weren't important, would Lady Viola be so... enthusiastic? What I mean is—did you get a good look at them? If Lady Viola is treating them like this, they must be famous, right?"
"I didn't dare stare. I only caught a glimpse. Two of them seemed to be Mink Tribe members, and the other one was a tall man. I couldn't see clearly."
"The important one is the man! When he walked past me, I almost dropped to my knees. His presence is even stronger than King Doflamingo's was back in the day!"
"Shh! Say no more. People like him are not for low-ranking soldiers like us to discuss."
"You're right..."
...
Inside the palace, Viola led Carl and his companions to the reception hall. She summoned a maid, took the tea set from her hands, and dismissed her before personally pouring tea for Carl and the others, who were seated on the sofa.
Wanda and Carrot sat on either side of Carl, both sitting upright. When they saw Viola, a high-ranking noble, pouring tea for them as well, they hurriedly stood up to express their gratitude, but Carl stopped them with just a look.
Carrot, still confused, was pulled back down by Wanda. Ignoring Carrot's bewildered expression, Wanda simply nodded politely to Viola and said, "Thank you."
Viola didn't find this odd at all. After all, who was Carl? Setting aside his position as Fleet Admiral, he was also a member of the Figarland family—a noble lineage even among the Celestial Dragons.
In front of him, worldly kings were no different from commoners. Let alone a mere noble like herself.
Viola wasn't aware of Wanda and Carrot's status as Carl's "pets." But even if she knew, she would still have to serve them respectfully. Simply put, anyone connected to Carl could walk freely in any country in the world without fear.
It was clear that Wanda and Carrot hadn't fully realized the extent of Carl's influence.
After pouring the tea, Viola instructed a guard to immediately fetch King Rosinante from his chambers, informing him that the Fleet Admiral had arrived.
The guard, upon hearing this, was momentarily stunned. He quickly glanced at Carl before dashing off at top speed toward the royal chambers.
Moments later, Rosinante came rushing in, draped in a black feathered coat, wearing only white pajamas underneath, and a pair of slippers on his feet.
The moment he saw Carl seated on the sofa, Rosinante was so shocked that he slipped, landing directly on his knees and sliding all the way to Carl's feet.
Viola, Wanda, and Carrot were completely stunned. Fortunately, there were no servants or guards left in the hall, or else Rosinante, as a king, would have lost all dignity.
Even Carl was momentarily taken aback by Rosinante's exaggerated reaction. Looking down at him sprawled at his feet, Carl sighed helplessly and said,
"Rosinante, you're a king now. Why are you still so reckless?"
Hearing this, Rosinante slowly lifted his head, scratching the back of his head awkwardly and saying,
"My apologies, Fleet Admiral..."
Then, all of a sudden, he jumped to his feet and stood at attention in front of Carl.
Under the astonished gazes of Viola, Wanda, and Carrot, Rosinante snapped his heels together, saluted sharply, and shouted with his head held high,
"Fleet Admiral! Colonel Rosinante, reporting for duty!"
Carl remained silent for a moment before the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He nodded and said,
"I thought you had already forgotten you were a Marine."
Rosinante immediately replied in a loud voice,
"I will never forget that I am a Marine!"
Carl raised a hand to signal him to relax, "Good. Take a seat."
"Yes, sir!"
Rosinante turned and sat upright on the sofa opposite Carl, hands neatly folded on his knees, looking like a soldier awaiting orders from his superior.
Seeing this, Carl sighed helplessly and said,
"No need to be so formal. Tonight, let's take it easy."
As he spoke, Carl pulled out two cigarettes, tossing one to Rosinante before lighting the other for himself. He took a slow drag and then glanced at Rosinante with a smirk.
"I recall you had a habit of smoking, right?"
Hearing that Carl still remembered, Rosinante was deeply moved. He caught the cigarette, hesitated briefly, then followed Carl's lead, lighting up and taking a puff.
As a cloud of smoke drifted up, Rosinante visibly relaxed. Looking at Carl, he respectfully asked,
"Fleet Admiral, what brings you here?"
-----------
+185 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg