"Sengoku the Buddha, come to the meeting room later, I have something to discuss."
Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Carl turned and left his office. As he reached the door, he paused, glanced back briefly, and then strode toward the meeting room, accompanied by Akainu and others.
Not long after Carl arrived at the meeting room, Sengoku also entered, followed by Tsuru and her group.
Carl stood up to greet Sengoku, prompting Akainu and the others to rise as well.
Seeing this, Sengoku's expression grew complex. He nodded slightly before silently walking to the head of the table and sitting down under the watchful eyes of those present.
Once Tsuru and the others had taken their seats, Carl began,
"Sengoku, some time ago, Sakazuki and I went on a mission at sea. I forgot to notify you in advance—my apologies."
Sengoku was momentarily stunned but then spoke calmly,
"Don't let it happen again. But tell me, what kind of mission would require seven Admirals to deploy simultaneously?"
Carl chuckled and replied,
"To be honest, it was a bit of a waste of resources—we simply took care of the Beasts Pirates."
The room fell silent, and then everyone present exclaimed in unison,
"What?!"
Sengoku quickly regained his composure and asked,
"Carl, does that mean Kaido, the so-called 'Strongest Creature in the World,' is also..."
Carl smiled faintly and turned toward Lucia.
"Lucia, has Captain Coby arrived yet?"
Lucia immediately stood and said,
"I'll go fetch him now."
"No need."
Carl gently held Lucia's hand and smiled.
"I can hear him—he's already here."
Garp reflexively stood up, his expression tense.
"Carl, Coby is a good kid. If he's offended you in any way, I'll apologize on his behalf!"
Carl waved a finger dismissively and said softly,
"Relax, Vice Admiral Garp. While Coby did breach some military protocols earlier, I've already forgiven him. I only need him to help with a small matter."
Turning to a guard at the door, Carl instructed,
"Bring Captain Coby in."
The guard, handpicked personally by Sengoku—saluted and left to carry out the order. Shortly after, Coby entered, carrying Kaido's frozen head, his face pale.
Despite his extensive physical training at Marineford, the sheer presence of Kaido's severed head was enough to weigh heavily on his nerves.
The room's atmosphere was tense as the high-ranking Marines exchanged stunned glances. Kaido was no stranger to them, but seeing his head in such a state left them visibly shaken.
Sengoku stared at the frozen head, lost in thought for a long moment before Carl spoke again.
"As for Wano, which was under Kaido's control, I've handed it over to Donquixote Doflamingo. I plan to send some Marine forces to maintain order there—it's not an easy place to manage."
Sengoku fixed his gaze on Carl and asked,
"Doflamingo is working for you?"
Carl gave an ambiguous smile, and Sengoku took a deep breath before pressing further,
"And what about Rosinante?"
"Don't worry—he's doing well. What older brother would harm his own sibling?"
"You do realize Doflamingo's true identity? He's a..."
"A pure-blooded Celestial Dragon from the Donquixote family of Mary Geoise."
This revelation shocked many of the officers present, though their earlier surprises had likely dulled their reactions.
Carl rose slowly from his seat.
"To be precise, his surname will soon change to Figarland..."
"What?! Figarland?! How do you know that name?"
Sengoku's uncharacteristic outburst puzzled the other officers. Was the Figarland name more prestigious than Donquixote?
Ignoring Sengoku's question, Carl pulled a document from his coat and placed it on the table.
"You'll understand soon enough. But before that, let's take a look at this document."
Carl slid the file toward Sengoku. Despite bracing himself, Sengoku couldn't suppress a slight tremor as he read the title embossed in gold letters:
Admiral Appointment: Title 'Celestial'.
"Title, not codename," Sengoku muttered, staring at the words. Slowly, his gaze shifted back to Carl.
"Should I address you as... Saint Figarland Carl?"
The room fell into stunned silence, save for Akainu and a few others who were already in the know.
Snap!
Garp crushed the cup in his hand, his mind flashing back to the Valley of Gods thirty years prior. There, a man with a longsword had left Whitebeard scarred and forever altered Garp's perception of the Celestial Dragons.
He muttered under his breath,
"Unbelievable... Could he be related to Garling?"
Carl tilted his head with a grin.
"Garling is my uncle."
Before Garp could respond, Sengoku suddenly raised his voice.
"Why would someone like you join the Navy? What is your real goal?"
Carl answered calmly,
"Why else? To become Fleet Admiral."
"Don't be ridiculous! With your status, you could've taken the position at any time. This isn't about a mere title, is it?"
Sengoku's rapid-fire questions echoed the thoughts of everyone present. Carl slowly sat back down, his gaze sweeping over the room.
"Sengoku, if I became Fleet Admiral simply because of my status, what meaning would that title hold?"
With that, Carl extended his hand. The frozen block containing Kaido's head flew into his palm with precision. A single shake shattered the ice, and Kaido's severed head tumbled onto the table.
For the gathered Marines, this was not just an appointment—it was a statement of absolute authority.
-----------
+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg