Well… there was no helping it.
She was a stunning beauty—at the very least, Karl had to give her some face.
He extended his hand, condensed a sphere of Holy Light, and gently infused it into Gion's body.
The moment she came into contact with that warm, soothing energy for the first time, Gion couldn't help but let out a soft, heart-stirring moan—
"Ahh~"
She immediately realized what had happened and shot Karl a glare.
Yet there wasn't the slightest hint of embarrassment on her face.
As expected of a mature beauty.
"Huh? Sister Gion, look—your tattoo!" Hina exclaimed.
Gion looked down.
The spider tattoo on the outer side of her thigh was visibly fading…
until it disappeared completely.
"All your fault," Gion said with a sigh, half-annoyed, half-amused.
"It took me forever to finally make up my mind to get that tattoo. And now—it's just gone."
Karl scratched his head.
Hey, is it my fault my healing is too strong?
"Hehe, Sister Gion, even without the tattoo you look amazing," Karl said cheerfully.
"Look—so fair and smooth!"
Gion burst into laughter, her figure trembling as she laughed, giving Karl quite the visual treat.
No helping it—
since arriving at Marine Headquarters, this was the first time he'd seen someone this impressive.
Monica's wasn't small by any means…
but compared to this, the gap was obvious.
Still, Karl quickly reined in his gaze.
First impressions mattered.
And second—he had already seen it all. A mere small scene like this wasn't worth losing composure over.
Gion's laughter soon attracted the attention of someone nearby.
"Why is Gion laughing so happily?"
Chaton (Tokikake) narrowed his eyes—then froze.
"Wait… a pretty boy?!"
His expression immediately changed, and he hurried over.
"Gion seems to be in a great mood today!" Chaton said enthusiastically.
"Huh? And who might this be? Aren't you going to introduce him?"
Gion's smile vanished in an instant.
In a flat tone, she replied,
"Vice Admiral Chaton, this is Major Karl, Admiral Kizaru's adjutant."
"Ohhh~ Major Karl! I've heard a lot about you," Chaton said with a grin.
"I'm Tokikake—also known as Chaton. And I'm Gion's admirer."
Karl glanced at Chaton's greasy, leering expression and couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly.
Honestly, this was the first time he'd ever seen someone this sleazy.
Even Kizaru didn't come close.
Karl then looked at Gion with genuine sympathy.
Being confessed to nearly a hundred times by someone like this… that's got to be psychological torture.
"Well then," Karl said politely, "I'll take my leave first. Admiral Kizaru's taking me to see the so-called Drought Jack anyway. You two take your time chatting."
Karl had zero interest in getting himself dragged into drama over someone he'd just met.
After saying goodbye, he left quickly.
Chaton nodded silently.
The kid's got sense.
Still, he felt inexplicably relieved.
Earlier, when he got closer, Karl's looks had given him genuine pressure.
Gion had rejected him so many times—
what if her type was this kind?
G-2 Base Prison
"Admiral Kizaru."
"Oh? Karl, perfect timing. Here—this guy is the Beasts Pirates' newly promoted All-Star—Jack the Drought."
Karl followed Kizaru's finger.
Inside a Seastone cell, a massive, heavily built man sat silently.
His hands and feet were bound by thick Seastone shackles.
Only his eyes were visible—his mouth and face were covered by a metal restraint.
When Jack noticed Karl, disdain flashed through his eyes as he snorted coldly.
Karl smiled faintly.
Well, well—if it isn't the legendary 'King of Boarding Ships'.
First meeting and already this arrogant?
"Pretty cocky, huh?" Karl remarked.
Kizaru nodded solemnly.
"Oh, absolutely~ He was cursing up a storm earlier. I had to educate him a little before he finally behaved."
"Hmph!" Jack roared.
"Kizaru! Untie these chains and I'll show you how I fight!"
Kizaru didn't bother responding.
He just shrugged at Karl as if to say, See?
