Admiral Kizaru

"Hmm~ How scary~ Has another ability user been born?"

Hearing the voice from behind her, Carl suddenly felt a chill run down her back. She turned around in shock, and a tall, thin man with black, naturally curly hair and a pair of sunglasses came into view.

He wore a yellow-and-white striped suit, a purple tie, a dark green shirt, and white leather shoes. His slightly thin lips were pursed high, one hand propping up his chin as he wore a thoughtful expression.

You look just like that PPAP guy! No, wait—you're Admiral Kizaru!

When had he arrived? She had not noticed him at all.

"Admiral K-Kizaru!"

Carl stood up stiffly and saluted Kizaru, looking somewhat excited. It was exactly the attitude an ordinary Marine would have when meeting an admiral.

Kizaru swept his gaze over Carl through his sunglasses and thought, Has Teacher Zephyr's training camp really become this unreliable? They're even putting minors to work now?

"Borsalino! What are you doing here?"

Zephyr had never gotten along well with Kizaru. Back when Kizaru was his student, he had been Zephyr's least favorite pupil—lazy, arrogant, and, most importantly, hopelessly one-sided in his studies. But those were old matters, and Zephyr no longer wanted to bring them up. Even so, he could not help getting angry whenever he saw Kizaru. He became especially anxious upon seeing him chatting with his new recruit, afraid that Carl would be led astray by Kizaru and set foot on an irreversible path.

Wait, he wasn't an ability user, was he...

Kizaru raised an eyebrow and hurriedly waved at Zephyr, speaking in a sarcastic tone. "How scary~ Teacher Zephyr, don't get so worked up! With those old arms and legs of yours, you should take it easy."

Zephyr's face darkened as he said in a deep voice, "This old man doesn't need your concern. You, on the other hand—how does a Marine admiral have time to wander around this old man's camp?"

"Teacher Zephyr, I heard your Marine Training Camp had started recruiting again, so I came over specially to see whether you had any outstanding talent. Hmm, this one looks pretty good. Hey, kid, what exactly is your ability?"

With that, Kizaru plopped down on a bench, crossed his legs, and slouched against the backrest, completely ignoring Zephyr's gaze.

"Hmph~ Then you've made a mistake. This kid isn't an ability user. Your eye for talent isn't much, either!"

Carl had only seen a flash of golden light before the Holy Light Fruit she had not finished eating appeared in Kizaru's hand. She could not make out anything else.

Staring at the fruit in Kizaru's hand and its familiar pattern, Zephyr's gaze sharpened. He turned to Carl and asked seriously, "Is this what you just ate?"

Carl swallowed and nodded. "Uh, yes. But it tasted awful, so I only took one bite."

Zephyr frowned and snatched the Holy Light Fruit from Kizaru's hand. He had read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia before, but even after searching through his memories, he still could not determine what ability this Devil Fruit possessed.

"Pfft!"

Zephyr crushed the Holy Light Fruit in his hand, then shouted furiously at Carl, "Idiot! Do you think Devil Fruits can just be eaten carelessly? Do you know that once you eat a Devil Fruit, you'll be cursed by the sea and become a helpless landlubber forever!"

Kizaru: I feel personally attacked!

"Ahem!"

Zephyr glanced at Kizaru, took a deep breath, and calmed down before continuing to Carl, "Show this old man your ability!"

Kizaru also leaned to the side with great interest, wanting to see what Carl's ability was.

There was nothing she could do. These two were both among the most powerful people around, and Carl had no room to resist at all. If only she had known, she would have kept a low profile and eaten it after returning to her dormitory. But who could have expected Kizaru to appear out of nowhere?

Under Zephyr's gaze, Carl extended her right hand. A pale golden sphere of light appeared in her palm once more, then swiftly merged into Zephyr's body under her control.

Zephyr's eyes widened. He had suffered from asthma for most of his life, but he had never felt such clarity in his lungs and throat. That golden light was like the sun scattering darkness...

"Cough, cough, cough~"

Before long, Zephyr began coughing violently, as if he were about to cough out his lungs. An unusual flush spread across his face.

Kizaru's expression changed. Although he did not know what was happening to Zephyr, it definitely had something to do with Carl. He did not have the best relationship with Zephyr, but they had been teacher and student after all. If Zephyr died in front of him, people would blame him for it!

The next second, Kizaru pointed a finger at Carl. Dazzling golden light surged from it as he slowly asked, "What did you do to Teacher Zephyr?"

"Don't!"

Zephyr reached out to stop Kizaru. Then, with a wet splutter, he spat out a large mass of black phlegm. A smile appeared on his face as he grabbed Carl by the shoulder and asked in delight, "Does your ability have a healing effect?"

"Wait... My body..."

Before Carl could say anything, Zephyr raised both hands in disbelief. His eyes were filled with shock. That golden light had actually made him slightly stronger, as though he had returned to the condition he had been in a year ago. The increase was small, but he had only just become a Devil Fruit ability user!

"You—where did you find this Devil Fruit?"

Carl obviously could not say that the system had given it to her. After a moment of hesitation, she answered without the slightest pause, "Didn't I just go to the infirmary? On the way back, I bought some fresh fruit to eat, and then... this happened."

Carl had lied, but not completely.

When she had returned from the infirmary earlier, she had indeed bought some fruit. She had done it to relive the pleasure of watching others endure military training while she stood nearby eating snacks. The melon rinds and fruit scraps on the ground were proof enough.

Zephyr quickly filled in the rest of the story himself. While Carl had been eating the fruit she bought, one of them had suddenly turned into a Devil Fruit, which Carl had happened to eat. Kizaru had then discovered it.

"Bless the Marines!!!"

Zephyr shouted excitedly, tears streaming down his face. Having devoted nearly his entire life to the Marines, the old man understood better than anyone how important an ability that combined healing and enhancement would be to them!

Carl had only just obtained her fruit ability, yet it had already produced such an obvious effect on him. Once she matured, the value of her ability to the Marines would be immeasurable!

First, Carl's ability could be released from a distance. This meant she could conveniently apply enhancement effects to her comrades. After training, she might even be able to enhance multiple Marines at once, raising the Marines' overall combat power by several levels.

Second, Carl's ability possessed healing powers, and its healing effect was extremely potent. On a battlefield where blades showed no mercy, the presence of Carl would greatly reduce Marine casualties, allowing the Marines to launch counterattacks and free up even more combat power!

Finally, and most importantly, Carl was a ten-year veteran. Her loyalty to the Marines was beyond question, her foundation was solid, and her chances of becoming a great talent were exceptionally high. As long as she received proper training, Carl would certainly become the leading figure of the new generation of Marines in time!

Thinking of all this, Zephyr's gaze toward Carl grew heated. The Marines are truly blessed to have you!

"Carl, you're coming with me to Sengoku's office right now! We're leaving immediately!"