Even after more than eight hundred years, the memories of that time remained crystal clear in Lily's mind. Her expression calm, she continued telling Carl the story in detail.
"Cassilius didn't have the Devil Fruit for long enough. Even though he eventually touched upon the secrets of its core power, by the time he did, it was already too late to go any further."
She sighed softly.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit's power did confirm Cassilius's theory. But what none of us expected was the problem caused by excessive energy—the fruit's core splitting apart.
During the Dark-Dark Fruit's growth, part of its essence had already split off early, forming another Devil Fruit altogether. In contrast, the Rubber Fruit eaten by Joy Boy ripened earlier, so it didn't suffer the problem of losing its essence."
Hearing this, Carl couldn't help feeling a trace of regret for his ancestor Cassilius.
Clearly, Cassilius had far more talent than Joy Boy, and his Devil Fruit was superior in quality. Yet he lost simply because of time.
In truth, Cassilius had overestimated himself. Perhaps he thought that even if Joy Boy completed his Devil Fruit breakthrough, with himself, Lily, and the other nineteen on his side, they would still win.
But when the battle finally began, he realized Joy Boy was far more troublesome than expected.
Though they ultimately won, Cassilius was left gravely wounded, on the brink of death.
...
With no other choice, Cassilius entrusted his obsession with the Dark-Dark Fruit to his descendants.
As for the other nineteen kings—excluding Lily, who had sided with Joy Boy—the remaining eighteen were from the Moon's moderate faction.
They truly loved this planet and wanted it to thrive.
But after that battle, their lives were nearly at an end.
The world itself was also plunged into chaos by Joy Boy's rebellion, so they used their final strength to restrain the one they distrusted the most—but who was also the least injured—Lily, and let her borrow the Heavenly King's power to suppress the era's turmoil.
Cassilius, however, had no such interest.
From the very beginning, he belonged to the Moon's other faction—those who pursued unlimited strength.
So he left only his weapon to his descendants.
If he had joined the other eighteen in binding Lily's power, she probably wouldn't even have been able to move on the Empty Throne. It would've been like a real prison.
...
But the eighteen never expected their seal on Lily to last over eight hundred years.
They didn't know that once the Op-Op Fruit reached its peak, it could grant immortality.
As a result, Lily, bound for so long, grew increasingly twisted, letting most Celestial Dragons become the world's poison.
...
Lily looked at Carl and said with emotion,
"Cassilius's bloodline truly is powerful. In the end, you, his descendant, have fulfilled his wish. The Dark-Dark Fruit's true power has been perfectly realized in you."
Carl smiled faintly.
"I'm just standing on the shoulders of giants. If my ancestor hadn't guided me within the darkness back then, I might never have discovered the truth about the Devil Fruits."
"Not just that," Lily said, shaking her head. "Your own talent is also the strongest in Figarland family history. On top of that, your body carries the gifts of the two strongest races on this planet. Even Cassilius back then couldn't compare to you."
Carl chuckled.
"I guess I should call myself lucky. Back in the Valley of Gods, my survival was already an unrepeatable miracle. Sometimes I wonder... if there really are parallel universes, maybe in most of them, I simply never existed."
"Parallel universes?" Lily tilted her head slightly. "That's a strange term... but I think I get it. Maybe. Either way, your existence has completely changed this world."
Carl smirked.
"Then imagine if I really had died in the Valley of Gods. What do you think this world would look like now?"
Lily froze, then frowned slightly.
"Joy Boy would probably have awakened far more smoothly... and then kept causing chaos. In the end..."
She stopped mid-sentence, looking at Carl with a complicated expression.
"Maybe I would have sealed him again. But I still wouldn't be able to kill him. The cycle would just repeat, over and over."
Carl shook his head firmly.
"No. This time you wouldn't be able to seal him. He'd defeat you instead."
Lily puffed her cheeks slightly, unwilling to accept that.
"You're underestimating me. These eight hundred years weren't wasted. Even without the nineteen backing me, the World Government's power isn't any weaker than theirs. Add me to that, and there's no way we'd lose to Joy Boy so easily!"
"Tch. And you think Joy Boy would be alone? Did you forget about Roger's so-called Great Age of Pirates during the time I was asleep? That was only held back because Roger died early."
"Those pirates? Could they really make such waves? They're just a chaotic rabble. It'd be hard for them to unite, wouldn't it?"
"Did you forget what Joy Boy excels at most? And his powers grow stronger the more allies he gathers. I'm certain—if that day really came—you wouldn't be able to handle it."
Lily fell silent for a while, then suddenly laughed softly.
"After all that talk, it sounds like you just want me to thank you. Oh wait, no—I don't have the right to reward you anymore. Hmm... are you expecting gratitude?"
Carl rolled his eyes.
"I just want you to stop acting like handing me the Empty Throne was such a huge loss for you. From now on, just stay honest and be my woman. And quit blowing up at me all the time!"
"You think I'm some cat? Always blowing up at nothing?"
"Heh. Who would dare call the mighty Imu-sama, ruler of the world, a cat? A tigress sounds far more accurate!"
"Carl!!"
"Hm? Calling me by name so boldly now?
Guess someone needs a little discipline."
"Wait—hold on—oh..."
Even as Lily said "hold on," her arms wrapped tightly around Carl's body.
Her eyes blurred as she endured his advances, murmuring softly,
"Tomorrow... I'll go with you... to the Moon... That teleportation device..."
"Alright. If it doesn't work, we'll destroy it."
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+110 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg