"Such a pity… I can only give them away."
"But who should I give them to?"
Karl looked at the two Devil Fruits in his hands, deep in thought.
Although his ability [Father of the Sea] allowed him to negate the usual weakness of Devil Fruits—
That didn't mean he could simply eat another one.
System Hint
Ding!
[System Notification]:
Once your current Devil Fruit reaches 100% development, you can unlock Advancement.
You may then use other Devil Fruits to strengthen your main ability.
Karl's eyes lit up.
"So you're saying… I can gain multiple Devil Fruit abilities later?"
System:
"No. Advancement only strengthens your main ability.
The more Devil Fruits—or the higher their quality—the stronger the enhancement."
Karl stroked his chin and opened his status panel.
Current Development: 74.1%
"…That's still far away."
Even though he trained his ability daily—
He still hadn't awakened it.
Thankfully—
There was still enough time before the era spiraled out of control.
Devil Fruit Inventory
Over the years, Karl had obtained around 25 Devil Fruits through random rewards.
But most were Zoan types.
The few Paramecia ones were mediocre—
Like the Spring Fruit or Bubble Fruit.
If not for absurd luck—
He would never have obtained both:
Goro Goro no MiYami Yami no Mi
Karl stored both fruits back into his system space.
Then leaned back on the sofa, closing his eyes.
Thinking About Teach
His thoughts drifted to Marshall D. Teach.
The simplest option?
Follow the original timeline—
Let Thatch "accidentally" obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit…
Then let Teach betray him.
That way—
No butterfly effect.
No exposure.
But—
Karl frowned.
That would just make me a delivery boy for Teach.
"No way."
"Working hard just to hand him his dream fruit… and getting nothing in return?"
"Not happening."
Meanwhile — Tesoro's Side
"Did everything go smoothly?"
Baccarat smiled.
"Boss, when have I ever failed you?"
"That's true."
Tesoro nodded.
"Make sure Karl and his men enjoy themselves."
"As long as they don't win too much, we can accept the losses."
"Understood."
"Also," he added,
"Go inform the Marine Hero—the gold has been counted."
"Bring him to me for the transaction."
"Got it."
Back to Karl
Knock knock.
Karl opened his eyes.
"Come in."
Baccarat entered.
Seeing him just waking up, she looked apologetic.
"Sorry, Mr. Karl, I didn't know you were resting."
Karl waved it off.
"It's fine. I just woke up."
"What's up?"
"It's dinner time."
"Would you like to dine outside, or have it delivered?"
Karl thought for a moment.
"…Let's eat out."
Calling Nelson
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
"Nelson, it's me."
On the other end—
Nelson, currently hugging a bunny girl, instantly stiffened.
"Sir! Did something happen?!"
Karl rolled his eyes.
"Nothing happened."
"Gather everyone. We're eating."
"…Where's the dining area?"
"Fourth floor."
"Got it. Fourth floor. I'm treating."
"Yes, sir!"
Soon—
All the Marines hurried to assemble.
After Dinner
Nelson and the others quickly ran off again.
Of course—
They were winning money.
Who would stop?
Marine salaries weren't exactly generous.
Karl, meanwhile, followed Baccarat to:
Golden Emperor's Vault
Inside, Gild Tesoro was already waiting.
"Good evening, Mr. Karl."
"Your gold has been fully appraised."
"Total value: 64.6478 billion Berries."
"I'll round it up to 65 billion."
"How does that sound?"
The Deal
Karl didn't hesitate.
"Sure. Pay me."
Tesoro froze.
"…That's it?"
Such a massive transaction—
And this casual?
Karl laughed.
"It's just a bit of money."
"No need to fuss over it."
Tesoro smiled, but inwardly calculated.
He could still make 5%–20% profit—
Because Karl's gold was ancient artifacts, not just raw gold.
Then he suddenly asked:
"These seem to be from over 400 years ago…"
"And resemble artifacts from the legendary city of gold—Shandora…"
"…Did you find it?"
Karl gave a thumbs-up.
"Sharp eye."
"Yep. All from the City of Gold."
"And there's still plenty more."
Tesoro: !!!
Wait… MORE?!
Even Baccarat swallowed hard.
If all of it were brought here…
It could empty the entire vault.
Tesoro forced a smile.
"…You're quite lucky, Mr. Karl."
But inside—
He was screaming.
Why is he a Marine?!
Why is he a Marine Hero?!
Otherwise—
All that gold would've been his.
Karl waved it off.
"Enough talk."
"Where's my money?"
The Vault Opens
Tesoro took a deep breath and unlocked the vault.
Clank—
The massive door opened.
Inside—
Mountains of gold and treasure filled the room.
Stacks of cash lined the pathways.
The visual impact?
Impressive—
But not overwhelming.
Because the highest denomination of Berries was only 5000.
So even 65 billion Berries—
Was just a few "money hills."
If the largest note were 100…
This entire vault wouldn't be enough.
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