Dragon suddenly raised his head, looked at Carl, and said,
"Carl… Admiral, what do you mean?"
Carl smiled and said,
"You still have some time before you graduate, so go out to sea in advance. This will be of great help to your knowledge and strength."
After saying that, Carl turned into a dark vortex and disappeared on the spot, leaving Dragon standing there thoughtfully.
He still had things to do, including reporting to Mary Geoise, as required of every newly promoted Admiral.
Garp didn't want to become an Admiral for some reason—he really didn't want to have contact with the Celestial Dragons.
In fact, with Carl's status, he could have avoided going, but this time, Garling had specifically requested his return, saying there was something important to discuss.
After greeting Kong, Carl took Lucia to Mary Geoise under the fleet's escort.
He didn't bring Ginny with him, of course. Even if Carl wanted to take her along, she might not be willing. Her childhood experience as a slave had made it difficult for her to have any good feelings toward the Celestial Dragons, except for Carl.
When the warship arrived at Mary Geoise, Carl took only Lucia up with him. He bypassed the Five Elders and went directly to the Figarland family, surrounded by a group of golden-armored guards.
On the way, the guards eyed Carl's coat adorned with the epaulettes of an Admiral, their eyes full of awe.
After entering the Figarland family's territory, Carl and Lucia went to the bedroom where Garling was. After they left, the guards couldn't help but whisper to each other,
"The young master has actually become a Navy Admiral. I heard he's not even twenty years old. This is truly incredible!"
"The young master is worthy of being the heir of the Figarland family. His talent is simply terrifying!"
"With Saint Lord Garling and Saint Lord Carl around, it's no wonder the Figarland family continues to prosper!"
"Uh, have you forgotten about Saint Darian?"
"It's been a long time since anyone has seen Saint Darian…"
"Don't you know? Saint Carl and Saint Darian don't have a good relationship, and even Saint Garling…"
The guard who was speaking suddenly stopped. The others understood the implications. The family affairs of the Figarland family were not theirs to discuss.
In the bedroom, Garling sat on a luxurious chair with his legs crossed, arms folded, seemingly taking a nap.
When Carl stepped inside, Garling opened his eyes and greeted him with a smile,
"You're back."
"Yes, I'm back," Carl replied.
Carl moved a chair and sat opposite Garling. Garling picked up an apple from the nearby table and tossed it to Carl, who took a big bite. Unlike their last meeting, the uncle and nephew seemed to be getting along more naturally and casually this time.
After finishing the apple, Carl summoned the Dark Bible, took out a fruit, and placed it on the table. Garling was momentarily stunned and asked,
"A Devil Fruit? Why did you bring this?"
Carl clapped his hands and said,
"This is the Float-Float Fruit, a powerful ability. Uncle Garling, if you're interested, just eat it."
"The Float-Float Fruit!? How did you get this?"
Garling couldn't remain seated. He stood up, taking the fruit with an incredulous look.
Carl explained the development of his Devil Fruit to Garling. Even with Garling's knowledge, it took him a while to grasp it all. He stared at the Float-Float Fruit on the table, then finally shook his head.
"Forget it. The power of the Float-Float Fruit is impressive, but it's not suitable for me. I don't really want to eat a Devil Fruit."
Carl wasn't surprised. The Float-Float Fruit, though strong, wasn't ideal for swordsmen, as seen with the Golden Lion—his swordsmanship and fruit power were not particularly synergistic.
After taking the fruit back into the Dark Bible, Carl said casually,
"Alright, I'll keep an eye out and see if there's anyone suitable among my subordinates."
Carl considered asking Ginny, but felt she wasn't well-suited for the Float-Float Fruit. As known, the strength of a fruit depends on the ability user, especially those with high potential like this one.
The Float-Float Fruit's power seemed exaggerated because the Golden Lion was an exceptionally strong user who had likely awakened the fruit's full potential.
Not everyone who eats it could achieve the same feats, such as moving mountains and seas, as the Golden Lion did. Carl asked Garling first because he believed that someone of Garling's caliber could maximize the fruit's power.
If Ginny ate the Float-Float Fruit, she might only be able to fly or levitate small objects, nowhere near the Golden Lion's level.
Though Garling declined the Float-Float Fruit, Carl didn't give up on the idea of Garling having a powerful Devil Fruit. He felt it would be a waste for someone as strong as Garling to go without a suitable fruit.
"Uncle Garling, are you sure you don't want to eat a Devil Fruit?" Carl asked again.
Garling smiled, "What? Are you worried you'll have too many fruits to give away in the future?"
"Hey! I just thought I'd leave the good stuff for Uncle Garling first! We're family, after all, aren't we?"
Garling laughed more in front of Carl than he had in a year. Carl was the only one who could make him feel this way.
But aside from the laughter, Garling remained cautious about consuming Devil Fruits. He'd once considered it during the Valley of Gods incident, specifically the Dark-Dark Fruit, due to its historical connection with the Figarland family.
That thought quickly vanished when Carl obtained it first.
From then on, Garling dismissed the idea of eating a Devil Fruit, but hearing about it rekindled memories of a certain fruit that had left a deep impression on him.
He had personally experienced the power of that fruit in the Valley of Gods.
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+80 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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