"What's his bounty again?" Karl asked.
"Hmm~ let me think," Kizaru said lazily.
"A bit over 400 million Berries. But honestly, in terms of raw strength, he's still inferior to that Weevil kid you ran into."
That told Karl everything he needed to know.
Jack's high bounty wasn't just about strength—it was largely boosted by the sheer influence of the Beasts Pirates.
"Haha, Admiral Kizaru," Karl said with interest,
"Am I seeing this right? This guy's a Fish-Man, isn't he?"
"A Fish-Man who ate a Devil Fruit…"
"Hey, big guy—can you still swim?"
Jack's eyes bulged.
You could almost hear something snap.
"You bastard! What did you just say?!"
"Get in here and fight me if you've got the guts!"
"Ooh~ scary~" Kizaru said exaggeratedly.
"Don't scare my adjutant now."
A concentrated burst of golden light formed at Kizaru's fingertip and instantly exploded against Jack's chest.
Blood sprayed.
Jack immediately fell silent.
Kizaru… I'll remember this, Jack seethed inwardly.
Just wait till I catch you at sea—then you'll see whether I board ships for nothing!
"Alright, Karl," Kizaru said casually.
"Let's go. Nothing more worth seeing here."
Kizaru turned and left the prison without another glance.
Karl followed—
but before leaving, he stopped in front of Jack, smiling faintly.
"If Kaido manages to break you out," Karl said calmly,
"pray that you never run into me at sea."
"Because if you do—I guarantee your death will be very, very painful."
"Hah! You?" Jack laughed mockingly.
"A pretty boy like you? You're killing me!"
Karl simply nodded.
"We'll see."
Jack wanted to hurl more insults, but Karl had already turned and left.
All he could do was silently carve Karl's name into his memory.
Once I'm free, I'll teach that little pretty boy what it means to be an All-Star!
It should be soon… The boss will come for me.
In truth, the future Jack would eventually break out on his own—without Kaido.
But right now, he was still green.
His Armament Haki wasn't even well developed, and all he could rely on was brute strength.
Breaking free from Seastone restraints?
Impossible.
By now, G-2 Base was on full alert.
Any unusual disturbance would trigger alarms instantly.
Karl, benefiting greatly from Kizaru's status, lounged comfortably in the break room sipping tea—
unlike Hina, who was constantly running around busy with preparations.
"I heard you awakened both types of Haki," Kizaru said suddenly.
Karl took a small sip of tea and nodded.
"Barely. I can use them, but I'm still far from proficient."
Kizaru sighed with emotion.
"When I was your age, I hadn't even joined the Marines yet," he said.
"And here you are, already awakened both types of Haki. Truly enviable~"
"You're being too modest, Admiral," Karl replied lightly.
"With your speed, even without Haki, there are very few people in the world who could do anything to you."
Kizaru froze for a moment—then burst into laughter.
"You really don't sound like a young man at all."
Most 24-year-olds were overflowing with hot blood.
Even he had been like that back then.
But Karl?
This guy had skipped at least twenty years of unnecessary detours.
No wonder he'd managed to convince Zephyr and legitimately avoid training.
That was something even Kizaru himself hadn't pulled off back in the day.
Ding~
[Cumulative Slacking Time: 8 hours – Daily Task Completed]
Rewards:
• Designated Attribute Enhancement Card ×3
• Armament Haki Enhancement Card ×1
• Observation Haki Enhancement Card ×1
• Lifespan +50 days
Karl's eyes lit up for a split second—
then he forced his expression back to normal.
What insane luck.
Is this what it feels like after leaving the newbie phase?
If he kept slacking like this for a few more years…
wouldn't he just ascend straight to the heavens?
"Admiral Kizaru, excuse me for a moment," Karl said.
He stood up, newspaper in hand, and headed toward the restroom.
Kizaru clicked his tongue.
This kid didn't just skip twenty years…
Thirty, at least.
He's almost catching up to me.
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