Jack the Drought

No helping it. She was a great beauty, after all, so he had to give her some face.

Carl reached out, gathered a ball of Holy Light, and infused it into Gion's body. Experiencing the warm power of Holy Light for the first time, Gion involuntarily let out a tremblingly sweet moan...

"Ah~"

Gion immediately came to her senses and shot Carl a glare, yet there was no trace of embarrassment on her face. As expected of a mature woman.

"Hey, Sister Gion, look at your tattoo!"

Gion lowered her head and saw the spider tattoo on the outside of her thigh continuously fading until it vanished completely.

"It's all your fault. I finally made up my mind to get that tattoo, and now it was all for nothing."

Carl scratched his head. Was it his fault that the healing effect was too strong?

"Hehe, Sister Gion looks great even without that tattoo. Look how fair and soft you are!"

Gion immediately burst into laughter, her body swaying with amusement, giving Carl quite the feast for his eyes. No helping it—since arriving at Marine Headquarters, this was the first time he had seen anything this big. Monica's were not small either, but they were not this big.

But Carl quickly withdrew his gaze. First, they had only just met, and he wanted to leave a good impression. Second, Carl had already seen plenty of impressive chests. This was nothing worth mentioning.

Gion's laughter soon caught Chaton's attention from nearby.

"Why is Gion laughing so happily? Wait, it's that pretty boy!"

Chaton's expression changed, and he hurried over to join in. "Gion, you're in a good mood today! Eh, who's this? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Gion's smile immediately faded. She said flatly, "Vice Admiral Chaton, this is Major Carl, Admiral Kizaru's adjutant."

"Oh~ Major Carl! I've heard much about you. I'm Chaton, Vice Admiral Gion's admirer."

Carl was slightly speechless at Chaton's sleazy, greasy face. Honestly, it was the first time he had seen someone this sleazy. Even Kizaru was nowhere close.

Carl then looked at Gion with sympathy. How disgusting must it have been to be confessed to by someone like this nearly a hundred times?

"Well then, I'll be going first. Admiral Kizaru happens to be taking me to see this so-called Jack the Drought. You two take your time!"

Carl could not be bothered to get himself into trouble over a woman he had just met, so he said goodbye and quickly left.

Chaton silently nodded. This kid was pretty tactful. Still, he also felt inexplicably relieved.

When he got close just now, Carl's looks had nearly made him feel pressured. Gion had rejected him so many times—what if she happened to like this type?

G-2 Branch Prison.

"Admiral Kizaru." "Carl, you came at just the right time. There, that guy is the Beasts Pirates' newly promoted All-Star, Jack the Drought."

Following Kizaru's finger, Carl saw a tall, powerfully built man sitting quietly inside a Seastone cell.

His hands and feet were bound in heavy Seastone handcuffs. Only his eyes were exposed, while the rest of his face was covered by an iron mask.

When Jack saw Carl enter, disdain flashed in his eyes, and he let out a cold snort.

Carl smiled. Well, well, well. If it wasn't the Ship-Riding King himself! And he was already acting this pathetic on their first meeting?

"This guy is pretty arrogant!"

Kizaru nodded solemnly. "Isn't he? He was cursing quite fiercely just now! I had to educate him a little before he became this obedient."

"Hmph! Kizaru, if you've got the guts, undo these chains! Let's see how I beat you!"

Kizaru did not respond. He merely shrugged at Carl, as if saying, See?

"What was this guy's bounty again?"

"Hmm~ Let me think. A little over 400 million Beli. But if we're talking about actual strength, he isn't even as strong as that Weevil you encountered last time!"

That gave Carl a rough idea. Jack's high bounty was only partly due to his strength; more of it came from the backing of the Beasts Pirates.

"Haha, Admiral Kizaru, am I seeing this right? This guy is a fish-man?"

"A fish-man who ate a Devil Fruit... Hey, big idiot, can you swim?"

Jack's eyes widened. It seemed Carl had struck a sore spot, and he excitedly gripped the Seastone bars. "What the hell did you say?! Get in here and fight me one-on-one if you've got the guts!"

"Ooh, how scary. Don't scare my adjutant."

A dazzling golden light gathered at Kizaru's fingertip. A light bullet exploded against Jack's chest, blooming into a spray of blood, and Jack immediately behaved himself.

Kizaru, huh? I'll remember this grudge. One day, when I catch you out at sea, we'll see whether I ride a ship or not!

"Alright, Carl, let's go! There's nothing worth seeing here."

With that, Kizaru left the prison on his own. Carl answered him, then walked up to Jack with a faintly amused expression.

"If Kaido manages to rescue you, you'd better pray you never run into me at sea. Because if you do, I guarantee you'll die miserably."

"Hmph, you pretty boy? You're going to make me laugh!"

Carl nodded noncommittally. "We'll see."

Jack immediately wanted to throw out a few more taunts, but Carl had already turned and left. He could only bury the grudge in his heart, waiting until he got out to show that pretty boy named Carl what an All-Star was.

"Soon... it should be soon. The boss should come save me."

The future Jack would have been able to break out himself, without needing Kaido at all. But at this point, he had only just found his footing. He was not even proficient with Armament Haki and could only crush enemies with his powerful physique, much less break free from Seastone handcuffs.

The G-2 Branch had now entered a state of alert. At the slightest disturbance, the alarm would sound.

Carl was enjoying the benefits of Kizaru's protection. He only needed to sit comfortably in the lounge and drink tea, rather than run around working like Hina.

"I heard you awakened Two-Color Haki?"

Carl gently sipped his tea and nodded. "Just luck. I can only say I've grasped it—I'm not very proficient at using it yet."

Kizaru shook his head with some emotion. "When I was your age, I hadn't even joined the Marines yet! But you awakened Two-Color Haki so early. It really is enviable!"

"Admiral Kizaru, you're too modest. With your speed, even without Two-Color Haki, there aren't many people in the world who could do anything to you."

Hearing Carl flatter him, Kizaru suddenly laughed for some reason and said with a chuckle, "You really don't seem like a young man!"

Most twenty-four-year-olds were hot-blooded youths! Even he had been no exception back then.

But Carl was already in full work-slacking mode, skipping twenty years of detours in one go. No wonder he had persuaded Zephyr to let him rightfully avoid training. Even Kizaru had not managed that back in the day.

"Ding~ You have accumulated 8 hours of slacking off. Daily mission complete."

"Reward: Designated Attribute Enhancement Card ×3, Armament Haki Enhancement Card ×1, Observation Haki Enhancement Card ×1, lifespan +50 days."

Carl's face lit up, but he quickly returned to normal. He inwardly cried out at his good luck. Was this the treatment after leaving the beginner village? It was amazing!

If he slacked off for a few years, wouldn't he take off like a rocket?

"Admiral Kizaru, excuse me." With that, Carl took a newspaper and went into the restroom.

Kizaru curled his lips speechlessly, thinking that this kid had skipped far more than twenty years of detours. Thirty years at minimum—he was nearly on par with him.