Because Dragon had not recovered from the mental trauma, he was temporarily taken away by Garp. He should rest for a while.
Aokiji and Aramaki followed Carl and the others back to the Naval Academy and were arranged to live with other freshmen. Aramaki, Aokiji, and Dragon, who did not come, shared a dormitory.
When they were dismissed, Carl found an opportunity to get close to Aramaki and whispered,
"Wait for me at the Academy's training ground in the evening."
Aramaki was stunned for a moment and wanted to say something, but Carl made a gesture to silence him.
Carl looked at Aramaki deeply and left quickly...
In the evening, the lights in the dormitory were off. After Aokiji's snoring started, Aramaki left a wooden man on the bed, turning himself into vines and crawling out through the cracks in the window.
He gathered his body under a big tree on the training ground, looked around nervously, and tried to call out softly,
"Senior Carl?"
"I'm here."
Carl's voice came from above Aramaki. He raised his head suddenly and saw Carl sitting on a thick branch with his back against the trunk.
Aramaki immediately put on a simple smile and said,
"It turns out that Senior Carl is here. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. It's just that the ice idiot slept too late…"
"Okay, stop talking about these useless things."
Carl waved his hand to interrupt and stood in front of Aramaki in a flash.
Facing Carl's eyes that were like two black holes, Aramaki had a blank expression on his face, completely different from the sunny senior image during the day.
Aramaki swallowed, forced a smile, and asked,
"I wonder what Senior Carl wants me to do here?"
Carl's face suddenly showed a smile, but this smile did not ease Aramaki's tension. Instead, it made him feel a chill, and his body shivered.
"Tell me, who asked you to come to the Naval Academy?"
Upon hearing this, Aramaki's face flashed with panic, but he quickly hid it. He said with a blank look on his face,
"I came here on my own initiative. Or I could say that I joined the Navy because of Senior Carl's deeds. The situation of Kuzan is similar to mine."
After hearing this, Carl's smile became brighter, and he said softly,
"Really? That's how it is…"
Aramaki nodded vigorously, looking honest and sincere.
However, the next second, there was a snap, and Carl suddenly grabbed Aramaki's neck and lifted him up.
Carl's speed was too fast, and Aramaki couldn't react at such a close distance. He stared, slapped Carl's wrist with both hands, and made a hoarse sound.
"If you pretend again, you will die."
Carl's hand turned black, and the black air on it seemed to burn violently. In this state, even if Aramaki wanted to escape by elementalization, he couldn't do it because he could no longer use the power of the fruit.
Aramaki's face turned purple, and he shook his head slowly. Seeing that Aramaki was still not honest, Carl narrowed his eyes slightly, and a dark vortex appeared on the hand that was pinching Aramaki's neck.
Strong gravity emanated from the dark vortex, and Aramaki's neck gradually began to twist.
Carl continued to increase the intensity of gravity and said lightly,
"Actually, I know that the World Government sent you here, and you must know my identity. I thought you were talented and wanted to give you a chance, but now it seems that you are truly foolish."
If it weren't for Carl's memories of Earth and his understanding of Aramaki's character, he would have thought that Aramaki, like Aokiji, simply wanted to join the Navy.
This guy admires the Celestial Dragons and the World Government so much, there is a high probability that there is some connection between them.
Aramaki's neck had been twisted and deformed, and he nodded with the last of his strength.
Carl immediately let go of his hand, and Aramaki collapsed to the ground with a plop, breathing heavily. If it had been a few seconds later, he would have completely died here.
After Aramaki's breathing calmed down a little, Carl slowly squatted down and said softly,
"This is your last chance, speak up."
Aramaki had no intention of resisting Carl, who was so close to him. Whether in terms of identity or strength, Carl was someone he could not afford to offend.
What Carl said just now revealed Aramaki's background. If he didn't confess, he would die. Even if Carl killed him, the World Government would turn a blind eye. The Navy might investigate briefly, but the final result would likely be nothing.
Still, Aramaki was loyal to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. If Carl wasn't a Celestial Dragon, he would never confess.
He took a deep breath and said respectfully to Carl, who had almost killed him,
"Before… Saint Carl! I belong to CP0, and Saint Warcury sent me here."
Carl raised his eyebrows upon hearing the name. Garling had told him about Warcury. He knew that this guy was always against the Figarland family and would occasionally cause trouble for them.
If he was the one behind this, he definitely had no good intentions.
Thinking of this, Carl asked,
"What did Warcury ask you to do? Spy on me?"
Aramaki was terrified and slammed his head on the ground, not daring to say a word.
His behavior confirmed Carl's suspicions. Carl was silent for a moment before asking,
"What is the purpose?"
"Saint Warcury didn't specify, but he asked me to report on your actions and words within the Navy!"
Carl snorted coldly and said,
"Do you know the consequences of this? You are truly bold!"
Aramaki was already in tears; he hugged Carl's legs and pleaded,
"Master Carl, I truly didn't want to undertake this mission, but Saint Warcury said that as a natural ability user, I was the best candidate to join the Navy and approach you."
"Haha, he is quite the schemer."
Carl shook off Aramaki and said lightly,
"Get up."
Aramaki stood up from the ground trembling, his face streaked with snot and tears, looking quite pitiful.
However, Carl's next words nearly made him collapse.
"When you accepted this mission, you signed your death warrant. So, will I do it, or will you?"
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+65 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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