Chapter 212: Monet

Hearing this, Rosward was struck as if by lightning, his body trembling violently. He swallowed, forcing an awkward smile.

"Saint Carl, maybe you heard wrong…"

"Hm?"

With just a look, Rosward quickly corrected himself.

"My apologies! I truly didn't recognize you earlier, please forgive me!"

After saying this, Rosward—who had never once bent his back to anyone—immediately knelt before Carl. Monet, watching with a stunned expression, felt her worldview completely turned upside down today.

Carl, with a cold gaze, looked down at Rosward and said, "You think an apology is enough? What do you take my Figarland family for?"

A faint aura of bloodlust emanated from Carl, and Rosward was so frightened he nearly wet himself, frozen in place with a tearless look of despair.

Carl didn't really intend to kill Rosward here, as of now, he didn't have the authority to execute Celestial Dragons. That power rested with his uncle, Saint Garling.

Still, even if Rosward hadn't known Carl's identity beforehand, someone who would threaten to kill Carl's family could not be easily pardoned—especially a Celestial Dragon. This was about preserving the Figarland family's authority in Mary Geoise.

With this in mind, Carl reached out to gently gather Monet and her sister, Sugar, into his arms. He then turned, his wings spreading wide, sending Rosward sprawling to the ground.

Rosward dared not make a sound, nervously watching Carl's back as he awaited his final judgment.

"Return and seek forgiveness from Saint Garling yourself."

With that, Carl's wings flapped, and his figure rose into the air, vanishing from Rosward's sight in the blink of an eye.

Back at the clan estate, Carl handed Monet and her sister over to a maid, instructing her to help them freshen up and change into new clothes.

The maid immediately led Monet and Sugar away. Along the way, the maid remained silent, not fully understanding the sisters' background until Monet couldn't help but ask,

"Um… Sister, who exactly is this Lord Carl?"

The maid looked at Monet with a surprised expression, replying,

"Aren't you two brought back by the Young Master? You don't even know his identity?"

A faint sadness crossed Monet's face as she whispered, "Strictly speaking, we were bought by him."

Hearing this, the maid's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, so you're slaves!"

The word "slaves" cut deeply into Monet's heart. Sugar, too young to grasp its full meaning, sensed Monet's distress and gently tugged at her sleeve, calling out, "Sister."

Hearing Sugar's voice soothed Monet slightly. At least she still had her sister with her.

The maid, having learned of Monet and Sugar's status as slaves, showed no disdain. Instead, she patiently answered Monet's earlier question.

"This is the Figarland family's estate. Saint Carl is the family's sole heir."

The surname Figarland is widely known among the Celestial Dragons, though most ordinary people know little of it. To them, Celestial Dragons are already "gods."

Yet, moments ago, Monet had witnessed firsthand that even among Celestial Dragons, there are levels to power.

Recalling Rozwald's submissive demeanor in front of Carl, Monet couldn't help but ask,

"Sister, are there ranks among Celestial Dragons?"

"Yes, though I can't say for certain about the specifics. It's not our place to know, but you should understand that in Mary Geoise, our family head, Saint Garling, holds absolute power over the lives of Celestial Dragons. And Saint Carl is destined to be the same in the future."

The maid's tone was filled with reverence.

"Did you know? Saint Carl is not only the Figarland family's sole heir, he's also the Navy's Admiral Black Dragon!"

Monet was still reeling from the idea of him wielding life-and-death authority over Celestial Dragons. Hearing that Carl was actually the Navy Admiral Black Dragon made her cry out in surprise.

"He's the Navy Admiral Black Dragon!? A Celestial Dragon as a Navy Admiral!?"

The maid quickly hushed Monet, covering her mouth in alarm.

"Quiet down! This is not the place to shout like that!"

Monet blinked twice and nodded, showing she understood. Only then did the maid continue,

"Despite his young age, the Young Master is incredibly powerful—beyond what we can comprehend. He didn't reach the rank of Admiral through his family, he achieved it purely by his own strength. This was told to me by Captain Carlos of the guard!"

The maid's cheeks turned slightly red at the mention of Carlos, and Sugar noticed, asking,

"Sister, is your face red? Are you feeling unwell?"

The maid waved her hand, quickly insisting she was fine, though it seemed a bit like she was covering up.

Meanwhile, Monet, overwhelmed by the rapid revelations, didn't notice the maid's reaction. After a long pause, Monet regained her composure, realizing she no longer had any thoughts of escape. It wasn't just Carl's unfathomable power but also the notion that perhaps, being enslaved to someone like Carl might not be the worst fate.

One of the greatest benefits, she thought, was that if she could gain Carl's favor, there might be no one left in the world who would dare to harm her or her sister.

Because of Monet's remote hometown, the people there had never encountered a Devil Fruit user. When Monet first displayed her Snow-Snow Fruit abilities, she was labeled a monster, even by her own parents. Only her sister, Sugar, stayed close to her as before.

Pirates eventually targeted her after the villagers reported her. Though young and a girl, Monet never used her Snow-Snow Fruit's powers to oppress others. But in the end, her kindness was taken advantage of.

When the villagers led the pirates to capture her and her sister, Monet unleashed her Snow-Snow Fruit powers in full for the first time.

The pirates had no Haki to counter Monet's powers, leaving them unable to handle her Logia-based abilities.

However, Monet herself was still too weak, and the Snow-Snow Fruit lacked attack strength, so she only managed to take down the villagers and a few pirates.

When one of the pirates took Sugar hostage, Monet surrendered and was shackled with Seastone before being sold to Disco.

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