The members of the Charlotte Family were obviously all born from the same mother—but when it came to fathers, that was another story.
Naturally, siblings who shared both parents were generally closer than those who only shared a mother. Except for a rare few with especially close childhood bonds, this was just how things were.
Galette and Poire were a pair of twin sisters who had grown up side by side. Of course, most people wouldn't guess that just by looking at them for the first time—Poire's mouth was simply too striking to ignore.
But if you looked past that terrifying gash, their facial features and body shapes made it quite clear they were twins.
To Galette, Poire's importance went without saying. So when Carl mentioned Poire by name, Galette immediately grew tense. She still wasn't sure whether Carl's words had been genuine praise or laced with hidden meaning.
Without thinking, she grabbed Poire's hand. Feeling how cold Galette's palm was, the normally oblivious Poire gave her a puzzled glance. But before Galette could say anything, Poire turned to Carl and said brightly,
"Yes, Carl-sama—we're the closest of sisters!"
Carl smiled at her, his gaze lingering on that wide gash of a mouth. Poire noticed where he was looking and instinctively ducked her head.
That mouth of hers had always been a source of shame.
After all, she was still a girl. How could she not care about her appearance? By all rights, judging from her sister Galette, she should've been beautiful too. But that one monstrous gash had completely ruined her face. Cover it up, and she'd have the body of a bombshell and the looks to match.
But genetics were like a lottery—Galette had seemingly won every good trait from both parents, while Poire had drawn the short straw with this enormous deformity inherited from their father.
Her mouth was even more shocking than Katakuri's—if someone as powerful as Katakuri had faced discrimination for his own mouth as a child, how could she have escaped it?
It was a blessing she'd been born cheerful and optimistic. Anyone else might have had their personality twisted by now.
Still, that gash would always be a scar on her heart.
Carl watched her quietly for a moment, then suddenly asked,
"Poire, you care about it a lot, don't you? Or rather—you really hate your mouth."
Galette's face froze. Then, her expression turned pained as she looked at her sister. As her elder sister, she knew exactly how much Poire loathed that mouth.
When they were younger, Poire had endured constant mockery. Only after the Charlotte Family's name began spreading far and wide did people stop daring to comment openly.
But now that some of the islands on the Totto Land archipelago had been opened to tourists, Poire had once visited—only to be pointed at and whispered about by a group of clueless outsiders. A few even cried at the sight of her.
Naturally, Galette had those rude fools captured and executed. But the damage had been done. They'd ripped open a wound Poire had buried deep in her heart. Even though Poire kept smiling as always, Galette could feel how hurt she truly was inside.
The clearest sign?
Since that incident, the once-boisterous Poire had never set foot on those islands again.
...
Seeing Poire pressing her lips together tightly, Galette gripped her hand and gently reassured her.
"Poire... Carl-sama didn't mean anything bad. He's... he's just worried about you."
She looked up at Carl with a pleading expression. She didn't know what his intentions were, but she hoped he wouldn't keep hurting her sister with this topic.
Carl gave Galette a calm, reassuring glance.
Then he took a few steps forward, closing the distance between himself and Poire.
That was when Poire finally spoke.
"Yes, Carl-samal... I hate this mouth!!"
Her voice suddenly rose at the end. Then she clenched her teeth so hard they made a sharp, grating sound. Her expression twisted with frustration, and there were faint tears shimmering in her eyes.
But she quickly realized she'd lost control. She ducked her head again, her voice now as soft as a whisper.
"You think it's ugly too... don't you, Carl-sama?"
Carl nodded matter-of-factly and answered without hesitation,
"Yeah."
"..."
Even Poire, with her usually sunny disposition, was left speechless. Galette, too, shot Carl a rare look of reproach.
After a moment, Poire drooped her head and muttered through clenched teeth,
"I thought... you'd at least try to comfort me a little."
Carl chuckled.
"You expect me to lie? Say something meaningless like: 'Sure, your mouth is a little scary, but you have a great personality!' Or maybe: 'You're super popular in the Charlotte Family!'"
Poire's head snapped up. Her eyes widened in disbelief—because those were exactly the kinds of empty words she'd imagined he might say.
Galette had no idea what was going on in her sister's head. She only thought Poire had finally lost control.
Panicked, she pulled Poire toward her and looked mournfully at Carl.
"Carl-sama, please... could you stop picking on Poire? I'll do anything you say, all right?"
Carl scoffed, yanked Poire from her grip, and said coldly,
"Who else would you listen to if not me? I'll borrow your sister for a bit."
"Eh?! W-Wait, Carl-sama!"
Galette reached out in alarm, trying to pull her sister back. But Carl didn't give her a chance. With just a look, Galette collapsed to her knees—literally. His kingly aura was far more effective than Conqueror's Haki.
Seeing her sister's condition, and remembering Carl's words about "borrowing" her, Poire's mind raced with a storm of wild images. Her face went from red to white and back again.
"He's... interested in me? Looking like this? Or... does he plan to use me as some kind of stimulant between him and Sis?!"
If it was the former, she could maybe live with it. But if it was the latter—she'd rather bite him to death.
Just as that thought formed in her mind, Poire met Carl's eyes.
He was staring at her with a strange expression.
"Huh... who would've thought you had such colorful thoughts?"
Poire let out a shriek.
"You can read my—"
Before she could finish, Carl made a slicing motion in the air. Instantly, her mouth snapped shut, like it had been sewn tight. Not a single sound escaped.
Then, ignoring Galette's pleading eyes, Carl reached out and pressed his hand against Poire's mouth.
(T/N: I publish as fast as the original author, after the break he had a good publication schedule, but now it has dropped a bit)
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg