Life back in Mary Geoise began to become uneventful.
Time here passed both quickly and slowly.
The lives of all Celestial Dragons were unhurried, without a trace of urgency.
And time usually slipped away in this inadvertent manner.
Soon, the year 1503 of the Sea Calendar arrived.
Over several months, Black defeated the last three powerhouses remaining in the Card Space.
The adult stage Red Earl revealed his swordsmanship.
Swordsmanship might not have been his strongest ability, but it was definitely his coolest.
Strength is only temporary; coolness is for life.
The Red Earl's weapon was an umbrella, and his swordsmanship was primarily elegant, which Black felt perfectly suited his own temperament.
Every time he fought someone, he engaged in wide, sweeping movements, which truly did not align with his noble status as a Celestial Dragon.
The elderly Akainu, as expected, dropped the Magma-Magma Fruit.
It must be said that a Marine with complete logistical support is different from a pirate; their peak period is clearly longer.
Once pirates get old, no matter how strong they were in their youth, their current combat power will be greatly reduced.
The Akainu in the Card Space looked at least seventy years old, and his strength had not declined much.
If he were to fight the seventy-year-old Whitebeard, Akainu would probably still win.
However, Black currently had no maid suitable for using the Magma-Magma Fruit by his side.
It should be noted that Akainu was originally a Great Swordsman.
He only switched to martial arts to fully utilize the power of the Magma-Magma Fruit.
The Magma-Magma Fruit might be the strongest single-target burst attack Logia Devil Fruit, and it is indeed more suitable for martial arts experts.
Especially those martial arts masters with wide, sweeping moves.
The only martial arts expert Black had by his side was Koala.
But she was already a Glint-Glint Fruit user, and her martial arts were more light and agile, completely opposite to the wide, sweeping style.
So the Magma-Magma Fruit ability card had to be kept for now.
The adult stage Golden Lion did not drop the Float-Float Fruit, which Black most desired, but rather his Conqueror's Haki.
The Golden Lion's Conqueror's Haki had a unique characteristic.
Even those who had never seen Shiki or felt his Conqueror's Haki could immediately recognize it as the Golden Lion's Conqueror's Haki the first time they experienced it.
Of course, after Black integrated it into his own Conqueror's Haki, this unique effect also disappeared.
In addition, during these past few months of card draws, Black also drew the adult stage Kuzan.
After defeating him, Black finally collected the Logia Devil Fruits of the three Admirals.
The Ice-Ice Fruit and Mandy's temperament were so perfectly matched, as if it was tailor-made for her.
In reality, ice abilities themselves do not have very high damage; they are more about control effects and elemental damage attached to attacks.
Looking at ice users in various works, their use of ice is generally divided into three forms.
The first type is pure magic attack, which is ice mages, and these people are the most common.
The second type, in addition to long-range ice strikes, also uses ice abilities to add extra damage or control effects to martial arts, swordsmanship, and archery.
The third type is somewhat unconventional.
They use ice abilities to condense weapons for combat.
Aside from convenience, there isn't much difference compared to fighting with a real sword.
Black used the Ice-Ice Fruit ability card on Mandy and provided her with some development directions.
Black hoped Mandy could develop her abilities in the direction of Toshiro Hitsugaya and Esdeath.
Especially Esdeath; her martial arts and swordsmanship largely compensated for the weakness of insufficient damage in ice abilities.
Interspersing ice abilities into sword attacks creates effects like interference, control, and terrain manipulation.
Moreover, it's possible that if the Ice-Ice Fruit is developed to awakening or an even higher realm, it could also freeze time and space like those two.
Although the possibility is small, it's still a thought... One day, Black was playing with Perona and others in the manor as usual when a Slave from Rosward's household once again delivered an invitation.
Black opened it and saw that it was still an invitation to a banquet, and he couldn't help but feel a little speechless:
"It's already been a year, and this guy still hasn't shown off enough?"
However, this time Black decided to go.
Because Rosward stated in the invitation that the after-party entertainment for this banquet would be extremely rare special Slaves...
The twilight of Mary Geoise draped an amber veil over the Celestial Dragon's manor.
Rosward's skirt swept across the crystal glasses.
In a year, she seemed to have completely adapted to her current identity.
At least she no longer stumbled because of high heels.
In the banquet hall, light spots refracted by diamond earrings danced on the gilded walls.
When Black entered the banquet hall, all the guests for the dinner had already arrived.
Upon seeing Black, Rosward rushed forward as if seeing a family member, introducing him to the others with exaggerated enthusiasm:
"My best friend—Saint Hilbert Black."
"If he hadn't recommended the West Blue to me, perhaps I would never have experienced what it feels like to be a woman."
She then turned to Black:
"Saint Black, you've finally agreed to attend my banquet."
"I thought you were tired of such social occasions."
Black was only there for the 'high-quality Slaves' Rosward mentioned, so he replied perfunctorily:
"Sailing the seas is simply too exhausting; I've been resting lately."
"Saint Black, you're being a bit too harsh."
Grothius of the Shepherd family, shaking his wine glass, said casually from the side:
"Rosward is now the most talked-about rising star in Mary Geoise."
TA? Rising star?
Good, good, Celestial Dragons' minds are indeed not normal.
Just as some Celestial Dragons were about to step forward to ask Black for guidance on how to become women themselves, a sour remark suddenly came:
"I, however, think she's just adopted a more flamboyant way of performing."
Everyone looked closely and saw that it was Rosward's original wife, now sister—Cloris.
Hearing this, Rosward's smile did not diminish; instead, it became even brighter:
"Flamboyant? No! This is called transformation."
She spun around, almost tripping herself:
"After all, not everyone can perfectly manage two identities like me."
Cloris gently stroked the jeweled necklace on her neck and chuckled:
"Rosward, your confidence is indeed admirable."
"Unfortunately, no matter how magnificent the dress, it cannot conceal your true nature."
Rosward unhurriedly picked up her wine glass and took a small sip:
"Palace Cloris, jealousy does not suit the elegance of a noble."
"Enough, Rosward."
Black was not interested in their family drama and interrupted directly:
"Rosward, where is the surprise you mentioned?"
Rosward was a little surprised, looking at Black curiously:
"Is Saint Black really that eager?"
"In that case..."
She called out loudly:
"Bring them up!"
A cage was carried into the banquet hall, holding three trembling girls.
As soon as he saw them, Black's eyes lit up.
Rosward's voice then rang out:
"These are the prizes I prepared for this banquet, rare Slaves from Amazon Lily!"