Ginny leaned close to Lucia's ear, blushing as she whispered what had just happened.Lucia, however, didn't react much. She simply nodded and said,
"There's no need to mention Sugar. And Robin is becoming more proactive too? That's a good sign."
Ginny's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Lucia. Lucia explained,
"As long as it makes Young Master happy, then it's a good thing."
S-Lucia, standing nearby, tugged on Lucia's hand and asked curiously,
"Lady Lucia, how can we make Carl-sama happy?"
Lucia smiled softly, bent down, and patted S-Lucia's little head.
"You're still too young. When you grow up, you'll understand."
On the other side, S-Hancock was narrowing her eyes, lost in thought. Ginny sighed and said,
"Lucia, no wonder Carl likes you so much..."
Lucia lifted her hand, brushing the hair from her shoulder with a smile.
"Ginny, in Young Master's heart, you're just as irreplaceable. I'm grateful for everything you did back at the Valley of Gods. Thank you for staying by his side when he was at his lowest."
Remembering the desperate escape from the Valley of Gods and the time they spent in Sorbet Kingdom, a gentle smile appeared on Ginny's face. Lucia stepped forward, clasped Ginny's hand, and chuckled,
"Ginny, someday, the two of us can do it together too."
"Eh?!"
Still immersed in her memories, Ginny was suddenly thrown off by Lucia's bold suggestion, her face instantly turning crimson. Feeling the tight grip of Lucia's hand, she couldn't bring herself to say no. Instead, she muttered softly,
"That depends on what Carl thinks..."
Lucia gave her a knowing smile and pulled Ginny toward the center of the training grounds.
"Let's stop talking about that. You've just become a Devil Fruit user, so let me help you get used to your powers."
...
Elsewhere, Carl sat on the sofa, absently stroking Sugar, who lay curled in his lap. Monet looked at Sugar's wiggling little backside and sighed helplessly.
Robin sat quietly nearby, reading a book. Shirahoshi was pressed against her, occasionally gasping in surprise before quickly covering her mouth.
Carl was thoroughly enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. He could have stayed like this until dinner.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Footsteps echoed from the stairs. Without even looking, Carl casually said,
"Lily, are high heels comfortable to wear around the house?"
At the mention of Lily's name, Robin and the others looked up in surprise. Lily was walking toward them in a pair of black high heels with crimson soles.
Glancing at Carl, she sat down gracefully on the sofa opposite him. Picking up a cherry from the table, she popped it into her mouth and said,
"I like them. Do you think the sound is too noisy?"
Carl chuckled lightly.
"How could it be? I was only asking."
Lily pouted, a faint black glow flickering around her feet. The heels dissolved into nothing, leaving her pale, delicate bare feet visible beneath the short black dress she wore. The sight had a striking impact.
"You went to the moon today, didn't you?"
Carl, still admiring the view, nodded.
"Mm. You still love hiding in your room to eavesdrop."
"Who's eavesdropping?! I just have strong perception. Do you think I enjoy listening to you flirting with them?"
"So you were jealous?"
"I. Was. Not. Jealous!"
"Oooh—"
The others tried not to laugh at the way Lily's icy expression had completely unraveled after a few words from Carl. Sugar and the others covered their mouths, stifling their giggles. Lily, flustered, placed her hand on her chest to calm herself down and said,
"Talk about the moon."
"Uh-huh."
Carl responded absentmindedly, his hand sliding down from Sugar's head to wander over her body. Sugar let out a muffled moan, her body trembling as she squirmed uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Lily rolled her eyes.
"Carl, you're becoming more and more like a foolish king."
"Lily, are you joking? You've lived in Mary Geoise for over eight hundred years. Do you really think something like this is enough to call me a foolish king?"
Sugar let out a sweet hum, wrapped her arms around Carl's neck, and whispered seductively,
"Being a foolish king isn't so bad. Young Master, please be one!"
"Your Young Master is still far from reaching the level of a true foolish king. I'll have to keep working at it."
Giggling, Sugar grabbed Carl's hand and pressed it against her chest, whispering,
"I'd be happy to help you~"
Tch... there was no denying that Sugar had a natural gift for this sort of thing. Even Lily, the cool and untouchable empress, was stunned. Before she could react, Robin—Sugar's eternal rival—acted first. Mimicking Sugar's bold move, she seized Carl's other hand and did the same.
Now Carl truly was caught between left and right. Lily felt like she had become invisible air. She huffed in annoyance, forcing Carl to at least glance her way.
"It's not even dark yet. Save that for later! Tell us about the moon. Carl, you didn't go there just to find a Goro Goro no Mi, did you?"
Carl blinked a couple of times.
"That's exactly why I went."
"...Sure, sure. We all know how much you dote on Ginny. But since you've been to the moon, you must have discovered something else. Like traces of humans once living there."
Lily's expression grew serious. Seeing that, Carl finally paused, allowing Sugar and Robin to settle down for the moment.
"Yeah. There's some incredible technology up there—so advanced it can even create enough oxygen to let Earth's creatures breathe."
"Heh. That's not even the full extent of it. Even Vegapunk can't perfectly replicate the moon's technology."
"You're saying Vegapunk has already come into contact with it?"
"Of course. Do you really think artificial Devil Fruits could have been made by him alone?"
Carl's eyes widened slightly.
"So it was you who leaked moon technology to him! But why not share it with some of the Celestial Dragons?"
"Hmph. Do you think I wouldn't want to? It's just that too few Celestial Dragons have real talent in science. Saturn is tolerable, I suppose, but even he can't compare to Vegapunk. After all his years of research, he hasn't produced a single breakthrough worth mentioning."
And that was the truth. Scientific research was like training—it depended entirely on talent. The difference between people could be greater than the difference between humans and pigs.
Just like on Earth: countless mathematicians spent their whole lives struggling with problems that true geniuses could solve in a single afternoon.
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+110 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg