Carl slowly approached the ship's railing, placing his hand, surrounded by a dark aura, onto the Mythical Zoan Dragon Fruit.
Moments later, the fruit visibly shrank, losing its luster entirely.
Carl beckoned Shanks over with a wave of his hand. As soon as Shanks approached, Carl pressed his palm against Shanks' abdomen.
Shanks felt a warm current flow into his body, gathering in his chest. Gradually, his face turned a deep red, and a fiery aura began to emanate from his body, forming a ribbon-like shape behind him that grew increasingly vivid.
Throughout the process, Carl kept his hand on Shanks' abdomen, his eyes narrowed as he observed the changes. He was ready to extract the Dragon Fruit's essence at the first sign of anything going wrong.
Carl had surmised that the artificial Dragon Fruit created by Vegapunk shared the same core essence as the original, and he wanted to test whether this essence could be amplified through layering.
Judging by Shanks' current state, Carl's hypothesis was correct—the signs of a fruit awakening had already appeared in Shanks.
After a while, Shanks returned to normal, exhaling deeply.
Carl finally withdrew his hand and asked,
"How do you feel?"
Shanks looked at Carl in astonishment and said,
"Brother, what did you do to me? I feel like I've grown much stronger."
"Don't worry about it," Carl replied, crossing his arms. "All you need to know is that your fruit is no longer just a copy—it's far superior to Kaido's."
Shanks nodded, half-understanding, as Carl continued,
"I noticed you were on the verge of awakening. From now on, you need to train your fruit's powers and fully integrate them with your body. Don't waste this opportunity. Also, let's give it a proper name—no more Dragon or Azure Dragon. It's the Mythical Zoan Dragon Fruit now."
"Don't worry, brother!" Shanks laughed. "This is perfect—I can use it to spar with Mihawk!"
Hearing Mihawk's name, Carl raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? You mean Dracule Mihawk, the Warlord?"
"Yeah. He and I spar regularly—we're pretty evenly matched."
"So, who usually wins?"
"Me, of course. His swordsmanship is on par with mine, but my haki is stronger."
Carl glanced at Shanks' left arm. In the original timeline, Shanks lost an arm to a Sea King, after which Mihawk stopped dueling him. With both arms intact, it made sense they'd continue their bouts.
As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Mihawk was formidable, but with the Mythical Zoan Dragon Fruit, Shanks would now have the upper hand.
Seeing the eagerness in Shanks' expression, Carl chuckled lightly.
"Good. You've done our family proud. Alright, I'm heading back now."
Shanks' face fell, the excitement draining from him like water from a bucket.
"So soon? Brother, at least stay for a drink…"
Carl waved him off.
"Forget it. Your crew would riot if I stayed. If you want to drink with me, come back to the family someday. Stop being so stubborn—Uncle Garling still thinks about you."
Shanks fell silent, nodding after a long pause.
Carl smiled faintly. He wouldn't force Shanks to return, some things took time.
As Carl turned away, his figure began to distort. Shanks had seen this several times and knew Carl was truly leaving.
A deep sense of loss welled up in Shanks. Ever since he left the Roger Pirates, he'd felt adrift. Carl's reappearance had given him a sense of belonging—a reminder that he had a family, a home.
Even a wanderer, who chases freedom across the seas, longs for home in the end.
As Carl's figure grew fainter, Shanks suddenly shouted,
"I'm sorry!"
"Hm?" Carl paused, stopping his spatial distortion.
"What is it?"
Shanks bit his lip, guilt written all over his face.
"Brother, I stole the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika, from the World Government. I gave it, along with Captain Roger's straw hat, to Luffy!"
Carl tilted his head.
"I know. But I want to hear why you gave those to him."
"I didn't plan to at first. When I got the Nika Fruit, I intended to give it to Captain Roger's son, Ace. But Captain Roger told me the Nika Fruit chooses its own master. If Ace didn't eat it, then it meant the fruit had chosen someone else. He also told me to give the hat to whoever inherited its power."
"You didn't try eating it yourself?"
"No. Captain Roger made it clear the Nika Fruit would never choose me—it's only for those with the Will of D."
"Tch. So it's that 'destiny' nonsense again... Shanks, do you know the relationship between the Will of D and us Celestial Dragons?"
Shanks lowered his head.
"They're... our enemies."
Carl silently approached until he was standing directly in front of Shanks.
Shanks lowered his head further, guilt overwhelming him. He remembered how Roger had defeated Carl after becoming the Nika Fruit's user. Though Carl ultimately won, the battle had left him gravely injured, forcing his disappearance for 22 years.
And Shanks had delivered the Nika Fruit to another D.
As Shanks wallowed in regret, he suddenly felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Carl's smiling face.
"You don't need to blame yourself. You didn't know your identity back then. Besides, Roger raised you—it's only right to repay him. There's no shame in gratitude."
Tears welled up in Shanks' eyes.
"But, brother, I heard Luffy's still alive. He escaped from you. Just like Captain Roger said, he might be the one truly chosen by the Nika Fruit. If he unlocks its full power, I'm afraid…"
Before Shanks could finish, Carl poked his forehead with a finger, chuckling.
"What are you afraid of? It's normal for a little brother to cause trouble. And it's just as normal for an older brother to clean it up."
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+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg