"Crunch!"
Carl bit into the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, the black juice trailing down the corner of his mouth.
Suppressing the urge to vomit from the fruit's revoltingly sour taste, Carl forced himself to finish it in three bites, tossing the remaining core onto the ground.
Slowly closing his eyes, Carl raised his hand. As always, darkness flowed from his arm, but in the next moment, it solidified and transformed into various shapes. Finally, it formed a massive black cone that pierced straight through the castle's rooftop.
After consuming the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, the once intangible darkness had gained the ability to manifest physically.
As Carl had anticipated, shadow and darkness were inherently linked. The synergy between the Shadow-Shadow Fruit and the Dark-Dark Fruit allowed the fusion of the intangible and the physical. At last, he had achieved what his ancestor could not—completing the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
The most powerful proof of this transformation was his ability to truly elementalize—becoming shadows.
With a single thought, Carl's body dissipated into a swarm of jet-black bats, vanishing from the spot.
For the record, Moria had demonstrated a similar bat-like transformation in the past, though he could only divide his shadow into bats, unable to perform this feat with his actual body.
High in the air, the swarm of black bats coalesced to re-form Carl's body. He gazed down at the massive ship, the Thriller Bark, and snapped his fingers.
Instantly, a giant, black cube engulfed the enormous vessel. When the cube vanished, the ship had disappeared entirely.
Upon closer inspection, faint specks of ash could be seen drifting in the air—an outcome far more devastating than anything Carl had achieved before.
From this moment forward, Moria and the Thriller Bark Pirates were no more.
However, Carl noticed one peculiarity—Perona, one of Moria's key subordinates, was nowhere to be found aboard the ship.
Carl didn't dwell on this. To him, Perona was nothing more than a brat—not worth killing or sparing much thought over.
With a glance at the now-empty sea below, Carl's body once again dispersed into countless black bats, flying off into the distance.
...
Dressrosa
Doflamingo stood on the balcony, gazing into the horizon, while Rosinante stood behind him, watching with a puzzled expression.
Ever since the battle with King, Doflamingo had taken to standing on the balcony daily, staring out for hours, seemingly waiting for something.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Rosinante finally spoke. "Doffy, what are you waiting for? Are you afraid the Beasts Pirates will retaliate?"
Without turning, Doflamingo replied coolly, "With him around, the Beasts Pirates are no threat."
"Him? Who are you talking about?"
Doflamingo smirked. "You'll know when he arrives."
Rosinante was about to press further when, suddenly, a swarm of black bats swept past Doflamingo on the balcony and into the room.
Doflamingo's brows furrowed. The sight reminded him of Moria, prompting him to turn around. Before he could investigate, Rosinante exclaimed in shock and awe, "Black Dragon Admiral?!"
Doflamingo's expression shifted as he spun around. Standing before him was Carl, a face he would never forget.
Carl gazed at the stunned Doflamingo with a slight smile. "Doffy, it's been a while."
After twenty-two years, Doflamingo was face-to-face with Carl once more. His lips moved, and he stammered, "Saint Carl… It's been too long!"
"What? Saint Carl?!"
Rosinante had assumed Carl was here to retrieve him for the Navy. But hearing Doflamingo address Carl with "Saint," Rosinante was utterly dumbfounded.
As a former Celestial Dragon, Rosinante was acutely aware of the significance of the term "Saint." Doflamingo, even more so.
While Rosinante gawked in disbelief, Doflamingo approached Carl with an expression that was completely foreign to Rosinante.
Carl patted Doflamingo's shoulder. "Doffy, you've grown quite a bit over the years."
Receiving Carl's recognition, Doflamingo felt his throat tighten, unable to utter a word.
Seeing Rosinante still dazed, Doflamingo barked, "Rosinante! Saint Carl is your superior. Don't just stand there! Show some respect!"
Rosinante, though confused, ran over and stood beside Doflamingo. Hesitantly, he saluted Carl.
"Admiral Black Dragon, I'm Navy Commander Rosinante."
Carl chuckled. "Rosinante, we've already met. Why are you introducing yourself?"
Caught off guard, Rosinante hesitated before blurting, "Admiral Black Dragon, what's your relationship with Doflamingo?"
Carl had anticipated the question. Without hesitation, he answered, "Doflamingo is family."
Rosinante's eyes widened, and Doflamingo visibly trembled. Staring at Carl's face, Doflamingo couldn't hide his emotions.
Turning back to Doflamingo, Carl smiled. "Doffy, after I deal with Kaido, you'll be able to rename your Donquixote family. By the way, care to join me on a trip to Onigashima?"
Doflamingo stiffened, overwhelmed with excitement, unable to even nod.
Carl didn't mind. He took out a Den Den Mushi and dialed. On the other end, Lucia's voice answered,
"Young Master!"
"Lucia, inform Sakazuki and the others. We're heading to Onigashima."
"Onigashima? That's Kaido's territory, right?"
"Exactly. I'm going to wipe out the Beasts Pirates. No need for Sakazuki to send reinforcements. Just bring seven people and meet me in Dressrosa."
"Understood, Young Master."
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+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg