Carl casually ignored Lily's sarcastic remark and said offhandedly,
"That guy has too many attachments. As his older brother, I can't exactly drag him back by force, can I?"
The moment she was mentioned, Kalifa didn't even dare to make a sound. Her chin was practically buried in her chest—she had already realized that Lily's identity was anything but ordinary.
As far as she knew, the woman with the highest status around Carl should've been that Admiral Hakutsuru. The rest were his attendants. But whether it was Hakutsuru or those attendants, none of them would dare speak to Carl in such a tone.
Being a former CP agent, Kalifa had a sharp sense for this sort of thing.
Lily wore a half-smile as she raised one finger to her chin and mused,
"Word's already spread that he's reached Raftel. He's even been crowned Pirate King. But if it weren't for you, his dear older brother indulging him, he probably would've ended up at the bottom of the sea like Whitebeard and the others."
"Well, it is his dream. And besides, there won't be another Pirate King after this one anyway."
Lily gave a knowing smile, brushed Carl's hand off her shoulder, and stood up.
"You really are such a good brother. Alright, I won't keep you any longer. Wouldn't want you to strain yourself."
Carl raised a brow.
"Let me guess—Robin taught you to say that?"
"When have I ever needed someone to teach me? Don't underestimate my eight hundred years of accumulated knowledge!"
Kalifa, who had been silently listening on the side, felt her heart thump violently at the mention of "eight hundred years." She didn't think Lily was bragging. Anyone who could speak to Carl like that couldn't be judged by normal standards.
Sure enough, Carl's reply confirmed her suspicion.
"Yeah... eight hundred years... Heh, no wonder. Sitting in the shadows for eight centuries... if you didn't have something interesting to read, you'd probably have died of boredom."
Lily's cheeks turned pink. She averted her gaze and snapped,
"Stop thinking such perverted things about me! I'm not into that kind of stuff!"
"What kind of stuff?"
Whoosh!
Watching Lily vanish in a flash, Carl chuckled and muttered with a smirk,
"You should be thanking me for helping you turn theory into practice, silly Lily."
A faint "tch" reached Carl's ears, making him laugh heartily.
...
After Lily left, Kalifa hesitantly asked,
"Carl-sama... that woman just now, she was...?"
Carl pulled out a cigarette. Kalifa immediately took out a lighter and lit it for him. He took a deep drag and exhaled slowly, smiling as he said,
"Her? She's Lily."
"Lily... a Celestial Dragon as well."
"Not like the useless ones out there. Just a few days ago, people were calling her 'Saint Imu'. Meh, not that it matters. You're not high enough up the ladder to know the name."
Kalifa blinked her big eyes and obediently nodded. Carl continued,
"What you do need to know is that she was the master of the previous Five Elders. In other words—she used to rule the world. The real authority behind the World Government."
Carl's words hit Kalifa like a thunderclap. Her mouth hung open, unable to close for a long time.
To agents from CP like her, the Five Elders were practically gods. Aside from a few high-level elites who had vaguely heard the name "Imu", most members didn't know it at all.
And now, she'd just seen—with her own eyes—a woman who once stood above the Five Elders flirt with Carl on the couch… and then leave in a huff.
So what on Earth was going on here? Just how high did Carl-sama's status go...?
As the thought struck her, Kalifa's eyes began to lose focus. The information overload was overwhelming.
Not that Kalifa was mentally fragile—hell, even someone as "unshakable as a stone" like Lucci wouldn't be much better off if he learned all this.
Carl noticed the blank look on her face and waved a hand in front of her.
"Spacing out? Is Lily really that scary?"
Kalifa slowly came back to her senses. Her gaze toward Carl grew increasingly complicated. What scared her wasn't Lily—but Carl himself.
What kind of monster am I talking to? Do I even qualify to be near him?
Her whole body went weak, and she collapsed into Carl's arms.
Carl tilted his head and looked at her with amusement.
"You still seem nervous. Hmm... how about we head to the backyard and relax a bit?"
Saying that, he picked her up and walked toward the rear courtyard.
...
In the backyard, Monet and the other attendants were lounging around in bikinis—some sunbathing on poolside chairs, others splashing and playing in the water. The Seraphim version of Boa and even Robin were both in the pool.
Among them, one pink-haired figure stood out—the Mermaid Princess, Shirahoshi.
Her size was now just like the others', no longer towering and giant. That was thanks to the power of the Mini-Mini Fruit.
Not long ago, Stussy had captured the Fruit's previous wielder—a female Giant pirate. When Stussy's team brought her to Mary Geoise, Carl directly extracted the Devil Fruit from her.
Shirahoshi took over the Mini-Mini Fruit seamlessly and, thanks to Carl's mastery over the Seal of the Sky, he was able to rewrite the rules and eliminate the sea-weakness curse for her entirely.
The first time she transformed into a normal-sized human, Shirahoshi was overjoyed. And when she realized the curse problem was solved too, she jumped into Carl's arms and gave him a faceful of fishy affection.
Now, she was swimming around in the pool like a torpedo. She suddenly launched herself forward, knocking Sugar—who was lounging on a float—clear out of her ring.
Carl chuckled watching her antics, and his laugh caught the attention of the women playing in the pool.
The moment they saw him standing at the entrance, they all called out sweetly,
"Young Master!"
Lucia, dressed in a deep purple swimsuit, stepped over with a smile.
"Young Master, would you like to relax? I can help you change."
Carl set Kalifa down, wrapped his arm around Lucia's curvy waist, and chuckled,
"Sure. Today, I'll indulge a little."
Then he glanced over at Kalifa and added,
"Hmm... find a swimsuit for her too. Kalifa, you're joining us."
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg