Lily's flustered and furious reaction truly amused Carl, filling him with a distinct sense of satisfaction.
And it was no surprise—after all, Lily's status spoke for itself. She was once the woman who ruled the entire pirate world. Even a powerful figure like Big Mom could only barely be considered noteworthy in her presence.
After venting for a while, Lily gradually calmed down. She looked up at Carl and suddenly asked coldly,
"I heard you're planning to make Lucia your official consort?"
Carl nodded and replied,
"That's right. She deserves it."
Lily smirked.
"Not surprising. With your personality, I figured you wouldn't care about bloodlines."
"Bloodlines? That's meaningless to me. If I say someone is a Celestial Dragon, then they are. In my eyes, it's just a matter of adding a 'Saint' title to their name."
"..."
Lily stared at Carl speechlessly. He chuckled.
"And besides, after your little massacre the other night, there aren't many Celestial Dragons left in Mary Geoise anyway. It's about time we brought in some fresh blood."
"That was only because I still had some interest in ruling the world back then. Those people were descendants of meritorious officials, so naturally I gave them supreme wealth and status. Who would've thought they'd turn into such trash after just a few generations?"
Carl smiled slightly and said,
"So since they became trash, there was no point in keeping them around. Letting you blow off steam was the last bit of use they had."
Lily rolled her eyes at Carl and said irritably,
"I bet it just saved you the trouble, didn't it? You've wanted to purge Mary Geoise for a long time now, haven't you?"
Carl admitted calmly,
"Exactly."
"You heartless man. They used to revere you, you know."
"Oh, please. You of all people? Nusjuro and the others followed you for eight hundred years, and you still killed them without hesitation."
Carl spread his hands.
"So in that sense, aren't we really quite similar?"
Lily snorted, then suddenly changed the subject.
"Tell me. Was I part of your original purge plan too?"
Carl didn't hesitate in the slightest and answered,
"Of course. "
"Then why did you change your mind?"
"Hmm... actually."
Lily raised an eyebrow. She was starting to struggle to keep up with Carl's strange proverbs.
"Because you are female."
"..."
Lily was struck dumb by Carl's blunt words.
Carl continued to smile.
"To be honest, when I first saw you in the Room of Flowers, I already suspected that the legendary Imu might actually be a woman. Looks like I was right."
Lily sneered.
"Oh? So as long as it's a woman, you're fine?"
Carl wagged a finger.
"Not quite. If you looked like Big Mom, I'd have to..."
He made a slicing gesture across his neck. Rather than get angry, Lily laughed.
"At least you're honest. You're not even pretending."
"I don't see the need to lie."
Lily narrowed her eyes and pursed her red lips.
"So, I've at least caught your interest, huh?"
"Barely passing."
"Liar."
Carl didn't respond. Instead, he suddenly flipped Lily beneath him, a wicked smile curling on his lips.
"You've been on top this whole time. Now it's my turn."
Lily's ocean-blue eyes widened as she struggled.
"No! I'm not done enjoying myself ye—mmph!"
Before she could finish, Carl blocked her words with his own lips. The most annoying part? Every time she tried to bite him, he slipped away with ease.
After a while, they finally pulled apart, their eyes locked. Lily's breathing was visibly heavier.
She glared at Carl.
"You actually used Observation Haki just now?!"
Carl clicked his tongue.
"I didn't use any Observation Haki. That was just a natural reaction."
"You were still being cautious!"
"I said it was instinct. Besides, you were the one trying to bite me. Mad because you missed?"
"You bastard! I—"
She paused suddenly, a mischievous smile creeping across her lips. With a provocative look, she glanced down at Carl.
Carl raised an eyebrow.
"What are you doing now?"
Lily chuckled and looked at him sideways.
"Just wondering whether your ability is really enough. Or are you always relying on Armament Haki to do the work?"
Carl froze for a second. When he snapped out of it, his eyes glinted dangerously. He stared straight at her and said one word at a time:
"Fine. You want to test my Armament Haki? To be honest, even I don't know how strong it's become. Just don't cry later."
Seeing he had taken it seriously, Lily's expression instantly changed. She quickly said,
"Don't be ridiculous! I take it back!"
"Once words leave your mouth, they're like spilled water"
"Says who? Just suck the water back up. What's so hard about that?"
"..."
Carl actually paused at that. He thought to himself—yeah, for people like them, not only could they suck spilled water back up, they could probably flip the whole damn sea.
While Carl was dazed, Lily suddenly broke free in a flash, preparing to use her ability to escape.
But before she could activate it, Carl grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms again.
"Oh? You lit the fire and now want to run? Let me tell you—I'm burning right now."
Lily didn't dare meet Carl's fiery gaze. She turned her head and muttered,
"Then go find that maid of yours, Monet. Her ability's perfect for cooling things down!"
Carl brought his face close to Lily's ear and whispered,
"But this is a heartfire. Only you can put it out right now. So—ready, Lady Lily?"
"Gulp..."
Lily swallowed, then gritted her teeth.
"Fine. You think I'm scared of you?! Bring it on!"
With that, she lunged at Carl again, but was quickly overpowered. He subdued her in a rather compromising position—and this time, she couldn't even wriggle free.
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg