Momousagi, Chaton

At the summit of the Red Line, Carlos emerged from a spatial vortex. He wore a fitted sky-blue suit, an ocean-blue shirt, and a blue striped tie, with black crocodile-leather boots on his feet. Over it all was a black coat patterned with blood-red clouds, trimmed in golden thread.

Carlos stood at the edge of a cliff and gazed into the distance. His black hair, tie, and coat fluttered in the wind. Blood-red clouds dotted his coat, while white clouds drifted beneath his feet. Even with Carlos's eyesight, he could not see the bottom at a glance. In the distance, he could see only a blue expanse of ocean.

Pupil Power surged. A spatial vortex appeared around his right eye, and a green wine bottle, a pack of cigarettes, and a silver lighter fell from the vortex into Carlos's hands. He lit a cigarette, uncorked the bottle, and turned to leave, leaving behind a faint smell of smoke and the fresh scent of bamboo.

After finishing a cigarette and a bottle of wine brewed among emerald bamboo, Carlos activated his Pupil Power again and repeatedly used Kamui to shift through space toward Marineford's general direction...

Kamui consumed a great deal of Pupil Power, so Carlos did not dare use it without restraint for spatial travel. If he exhausted his Pupil Power, things would get troublesome.

Physical strength was one thing, but the mental strength that formed Pupil Power took quite a long time to recover. This was where the Holy Land Mary Geoise stood, and there were many organizations nearby, such as the World Government's army and the World Government itself.

Wouldn't it be terrible if he accidentally ran into one of them?

That was also why Carlos did not dare abuse Kamui for spatial travel. He had to save some Pupil Power in case he needed to make a quick escape.

The Red Line was vast. Though it looked insignificant on maps, the environment on this continent was quite good, at least around the Holy Land Mary Geoise. Forests, towering mountains, and rivers were countless. It was an excellent place for humans to live.

Relying on his powerful perception and fairly good luck, Carlos did not accidentally stumble into any strange places. He rested once along the way, took out the delicious food Kelly had made for him, and feasted heartily. Once his Pupil Power had recovered, he set off again.

Honestly, Obito Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan was simply too convenient. It was practically essential for home and travel. Everything Carlos needed was stored in the Kamui Space, ready to be taken out whenever he wanted it.

Of course, he could not store too much food. Food would still spoil in the Kamui Space.

After eating and resting, he resumed his journey. Once he left the Red Line, Carlos soon spotted a prosperous town. Based on the map and his understanding of the One Piece world, it should have been where the families of Marine Headquarters officers and soldiers lived—the rear side of Marine Headquarters Marineford.

Of course, the families of Marine Headquarters personnel alone could not form such a thriving town. There were others as well. Anyone who could live in this town had some standing and was relatively wealthy.

Living here kept one away from most of the threats in the world. With Marine Headquarters stationed nearby, safety was guaranteed. Countless civilians around the world wanted to squeeze their way in.

Carlos smiled and silently appeared in the town. Oh, and it was worth mentioning that Carlos had been growing rapidly lately. He was nearly 1.8 meters tall now, which was already considered tall for someone his age.

With a white-filtered cigarette between his lips, Carlos emerged from a secluded alley and eagerly looked around the town...

If he remembered correctly, Golden Lion Shiki had come alone to wreak havoc at Marine Headquarters only one week before Roger's execution. His presence had been overwhelming, his lion's roar shaking the world—but he had been too impulsive. At the very least, he should have brought all his men with him. What a pity.

He should be able to clearly sense the commotion once Golden Lion came to Marine Headquarters. Before then, he intended to have some fun here. Once the Great Pirate Era began, he would probably be quite busy. After being in seclusion for so long, it was time to relax.

Hmm... where should I go to relax?

Carlos walked through the orderly, square-planned town, looking around for anything tasty or entertaining.

The streets were packed with pedestrians. In such a prosperous town, there was no shortage of good food and fun things to do. Carlos welcomed it all, and the way he pulled Berries from his inner pocket was remarkably stylish. Banknotes flowed from his hands like water.

Between delicious food and entertainment, Carlos preferred delicious food, and he spent more money on eating.

Carlos held a large handful of tiny octopuses grilled golden brown and covered in seasonings—especially insanely spicy chili—in his left hand. In his right, he held a bottle of chilled rice wine with a rich fragrance of rice. He took a bite from the left, a sip from the right, and walked down the street with a broad smile and an arrogant stride. His handsome clothes and face drew plenty of glances.

Suddenly, Carlos noticed people gathering at an intersection ahead. His heart stirred as he realized there was excitement to watch, and he immediately ran over. He found someone confessing their love, and both the man and woman at the center looked somewhat familiar.

The woman wore a Cloak of Justice and looked around twenty years old. She wore a red jacket on top and black shorts below, with a spider tattoo on her left thigh. Her black hair was tied in a bun, while two long locks hung beside her pale red eyes. Her features were delicate and refined, with a mole beneath her chin, blue pearl earrings, and a long sword at her waist. Elegance, charm, and heroism blended perfectly within her. She was truly stunning!

Perhaps there were many women in this world more beautiful than her, but this woman's unique temperament was incomparable to that of most women.

The man beside her was rather short, not even as tall as the woman. He wore a floral shirt and khaki shorts. His appearance was difficult to describe in a single word. All that could be said was that among human faces, finding someone who looked more lecherous than him would be quite difficult...

"Beautiful Miss Gion, this is my fifty-sixth confession. I like you, I love you. Please say yes and be my girlfriend!" the man shouted. He held a bouquet of roses and knelt on one knee in the street, a slightly wrinkled cigarette hanging from his mouth, while hearts seemed to gleam in his eyes.

"No." Gion—the woman known as Momousagi, a future Admiral candidate—answered coldly. Then she moved her long legs and strode away.

"Ah... I won't give up..." the man known as Chaton cried miserably. Though his cry sounded tragic, he did not seem sad or dejected at all. Rising to his feet, he bit down on his cigarette and unhurriedly walked away.

Tsk, tsk... Carlos watched from the side while eating, completely engrossed. It was such a perfect accompaniment to a meal that he could eat another huge handful of grilled octopus!

There was no way he could win a girl over by pursuing her like that. Ahem... though Carlos did not know how to pursue girls either... he firmly believed that simps ended up with nothing!

All that talk about simping being the answer was complete nonsense. Even if you managed to win her over in the end, the risk was enormous. How would you know you were not just taking over someone else's mess?

Maybe you would even end up wearing a little green on your head someday. Just thinking about it was terrifying...

So, stop simping and act normal. Wouldn't it be better to eat some grilled food like tiny octopuses and have a drink?

Carlos watched Momousagi's pleasing figure disappear into the distance. This woman truly had looks, a great body, strength, and status!

Judging from the epaulets, tassels, and other insignia on her Cloak of Justice, this woman was still young, yet she was already a Rear Admiral. No wonder she was an Admiral candidate. Though she did not ultimately become an Admiral, she was indeed outstanding!

Many eyes on the street followed Momousagi. She had been used to other people's gazes since childhood, and Carlos was merely admiring her, so she barely noticed him before passing by.

Roger had been captured, and Marine Headquarters was under extremely tight security. Momousagi had just finished her duty shift and wanted to go home for a bath and relax before visiting Sister Tsuru, whom she was close to. Why would she spare attention for anything else...?