Carl was never one to be stingy when it came to his family. With a casual wave, he bestowed the Embrace upon Makino, making her cheeks flush with joy. After all, what woman wouldn't want eternal youth?
Especially in the world of One Piece, where aging often meant transforming into a completely different species.
With the battle over, everyone walked out of the training hall, laughing and chatting. The atmosphere was entirely different from when they'd entered.
Outside, night had already fallen. Carl casually clapped twice, and someone immediately came running. They were instructed to prepare dinner.
After giving the orders, Carl turned around and said,
"She's still too young—there's no need yet."
"Garling-san, you all go on ahead and relax a bit. I'll head to the palace to fetch Lucia and the others. Let's have a proper dinner tonight."
Garling nodded with a relaxed smile.
Shanks, meanwhile, was glued to Makino's side, making faces at little Amara in her arms, causing both mother and daughter to burst into laughter.
Seeing this scene lifted Carl's mood considerably. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel the urgency to catch up himself.
...
Back in the palace, Carl gathered the women to head over for dinner. Of course, Lily was among them.
Their group moved with an imposing presence as they made their way to the dining hall.
When Shanks saw Carl walking in with the group of women behind him, he was momentarily stunned.
Carl led them to their seats, smiling as he introduced Lucia and the others to Shanks and Makino.
Though Makino had arrived earlier than the rest, she'd never been to Carl's chambers, so apart from Lucia and Kalifa, the other women were strangers to her.
After Carl finished introducing them, Shanks leaned in and asked in a low voice,
"... don't tell me all of these are your..."
Carl calmly took a sip of red wine and replied,
"They're all your sisters-in-law."
"..."
Shanks thought to himself, Just as I suspected. He couldn't help but sigh.
"You really are something... even that Lily-sama—you managed to win her over too?"
Lily, with her sharp senses and immense power, didn't even need to hear Carl respond. She let out a cold snort, narrowing her eyes at Shanks.
Shanks shuddered instantly. He wasn't exactly afraid of Lily, not with his temperament—but she was now his sister-in-law. That made things... complicated.
He gave a sheepish smile and didn't dare speak again.
Carl, however, looked at Lily and said,
"Lily, Shanks didn't say anything wrong. Why are you glaring at him?"
Lily's cheeks flushed red. She turned her head away in silence.
Shanks watched with surprise. If Carl hadn't just told him himself, he'd never believe the woman acting so bashful was the same Imu who once ruled the entire World Government.
Just then, Shanks felt a tug on his sleeve.
He turned and saw Makino blinking her big eyes at him.
She opened her mouth hesitantly, looking like she wanted to say something.
Shanks leaned closer, puzzled.
"What is it?"
Makino hesitated a moment longer, then asked softly,
"Shanks... do you also want to... um..."
Shanks blinked in confusion.
"Want what?"
"Like... like Carl..."
Now he got it.
Makino had clearly been startled by the sheer size of Carl's harem. Shanks quickly leaned in and whispered earnestly,
"No way! You know me, Makino—my heart belongs only to you!"
Carl glanced sideways at Shanks after hearing that. Those words were way too familiar—they were straight out of the typical playbook for scumbags back on Earth.
But if Shanks said it, then it had to be true.
In fact, most of the powerful figures in the world of pirates were classic, die-hard romantics. Straightforward to the core.
Sure enough, hearing Shanks' words made Makino beam. She smiled brightly and gave a soft "mm" in reply.
...
On the other side, Lily cast a look of disdain at Shanks. Folding her arms, she slowly shook her head.
"A strong man is naturally worthy of many women."
That statement genuinely stunned Carl. He looked at Lily in surprise, and she, sensing his gaze, met his eyes and said,
"What? Am I wrong?"
Of course Carl couldn't deny her words—wouldn't that be slapping himself in the face?
He nodded in agreement.
"That's true. We really are perfectly in sync now."
Lily's face flushed again.
"Tch. I'm just saving you some reputation..."
That's what she thought to herself, but she didn't argue out loud. She only gave a faint snort and fell silent.
This only made Carl find her even more adorable.
In fact, it wasn't just Lily—none of Carl's women reacted negatively to Shanks' earlier statement about pure love.
Most of them had deep emotional ties with Carl since childhood. Even Ginny, who might've been a little awkward about it at first, no longer felt that way. She was naturally cheerful, and since she knew Carl would never give up Lucia and the others, what was the point of resisting?
Leave Carl? That was absolutely out of the question.
So, she simply went with the flow. Besides, she'd long grown used to the lively, warm atmosphere in Carl's palace.
As for Kalifa, who had joined more recently, her views were completely aligned with Lily's.
Only Ohara's archaeologist, Olvia, seemed a bit uncomfortable.
She hadn't heard Shanks' quiet words, but she had heard Carl's line—"They're all your sisters-in-law."
Sitting beside her, Robin noticed her expression and asked curiously,
"Mom, you don't look so good. What's wrong?"
Olvia flinched like she'd been startled.
Robin gently placed a hand over her chest and comforted her,
"Mom, are you feeling unwell?"
Olvia forced herself to stay calm.
"Robin... did you hear what Saint Carl said just now?"
Robin tilted her head.
"Yeah, I heard."
"Didn't anything sound strange to you?"
"Nope."
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about some academic matters—you startled me when you suddenly asked."
With that, it was as if Olvia had cast off a burden. Her expression quickly returned to normal.
...
Carl didn't notice the little exchange between Robin and her mother. At the moment, he was leaning in close to Lucia, whispering something to her.
Lucia's face grew increasingly red, and she nodded shyly from time to time. The look in her eyes when she glanced at Carl was filled with endless tenderness.
Lily, meanwhile, appeared focused on sipping red wine—but in truth, she was eavesdropping on everything Carl said.
She casually set down her already-empty wine glass, turned her head, and let out a quiet, disdainful "Tch."
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+110 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg