Carl thought about whether he should drag Darian back from the underworld and kill him again. But then he figured it wasn't worth the trouble. Just seeing Darian's face made him feel sick—sicker than stuffing a whole Devil Fruit down his throat.
With a snap of his fingers, Carl dispelled the barrier covering the training hall. Then he checked Garling's chest wound. In just a short while, the previously terrifying gash had already scabbed over—a testament to how powerful the Embrace truly was.
Shanks was also stunned by Garling's rapid recovery. He thought to himself,
With healing like that, even I, who've eaten a top-tier Mythical Zoan, have to bow down.
If he hadn't seen Garling consume the Tremor-Tremor Fruit right before his eyes, he might have suspected Garling had eaten Marco's Phoenix Fruit instead.
He immediately realized this had to be Carl's handiwork and couldn't help but ask,
"What did you do to Father?"
Carl shot him a glance, then curled his finger, signaling him to come closer.
Shanks stretched his neck and leaned in. Then Carl suddenly tapped a finger against his throat.
Even though it was a "surprise attack" on such a vital spot, Shanks didn't feel the slightest threat from Carl.
Instead, he just felt a cool sensation spread from his neck, sweeping through his body before gathering at the center of his forehead. There, it formed a diamond-shaped mark identical to the one on Garling's forehead.
Shanks instinctively reached up to touch his forehead. Of course, he couldn't feel the mark, but his skin—usually rough and weathered from years at sea—felt unexpectedly smooth and soft to the touch.
While he was still trying to figure out what had happened, Makino suddenly let out a gasp. Shanks quickly turned to her and asked,
"What? What's wrong?"
Makino replied,
"You look so much younger all of a sudden! And on your forehead—there's a symbol just like Garling-sama's!"
Shanks looked over at Garling—or more precisely, at the diamond-shaped mark on his forehead. Garling gave a faint smile and said,
"This is a gift from your brother. That mark has some pretty powerful effects."
At that moment, Makino pulled out a small mirror and handed it to Shanks. Women—especially beautiful ones—usually never go without a mirror.
For someone like Shanks, a typical rugged pirate, looking into a mirror was a rare occasion. If he had done this constantly back in the day, his crew would've teased him about it for a whole year.
But things were different now. Everyone here was true family, and he was genuinely curious about the change in his appearance. He took the mirror from Makino—barely the size of his palm—and examined himself from every angle, raising and twitching his eyebrows as he went.
Watching this, Carl raised a brow of his own and said with some exasperation,
"Are you trying to bloom flowers on your face? You done admiring yourself yet?"
Shanks, still staring at the mirror wide-eyed, blurted out,
"Am I… handsome again? Damn it..."
That line landed like a bolt of lightning—everyone present, even Carl, was completely floored.
Carl gave Shanks a look of disbelief. He really hadn't expected that kind of line to come out of Shanks' mouth.
Truth be told, Carl's impression of Shanks was heavily shaped by the anime back on Earth. In the series, Shanks always goofed around with his crew, carefree and jovial, but he still carried a weighty air, especially later on.
That was because anime Shanks had a lot he couldn't let go of—Roger's death, his identity as a Celestial Dragon... In other words, he was always torn up inside.
But now, with Carl's intervention wiping all that away, Shanks had fully let himself go.
...
And with Shanks letting loose like that, Makino blushed hard, clearly embarrassed for her man.
Garling's expression was odd as he tilted his head and stared at Shanks.
Seeing everyone's reactions, Shanks grinned and asked,
"What? You guys don't agree?"
Carl resisted the urge to smack him and said,
"Handsome, my ass. You're miles behind Garling-san in his prime. Right, Garling-san?"
Garling rubbed his forehead and said,
"What matters most in a man... is strength."
Makino's interest was piqued. Holding little Amara in her arms, she closely examined Carl, Shanks, and Garling's faces one by one. After thoroughly checking out the entire "Figarland Family," she nodded seriously and declared,
"No doubt about it. Carl is still the best-looking!"
Garling didn't really react to the comment—but Shanks looked like he'd just been struck by lightning. He stared at Makino, wide-eyed.
"Makino, I'm your husband!"
Makino tilted her head and replied with innocent sincerity,
"But it's just the truth. We can't lie in front of the baby now, can we, hubby~?"
Then she turned to little Amara in Carl's arms and smiled,
"Right, Amara? Mommy's telling the truth, isn't she?"
Amara actually seemed to understand. She opened her soft little arms and babbled toward Carl. Carl lowered his head to look at her—and she suddenly launched herself forward, her tiny face landing against Carl's cheek.
The sensation was soft, bouncy, and unbelievably cute.
Makino clapped her hands and laughed,
"See? Even our little Amara agrees!"
Shanks now looked completely defeated. His arms hung limp at his sides as he muttered,
"Damn it... Uta and Amara... They're both supposed to be my daughters..."
Carl, of course, heard him loud and clear. He shot Shanks a sidelong glance and said,
"What are you mumbling about? Who told you to act like such a goof as a father? That's why I say—pirates should stop dreaming about having a normal family. Even your little pretend one ends up all confused."
...
While rocking Amara in his arms, Carl added,
"You just mentioned Uta. She's still over at the Navy. She seems to like it there, but I think it's time to bring her over too. After all, she's my niece—and a part of the Figarland family."
Shanks nodded quickly.
"Of course! To me, she and Amara are both my daughters!"
Then he leaned in close to Carl again. This time, Carl shifted slightly to the side, clearly annoyed, but Shanks just chuckled and said,
"That move of yours just now was amazing. I mean, Amara is your real niece, right...?"
"You think I don't know that?" Carl cut him off. "Of course I'll give Amara the Embrace. Just not now—she's still too young. There's no need for it yet."
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+110 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg