Carl's voice was faint, yet it echoed through the room like a thunderclap.
Lucia and Ginny threw themselves onto Carl, calling out his name desperately. However, Carl gave no response. The only noticeable change was the blood crystals on his body spreading further.
Despite the lack of reaction, Carl's brief utterance brought immense hope to Lucia and the others. Eight years of accumulated despair seemed to melt away in an instant.
When Lucia stepped out of the drawing room, her expression had softened considerably.
Unfortunately, Otohime wasn't around to see it—she had been escorted away by the golden-armored guards. The only one left in the hall was Shirahoshi, who was quietly sobbing as she wiped her eyes.
Shirahoshi's innocent face contrasted sharply with her towering figure, creating a striking disparity.
Lucia approached the six-year-old girl, who was taller than herself, and said gently,
"Stop crying now. Come with me to see master Carl."
Whatever Otohime had told Shirahoshi seemed to have calmed her. Upon hearing Lucia's words, Shirahoshi sniffled hard and obediently nodded, looking quite endearing.
Lucia glanced at Shirahoshi's pink fish tail and asked instinctively,
"Can you stay on land for a long time?"
"Yes, Lady Lucia, I can," Shirahoshi replied timidly.
"There's no need to call me 'Lady.' You're only staying here temporarily, there's no hierarchy between us," Lucia said.
Shirahoshi clasped her hands nervously at her stomach and asked hesitantly,
"Then… can I call you Sister Lucia?"
Lucia was taken aback. The term reminded her of the first time Carl had called her that when they were children. Thinking back to that moment, a rare smile spread across her face, and even her tone softened as she replied to Shirahoshi,
"Sure. Let's go."
...
The Year 1513 of the Sea Circle Calendar, Marine Headquarters
Zephyr looked bewildered as he faced Kizaru and Akainu.
"You two want to accompany me on a training expedition for the cadets?"
Both Admirals nodded seriously.
Zephyr frowned and turned to Akainu.
"Sakazuki, I could understand Borsalino slacking off, but you? Don't you have better things to do?"
Kizaru rolled his eyes at the jab but spoke up before Akainu could respond.
"Come on, Instructor Zephyr, Sakazuki and I are both Admirals now. If he's busy, what makes you think I'm not?"
Still skeptical, Zephyr was about to press further when Akainu interrupted,
"Enough, Instructor Zephyr. Borsalino and I happen to have some downtime. We thought we'd see how this batch of cadets is doing. If there are any promising ones, we can recruit them directly after graduation."
Zephyr nodded thoughtfully. This explanation made sense. Every batch of cadets he trained had a few standouts who were often scouted early by high-ranking officers. After all, who wouldn't want capable subordinates?
Both Kizaru and Akainu were among his proudest students. If anyone deserved first pick of the new talent, it was them.
After a moment's thought, Zephyr said,
"There are three cadets who stand out in this batch. Two of them are Devil Fruit users, both with Paramecia abilities. Keep an eye on Ain, Binz, and Shuzo when the time comes."
Kizaru remained nonchalant, but Akainu silently committed the names to memory.
Zephyr pulled out photos of the three cadets from his desk and handed them to the Admirals. Pointing to Binz, he said,
"This is Binz. He has the Paramecia Grow-Grow Fruit. I was planning to assign him to Aramaki since their abilities complement each other."
Next, Zephyr shifted his gaze to Ain's photo and sighed.
"This is Ain. Her Devil Fruit is related to time, giving her immense potential. But if you're thinking of recruiting her, it might be challenging."
Kizaru, who had been zoning out, perked up at the mention of difficulty. Peering at Ain's photo, he asked curiously,
"Oh? Instructor Zephyr, is this girl too ambitious to work under Admirals?"
Zephyr shook his head.
"Ain has a great personality and doesn't look down on Admirals. It's just that the one she wishes to serve is Carl. She wants to be his subordinate."
At the mention of Carl, Zephyr sighed.
"Who knows when that boy will wake up? His name is already becoming legend."
Kizaru chimed in,
"Instructor Zephyr, Sakazuki and I visited Mary Geoise last month to check on Carl. Dr. Vegapunk said he's close to waking up."
Zephyr had already learned about Carl's identity as a Celestial Dragon from Kizaru and Akainu. The revelation had initially shocked him, and it took some time to digest the implications.
Crossing his arms, Zephyr muttered,
"Vegapunk always says the same thing but never gives a concrete timeline. And now there's talk that the World Government is planning to reassign Fleet Admiral Kong. If that happens, Sengoku the Buddha will likely take over as Fleet Admiral."
A trace of regret appeared on Zephyr's face.
"In my opinion, Carl could have been the youngest Fleet Admiral in history. His accomplishments and his powerful background make it almost inevitable."
Akainu spoke up, his tone resolute,
"Instructor Zephyr, Fleet Admiral Kong and Sengoku's brand of justice is too restrained. If Carl were here, those so-called Emperors of the Sea would've been eliminated already."
Zephyr agreed silently. His own ideals leaned more toward the Hawk faction. But Kong and Sengoku were his superior and friend, respectively, so he refrained from overt criticism.
"Let's discuss this after Carl wakes up. For now, I have cadets to train. You can join me if you wish."
With that, Zephyr strode out of the room. Kizaru and Akainu followed without hesitation.
When the three arrived at the training grounds, the cadets were already assembled in formation. Seeing the two Admirals, the cadets broke into murmurs of awe.
Some of the quicker ones snapped to attention and saluted.
"Admiral Akainu!"
"Admiral Kizaru!"
Zephyr raised a hand to quiet them.
"Relax. These two were once cadets just like you. They're joining us on this voyage. Think of them as your seniors."
The cadets' amazement only grew as Zephyr gave the command.
"All right, let's set sail!"
-----------
+210 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg