No wonder the bubble shield's defense was so strong—it had absorbed the essence of the sea.
Carl smirked slightly and said,
"This level of defense is enough to handle ordinary Devil Fruit users."
With that, he exerted force with his hands, crushing the fists of two Pacifista units before delivering a sweeping kick in midair, blowing apart their heads.
Amidst the twin explosions, Carl emerged from the smoke, his Marine cloak billowing gently behind him.
"Hah."
A small flame flickered at his fingertips as he lit a cigarette, taking a slow drag. He glanced at the researchers who were still frozen in shock and said indifferently,
"Clean up the scene."
Only then did everyone snap back to reality. A group hurriedly rushed forward, scrambling to collect the scattered Pacifista debris.
Dr. Vegapunk, along with his six satellites, approached nervously, their eyes fixed on Carl.
Carl flicked his cigarette ash and commented,
"The third-generation Pacifista is fairly powerful. Looks like the funds I allocated to you weren't wasted."
Hearing this, Vegapunk's face lit up with joy as he nodded repeatedly.
"As long as you're satisfied, Saint Carl. Haha, it's just that you're too strong..."
"Enough. How many of the third-generation Pacifista have been produced?"
"A total of thirty units. With the three just destroyed, twenty-seven remain."
"Good. Activate them all and send them to Mary Geoise."
"Understood. Oh, right, Saint Carl, aside from the third-generation Pacifista, the Seraphim have also been fully developed and are ready for battle at any time."
"Is that so? Perfect. Send the Seraphim along with the Pacifista."
Carl was about to use Kamui to return to Mary Geoise when Vegapunk suddenly called out,
"Wait, Saint Carl! Could you take one Seraphim with you first?"
"Hmm?"
Carl paused, the dark aura around him dissipating.
He turned to look down at Vegapunk and asked,
"Which one?"
"S-Snake! Since awakening, she's been clamoring to see you. Her personality is extremely difficult to control—I fear she might destroy the lab one day!"
In this timeline, the Seraphim weren't created solely based on the Seven Warlords of the Sea. S-Snake was modeled after Boa Hancock, a decision Carl had personally instructed Vegapunk to make.
After a brief moment of thought, Carl said,
"Take me to see the Seraphim."
Vegapunk immediately led Carl back into the research facility, stopping before a secret underground laboratory.
As the doors opened, the room inside was decorated with a surprisingly childlike aesthetic. Seven Seraphim were scattered around, each engaged in their own activities.
Due to Carl's influence, Seraphim versions of Crocodile, Moria, and Jinbe were never created. Instead, they were replaced by S-Robin, S-Vergo, and S-Tigerfish—modeled after a white-haired young Robin, a young Vergo, and a young Fisher Tiger, respectively.
Upon seeing Carl appear at the door, the previously relaxed Seraphim instantly snapped to attention. In a flash, they lined up before him, kneeling on one knee in unison.
"Saint Carl."
S-Snake lifted her delicate face, gazing at Carl with fervent eyes. He noticed her immediately and chuckled.
"S-Snake, Vegapunk says you wanted to see me?"
S-Snake nodded vigorously, the five-pointed black star in her pupils gleaming with excitement.
"Saint Carl, I finally get to see you!"
Carl observed S-Snake with interest. Squatting slightly, he spread his arms open. In an instant, S-Snake dashed forward like a swallow returning to its nest, throwing herself into Carl's embrace.
Seeing this, Vegapunk discreetly wiped the sweat from his forehead. Nearby, S-Robin pouted and muttered under her breath,
"What a lovestruck fool... Saint Carl would never like someone like you..."
S-Snake's ear twitched. Her expression turned icy as she glared at S-Robin.
"Flower Centipede, do you want to test your strength against me?"
Hearing the nickname, S-Robin's face darkened. The green blood inside the glass containers on her arms began to swirl, and faint pink petals started drifting around her.
S-Snake snorted, her eyes flashing with a pink heart-shaped light.
Vegapunk swallowed nervously. He knew that if not for Carl's presence, these two troublemakers would have already started fighting, likely reducing his lab to rubble.
Don't be fooled by their childlike appearances—when it came to destructive power, Seraphim far surpassed Pacifista. Just one rampaging S-Kuma had nearly demolished the lab before, let alone two fighting against each other now.
Carl lifted S-Snake in his arms and smiled.
"You are comrades. Get along."
The moment Carl spoke, both S-Snake and S-Robin immediately calmed down. S-Robin glanced at S-Snake, who was still nestled in Carl's arms, and pursed her lips, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
S-Kuma suddenly spoke up,
"Robin, do you also want to be held by Saint Carl?"
S-Robin flinched, her face turning red as she stammered,
"W-What are you saying, S-Kuma?! I'm not like her, I, I..."
S-Kuma said nothing more, merely giving S-Robin a gentle push on the back, causing her to stumble straight into Carl's lap.
Since he was cloned from Kuma, S-Kuma also inherited his warm and caring nature.
Caught off guard, S-Robin tumbled forward, landing directly against Carl. He smiled slightly and bent down to lift her up as well.
Now, with both S-Robin and S-Snake in his arms, the two girls found themselves face to face. They blinked at each other, then simultaneously turned their heads away in embarrassment.
Among the remaining Seraphim, S-Yasha, the miniature version of Doflamingo, also wanted to be held by Carl. But seeing as his arms were already occupied—and given that he was a boy—he knew he couldn't just squeeze in. He could only sigh quietly to himself.
Although all Seraphim had been implanted with Authority Chips that bound them to Carl's will as their prime directive, there were five among them who held special feelings for him: S-Snake, S-Robin, S-Kuma, S-Yasha, and S-Vergo.
This was naturally due to their original counterparts' influences. Even without the Authority Chips, these five would still follow Carl's commands.
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+175 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg