After Garling left the clan's territory, a golden-armored guard quickly entered to report to Carl.
"Saint Carl, Lady Shalria has arrived. She's currently in your chambers."
Upon hearing this, Carl immediately made his way there.
Before he even stepped through the doors, he could already hear Shalria's voice from inside.
"Sugar, bring me a plate of your grapes~"
"Here you go."
"Hmm... I just ran into Saint Garling on the way here. He said Saint Carl is home."
"Oh? The young master is back? That's great! Then he should still be with Saint Garling right now!"
Hearing their chatter, Carl smiled slightly before stepping into the room.
Inside the grand hall, Shalria was dressed casually, lounging on a luxurious sofa. Her fingers were adorned with plump grapes the size of ping-pong balls, just as she was about to pop one into her mouth when she noticed Carl entering. Her mouth froze mid-motion, forming an "O" shape, before she exclaimed in excitement,
"Saint Carl!!"
Her voice was loud enough to be heard throughout the residence. From the backyard, Monet, Boa, and Robin hurried over upon hearing her call, eager to welcome Carl home.
Monet approached first, helping Carl remove his Admiral's cloak and hanging it by the door. The other women quickly surrounded him, naturally forming a close circle around him.
With all the beauties gathered around, Carl casually pulled Monet into his embrace and smiled,
"Where are Olvia and Pudding?"
Robin answered, "Mother and Pudding went to the library."
Carl nodded, then turned to Robin, "Robin, why didn't you go with them?"
"I prefer staying here. If I want a book, I can just ask Mother to bring it back for me."
Sugar chuckled mischievously, leaning in to whisper into Carl's ear,
"Young master, the truth is, Robin doesn't want Olvia to find out about her 'collection'~"
She didn't even try to lower her voice. Robin's face immediately flushed red. Biting her lip, she shot Sugar a glare.
Sugar, pretending to be terrified, clung to Carl like a koala, pressing her soft curves tightly against his chest.
Monet, well aware of her sister's antics, chuckled helplessly.
"Sugar, don't come crying when Robin decides to get back at you."
Sugar pouted, rubbing her face against Carl's chest as she hummed, "I'm not afraid as long as the young master is here!"
Among Carl's attendants, Sugar was undoubtedly the boldest in his presence. She always found a way to nestle into his embrace, acting spoiled to her heart's content.
In this world, Sugar had never eaten the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, meaning she never retained a childlike appearance. She had fully matured into an elegant and curvaceous woman, her figure on par with her older sister Monet. However, her personality remained childishly playful—at least when she was with Carl.
Robin narrowed her eyes at Sugar, who was squirming in Carl's arms like a caterpillar. A devious smirk crept onto her face as she silently planned an 'intensive massage session' for Sugar later that night. After all, her Flower-Flower Fruit gave her a rather unfair advantage in that department. She'd make sure Sugar regretted teasing her.
Carl, amused, patted Sugar's head before summoning a black mist into his hand. In the next moment, a blue-green pineapple-shaped Devil Fruit appeared—its color strikingly similar to Sugar's hair.
Seeing this, the women froze in surprise. Robin examined the fruit carefully before exclaiming in shock,
"That's the Wind-Wind Fruit, a Logia-type!"
Robin had essentially grown up within the Figarland family. As someone who loved books, she had already studied the family's extensive Devil Fruit encyclopedia, allowing her to recognize the fruit instantly.
This Wind-Wind Fruit had originally belonged to Dragon. After defeating him, Carl had recovered it. As usual, whenever he eliminated a powerful Devil Fruit user, he would store their fruit within the Dark Bible.
Carl glanced down at Sugar, still nestled in his embrace. "Sugar, this Wind-Wind Fruit complements your sister's Snow-Snow Fruit well. Would you like to become its user?"
Sugar's eyes widened in disbelief. She understood just how rare Logia-type Devil Fruits were—especially one as powerful as the Wind-Wind Fruit.
She blinked in astonishment, hesitating. "Young master, you're really giving this fruit to me? Wouldn't that be a waste..."
Carl flicked her forehead lightly, laughing. "It's just a Devil Fruit. How is that a waste?"
Sugar had been trained by Lucia and had already mastered five out of the six techniques of Rokushiki, with the exception of Shave. She had also awakened both Armament Haki and Observation Haki, making her combat ability comparable to a Marine Vice Admiral. She was far stronger than her anime counterpart.
More importantly, she was one of Carl's closest people. Giving her a Logia-type Devil Fruit was nothing to him.
Monet, still holding Carl's arm, smiled at her sister. "Sugar, the young master has already decided to give it to you. What are you waiting for?"
Hearing this, Sugar reached out, carefully cradling the Wind-Wind Fruit in her hands. Then, her cheeks flushed as she stood on tiptoe, planting a kiss on Carl's cheek.
"Thank you, young master!"
She then hurried over to the table, grabbed a spoon from the fruit platter, and used it to scoop out a small, round piece of the Wind-Wind Fruit's flesh, placing it on her fingertip.
Her actions made everyone burst into laughter. Monet covered her mouth, giggling as she teased,
"Silly sister, Devil Fruits taste horrible. Don't try to savor it like a grape."
Sugar huffed. "I'm not silly! I still remember how you almost threw up when you ate yours. I made it grape-sized so I can swallow it whole!"
Taking a deep breath, Sugar popped the piece of fruit into her mouth and swallowed it without chewing.
However, she still underestimated just how awful Devil Fruits tasted. Unless swallowed whole, their juice would inevitably linger in the mouth.
The moment the bitterness spread across her tongue, Sugar gagged, her eyes welling up with tears.
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+180 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg