"Nolan, come here!"
At Upper Yard, the giant serpent Nola immediately reacted when Boa Hancock called it.
It had been carrying construction materials.
The moment it heard her voice, it hurriedly dumped the materials off its back and slithered toward her, tail wagging slightly.
Karl almost laughed.
The mighty Sky Lord had truly been trained like a pet.
"Darling, come up."
Karl wrapped an arm around Hancock's slender waist and jumped onto Nola's head.
"Head this way, Nolan."
"Hiss—"
Because of Nola's enormous size, standing on its head felt completely stable—like riding an elevator.
Soon it stopped at an open area and lowered its head, signaling them to get down.
Inside the Giant Snake
"Open your mouth."
Nola obediently opened its massive jaws.
Hancock explained:
"We've been searching the island for gold recently."
"Nolan says there's still a lot inside his stomach."
"Let's go check."
"…I'm a little scared going alone."
Karl almost laughed.
A woman who could tame the Sky Lord was scared?
But he nodded anyway.
"Stay close to me."
"I'll protect you."
Hancock blushed and leaned into his arms.
They stepped onto the giant tongue and entered Nola's body.
At first—
The smell was terrible.
After all, this was the inside of a living creature.
But Karl solved the problem easily.
A soft golden barrier of holy light surrounded them.
It blocked the sticky fluids and unpleasant odor.
A floating white light orb illuminated the tunnel.
They walked for a while until the space suddenly widened.
The ground also became much drier.
The Hidden Ruins
"Darling, look over there!"
Hancock pointed excitedly.
Karl walked closer.
It was a stone wall covered in moss.
Nearby lay scattered jewelry and treasures.
Hancock gasped.
"Did Nolan eat an entire city?"
"No wonder my sister said this place was full of ruins."
Karl shrugged.
"Who cares?"
"Oh—this necklace looks good."
He picked up a gold necklace with gemstones.
After cleaning it with holy light, he held it up to Hancock's neck.
"…Not grand enough."
He picked another one.
A luxurious necklace with a large purple gemstone.
Perfectly matching Hancock's purple qipao.
Karl stepped behind her and gently lifted her long black hair.
Then he fastened the necklace around her neck.
"You're beautiful."
In the world of One Piece, Hancock's beauty was legendary.
Few women could rival her.
The most beautiful woman in the world
A former **Seven Warlords of the Sea member
The empress of Amazon Lily
Owner of the Mero Mero no Mi
With all those traits combined—
Her charm was overwhelming.
Hancock touched the gem on her chest.
"Really?"
Karl kissed her cheek.
"Of course."
She smiled happily.
"Then I'll wear it every day."
Karl laughed and pointed deeper into the darkness.
"Don't rush."
"There are probably mountains of treasure here."
And indeed—
After hours of searching, Karl filled his storage space with gold and jewels.
There was enough treasure to rival the golden mountains outside.
As for whether the Straw Hat Pirates would still find gold here years later…
Karl didn't care.
After all—
The future Pirate King always had ridiculous luck.
Two Days Later
Hancock reluctantly watched Karl leave.
She had followed Nyon's advice carefully.
In her heart she prayed:
"This time it will work."
"I will give Karl a beautiful child."
Unfortunately…
Karl's holy light power purified everything.
Her wish was destined to fail.
Marineford — Marine Headquarters
A few days later Karl returned to:
Marineford.
He almost thought he had gone to the wrong place.
The entire base was decorated with banners.
Flags.
Posters.
Even giant portraits of Karl hung everywhere.
It was impossible not to notice.
"Look! Marine Hero Karl is back!"
"Vice Admiral Karl! I'm your fan!"
"Please sign my autograph!"
"HEY! Who stepped on my foot?!"
The crowd was chaotic.
Karl forced a polite smile while slowly pushing through the crowd.
Signing autographs was impossible.
If he started, he'd never escape.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's Office
Through the window, Monkey D. Garp burst into laughter.
"Sengoku, come look!"
"Karl's completely surrounded!"
"Hahahaha!"
Sengoku walked over and glanced outside.
He grinned.
"It's just like when you became a hero."
Garp waved dismissively.
"Don't remind me."
"If the World Government had told the truth about God Valley Incident, I wouldn't have wanted that hero title."
Sengoku sighed.
Those were old stories now.
Talking about them changed nothing.
Karl Arrives
Thirty minutes later Karl finally entered the building.
What should have been a ten-minute walk took half an hour.
After adjusting his clothes, he stepped into the office.
Garp immediately grinned.
"Well, well!"
"Karl!"
"How does it feel…"
"To become a Marine Hero?"
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