On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, hearing Shanks's words, Carl paused for a moment before asking:
"Fruit? What kind of fruit?"
Shanks immediately replied,
"A Paramecia-type Gravity Fruit! I've already verified it for you. This fruit is absolutely top-tier, and I thought you'd definitely like it!"
"Gravity Fruit... Did you capture Fujitora?"
Hearing this, Shanks blinked, feeling uneasy. Did Carl know this blind swordsman?
Glancing at the severely beaten Fujitora lying on the ground, Shanks wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead and said,
"How do you know this user's name is Fujitora? Do you... know him?"
"Oh, I don't know him. I've just heard of him. He's quite strong."
Hearing this, Shanks let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile,
"Yeah, capturing him was quite the ordeal."
Carl was curious about how Shanks encountered Fujitora and ended up fighting him, but he didn't ask over the Den Den Mushi. After all, Shanks's location had already been marked by Carl's ability, he could teleport there instantly.
After hanging up, Carl's figure twisted and vanished from his office chair.
Moments later, Shanks heard the sound of something slicing through the air—it was Carl, arriving.
Since Shanks's ship wasn't stationary, Carl couldn't directly appear on the deck.
Seeing Carl again, Shanks greeted him warmly as "Brother," while the rest of his crew exchanged bewildered glances. They still weren't accustomed to their captain's relationship with the Fleet Admiral.
Ben Beckman, however, wore a grave expression, muttering,
"This teleportation-like ability... it's just as the rumors say."
Carl walked over and patted Shanks on the shoulder before turning to look at the bloodied Fujitora on the ground. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, Carl might have thought Fujitora was dead.
Shanks spoke up,
"This guy is with the Revolutionary Army. Their leader, Monkey D. Dragon, was just here trying to form an alliance with me."
Carl raised an eyebrow. So Fujitora had joined the Revolutionary Army? But hearing that Dragon sought an alliance with Shanks, Carl couldn't help but chuckle.
Turning his head, Carl asked,
"Did you reveal your identity to him?"
Shanks shook his head and said,
"No, I didn't. He's probably still confused. During the fight, he kept shouting that he wasn't my enemy."
"Did he escape?"
"Yeah, Fujitora held me and Beckman off and used his ability to help him flee. Otherwise, Dragon wouldn't have made it out. Oh, and I crippled one of his arms."
Carl nodded and said,
"This guy's escape skills are top-notch, and he always has someone helping him. If not for Garp back then, he'd already be dead by my hand."
"I've heard about that. Because of it, Garp was demoted to guarding Impel Down. Dragon really is a troublemaker for his family."
Carl simply smiled. Dragon's actions back then had indeed caused quite a stir, especially among the older generation of the Navy.
As the brothers chatted, Ben Beckman finally interjected with a sigh,
"Hey, you two, haven't you noticed that Fujitora's aura is getting weaker? Are we taking the fruit or not?"
Only then did Carl and Shanks pay attention to the gravely injured Fujitora, who, as Beckman said, seemed on the verge of death.
Shanks quickly said,
"Take the fruit now! We can talk later!"
Carl approached Fujitora, squatted down, and said softly,
"What a pity. I had thought you might become my subordinate..."
At these words, Fujitora, as if having a final burst of strength, raised his head and stared at Carl with his blank white eyes.
"Fleet Admiral... Celestial Dragon!"
Carl tilted his head slightly and asked curiously,
"You can see my face?"
Fujitora shook his head slowly,
"I can't see, but this overwhelming presence… There's no one else in the world like you."
Carl chuckled, his eyes glowing with a golden light as the blood flowing from Fujitora's wounds suddenly stopped. Before Fujitora could react, Carl pressed a dark energy-infused hand onto him.
Fujitora's body stiffened as he felt something being pulled out from within.
Soon, Carl retracted his hand, and a purple-black Devil Fruit appeared in his palm.
Although Shanks and his crew already knew about Carl's ability to extract Devil Fruits from users, witnessing it still left them awestruck.
What happened next, however, shocked them even more.
Under their stunned gazes, Carl bit into the fruit, the purple-black juices dripping from the corners of his mouth, creating an eerie scene.
By the time they recovered from their shock, the fruit had been completely consumed, leaving only the spiral stem.
Carl stood up slowly, his face pale.
Shanks rushed to him and grabbed his shoulders, shouting in concern,
"Are you okay? Do you feel unwell?"
Shanks was genuinely worried and even reached out to check Carl's mouth, only for Carl to slap his hand away and say,
"Stop it! Your brother's fine! I just feel a little nauseous."
Carl's "Devil Fruit slots" technically had one remaining since the Shadow-Shadow Fruit had merged its essence with the Dark-Dark Fruit. Before eating the Gravity Fruit, Carl's setup consisted of the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit and the Mythical Zoan.
Now, Carl was a true user of three Devil Fruits!
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+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg